Frenzied attack on teachers

[howmuchdidyousay]

Several weeks ago I started this thread about a scheme the school were introducing whweby children who had not been absent in the half term were entitled to non-uniform on the last day of the half term and those that had been absent had to wear school uniform.
Well, Thursday was the last day and several parents really lost the plot!.Yelling and jabbing their fingers at teachers in the playground and in the classroom.One young teacher was in tears and another I saw was penned into a corner by a furious parent and looked absolutely terrified.The children looked frightened and I think everyone was very shaken up.It really was horrible to witness.
Much as I think this was the most stupid, unfair,ill thought out idea I have ever come across in a school.And I well understand the parents reactrion, I am not sure that there can ever be justification for treating teachers like this.

You really should get in there, mummie- buck the trend!

Of course, you will be paying tax, so you'll actually be a taxpayer... and you may have kids, so they and you will be paying the price for your err... malingering.

Still, I'm sure you can give us all the stats that show what a bunch of lazy fuckers all teachers really are (even the ones who bother to turn up for work)... right?

Ah, Quattro

How kind.

People who aren't 'job' don't seem to understand that when you are working with kids that you are 'on' all the time. If you are feeling like shit you can't rearrange your workload or wilt behind a desk - you have to be on the ball all the time.

Teachers are bound by the same employment laws as the rest of the working population. There are malingers in every job type.

Like I said earlier teachers are statistically more likely to pop their clogs quickly after retirement than other professionals.

It is an incredibly stressful job.

I've had a lot of complaints from parents recently about bits of time off here and there for antenatal this term and how it affects their children.
I've not yet actually worked with a teacher who's been signed off long-term.

And we're not just teaching, we're now looking out for terrorism, gang activity, abuse, mental health issues and being expected to essentially parent kids.

God forbid that we should ever get ill!!

I've turned into work with a broken foot, I've worked with people who were having treatment for cancer... but I have taken time off when I've had D+V or the flu (proper flu) because I couldn't do my job whilst spending a lot of the time on the shitter/lying in bed feeling like crap.

I have known people go off with stress/depression long term - and TBH I can understand it. When I was working the greasy pole full time I came close to the edge a couple of times myself.

'bit in BBC news tonight about how underminded teachers feel by pupils being panels in their (teachers)job interviews.'

the pupilsare the most important people to have a say.they are the ones who are directly affected

princess - would you like kids to appoint paediatricans, or monitor their performance. Or to have a say in how family lawyers are recruited - both those roles have a huge impact on the lives of children......

Padiatricians and family lawyers are not in loco parentis for them 32.5 hours a week.If you were recruiting a nanny for your kids wouldn't you give them a say?

I think there's a world of difference between meeting the school council as part of an interview (I'm fine with that, normally quite revealing) and putting children in a position to make professional judgements. I've heard of pupils giving feedback and lesson obervations, which de-professinalises the job and effectively turns the pupil/ teacher relationship upside down. Meeting the childrne and having a chat though during an interview is quite nice on the other hand, I think I get more out of them than they get out of me. Pupil voice has it's benefits, but can be mis-used in the hands of numpties.

lowenergylightbulb, I think the idea is to create beacons of excellence like St. Trinians

A "frenzied attack" should involve machetes IMO. At the very least.

And teeth, Quattro. Like zombies.

But paediatricians and family lawyers make life changing decisions on the behalf of children.

And a Nanny has an intimate relationship with one child for 30 odd hours a week - it's totally different to the relationship a teacher has with a class of 30 kids (in a primary setting) or with a head of art, a maths teacher or a science teacher in a secondary setting.

This is totally off topic but FFS teachers are professionals. 'We' are actually the experts in our field, and are more rigorously trained, observed and accountable than nannies.

How many nannies are expected to ensure that their charges make 2 levels of progress across a keystage/obtain 5 A - C GCSE's.

We are educators not childminders - although I do recognise that childminders/nannies also have a fecking bloody hard job!!! But it's a different relationship.

LOL @ Claig, Quattro and Tether!!!

Is teaching a profession?

Serious question. I ask because the chap who came to fit a carpet said that he was a professional carpet fitter and therefore couldn't move a (small) bookcase.

It started me thinking about jobs and what were and were not professions.

I don't regard a one yr PGCE course as being 'very highly trained'

You're right, princessparty. In fact, they should make up for this by adding loads of 'training days' or something throughout the year.

Or, they could make it compulsory to have studied a subject for at least three years before allowing them to complete this so-called 'PGCE', and then make them go on training courses at least once a week for the first year after they qualified.

That'd show 'em.

princess - what job do you do?

Quattro, I'm not sure, but I think both jobs involve sinking to your knees and banging something repeatedly against the skirting board.

Doing a degree, a PGCE, spending a year as an NQT and being regularly observed by OFSTED/the LA/ senior management is obviously a piece of piss.