Can you BELIEVE this idea that DCs should be on teacher interview panels? Seen in the w/e papers!

[miljee]

Sorry, can't link! The headline was something like 'Letting the lunatics run the asylum'...But the gist is the Education minister thinks that children as young as 8 should be sitting on panels to interview prospective teachers. WHAT? Now, I have no problem with school councils with pupil involvement, I have no problem with the DCs views on appropriate discipline being taken into account when a school sets its policy (though I gather DCs are MUCH harsher!), but where are the DCs qualifications for assessing a teacher's competence to teach? Til I can be shown those, I will expect the governors and the head teacher to select who teaches MY DCs, thanks!

I should add that I'm opposed to 'parent led education' and 'patient led NHS', too!

Interestingly most kids don't want you to be a 'push over, lets all be mates together' sort of a teacher.

They are mostly sensible enough to know that the teacher needs to be in control....and that they will end up being unhappy if the teacher isn't.

In addition most of them think that teachers are not fully human and don't want to be friends with us anyway We all just go back in our boxes at the end of the day!

And the kids who are not that sensible have zero chance of being part of the selection process, if we are all being rational.

I've never known a teacher be appointed solely on the results of a panel of students. It is usually something that is fitted into the long day of observation, interview, lunch with the dpeartment (trial by quiche) etc. I think that gaining students' perspectives is a useful tool, I don't think it would ever replace the other tests. Ultimately the staff interview panel (in my school this is the head, head of department and a governor) decide.

In my experience the students who are asked to feedback on candidates are well behaved, reliable students (usually seniors). They want to be taught by people who can manage a class and knows the subject. They have IME picked out the teachers who were 'strict'not the ones who tried to be matey.

10 years ago I was interviewed by a panel of kids as part of the interview process. I thought it was an interesting part of the assessment of candidates but am certain that it is in no way the only criteria by which they are selected, as suggested in the OP. I now run a teacher training course and have introduced the concept into the recruitment of potential trainee teachers since I happen to think that the ability to communicate with kids is a rather important quality in a teacher

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/23/nedu323.xml

Sorry, can't do those square parentheses on my keyboard to actually link it!

They already do this at my kids' primary and I've no problem with it.

Interviewees do a short stint of teaching practice and are then 'interviewed' by the school council.

The children are not decision makers and are working on the understanding that they are not in that role. I understand that the children can provide perceptive comments and as other posters say, they don't actually WANT a walkover teacher. They want someone who can engage with them and make learning a positive experience.