To think droves of teachers will make the decision by husband made today- to leave

[Peakyshelby]

Well after 6 years of teaching my husband has broken down, gone to the doctors, been signed off and says he is done.

he has done 3 years in 2 schools and then done supply for 3 years. There is too much to list but the highlights have been

been told to go and fuck himself and other insults thrown at him by kids with hardly any consequences from parents and schools

having stuff chucked at him

having to appear as a witness in court when a parent beat up his own child at home time in the playground

having parents create a smear group on WhatsApp against him and 2 other newly qualified teachers because the parents said there little darlings behaviour must be down to inexperienced teachers not being able to handle them.

having parents laugh and him and tell him he is picking on their little darlings by trying to sanction them.

have children laughing at him and saying my mum and dad don’t care what I do

hardly any support from above.

There is too much more to write but today he had a 10 year old child walk up to him and pour a water bottle over his head.

he is done. He qualified with a group of 10 others and 8 of them have since quit. 2 did not get through there NQT year.

He says the system is broken

It's especially ironic considering @Lovepeaceunderstanding's post isn't grammatical sounds either. Six years standing should be six years' standing for example.

@hevs03 my goodness, that’s horrific. My daughter is a Norland Nanny and while people like to paint the rich in an unfavorable light she has had nothing but beautifully brought up children who respect boundaries and respect her. It’s a great career for those interested in childcare as a profession.

Sorry can you clarify? I don't understand what you mean.

I'm not talking about the overall cap. I mean you can only claim for 2 children so benefits are not an incentive to have more children.

Have you bothered to even do a basic google when phonics was implemented? You’re misinformed at best lying at worst, it’s actually embarrassing because you keep saying phonics was introduced in the last 14 years which it wasn’t. You don’t know what you’re talking about.
https://dera.ioe.ac.uk/id/eprint/5551/2/report.pdf

Hi. Your poor husband and well done for him for doing the years he's done. He could absolutely look for another career but I just wanted to say my husband was at a school with toxic management, entitled parents and wooly discipline. He thought he was a bad teacher and management thought he was bad too. He wanted to leave teaching but tried moving schools mid year first. His new school was in a tougher area but with clear rules and good supportive management. He's very happy now and has been promoted.

Surprise, surprise this thread is full of your usual daily mail idiots. 'Take away the benefits' 'introduce violence to the children' crowd. In the instances where SEN and trauma are not present, these children often already experience poverty or violence.

Ofcourse the government are to blame, NHS waiting lists, meaning ill/deceased parents, budget cuts to schools, introducing poverty to families meaning parents need to work more, removing SEN support is a huge part of the problem.

Ofcourse the majority secondary schools still function and children learn.Ofcourse in the 90s and before we also witnessed violence and bad behaviour in schools.

Letters and sounds the first phonics programme 2007
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7aa7b6e5274a34770e630c/Letters_and_Sounds_-_DFES-00281-2007.pdf

Do you not look at the bigger picture ? What do you think will happen if you take away the basic state help that stops the Uk from being a third world country ? The crime rate will absolutely rocket, it will be the haves in society that will pay the price, because the have nots will target them just for survival.

People on benefits and low wages are already struggling to survive, and having to turn to crime or other frowned upon means to put food on the table and pay the bills.

What an utterly ignorant view you have.

Consider that, with the shortage of teaching staff currently, those that are left are obliged to teach subjects which are not their main one. In fact, they’re probably teaching several to plug the gaps. It isn’t a question of having a top degree, it’s a question of having someone in front of a class who can teach a lesson, manage behaviour and engage the students.

I’ve said this before, but the most ineffective teacher I ever met had a doctorate in his subject. His knowledge was extensive. He couldn’t manage a class of 11 year olds, so he couldn’t share that knowledge with them. Rigorous academic standards don’t always result in excellent teaching.

When I started, university places were for the few, rather than anyone who chose to go. It was regarded as a privilege, not a right. Even as far back as 2010, the rot had set in, in terms of funding, moving out experienced teachers who had decades of experience and would be effective mentors for new colleagues. With the advent of social media and instant communication, parents felt they could simply come into school to challenge and argue.

I’ve been choked by a student who tried to escape through a window, head butted the head teacher and ran away. This was after he attempted to set fire to my department. He was excluded and reinstated on appeal. One boy, on an induction day, tried to sell cigarettes to older students, climbed a tree and refused to come down. His brother left an exam by climbing through a window and running off. His parents refused to believe he’d done that, despite the evidence of an entire year group and several members of staff.

These were outweighed by the sheer joy of teaching most students and the huge collegiate support in the school. If I were starting again, there is no way that I would teach. I’m afraid that inclusion in all its forms has generally been detrimental to everyone. Lack of funding, ill thought out initiatives, little support for SEND, little support from parents, lack of actual parenting in some cases, has led to the crumbling edifice we now have.

Not just a 2:1 in the subject they intend to teach, but a record of achievement throughout academia. A demonstration that the individual themselves did well - a minimum of a 6 for instance in Maths and English

I teach MFL, a shortage subject. I teach 2 MFL's I haven't learnt to any degree of fluency. I have a CSE grade 1 in maths and an A in English O level. I am, therefore, a substandard teacher by your reckoning.

However, what I have is experience, and a good track record of getting over and above results. Do you want me teaching your children MFL or someone who got a 6 in maths?

their x 2

I used to think that teaching was a great profession. Great pay, three months holiday every year, days off for bad weather and broken down heating systems, inset days, early retirement and spending those retirement years driving a flashy motorhome around the tourist spots of the UK and Europe. At least the ones that I was meeting all had retired early and bought motorhomes. They were definitely middle class and owned their own houses free of mortgages.

Gradually kids got more obnoxious and all seemed to know their rights, but no-one had talked to them about their responsibilities to the rest of society. There were great kids but it was hard not to notice corellation between single parent households and those offspring having a greater concentration little shits. A father's disciplinary efferts seemed to hold sway and keep the "cherubs" in line.

Men became demonised in many ways and the risk of them being labelled as paedos led many to withdraw from child-related activities and employment. A friend of mine had two boys around 8 years old. She said that they never interacted with men in their day to day life, schooling or activities. They were good kids as their mum set high demands on them. The mum told me that her kids were taught by women, teaching assistants were all women, they were "babysat" after school by women, even the leader of the Cubs/Scouts group was a woman as were all the helpers. The schools and the Cubs/Scouts could not get male adults.

My other half works in a school in a domestic post. She has a degree and only took the job for the three months holidays a year, but she says that some of the kids are so arrogant and ignorant that she doesn't know how long she will do the job. In Scottish schools sanitary products are provided free, but a great deal of the pads get stuck to the ceiling in the toilets. Used tampons are dropped on the floor or left in the sink. Classrooms look like a bomb has hit them, plastic bottles dropped on the floor, hole punches emptied, drawings of male genitalia on tables, pencils stuck in the ceiling, chairs thrown about, and just a general attitude of trashing the place. Complaints to the Head get the response of "that's kids these days".

I can't see any improvement whilst we continue to denigrate men, because the majority of women don't seem to be able to discipline kids and these days men aren't allowed to.

I think 60 hours is more like the minimum. And as for holidays - my friend in FE has had 2 days since the start of the academic year. Covering for colleagues off with stress means marking up to 150 projects every half term and holiday.

Teaching comes at a heavy price health wise. It doesn't make any sense why anyone would work ridiculous hours, under huge amounts of pressure and threats for a tiny amount of remuneration.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/changes-to-qualifications-and-curriculum-igcses-get-go-ahead-and-rose-review-is-scrapped

So sorry OP, ive heard how terrible it is out there, the parents are to blame, schools hands are tied.
Friend of mines daughter qualified to teach, she did 18months and left, shes a red head, kids shouting does collar match the cuff, ginger mi* ect, totally ignored her never did their work, threw stuff at her.
But not all schools are this bad, are there any other schools near by he could apply at?

We needed those alternative qualifications referred to that were scrapped as well. GCSEs just aren’t suitable for everyone and don’t reflect all students’ abilities.

I don't agree with non-specialists teaching some subjects.

But what I do disagree with is that you have to be a high-flyer to teach your subject.

The fact is that understanding your subject (to the level or just beyond what your students are learning) is only one small part of teaching.

Equally important is charisma, enthusiasm and being able to perform in front of a class and keep them with you.

IME of schools, many of the staff who left and didn't cope with - on paper- very well qualified. What they lacked was the ability to control a class and keep the students with them in a lesson.

Unless you're teaching in higher ed, a degree of any class is enough for most teaching roles. Even at A level, if you have a degree you're equipped. And in some subjects (like English Lit) the curriculum changes annually so you're always learning.

you see it on MN all the time.

OP: My DD12 just told me to 'fuck off' because I asked her to put away her clothes. Should I discipline her?
PP: OMG!!! The poor little lamb. She's probably had a rough day at school/friendship issues/period pains...you have to cut her some slack and stop being such a boring, overharsh disciplinarian!!!!
OP: oh ok.....

Total fabrication but you get my meaning...

OP, I hope your DH is able to come back from the last 6 years and finds a job he enjoys.

I will also say - and I know some won’t like this and it will be controversial - but the quality of teachers has definitely slipped.

This isn’t remotely controversial and is in fact well documented.

The government is openly telling teacher training providers to accept anyone onto the course, where they are then passed. Headteachers are openly saying that they have to hire people they would not want to hire because the alternative is no one.

And it’s not just STEM subjects, it’s all staff. Beggars can’t be choosers.

One of the better routes into teaching is Teach First. The grads are put in tough schools and it's sink or swim. It's a prep for leadership roles. Many however do Teach First and use it on their CV as a passport to other careers because it shows they have the capacity to cope.

That's assuming every single state school is like the one described in the op. Thankfully that's not the case.

Simple facts:
The DC's primary was OK. Top school but most the dc were tutored. The teaching of literacy and numeracy was not great and the Head could not construct grammatically correct sentences. It was a nice environment though with like minded parents who wanted the best for their DC.

DS was alpha and sporty and v v bright. He needed exercising like a labradorite and that wasn't available at a state primary. We moved him at 8.

DD was much quieter and it suited until 11 when she luckily got a place at a hill grail state cofe school. When we switched not one school in our Borough offered: a classical language, choice of MFL or specialist subject discipline based science (physics, chemistry, biology). The offer was not a comprehensive offer it was closer to secondary modern.

DD did two years at a state secondary with an excellent reputation. We moved her due to behaviour issues and some very poor teaching at a school where staff left in droves under new leadership.

The DC are 26 and 29 now. One went to Oxford, one to Cambridge. They are both teaching: one in secondary, one as a Lecturer post PhD. None of their contemporaries who remained in the state system went to Oxbridge. Some were cleverer than my DC. All had motivated, very nice and caring parents.

A few years ago, I wanted to be an English teacher, but I’d rather join a bomb disposal squad than do Teach First!

I’d still like to teach TEFL or ESOL to adults (same subject, but different student demographics), but I imagine such vacancies are few and far between in the UK, despite being poorly paid.

With conditions as appalling as they are, where do Labour think they're going to find 6000 people willing to train as teachers. They might offer enticements but 80% of them will probably quit within a few years.

I don't know about entry qualifications for a teaching degree in England but when my daughter was considering teaching (Scotland) the grades needed for teaching were not as high as many other degrees.
Consequently we've had NQTs who can't use correct spelling and grammar and struggle with maths beyond P5

Perhaps stop looking at new grads. Teaching is a great second career for older people.

The current focus is on young teachers to the exclusion of older more experienced people.

Best maths teacher ever - outstanding in every sense of the word was a former civil engineer at DD’s school. He had retrained and career changed to fit his family needs.

His groups outperformed the top sets and he had the complete respect of all his students.