English teacher is hardest job in school

[Hfstjsufysyfykdhoxg]

AIBU to think that being an English teacher is the hardest teaching job in the school?

Two GCSEs
Not optional, so larger classes with all abilities at GCSE
Marking is a slow process - particularly mocks with two GCSE subjects
All eyes are on your results
Researching texts can take an age
Literacy seems to come under your umbrella, when really it affects many subjects

My favourite teachers at school were always the English ones.

It's one of those subjects that needs a lot of moderation too. A Level coursework must be very time-consuming to mark

I taught primary, but I much preferred teaching maths or science. Teaching maths is easy compared with writing. The marking took far longer with writing work too!

Oh it's horrific. Agree

My three kids all loved the English teacher at secondary school. She was fantastic. They were not great at English but passed and most kids in the school got fab results with her. I hope she knows how grateful students and parents felt.

Maths gets the same amount of teaching time as English's two GCSEs because it is widely agreed that it has the same amount of content as two GCSEs. That's why it counts for two GCSEs in Progress 8. There were calls to make it worth two actual GCSEs during the curriculum overhaul under Gove but he didn't do that because it was piloted by Labour. Wales actually did it.

Maths is not luxuriating in loads of extra teaching time. Most kids never get close to finishing the syllabus.

But the marking load, particularly the time it takes and amount of moderation, isn't in the same league

Don't you get a day off-timetable for moderation?

I’m not here to play who has it hardest because that’s a sad game to get into, I was explaining that maths is actually 2 GCSEs worth of content and counts for that in league table measures, because it appears that some people don’t know that.

It's swings and roundabouts. I teach 2 options subjects and have 7 GCSE classes. So intense in a different way.

Not in any school that I've worked in. It tends to be in team meetings

Looking in as (ex) support staff, the marking load of essay subjects is insane, but I challange teachers of subjects where kids traditionally stay say in their desks to take a practical lesson!

You'd be disciplined for marking during lesson time in the schools that I've worked in

At least English is regarded as important by parents and pupils. It’s always fun at parents evening being told that they are going to ‘focus on the subjects that matter’

The Spanish and Drama teachers at my work will definitely disagree with you!

S1 science, chemistry or biology topics....gas taps, naked flames, glass tubes, random chemicals.....what could possibly go wrong??? 😜

@Hfstjsufysyfykdhoxg I agree. It's teaching a subject where your school is judged on the percentage of pupils getting a grade 4 or higher which is a lot of pressure.

I think with teaching it also depends on the age group. I teach physics and A Level is so much more work per lesson that GCSE, and GCSE is more than KS3. Yet the pay is the same. A friend teaches primary school. She is also on the same pay grade, her hours are much less than mine yet same pay.

Yep - time taken to do risk assessments as part of planning, and classroom management is off the scale.

Yes, I know exactly what you mean. My year 11s have their mock exam tomorrow. I set revision on Teams. I emailed the students and their parents at the weekend to remind them it's on there. Had them today and reminded them again. Still half the class hasn't bothered looking. Still, it probably won't take me as long to mark all their writing papers. 🙄

I briefly considered becoming a chemistry/biology teacher after my PhD, but decided it wasn't for me. I did help teach Uni labs and although that was largely more advanced techniques, managing the multiple potential dangers was a big part of that too.

The marking. Oh the marking! It's the best subject to teach, but marking is insane.

I love my job, but gcse marking takes forever. A Level marking and moderation is a beast, and there's no way we get time off timetable to do it. However, we are clearly the best department (yes, I know).

The upside is there are always jobs n English as it's compulsory twofold

So does everyone have to do English Lit?

I did my O levels in the early 80s and Eng Lit was an separate option and got the same number of lessons as every other option.

Yes it's compulsory

I used to be an English teacher. I do something else now.

I used to like preparing lessons and teaching, but the marking load was absolutely horrendous. Sweet starry-eyed would be authors also used to give me their 60 side hand written sci fi novels or reams of angst ridden poetry to read and give them feedback on - really difficult in another way!

I stopped teaching for other reasons though (the politics of ever changing "initiatives" and having to pretend that this term's top priority wasn't a complete U-turn on the priority quietly dropped from last term was one. Careerist and publicity hungry senior management, and being treated incredibly badly when I was pregnant and returning from maternity leave were others).