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.

I am a secondary teacher in a PRU, Goblinchild- I can remove a pencil sharpener blade and embed it in a biro in under 5 seconds With that and your knowledge of main arteries, we'd be unstoppable I reckon.

I'm a Performing Arts teacher. Perhaps I could distract the IT crowd by re-creating a pivotal scene from Star Trek, then you could launch a surprise attack.

Oh, and on a side-note, I saw Chris Keates on the news today, talking about someone who had been given feedback after an interview with a panel of students, and was told that the kids said he "looked like Humpty Dumpty". WTF! And another where the HoD thought the candidate was the strongest in the field, but that they students were given the final say and so that candidate didn't get the job.

wow tethersend some party trick

Dep Head is a strong believer in the "student voice" - it's a real problem as students are encouraged to make v personal comments about teachers which we're told are valid modes of expression

Subject: Teachers

Aren't you sick of those highly paid teachers?
Their hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work nine or ten months of the year!
It's time we put things into perspective and pay them for what they do... babysit!

We can get babysitters for less than the minimum wage.
That?s right. We would give them £3 an hour and only the hours they worked, not any of that silly planning time.

That would be one day (7:45am to 4:00pm, with 45 minutes off for lunch).
Each parent should pay £19.50 a day for these teachers to babysit their children.

Now, how many do they teach at any one time? maybe 30? So that?s £19.50 x 30 = £585 a day.
However, remember they only work 180 days a year!
We're not going to pay them for any vacations!

Lets see? that?s £585 x 180 = £105,300 a year. (Hold on? my calculator must need new batteries!!)
What about those special teachers and the ones with Masters degrees?

Well, we could pay them minimum wage just to be fair, £5.52 an hour.
That would be £5.52 x 6.5 hours x 30 children x 180 days = £193,752 per year.

Wait a minute, there?s something wrong here!

Make a teacher smile. Send this to someone who appreciates teachers!

(Average teacher salary £21,000/180 day = £116.66 per day/30 students = £3.88/6.5 hours = 59p per hour per student.

A very inexpensive babysitter, and they even educate your kids!

So will the MN teachers be striking this summer over pensions and tick box culture ?

www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/education/article7086545.ece

That's another thread, MMM

I suspect you're going to come under fire from every angle if you do.

And that's not to say you wouldn't be supported by, well me for one but crickey if people loose their babysitters they'll be uproar

Must...fight...urge...to...discuss...strike...action.

Am one that will burn out. Can't maintain the unreasonable demands placed on my dept - am working throughout the holiday just to keep pace - but that is the fault of SMT and is an internal issue.

Will we strike?

I hope all the teachers here that have voted Labour in the past just remember on election day that all there woes are the fault of this target setting interfering government.

No, we'll remember that the culture of target setting was brought in by the tories.

But thanks for the advice

Some of us are old enough to remember all the woes brought upon us by the Conservative governments as well.
It's all become too much like Animal Farm for me now.

YADNBU - thank you!

EvilTwins made the point
"Oh, and on a side-note, I saw Chris Keates on the news today, talking about someone who had been given feedback after an interview with a panel of students, and was told that the kids said he "looked like Humpty Dumpty". WTF! And another where the HoD thought the candidate was the strongest in the field, but that they students were given the final say and so that candidate didn't get the job."

My guess is that this is the result of left-wing child-centred education policies. It will only get worse until the role of the teacher has been completely undermined. Eventually even the word teacher will be seen to be not politically correct. Eventually teachers will be begging Chris Woodhead to return to restore teachers to their rightful place.

Umm the Tories invented Grant Maintained status where schools ran themselves independant of the LEA, and you were left to teach how you like. Labour will get you to the point where every word you utter is pre-written and state approved.

Chris Woodhead?

I don't think you'll find many teachers begging him to do anything save flinging himself off a cliff, TBH.

Your 'guess' is amusing though.

lincstash:

"The government of John Major, concerned about variable local inspection regimes, decided to introduce a national scheme of inspections though a reconstituted HMI, which became known as the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted). Under the Education (Schools) Act 1992, HMI would supervise the inspection of each state-funded school in the country, and would publish its reports instead of reporting to the Secretary of State."

Not exactly laissez faire, is it?

Ditto Ed Balls. An overpaid hack, never had a real job in his life. Knows eff all about education........

INSET(Baker) days, National Curriculum and League tables- all brought in by the Conservatives.

None of which are conducive to leaving teachers to 'teach how you like'

Are you sure you've worked in education?

@tethersend

I didnt see Labour rushing to abolish it in the 14 odd years they have been in power though, have they? And since they have been in power longer whilst OFSTED has existed, dont you thin kthey have had enough time to get rid ?

Quite the oppsite. Labour has used OFSTED to intefere in schools in a way it was never intended.

even worse, school very soon will HAVE to take into account the views of pupils, and you certainly can pin that one on the Tories.

Remember, vote Labour, and vote to have your teaching career ruined by a handful of vindictive pupils. Because they will, if you upset them.

Read this if you think your career is safe under Labour.

*cant -typo :D

The Vicar of Bray

In good King Charles's golden days,
When Loyalty no harm meant;
A Furious High-Church man I was,
And so I gain'd Preferment.
Unto my Flock I daily Preach'd,
Kings are by God appointed,
And Damn'd are those who dare resist,
Or touch the Lord's Anointed.

And this is law, I will maintain
Unto my Dying Day, Sir.
That whatsoever King may reign,
I will be the Vicar of Bray, Sir!

When Royal James possest the crown,
And popery grew in fashion;
The Penal Law I houted down,
And read the Declaration:
The Church of Rome I found would fit
Full well my Constitution,
And I had been a Jesuit,
But for the Revolution.
And this is Law, &c.

When William our Deliverer came,
To heal the Nation's Grievance,
I turn'd the Cat in Pan again,
And swore to him Allegiance:
Old Principles I did revoke,
Set conscience at a distance,
Passive Obedience is a Joke,
A Jest is non-resistance.
And this is Law, &c.

When Royal Ann became our Queen,
Then Church of England's Glory,
Another face of things was seen,
And I became a Tory:
Occasional Conformists base
I Damn'd, and Moderation,
And thought the Church in danger was,
From such Prevarication.
And this is Law, &c.

When George in Pudding time came o'er,
And Moderate Men looked big, Sir,
My Principles I chang'd once more,
And so became a Whig, Sir.
And thus Preferment I procur'd,
From our Faith's great Defender,
And almost every day abjur'd
The Pope, and the Pretender.
And this is Law, &c.

The Illustrious House of Hannover,
And Protestant succession,
To these I lustily will swear,
Whilst they can keep possession:
For in my Faith, and Loyalty,
I never once will faulter,
But George, my lawful king shall be,
Except the Times shou'd alter.
And this is Law, &c.

I'll take that as you admitting you are wrong about the tories 'leaving you to teach how you like', then lincstash.

I wasn't defending Labour- I was just pointing out the wild inaccuracies of your post attributing the inception of the target driven culture to them. I am not a Labour supporter just because I disagree that the Conservatives represent free thinking and self-governing in education

Please expand on "Labour has used OFSTED to intefere in schools in a way it was never intended" though- sounds interesting.

I really don't have any fear of student voice, TBH.