Teachers strike... what will actually happen in end?!

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My school is striking again next week with others that have teachers from the particular union.

All that is happening is parents are getting massively angry. Kids are missing out. I've used so much holiday on strike days as I have multiple children. I know my anger should not be directed to school but exactly where can I direct it to? I'm pretty sure my MP wouldn't care. He's completely useless.

The government don't seem to care.

I personally think something needs to change in that profession and funding in my area is shocking! It's probably not attracting the best people to the profession and certainly is driving people away.

However, am I right in thinking rishi and co don't care?! Teachers could do 5, 10, 100 days and it seems they won't budge right?

Parents don't seem to care or get angry enough, short of tweeting about it or writing to MP. It isn't really enough to get this resolved.

How do you think this situation will end?

The irony of teachers striking over something they had a part in causing is actually incredible

???????????? We caused the Government to underpay us? To not value the work that we do? To systematically cut funding year on year? To put the profession into utter crisis? That was our fault?!

I'm sure it was posted some while ago where I mentioned improving behaviour and attendance by treating parents, many of whom will have had a less than sparkling experience of education themselves, with a bit of respect and not treating kids like lumps of meat going through a processing factory would be the plan. Happy kids and happy parents equal less disruption and you can do the job you all keep telling me you're so good at in peace. If kids want to learn and can see the relevance along with accessing an appropriate curriculum then that's half the battle won. But kicking off at parents because the kids have the wrong shoes on or don't have football boots when its two weeks to payday, or the big one for me was parents not being able to afford Food Tech ingredients and then being told (by the man child as it went) just to buy them and send the receipt in, is not the way to ensure mutual respect. And it said it all he was too bloody thick to realise that if someone can't afford ingredients, then it doesn't matter if they can claim it back afterwards as they don't have the money up front to buy them in the first place. Removing barriers to actually attending school would be a massive step forward, and then engaged kids are more likely to learn, and if kids know there will be consequences for serious or consistent bad behaviour then thats another massive step, and I doubt there will be many parents who wouldn't support that. All of that would cost virtually zilch and yet its not even on most schools radar! That, would be the plan.

Oh Jesus not this again. You're not underpaid as a profession and every government body had their funding cut due to the overspending that went on before. Not understanding this, and certainly not understanding that there is a finite pot of resources so if you demand a big pay rise and receive it then more jobs will have to go, is very much your fault, yes!

Says the poster questioning my mental capacity and thought process 🙄 especially as I'm ND that is quite bullying in itself!

That all sounds like another local problem to you, to be honest. Many schools don't operate like that.

As I say, I teach in around 40 different schools and the management around those issues are different in each depending on the culture of the leadership.

The leadership is influenced by what Ofsted want to see, what the parents want and what ever the DfE agenda is.

You seem to have a problem with the way schools are lead and I'm not really in disagreement about that in itself. I just think the mechanisms that cause that are ALSO not down to ordinary classroom teachers, who have to follow the policies and procedures in place or be fired.

I could show you a number of schools who foster fabulous relationships with their families. I would happily take you round them if you wanted to see.

Yet they are facing the exact same problems with recruitment and retention of staff, with poor SEN provision and falling-down buildings.

'Just improve relationships and behaviour' is an outcome, not really a solution.

Hmm. I've just come across TSF on a thread about whether we can rely on the NHS any longer and her response to that was to sack staff for doing their jobs badly. And now she's popped up on this saying all teachers are shit. I'm starting to wonder if she's not a genuine poster but a Tory troll hijacking threads about public bodies with inflammatory statements and personal digs designed to cause offence.

@TheSnootiestFox hold on.

I'm ND (not that it matters and not that anyone would have known since you and I have just posted have posted this)

But you were literally making comments to another poster implying they were a bad teacher (based on their posts on MN), you have thrown insults around, and names and when people have called you out, you cry bullying. People ar

You haven't engaged with any type of debate other than "I'm right your all wrong" and have avoid every question posed to you re what you think the solution is to solving the teaching crisis ?

Being ND doesn't mean you can't be called out as a bully. But since I am ND I can.

Also as a teacher with years worth of experience- reflection would have been part of your skill set. Have you reflected that any part of you is accountable to what happened then and now ? No ... 🙄

Ignore the typo - hopefully you all get the gist

No dear, I'm just hacked off to the back teeth of people not doing what they are paid by the government to do. If you read back through that thread you will see the utter shit shows that caused me to form that opinion. I'm taking it you've never had to sell your family home to pay for medical treatment because of you don't you'll end up in a wheelchair? Nope, didn't think as much. The NHS is similarly full of people wanting more money when there's little value for money shown already, and many many NHS employees would have been sacked long ago if they worked in the private sector. I can actually think of a few teachers like that actually. Tory yes, troll no, I've been on Mumsnet for years!

What is then, @lifeissweet? Genuine question, what is the solution?

Well, I'm sure you'll not be surprised to learn that if someone attacks me, and there has been page after page after page of posters doing so, I am not going to sit by and be insulted, called names, frequently told I don't know what I'm talking about when actually I'm very much clued up. Currently I'm paid to be clued up and advise local government accordingly. So I will argue my case. The trouble is everyone thinks they're right. But instead of saying ' I don't agree, we'll have to agree to differ' I was frequently told I knew nothing and I was just a 'snotty parent' trying to insult teachers. It's clearly OK for lots of people to insult me but I can't retaliate - and that's called bullying. I do hope that clarifies the situation somewhat!

That’s how the tone is coming across - thoroughly unpleasant too.

Fortunately, I can live with your opinion of me.

@TheSnootiestFox but that's the point. I have read the thread and actually not only do you start throwing insults around first, you do not once - say let's agree to disagree.

The thing is your entitled to your opinion, but I have yet to hear what you would propose as a actual solution. Which you have ignored repeatedly and several posters have asked.

If your advising local government, then I would hope you had a solution to the proposed issues place in front of you re recruitment ?

The only thing that would surprise me is a actual answer that doesn't say something in the same vein of "stop whinging and do your job you leftie wokiest" or ignoring the question completely.

Like actual answer. I really do hope the government is having some actual advice on the matter, because I can well believe that just as many of your responses so far diversion seems to be the only response.

I did read the rest of the thread actually and I agree with much of it - the NHS is a lottery and much of it isn't fit for purpose. But once again you attacked the people working within it as being to blame and made it personal, rather than acknowledging that years of funding cuts have led to it being on its knees – just like education.

And don't dear me. It's patronising.

in which case you'll be happy to see your children taught online/in the hall with 150 others/by non-specialists in a subject they are desperate to excel in because they need it for their career aspirations?

But I disagree with that opinion so why would I say that? I believe that the problems with the NHS are down to poor decision making and the existing budget being mismanaged. Pretty much the same with Education!

You started with the personal insults though! It was a robust and even-handed debate until you came on @ing the teachers on the thread to tell them they must be shit at their jobs and they're the problem. Being ND is not an excuse either.

Of course you can disagree, you just don't have to resort to personal insults.

This. ND does not equal obnoxious, it’s offensive to everyone out there who is ND.

I let noble giraffe draw that conclusion because they were hell bent on telling me I knew nothing about teaching. I have never called anyone a shit teacher, its not my terminology for a start! And I don't care about being ND and don't use it as an excuse, ever, I only brought it up because someone though it OK to 'question my mentality' just because I don't agree with the majority of you on here! Just have a read of all the things said about me before you take me to task on my responses.

I repeat, for clarity, I don't think teachers are underpaid, I don't think striking is right and just, and I think teachers have a lot to answer for in terms of the culture in schools now being so toxic, and I gave examples of people being promoted too early in their careers and not handling things desperately well to illustrate my opinion. I also believe that schools are intolerant of anyone that doesn't hold a particular set of political beliefs and I stand by that. No need to froth and argue, and if you don't agree than that's fine as there'd be no need for democracy if we all thought the same!

if kids know there will be consequences for serious or consistent bad behaviour then thats another massive step, and I doubt there will be many parents who wouldn't support that

there are plenty of parents who won't support it. Too many in my experience but I've worked at the two extremes - in independents and in schools with serious levels of deprivation. There are many, many parents who cannot fathom that their child is the one who is bullying/stealing/vandalising/not working and so on. Too many parents who believe that it is up to the school to somehow get their child to magically pass their exams without the child having to put even 5 minutes worth of work in.

And if you oust all these children (and there will be alot of them), where are they going to go? They still have a legal entitlement to an education, regardless of their beavhiour. Indeed, it is to our benefit as a society as a whole that we do everything we can for children struggling to ensure we have an educated work force able to tackle whatever is thrown at it. Wash your hands of them, and what happens next?

I only mentioned the fact I was ND because I had my mentality questioned and that is offensive. I don't offer it as an excuse, I don't need to. Unless I'm now not allowed any sort of opinion other than yours 🙄

I don't recall doing so apart from.in.one case when I told someone I thought they were being ridiculous. And I hold that opinion.