Well said Mr P - response to teacher strike

[MrsMurphyIWish]

No AIBU, just wanted to share.

Solidarity doe those of us striking and to those who are questioning why, please take a listen …

www.facebook.com/reel/708926614094881?fs=e&s=9RfQYY

I'm not a teacher, and I have young children at school. It seems to me that teachers striking is practically the ONLY option at this point. Becuase it DOES impact the children and the families and maybe then the government might be forced to actually DO something and spend more money.

More maths to 18? I'd far rather they invested that money in more teachers in KS1, KS2 and KS3 so that our children all get a better foundation. Instead of relying on the teacher going the extra mile because the class sizes, lack of SEN support etc mean so many just fall through the cracks.

Of course, people like me have been vocal about what we want, make different choices about who we vote for etc. Striking may not change anyone else's opinion but I just hope it makes people THINK.

Excellent post, @Lottapianos

I have a child in reception year, and a 3 year old. I feel for teachers, they're expected to work miracles every day. And I've noticed that more and more of the social care and community care aspects of life have crept into the responsibility of schools too.

I think our schooling system needs a fundamental overhaul. I think teachers should be paid significantly more than they are, I think there needs to be a huge increase in both the number and the salaries of support staff, I think every teacher should have access to a team of teaching assistants and well trained support and pastoral staff. I think school facilities need to be overhauled and upgraded, our primary school kitchen is falling apart, and there's no money in the budge for it to be redone. I think that school children should have access to arts, music, physical education, and that all speciaist subjects should be taught by people who are specialised in that subject.

I 100% support the teachers strike, and I sincerely hope it makes a difference. Sadly I think the only thing that will really make a difference is hanging in there until there is a change of government.

From your post, and others on this site and others in recent days, I’ve realised schools are a postcode lottery like everything else. I honestly didn’t realise all schools didn’t teach PE, art & music. Surely it’s part of the curriculum? Seems we won the school lottery, which I feel very lucky for, but feel sad our experience is seemingly far from widespread.

And you’re also lucky that if your child’s school is offering a full curriculum that it’s taught by people who have qualification in that subject. We have non-specialists teaching KS3 maths to ensure the specialists are teaching KS4 and 5. This year I’m teaching an A-level that I only studied to A-level myself. I’m spending most of my time planning for those lessons at the detriment to my specialist subject.

“The problem lies with government.” and those that vote them in.

This. But there are so many reasons. People aren't good at planning ahead. The Tories don't want an edicuated populace and their own kids go to public schools anyway. Some parents treat schools as childcare and their anger at having to try and homeschool their kids during strikes is directed at the teachers under the guise of "by my child's education!" Lots of people still seem to hate teachers from their own time at school. Lots of people think a job with half terms and six weeks' summer hols must be easy. Some parents think teachers are "interfering" when they correct their child's behaviour, so they jump on any excuse to berate all teachers. Plus the bias that lots of parents think their children are perfect and teachers are working them too hard or not appreciating their genius, etc., so any strikes give these types of people an excuse to mouth off about teachers. I wouldn't teach unless pay was quadrupled. It's not worth the backlash from literally all sides.

I can imagine! Definitely very lucky; my children are only primary and they have an external provider for PE, music & Spanish. One of my sons has SEN and his provision is second to none. Full time 1-1, twice weekly speech & language therapy and he has an autism specialist visit once a month to provide support. It’s so hard to understand how the resources can be so unfairly distributed. I’m well aware that our amazing primary experience will more than likely not be continued into secondary education.

How many subjects are you currently teaching?

My son is off ill with Covid.

I came into the living room this morning to find him, having woken from a sofa nap, shouting at Carol Malone on the Jeremy Vine panel - 'That WOMAN, in PINK, thinks ALL teachers should PUT UP with RUBBISH PAY because SOME KIDS are struggling after LOCKDOWN!'

If kids can see it.........

@4thonthe4th As a parent I’m lucky that my own children are having a good educational experience, but as a teacher I’m aware that can easily change. My DS has autism and after 4 years has finally got an ECHP and a TA but I did fight for that and a teacher knew how to fight the system. If I hadn’t have been in education, I’m aware his experience would never different.

Teaching 3. My own two subjects (English and Performing Arts, and now Psychology). I really wish I could say to my students and their parents, “by the end of this academic year you/your children will just be as qualified as me to teach this”.

I think our Bio teacher also has only an A-level in Biology.

Techers need to wake up. They are on an above average salary of over £30k which gives a rate of £155 per day for days actually worked (39*5) for what might be a quite stressful, but lets face it, not all that skilled job

NHS workers and teachers andother education staff are leaving and moving to the private sector so there are more and more vacancies and poor service. If we steal staff from elsewhere we have to feed and house them. Even if you are so wealthy you only rely on private you will get poorer service as staff become sick and poorly educated. Therefore better for the country to look after staff we have

'Techers need to wake up. They are on an above average salary of over £30k which gives a rate of £155 per day for days actually worked (39*5) for what might be a quite stressful, but lets face it, not all that skilled job'

Oh dear god. I'm cringing for you. 'Not all that skilled'??? What I wouldn't give to see you attempt the job for just one week - you wouldn't last until the first break time

Not a teacher btw, but used to work with loads of them in my NHS role

@realmsofglory

As an English teacher, I’ll exhibit my skills.

-Teachers
-Let’s
-full stop

And also piss off to one of the other bashing threads, this is a thread for support.

😂

Not remotely above average for people with a postgraduate qualification.

"For both men and women, masters and PhD graduates earn more on average than those with only an undergraduate degree, while PGCE graduates earn less on average. In particular for men this last gap is large, with PGCE graduates earning around £38,000 on average at age 35 compared with nearly £51,000 for those with only an undergraduate degree. For both genders, earnings growth through the 30s is largest among undergraduates and PhD graduates and smallest for PGCE graduates."

From the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS)

Good luck tothe strikers. I'm in full support no matter how inconvenient it is. You go for it, you're never going to get fair treatment if you just let it go, particularly if you were classed as a frontline worker and 'kept the country going', like teacher, social care workers, NHS employees, public sector of all sorts who DO keep our country going; you are FUNDAMENTAL to our well being in every way, binmen, sewage, what would we do without them as well as the nurses, the rail workers etc you are among the mist important people in our society. How the Government thinks we'd function witout you is beyond me and why they don't value you is also beyond me. Those MPs, Sunak most of all atm, are just interested in feathering their own nests and those of their friends.

We need a revolution!

This is one of my favourite scenes on The West Wing:

I realise that it's from an American series that isn't on telly anymore but I think the sentiment still stands.

Teaching is the silver bullet.

If you have great teachers who are funded properly in schools that are maintained properly and heated properly where it is comfortable for the students to learn in, then you get the next generation of scientists, artists, bakers, couturiers, designers, engineers and so so so many other skills, and more teachers, because the students see how happy the teachers are in their profession.

Surely that's a win-win???

Couldn't agree with this more.

Agreed - it's the last of all resorts but apart from doffing your cap and being subservient, what other recourse is there?

Just... yes.

YANBU.

It's funny how job's the government keep saying are 'vocational' are also the job's they deem to not need to be paid a decent wage.

Not all that skilled? Really?