AIBU to think that not being allowed to sit down whilst teaching is insane!

[Supermummy88]

Good evening all,

I’m a head of department in a secondary school where the work load has become horrendous. We have a new senior assistant head and he has made some awful changes and has increased work load by about 50%. Last week he made a complaint that he saw a number of teachers sitting down during lessons and that it’s not acceptable and that we should not be sitting down at all during any stage of the lesson apart from doing the register. I physically can’t stand for hours, but he doesn’t seem to care and thinks that teachers are not doing their job properly unless they are consistently circulating the classroom. I’m very close to giving up teaching completely and finding another career and I feel this has given me more of a reason to just leave.

What do you all think about this?

The nation doesn't deserve good teachers.

Ridiculous. Disability discrimination.

I am in awe of teachers. I work in the NHS which has its challenges but I could not do your job!

My mother in law taught early years for 25 years and was so passionate about education. One of the reasons she retired early was because she wasn’t allowed a chair. She was forced to sit on the floor at almost 60. She reached a point where she just couldn’t do it anymore. It’s ridiculous.

I do both but I ignore stuff like this because it is so obviously stupid. I have worked with loads of teachers and some sit down all the time, some move around a lot and others do a bit of both. It isn’t what makes a good or bad teacher and anyone who has been to school knows that.

Ridiculous. Get your union onto it, OP.

I got this comment on my PGE. I'm disabled by arthritis.

Another student got the same comment, he is a wheelchair user.

Wonder how that will pan out when we are all being forced to work info late 60s!

I think most teachers I know would have been on the phone to the union immediately.

I was a trainer of adults and we were taught to stand to deliver material and then walk around when people are working so you can see that they have understood and are following along. It also makes it easier for people to ask questions on a one to one basis, which you can take back to the group if a great question for all.
I understand some comments like - I need to sit when I type on the screen, take a register, or I sit to read a story. But otherwise I can't see why you wouldn't stand when delivering content and reviewing what the children are doing so you can see the children and they can see you. It signals to the children they need to concentrate etc

Learning theory moves on and learning g practises move on. Sometimes you need to try a new way to see the difference.

I have taught for twenty five years and consistently get some of the best results in the school at GCSE level. I have a very high number of students picking my subject as one of their options. I have always had excellent feedback on my lesson observations. I sit down. This clearly has no impact on my ability to teach.

My former secondary students asked me why I hovered. They were well-behaved and polite and found it off putting so I stopped. I wandered around when they did group work to check in but otherwise I sat and they came to me to have their work checked or with questions. Being able to sit and keep everything under control is a sign of strong classroom management! Maybe young SLT with little experience before they moved up never achieved that level of classroom management so don't understand that it works.

Naturally commanding teachers-
I googled one of mine who eventually became a Head teacher - and then died on retirement - heart attack.

What a lovely man he was. Completely dedicated.
He sat down during lessons ( as well as stood) .

I've heard about schools like this. Utter nonsense. I have also heard about places where desks and chairs been removed. I am sick of fads in education. The basics rarely change.

I’ve never heard of this. I happen to be a standing up teacher but lots aren’t and it doesn’t seem to make a difference to behaviour or results.

Teachers should absolutely be standing during lessons, it shows interest and dynamism and energy.

I have noticed a few teachers starting to wear trainers with their smart dresses. Bet it is because of this idea. Well they can get stuffed. I will stand and sit when appropriate. Like someone said, let them find a replacement. Contact your union.

I sit up on the sink unit at the back of my room a lot when giving instructions or I have a clicker for PowerPoints.or when they are working quietly..I find there is a lot less whispering and messing behind piles of books on their desk when they don't know if I'm looking at them or not without turning around.

Stupid management rules that don't look at the core issues in the classroom and instead like to issue missives like this.

You need both. Managing a class by "wandering round" is a good tool to use if children are off task. It allows the quieter children who may not put up their hand or ask for attention to catch your eye & get help. If there's some off task behaviour going on, standing close to them can help redirect attention without interrupting others. It stops the "back row syndrome" by establishing adult authority everywhere in the room - using the adult physical presence as a quiet reminder of expectations.

Of course you need to sit at times but the idea of the teacher pronouncing expertise from behind their desk to rows of passive listening children is long gone. There's often a link between disruptive behaviour and a teacher anxiously calling for quiet from behind their desk (unintentionally showing "fear" by hiding behind it). I expect as a HoD your classes are well managed but it's good role modelling for younger colleagues to show how managing both behaviour and learning can enabled by literally "wandering round".

Doesn't stop your new A/H from being a prat but he has a point about this.

I know lots of teachers who teach part of the lesson sitting down and the lessons are excellent. This guy is obviously a prick.

So controlling and insulting! I’m a teacher and would not put up with that! Trust me to do my job. I stand, I sit, I circulate. I stand at the back sometimes to keep them on their toes. 🤪 I’m mad on your behalf.

Ridiculous - my last school was like this. SLT would give you a dirty look if they walked past and you happened to be sitting. Never mind they missed all the standing for expo, mini whiteboards, circulating and live marking, show call and live marking a student example under a visualiser. Or that sometimes you need to let students struggle a bit on their own first as long as they understand what they have to do and what they need to do/use in order to achieve it.

My current school is not as bad but I still got feedback from our previous head (through my line manager) that she thought I was leading lessons from the front too much. I'm an MFL teacher and use whiteboards a lot, students' books are filled with evidence of teacher live marking and students responding to it, detailed feedback lessons, I use the visualiser a lot too and frankly with our style of lessons there are shorter exercises and though I pull out MWB to show/improve, do I need to circulate while students are writing a single word or four word sentence on a MWB when I'm about to see them all anyway?

Edit: my classroom climates (and my hearing!) are also such that students feel confident to ask questions which I can answer by modelling or adding vocab to the whiteboard which is at the front of the room). Additionally - my classroom layout is front-facing and I'm not allowed to change it! When I speak to the whole class while walking around, they have to crane their necks to follow me.

I find if I circulate too much or too early it is off-putting to kids and there's nothing to give feedback on yet! Plus it's a poor teacher that can't control a classroom with a look or stern silence while sat at a desk.

I'm pregnant currently and feel more confident about sitting down because of it (that SLT can't tell me off) but I'm still up and moving around a lot of my lessons, squeezing between rows of desks and bags to help students, handing things out even though I get out of breath more easily now. Teaching is a physical job but I think anyone criticising us for sitting down ever should come and observe a whole lesson, look at students' books and data and ask students if their teacher gives them help/feedback during a lesson before introducing their next big idea/lecture. I hate anything introduced just to be performative.

Well I think it's a given they sit down a lot more than u😁 what is the name given for SLT sores for being sedentary ? Would anonymously present them with a plaque. Do as I say not as I do.

I'm just as boring sat down as stood up.

MFL teacher too. We are usually the resource so are performing. I will sit when I need to. The nerve of it. I used to spend some of break putting on positive points on behaviour tracker. Now pupils know that for a certain part of lesson I cannot be interrupted or I won't get them done. Simple.

😂 I can be plenty dynamic with my voice, facial expressions and moving my hands, my legs don't have to come into it! We're not clowns.