to think teachers are constantly under fire?

[strawberrykate]

The number of negative assumptions about teachers motives, nit-picking over fine details of what they do and the general attitude towards seems to be really poor. They are held up to unusally high-standards and expected to do the impossible it seems.

Imagine the scenario, 30 children, one adult. Each child generates a small mountain of paperwork in the form of marking, reports, assessment and planning needs plus more. Each child has different needs, abilities, fears etc. You are under pressure to teach more hours than you have in the day (really, look up the required number of hours per subject per week, it adds up to more hours than there are in a school week). Average workload outside traching hours (if you do it all decently, but quickly)

• 2 hours per night marking books
• 1 hour a day collecting resources and preparing a class
• 2 hours each for literacy, planning, numeracy, foundation etc. per week
• half hour per day writing up lesson evaluations
• half hour per day with parents/ resolving issues from the day, sending collecting letters and homework feedack etc.
• one afterschool club plus tidying up and preperation/ waiting for kids to be collected 2 hours

That's a basic 58 hour week inc. the 6 hours teaching day.

Then throw in parents evenings/ report writing/ additional long term planning/ after school perfromances/ fetes/ events/ compeitions/ sports matchs/ meetings with outside services/ dealing with larger issues with families and children/ arranging special events or theme weeks/ liasing with outside professionals who come into school/ holiday clubs/ one to one tuition or extra free tutition and the million and one extras like carol concerts or parish events. Which can push the job into occupying every waking moment some weeks.

Then throw the needs of your own family.

Everyone is still shocked when your reports written at midnight have a few typos or you dont pick up or know about every child as well as their parents from memory. You get impromptu meetings where parents are outraged you don't know every level of the top of your head. Every slip of the tongue or small error is analysied to death. Every other year you may even be lucky enough to get a parents peition against you, normally over a misunderstanding (e.g. for banning books in the class was my favourite-I never did find out why they thought I'd done that). Parents gunning for a fight over a missing lunchbox/ coat/ glove, then no apology when it turns up at home or on a sibling.

AIBU to think a bit more courtesy toward teachers and an appreciation of them being human wouldn't go amiss? I've had a range of jobs, retail, law etc, and I've never been in ajob where so quick are people to attack. Even the national media has teachers and schools as a favourite gripe, rarely a week goes by where I don't see a report which boils down to saying teachers are either a bit thick/ lazy/ uncaring/ money-grabbing.

I really love working with kids and seeing the difference I can make, and I think I have done well by hundreds of children who have passed though my care. The constant, and increasing, habit of expecting teacher to be no less than saints is really pissing me off! It's huge factor as to why decent teachers leave the profession, often leaving ones who simply don't care/ can't find other work.

YANBU.

Well said!

But wait and watch for the reasons why we are bashed day in day out and shall we play cliche bingo and see who can spot these first:

You only work part time/9-3
You only work 39 weeks a year
You play all day
How hard can it be?
I hated my teachers/school
I pay your wages with my taxes

Can I add to the bingo any comment which implies that a school has a greater level of responsibility towards their precious dc's upbringing and safety than they do as parents?

YADNBU

I think there should be a bingo point about those looooonnnnng summer holidays (where in reality you get about 3 full days as the rest is spent marking).

Oh nice add to the bingo sheet there (sorry can't see names on my phone weirdly)

Well said. Am totally with you.

Hate the teacher bashing in the media. And really hate the teacher bashing on MN.

yanbu
They're constantly being judged by the 30 families of the children currently in their class, as well as prospective families looking at schools for the next year and asking around.

I agree with you, except you don't have to do after school clubs or one to one tuition (unless you're in a private school), so I'd stop that one right away (the extra work or the complaining about it).

Every government since whenever sees education as an easy target for "innovation", and has encouraged a more demanding attitude by the population, which can develop into an overweening sense of entitlement on the part of loons. Everyone's been taught, which leads so many to behave as if they know how how to do it.

Additionally, they've encouraged an anyone-can-do-it attitude, with talk of mum's armies of helpers/actual army types/ cover supervisors, and the improper use of TAs, all of which undermine the status of teachers, and their pay.

The shockingly low entry qualifications don't help either. While I don't think good academic attainment automatically = good teaching; it's not too much to expect both.

What I think many don't get is the sheer performance aspect of the job; it's rarely mentioned. It's a part of the fun, but it is draining and THEN you get to do planning and marking.

My brother was a teacher, a bloody good one. He quit to become a policeman, now he walks the streets of inner-city London, he says its less hassle and people shout at him less.

YADNBU.

Totally agree. Approx 5 hours per day is spent directly with the kids. In a 1 hour lesson, 20-30 minutes is taken up by the introduction, plenary, organisation and settling. This leaves approximately 1 minute of individual time per child in a typical class of 30, although of course support is given as and when necessary. There just isn't the time to dedicate enough attention to each child to satisfy some parents.

The other thing is the bizarre judgements and interventions dreamed up by raising standards bods. I can't think of another job where workers are so heavily criticised by external inspectors who know little about the school they're going into. Fantastic teachers have been crushed by clueless paper shufflers forcing unrealistic targets onto poor kids.

Even my own lovely mother, an educational psychologist said to my friend who has a son with sen "teachers don't distinguish between literacy and maths skills... if the child is good orally they'll assume they're good at maths too..." Cheers Ma!

Anyway, I'm leaving the profession, it's far too difficult! I just make sure I back up my kids' teachers and refer to them with respect. I genuinely think they are fab anyway, they've got smiles on their faces no matter what.

'Every other year you may even be lucky enough to get a parents petition against you, normally over a misunderstanding'
I have never heard of this in any school that I have worked in and I have taught for 18 years (old gimmer)in lots of schools. Some children really do get a shit deal out of the education system and unfortunately teachers are the first port of call.

well said, and thank you for still having the energy to type it all out at this point in the year!

My rant is not with parents who by and large are very supportive ime of both their child and school (not mutually exclusive)

It's the politicians, news broadcasters and spokespersons for various organisations who get on my wick who expect their area of concern to be tacked on to the curriculum e.g. manners, personal hygiene, finances, eating healthily... What about not devolving the role of parents? I feel like waving, "hello, I'm a mother, that's my job!" Or is it that govt can inspect a school and publish their findings in a table, unlike parents who are of course incapable as individuals (can't inspect those) of toeing the line and instilling knowledge.

Children are only in school for 6hrs x5 x39, curriculum is already packed to the gills. The majority of the time children are with their parents.

I have been off to assess your claim that you are constantly under fire. I chose the Daily Mail as a guide, as they are more likely to be anti-teacher than the Guardian. By typing 'children' into the Mail search engine I am now able to announce who is responsible for the terrible state of our children, according to Mail articles on the first 3 pages of hits:

In first place, parents: responsible 15 times.

In second place, working mothers: responsible 6 times.

Third, both teachers and parents: responsible 3 times.

Fourth, teachers alone: twice.

Fifth, the Government: held responsible by only one article.

So YABU. Parents are mainly under fire, not teachers.

Can I also add, that shockingly two thirds of children cannot tell a frog from a toad. The parents fault apparently, for not taking their children to safari parks.

YANBU at all.

caz- I needed a break from these bloody reports before I did the classic wrong name on the report slip up!

cornsilk-I've seen a few, maybe it's just the type of parent in our area. Other schools tbf simply tended towards the meeting i the playground and coming in mob-handed or group ambushes at the gate.

You can pick at a few points in what I've said, but the overall image is very similar across the country and this attitude does exist. Details vary from school to school. From governent level, to the media to local families there is a pervasive attitude of negativity.

I know an ex-policeman who now teaches. He says his previous job was far less stressful.

If parents are coming in mob handed then the management need to buck up.If a school is well run parents won't do that IME.

MillyR- as a parent I do think I'm responsible for my children and their 'state', terrible or not. I brought them up and I have no issue with anyone labelling me responsible for my children. Their opinion on them may be negative, and I may disagree with it, but I would agree that I am resposnisble. Why would you view teachers and parents as comparable in this way?

YANBU-It is the reason I only work part time- I need a life! One hour in the classroom needs an hour out for preparation and marking-that doesn't include the extras like record keeping.

cornsilk-or maybe the parents shouldn't do this kind of thing regardless...?

won't tell you i've finished mine then