Teacher shortages: no shit, Sherlock

[echt]

www.theguardian.com/education/2015/oct/10/teacher-shortfall-schools-overseas-recruits

Are we surprised?

If I work a day and leave all the marking for another teacher, I'm dumping on them. The work will still need marking.
The problems in English education have been getting steadily worse for decades, I'm glad to be on the outside, flitting from place to place.

The 'guilt' factor ('dumping it on another teacher') is how the ridiculous marking regime as been able to proliferate.
If it needs marking, it needs a context and dialogue, which you can't provide as you are there for the day.
So, if you are complicit, and you don't care as you are out of there, you are perpetuating an unsustainable marking burden on the class teacher and other supply teachers.
If you left that part for SLT to do - very soon the marking would not be deemed necessary.

I tend to find that ridiculous micro-management is perpetuated because a lot of teachers have no idea that what they see as the norm in their school is not universal. That other schools do planning/marking/observations differently.
They are trapped in a small cage and have little idea of the possibilities, and are powerless within their own schools.
I see many of the key problems as being perpetuated by the SLT, passing down the buck that they've been handed and dumping on the workers.
The unions have all appeared ineffectual for years, way too many and too much infighting to be effective.
So teachers are doing the only thing possible. Leaving. Sadly, many do so after being pushed over the edge rather than before it happens.

If you left that part for SLT to do - very soon the marking would not be deemed necessary

I love it!!

I'm working on my innocent expression and my little speech for tomorrow already...

"Here you are, headmaster! I knew you'd want these stacks of exercise books as soon as possible, where abouts on your desk shall I leave them??

What?

Why not?

but isn't it school policy for all work to be marked?

Well, who is going to mark it then?

Well, this is a new one to me, in all other schools I do supply in the head gets right on down to the marking the moment I finish!"

Let us know how that goes!

The parallels between teachers opting out of permanent positions in favour of supply and of doctors moving over to locumming (particularly GPs) and over reliance on agency nurses in the NHS is scary. For this to be an issue in one public service without acknowledgement and resolution by the government would be poor. But it is more than that. It is wilfully undermining public services. In education, the end point will be massive inequality of provision, with qualified teachers probably being for wealthier families. Which is probably what the Tories want.

It is bad, but it isn't new.

I remember shortages when I was teaching, and when I left teaching. And there was a big overseas recruiting programme then too. I left teaching in 2006, having become gradually dismayed with the system. I started teaching in 1996 - first few years were good, it went downhill thereafter.

You don't have a conversation with anyone about it - you just don't do it - up to them how they deal with it.
But if you do it, continue to roll over - you just perpetuate the problem for others to deal with in the long term.
Which is why teacher in this country have ridiculous duties above and beyond the teaching - they have just continually rolled over - like you are doing now.

And why do they keep pouring money into bursaries to attract new teachers into the profession, but then do fuck-all to keep experienced teachers?

EXACTLY.

I did 16 years in FT teaching in the UK. Now enjoying considerably more money & less work - oh & a fab school for my dc, with small classes & amazing facilities.

Oh & we finish every day with a dip in the pool, under the palm trees

So I'm afraid I'm part of the problem. But to paraphrase dear old Oscar Wilde, if this is how the UK treats its teachers, it doesn't deserve to have any...

Presumably the sums add up for training new teachers and then paying them lower NQT wages than retaining older ones. Obviously the cost isn't actually the point, experience matters. But if it isn't your children and you genuinely believe that teach by numbers is the same thing as being taught by qualified, experienced staff then it's fine.

I did 16 years in FT teaching in the UK. Now enjoying considerably more money & less work - oh & a fab school for my dc, with small classes & amazing facilities.

Well jealous.

I have had to have the weekend off as I feel rubbish. I now know that next week is going to be frantic as have a backlog of marking. Compound that with the learning walks (fully documented, essentially lesson obs, however they dress them up, except they could come to ANY lesson) that happen pretty much weekly now and I am feeling tense.

I just feel so totally fed up with it all. 13 years, lots of additional responsibility, very well regarded and I am really, really hating my job. It makes me so sad. I suggested we follow union guidelines and say no to stuff, but other members of staff won't - many are much younger and just starting out. Therefore, we do everything we are asked. It is exhausting and I am sicker than I have ever been in my life .

I'd leave in a heartbeat if I could find a well paid viable alternative. I am main earner and feel very trapped.

I think that there are plenty of trapped teachers. And, not at all directed at you Kinky, we are ending up with a large proportion of burnt out, trapped teachers, many of them probably not teaching well (with teaching only being part of a teacher's role). The solution for some heads, particularly where they have legacy staff from a previous head is to start competency procedures to push those staff out.

I left teaching when I realised that I'd be expected to teach until 68. I looked at the older teachers around me and thought it wasn't possible. It seemed sensible to get out before I had children and became trapped. I don't regret leaving at all. But I worry about my DDs education.

I feel for you kinky.

It is an awful situation to be in.

I've got out, and I was lucky.

I would recommend anybody who feels like you do to leave. as soon as possible. You only end up feeling worse and worse. I have known colleagues disintegrate totally, and years later are still not functioning human beings. I have also known colleagues end up suicidal or even dead.

Its not worth it. Make getting out of teaching ASAP a priority in your life.

we are ending up with a large proportion of burnt out, trapped teachers, many of them probably not teaching well I would imagine not teaching at all given the lucrative supply market. I know I'm teaching very well, but I am very uncertain about how long my health will hold up for me to continue to do so in the current climate. I now have a chronic condition. I do wonder if that would have been the case if I did another job.

Middle East?

charis3 I do look, but it is hard as I am very salary trapped. I am trying to get more of a balance in my role this year. Fingers crossed, this will help. I do look into alternatives quite regularly - as I'm sure many other teachers do.

I'm really hoping that the rising profile of low morale in teaching might lead to change - one can dream .

Wish I was salary trapped. Try working in FE! Been a teacher for 20 years, well regarded too, curriculum leader for my small dept and get paid v poorly, earn less than £22,000 a year for a 0.75 contract so f/t I would be on, what, around £26,000?

Thing is I really do love the teaching, local job, great co workers but the pay is appalling and the work piles up bit by bit and each year you are expected to take on more and be flexible. Learning walks are becoming the norm too.

It is depressing as teachers teach cos they love it.

This is a depressing read. As a PP noted above, quite similar to what's happening with junior doctors and GPs: burn out, emigration, low morale, constant bashing from the public over perceived benefits (salary, pension), lack of respect plus, in doctors' case, the constant fear of being sued, losing your licence, being harassed by the regulators. It's awful and what was once vocation is becoming drudgery. Argh.

The five year NQT limit doesn't count anymore.

I got out. I'm a month into my non-teaching job and I don't miss it.

You don't have a conversation with anyone about it - you just don't do it - up to them how they deal with it.
But if you do it, continue to roll over - you just perpetuate the problem for others to deal with in the long term

In our school you wouldn't be asked back if you didn't mark.
I personally hate supply teachers who don't mark. You say you can't do it because of the context well its harder to mark it when you didn't teach it!

I think marking should be part of what supply teachers are paid for but from this thread clearly I'm wrong!

and I don't mean detailed dialogue marking just some ticks would be nice 1

If a supply teacher doesn't mark, I just write supply on the bottom. I don't mark it. Win win...

If I am covering a subject I can blag I am confident in, and there are 'answers' - ie rather than an essay, I get the DC to peer mark at the end of the lesson. That way we can go over any common errors or misunderstandings. Otherwise I don't mark. Get fab feedback from schools, repeat bookings.
I don't do primary because of the insane marking expectations.

Sorry. This is a change of direction and I'm intruding as I'm a parent reading and wondering ... school sounds like a terrible place to be at the moment. Is it as bad a place for the kids as it is for the teachers?