if so many people are about to be made redundant in the country, why can't experienced individuals be fast tracked as teachers?

[elmouno]

Yes, I know teachers require different types of certification. But in these pressing times, if we have people being made redundant in every industry, why can't they be placed as extra teachers so we can get class sizes smaller? For example, if someone is already a scientist with work experience in biology, chemistry, etc surely they will be able to teach it at secondary level? Redundant IT engineers could teach what's relevant now in tech? HR or former project managers could teach English? Bankers teaching certain maths? I don't know but I think it is really important that we get more teachers (of course they would have to pass a background check). I mean perhaps we need to get more creative with curriculum and scrap the tests for now? Perhaps children who want to get into certain universities can take a SAT test like they do in America?

It just seems a shame that we have so many people being made redundant and we have such a pressing need to make more bubbles. Large bubbles imo, won't work. What will happen to keyworkers when their bubbles pop? It doesn't make sense to me. The only answer is to build more schools and have more teachers.

[HasaDigaEebowai]

HR teaching English . I work with HR people (I'm an employment solicitor). Most of them pronounce it "haitch" R so they really shouldn't be teaching anyone English of all subjects!

[Piggywaspushed]

Oh, I don't know : free schools are everywhere...

[elmouno]

Why? Good access to parking and many big box stores will probably stay empty. The Toys R Us near us has never been replaced.

[SayakaMurata]

OP is having a laugh!! She doesn't actually mean any of this. The Debenhams comment.

[Piggywaspushed]

In your OP you spoke about teachers but you have moved on to dinnerladies. Which is it?

[MrsHamlet]

Teachers should double as dinner ladies. Teaching food tech over lunchtime is a time saver too.

[daisypond]

I have wondered whether our teaching and schools model might not change completely -that some pupils may permanently work from home, with a national online academy, and generally fewer teachers altogether.

[KitKatastrophe]

They might know a lot about biology (for example) but do they know what's on the specification and how to explain it in a way that bored 14 year olds can understand?

Do they know anything about classroom management and behaviour management? That's the thing most trainee teachers struggle with most IME, and years of experience in industry dont give you the ability to manage a class of rowdy teens.

Based on science as I was a secondary science teacher and PGCE mentor, the ones who are the most "qualified" in terms of subject knowledge actually make the worst teachers. They find it harder to explain the basic concepts to kids who know nothing yet.

[Piggywaspushed]

Ah, you're the year round schooling and abducted by aliensone!!

[noblegiraffe]

Start of lockdown ‘bloody hell homeschooling is hard, how the hell can I get my 7 year old through this worksheet, I’m not a teacher!!!’

End of lockdown ‘I reckon anyone who can construct a sentence can be an English teacher’

[ballsdeep]

And where will they put these teachers? Do you expect the government to conjure up space? And before anyone come son arguing that pupils could be placed in scout huts and church halls, think of the logistics and safeguarding nightmare. I'm sorry op, but my child need to be educated by an experienced teacher, not someone who has been quickly pushed through.

[motherrunner]

This is the best laugh I’ve had in ages!

[elmouno]

Well if the alternative is everyone does schooling from home or goes to an empty store of a closed down business for their new small class size, shouldn't we try to keep the bubble small to help out working parents? I bet some parents would actually choose the store buildings. The Mothercare near us has not been replaced as well, but it could be converted with an indoor small gym and it has great access. No harm to the environment by putting up a new building and saves money. Give each teacher a max of 10 students, and mix experienced with new recruits. We create smaller bubbles and students don't have to worry about social distancing since they are exposed to fewer people.

[daisypond]

I have considered being a teacher for years. I’ve been to Get into Teaching events. I really would like to do it. I love my subject, but I would struggle with classroom management. So I think I’d be rubbish and would have a mental breakdown. I’ve wisely stayed away.

[ballsdeep]

@elmouno

Then we need to overhaul the system. There are going to be far too many unemployed people and the bubbles will pop, as they pop we will be put in to stricter lockdown and the economy will get worse.

For example Debenhams is closing, government could put a new school in the building. Get some builders to adjust it for purpose. Be creative and make it safe, otherwise the economy will collapse.

Seriously . You are suggesting putting a school where debhenams used to it? In the middle of high streets or retail parks? Righto

[MazDazzle]

Subject knowledge is one thing but they’d need to know the curriculum and requirements for coursework/exams. I agree, you could fast track this. Teaching is so much more than that though.

Getting 30 teenagers on side and keeping them on task is not easy. We’ve had many mature student teachers over the years who didn’t make it past first placement, despite being very knowledgable in their field.

[MrsHamlet]

@daisypond

I have considered being a teacher for years. I’ve been to Get into Teaching events. I really would like to do it. I love my subject, but I would struggle with classroom management. So I think I’d be rubbish and would have a mental breakdown. I’ve wisely stayed away.

We teach behaviour management - but it's not something anyone can just do! Being worried about being good at it Is actually A good thing. It means you care.

[skankingpiglet]

Surely as a result of homeschooling it should be very apparent to anyone with school aged DCs that knowing a subject and teaching a subject are two very different things.
I have spent hours upon hours reading up on teaching methods, the curriculum, expected achievement, and researching, printing and buying resources etc. I have a fair stack of qualifications myself and have had no worries that I didn't understand the DCs work myself. I've only had 2 DCs in my 'class' and am really proud of the progress they've made since March. Do I think my efforts are in any way comparable to what my DCs teachers would have achieved over the summer term? Not a chance! Even keeping bums on seats has been a battle at times. I've found maths particularly difficult to break down and teach (I've now hired a maths tutor), as is teaching to very different levels simultaneously.

[elmouno]

@ballsdeep they wouldn't need to tear down the building, but they could put up some temporary walls within Debenhams (obv not Debenhams at this point) for the individual classes. Debenhams was just an example, the building could be an old furniture store, Toys R Us, Mothercare, etc

[Oblahdeeoblahdoe]

Unfortunately during times of high unemployment the numbers applying for initial teacher training rises, the opposite occurs during low unemployment. Just shows that not that many people has teaching as a first choice. As previous posters have pointed out there's an awful lot of skills and aptitudes required to be a teacher, especially a good one - if only it was just a case of subject knowledge.

[ballsdeep]

[quote elmouno]@ballsdeep they wouldn't need to tear down the building, but they could put up some temporary walls within Debenhams (obv not Debenhams at this point) for the individual classes. Debenhams was just an example, the building could be an old furniture store, Toys R Us, Mothercare, etc[/quote]
I never said you would have to. It's what make your comment even more ridiculous.
Have you been in a school lately? Where are they going to out the play ground, outdoor areas, canteen etc?

[Megantheestallion]

@Triangularbubble

By that reasoning anyone with some background in science is probably qualified as a doctor too. Fancy letting them operate on you?

Be slightly respectful towards people’s hard earned professional skills.

Qualified unemployed Dr here😅 Would take a teaching role with the blink of an eye.

[Triangularbubble]

As a parent, over my dead body would my child be going to a school set, up by this autumn, in an empty shop with no qualified staff.

Fortunately the government can’t even distribute some laptops much less open some schools in a fortnight.

[elmouno]

@ballsdeep that will have to be adjusted to be indoors. There are plenty of places where the weather is too bad to be out so there are indoor gyms at school instead. And again, this is with the idea of far fewer students than normal.

[cansu]

Teaching is about much more than having a knowledge of a particular subject. Learning how to plan and structure lessons, manage behaviour and work with students are not easy skills that you can just pick up as you go along! Unbelievable!