What changes to teaching would make the job more bearable?

[SarfEasticated]

I am studying for a degree in Education Studies, with a view to working with children once I've finished in 2 yrs time. I have been reading the threads in here about the terrible workloads teachers have and I would be interested to know what education policy changes you would like to see made after the next general election. Which party offers the most hope for teachers? and When do you think was the golden age for teaching?
Can you see any light at the end of the tunnel?

No-it's a shame that anyone in power who suggests this doesn't ever put forward the idea of investing lots of money into making it work well. It's just assumed teachers are there anyway so they can do a bit of art or PE for an extra three hours a day!

I have just finished a 2 day course. The course would not have remotely met the bar of what could be considered high standards of practice in Teaching and Learning. It was beyond casual. The assignments were poorly defined and details were sketchy. The feedback was basically down to yourself and what you pulled out of it.

However I learned a huge amount and it was a superb course. Why? Because the teacher was excellent. Excellent teachers can be forgiven for not dotting every i and crossing every t. From what I hear, mainly here, the system in the UK is not allowing superb teachers to just teach but rather expects them to act more and more as administrators. I think that is wrong. We are much, much more laid back here in Ireland. It is common knowledge how badly economically we are doing and money is being sucked out if our education system as a consequence. The bang we get for our buck, particularly in primary school education, cannot be overstated. A system that simply does not have remotely adequate funding achieves so much more than it should because teachers are allowed to teach.