Teachers Strike Using children as a weapon

[Ruimon]

Teachers should not use children as a weapon for their politically motivated demands. Who pays teachers wages? Why have they got so much time to organize strikes? We have all had to forgo pay rises and reduced pensions due to the last government and the banking scandal, why should teachers be any different.

[BoffinMum]

Whoever it is has a fairly basic writing style, to say the least, and practically no punctuation. I blame the teachers.

[pointyfangs]

every union Secretary of State for Education that uses a position of power and responsibility as a vehicle for political ideology

There, fixed that for you.

Now learn to use paragraphs, correct grammar and punctuation, proper syntax and spelling and then we might take you a little bit more seriously. It would also help if you actually addressed the points being made by other posters instead of just carrying on where you left off ranting in your last post.

BTW you seem to be labouring under the misconception that everyone who has answered you is a teacher. It isn't so.

[Strumpetron]

I'm not a teacher I'm a worker and part time student so I still experience teachers from the other side

[Ruimon]

Oooh lots of supercilious comments which will of course be ignored, I would just like to say, and of course I don't mean to upset anyone, but some manners could be shown to the parents and give them some notice, that teachers are not going to turn up on the day. Why do teachers assume that there's someone to look after all these children at the drop of a hat? Do the teachers who do not inform that they are striking have any idea of how the parent or child feels being treated like this ?
Sleep tight everyone.

[pointyfangs]

OP, the strikes were announced in early September at the beginning of autumn term. Any parent worth their salt would be able to plan more than a month in advance. I was - what's your excuse?

You still have not addressed any of the points made by posters on this thread which challenge your ludicrous and badly worded assertions.

[BoffinMum]

Ruimon, in all the schools I know, head teachers work out which classes can be covered, and which can't, and send letters home a few days in advance.

[Ruimon]

Boffinmum that's great if that happens , but I know of parents who have been informed that they will be told on Thursday morning if there are enough teachers to open the school. I really don't think that is on at all.

[BoffinMum]

Well, they can pull the head up on that, frankly. Yes, it's fine to strike, but it's also important to be as reasonable as possible. Never hurt to ask the staff nicely what they are planning to do.

[MerryMarigold]

Ruimon, in my vast array of FB friends, I do not know of ANYONE who is being informed on Thursday morning. We were given almost 2 weeks notice in both our schools. It must be quite rare, and yes do blame the head for that, or even the few teachers involved, but don't tar the majority or even the reasoning behind the strikes.

[noblegiraffe]

I don't believe it. A head who did that would just be setting themselves up for a big bunch of unauthorised absences should the school be open.

[warwick1]

I would give up ruimon' now that the bullies are out you will not get a fair hearing you will just get abuse.

[Elibean]

Maybe Ruimon is confusing the fact that teachers are not obliged to let the Heads know until the morning of the strike. So Heads may not say they are 100% certain.

But in reality, all the schools in our area have teachers who have given a couple of weeks' notice to their Heads and parents. Some schools have decided to close regardless (probably to protect the anonymity of those striking) and others, like my dds', is open to certain classes.

As for my children - they are not, do not look like, feel like, or think of themselves as, weapons They are primary aged, but even they understand the basic principles behind the strike.

[Elibean]

ps not read whole thread - only OP and last few posts

[OrmirianResurgam]

Children as a weapon? Aren't they a bit squishy?But I suppose my youngest could act as a sort of attack dog .....

[OrmirianResurgam]

There has been a sign up in our school saying exactly which classes will be affected and which won't. It's been there over a week. They also sent a letter home with the pupils and a text. No-one can honestly say they didn't know.

[chicaguapa]

I thought the strike was always a threat but could be averted at any time by the government agreeing to engage in talks with the unions? I'm not sure at what point it became a definite. Presumably when the government decided to stick two fingers up at the teachers and parents and told them to (figuratively) go fuck themselves.

[BoffinMum]

I think a massed Reception class Plasticine missile offensive outside No 10 will do more good than democracy seems to have done. Like small suffragettes. Or we can send some of the little blighters into a Cabinet Meeting to tie Ministers' shoelaces together under the table. Or organise a massed teen sleep- in on the benches in the House if Commons, with kids laid end to end. Now that is what I call using kids as weapons.

[BoffinMum]

Would it be going too far to get some very large year 13 girls to give Gove a forcible full body wax??

[JuliaScurr]

Boffin! Stop that!

[pointyfangs]

You can borrow my DDs, Boffin. They're very well behaved and creative, and DD1 has been to the Houses of Parliament so knows her way around.

[BoffinMum]

I could also turn DS1 (15) onto them and get him to lecture them on computer gaming. They'd weep with boredom.

[BoffinMum]

Julia, he probably doesn't have body hair. He is all white and doughy like the rest of them.

[BoffinMum]

Oh yes, unleash a KS2 orchestra on them as well. They will be begging for mercy.

[soul2000]

Boffin. in an earlier post you made the point,that to just look at one set of results was inconclusive. I think you are right about that,because some tests will favor some pupils from different education systems.

I think the biggest problem is that Gove will be using just one set of results to push his agenda though. His agenda is to have a revolution, when what is needed is evolution.

I suggest that kenneth baker was not the most popular education secretary. However even Baker has come up with backing for U.T.Cs, and
it was his idea for perhaps the greatest vision as to how vocational education could work. I am talking about the "BRIT" school.

The problem with Gove is that he is totally intransigent and will not listen to anyone, who can see that his ideas are from a time when the "SUN NEVER SET ON THE BRITISH EMPIRE".

We need ideas for the 21st Century not from the 1950s to compete in the future.
On another post i have said the most academic pupils are by and large getting high quality educations.

The pupils who are being "SHAFTED" by the system are mainly the poor and those of lower academic potential. Micheal Gove is just going to make it worse for the pupils who need helping. I have never liked "UNIONS" because politically i am on the opposite side to unions and the "LETS BRING THE TORY'S DOWN" nonsense. This is different because Gove needs to be stopped.

[AuldAlliance]

Boff, just out of curiosity, does Scotland ever feature in such tests?
How does it compare to England?