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.

If you work in a PRU, pupil voice is the least of your worries.
It's pupil furniture throwing and creativity with sharp implements I'd be wary of.

Goblinchild

Sounds like you've been to my school...

I've done some linkwork in a PRU Up North.
Makes me smile when teachers in my school discuss serious discipline problems that involve running down corridors and muttering under the breath.

Why are teachers going on strike over pensions? Are their pension being reduced?

I REALLY think you need to check out some of the current Tory policies on education:

-I don't particularly want to vote to get rid of my pension.
-I don't support the idea that a degree classification is a more important part of the selection process than interview for trainee teachers.
-Acadamies are not working, I don't want more and I certainly don't think a system of free schools is going to benefit our poorer pupils/ families at all.
-I don't want to tear up existing pay agreements
-I don't think the unions need breaking
-I don't think health and saftey laws should be dismissed for monetry gain for employers

et cetera...

I can't see how a teacher would feel that voting Tory would benefit them at all. Isn't this why the unions are already talking about strike action if the Tories win? Their track record against teachers is pretty poor. I recognise labour have made mistakes, but that doesn't mean I'll be shooting myself in the foot with my vote.

I actually gasp quite like pupil voice when it's used appropriately. Why not take their views on board? It's improved my planning and we've had some good ideas from school council level. They do have valid opinions. Just because a few daft heads misuse it doesn't make the idea unsound.

And yes I'd rather deal with comments than flying furniture and fights! But hey the pub afterwards can be a laugh after the annual restraint training workshops..

I teach those workshops, kate... The pub afterwards is obligatory

I bet you have a laugh restraining mates too, even though all the leaders always harp on about taking it seriously!

I bet you have a laugh restraining mates too, even though all the leaders always harp on about taking it seriously!

My mates wouldn't let me near them anyway

And I do harp on about taking it seriously, I'm afraid!

Oh dear.....tears up the PGCE application....

Dinahrod

Worse jobs ok:

Cleaner
trafic warden
social worker
nurse
surgeon
army personnel
in fact anyone who works nights/shifts /bank holidays/weekends/Christmas/Easter
factory worker
shop worker
police officer
call centre personnel
ambulance driver
train driver
lorry driver
pet controller
sewage worker

I could go on listing far worse jobs than teaching if it is so bad then leave.
Feel free to join the army go to Arganistan and get shot and killed just like my friends son who would give anything to have her child moaning and winging about marking books/planning on a weekend instead of dying for a living.

You sound stupid and ungrateful and bloody ridiculous.

I agree, can't bear people who whinge constantly about their jobs and don't do anything to change. Either get out or stop complaining! This also applies to people who think that teachers are slackers because of the long holidays. If you think the job is such a doddle then why aren't you a teacher!

Rant over. Happy Easter

In your diatribe you missed out: "I'm glad you're not teaching my children."

58 hrs doesn't seem a very long working week to me- but then I am a university teacher. I have now managed to secure a 40% contract which means I work a 4 day week . On 100% contracts, most of my colleagues do very long weeks indeed.

But I wouldn't complain, it's a good job and a good deal more comfortable than pushing wheelbarrows.

Contrary to popular belief, teaching (whether in the schools or in HE) is not badly paid: after 20 years in lower management, with a job requiring a BA and with responsibilities for staff and projects, my husband finally reached the same pay level as a newly qualified teacher.

Having done both jobs (including supply teaching in some pretty rough schools), I would say dh's is far more strenuous- and the injury rate is higher. I have noticed that most retired or retiring teachers I know look in fairly good physical shape: the workers in dh's firm look much older.

The money's not bad, but it's a shame I can't buy a flat in the city which I work, cory.

It's all relative, I suppose.

I like my classroom job and always have.
I don't like the paperwork, the ridiculous H&S regulations and the fact that everything changes every year or so because of the fashions of the time rather than good educational reasons.
The level of social work has increased as well, but someone needs to have the children's interests at heart. If the parents can't be stuffed, then I'll do it.
Yes, we get a lot of sniping and fuss from the media and parents, but that's also part of the job. Which is why it doesn't bother me much, I certainly don't take it personally unless it really is meant that way. In which case, I work on improving the relationship.

There are people in our society who have drug problems, who have been (and may well return) to prison, who sell guns or sell drugs, who were abused as children, who abuse their partner or are themselves abused, who are alcoholics, who have mental health problems such as schizophrenia which may sometimes limit their interaction skills, who have limited social skills for other reasons, who are recently bereaved, who grew up in care and have limited understanding of family life, who are living in extreme poverty. Some of the people in these groups will not be easy to interact with.

All of these groups are going to have children, who are going to go school, and teachers will not always know which parents have one or more of these problems. Part of choosing to be a teacher in state education is having a commitment to educating children from all backgrounds, and to doing so in partnership with their parents. Most teachers understand this; some were a bit naive when applying to train as teachers, and were expecting it to be more like a Peter and Jane reading book.

The scenarios you describe are not confined to parents of children in state schools.

I think most teachers are perfectly happy to commit to educating children from all backgrounds in partnership with their parents. That doesn't, however, mean they should be taking on roles which belong to other people (eg parent,social worker, police officer). Neither is it a licence to accept abusive behaviour.

I parent my own children; I teach other people's.

I agree VH, but then there needs to be a re-organisation of how those families are dealt with, otherwise those roles (especially the role of parent) are just going to fall to teachers.

The child spies is complete bollocks and is a weakness in individual schools. In those schools it is a worrry but I suspect it is not your only worry.

In a good school pupil voice happens but they do not sit in the back of lesson making OFSTED style judgements. The kind of pupils that get to interview staff are not wayward trouble makers but even then their effect is limited. I have limited interview experience but I have never been interviewed by students either for a new job or an in house promotion which has always been of a pastoral nature. In my experience children like strict teachers as we keep control. They like to know where they stand.

Goblin et al I have gone from a school with a lot of discipline problems to a school with few it does make me smile inwardly in pastoral meetings to have to listen to the great threat of non regulation skirts or aggressive bag carrying.

Muminthemiddle by that logic any job that does not involve the risk of death in a war zone is an easy job.

I do actually think I have a great job and there are times in the year when I think I am on a cushy number. The summer half term for example when my timetable reduces by at least a half when my exam classes go. We are well paid, although my sister who is a nurse earns the same as me despite the fact that I am in a management position. I think she deserves it though as she deals with poo, vomit and dying children. I can't afford to buy a house where we live and by the time I will it will be too late. I don't really care though but can see that others would.

Right now at the start of a holiday the job feels great, last week when I was putting in at least 15 hours a day and getting by on a few hours sleep a night I had a rant and was going to work in a shop. But I am a moody cow when I get tired.