Teach Now: do you think it can succeed?

[OCSockOrphanage]

Lucy Kellaway, currently an associate editor and top columnist at the Financial Times, is at 57 preparing to retrain as a maths teacher in an inner city school. She has set up Teach Now (modelled on Teach First) to attract people into teaching after successful corporate careers. She argues that she and they can afford to take the risk financially, many have good degrees in STEM subjects, and they have a lot to offer.

Having trodden a similar path and been rebuffed by every school I applied to I ask you whether school leadership teams will buy into this idea? After all, what could possibly go wrong?

It wasn't her I thought was being patronising in fact but those on this thread (and other threads) who demean the abilities of career teachers.

I would like to think she is going into teaching to teach maths (I assume) not to share her experiences and insights on a rarefied branch of journalism with 15 year olds. I am sure she could occasionally do that. But actually the ex journalist colleague I mentioned above never did anything like that.

I know who Lucy Kellaway is and her age so I am not sure why you are telling me this?

Do we need 'well meant help'? No, we need teachers - to teach students how to learn and flourish. She may well be great : she seems up for it and quite ballsy.

Heard her on the Today programme on Radio 4 this morning. She had the grace to admit that it was harder work than she'd exoected.

We could have told her about that!

I just went to listen to that interview, Bring and she keeps saying how hard it is, not for the faint hearted, like having a new baby, and how she and the other Now Teachers meet up to talk about how hard it is. You can tell she's finding it all-consuming.

I guess there's a grim satisfaction in someone who was so confident about what they were doing that they set up an entire qualification route for themselves before starting finding it quite tough.
Yes, teachers who talk about how hard work it is aren't just badly organised moaners who don't know about the real world. We're actually telling the truth!

I clicked on this, thought ‘ah bugger, zombie thread’ and am delighted to see an update. Love a good update!

I think the concept of Teach Now is interesting, and I’m glad to see some honesty about how hard it is. I think people with prior work experience are useful in schools (I ‘faffed around’ in journalism before teaching too) - it takes all types. It’ll be interesting to see the results in a year or so.

Just to be clear jane what I meant by 'faffing around' is that I, personally, would have been faffing around as I always wanted to be a teacher... PPs on this and other threads have somehow suggested that the better/best teachers are those who have 'RL' experience. Journalism was the only career I could think of at the time that an English teacher might typically have done first and the one I have known was a terrible teacher. I know journalists themselves don't faff! So apologies!

I agree that teaching is a broad church , with people with al sorts of backgrounds and experiences (which is what makes it real life!) but what I don't agree on is some people's sneering assertions that teachers who begin at aged 21 are somehow damaging or hindering the aspirations of young people and have led sheltered lives. There is not much less sheltering than teaching!

I don’t really understand why someone who is not a teacher thinks they need another new (aren’t there already enough?) route into teaching!?

It’s alright, unlike your ex colleague I’m pretty thick skinned. I don’t know how you could do either job without being tbh. I think schools really benefit from the ‘broad church’ you describe. The people who struggle most in schools are those who are doing it as they can’t think of anything else, or who expect it to be easier than previous careers. I don’t know anyone who’s succeeded at this (or at least got through it with any kind of joy or enthusiasm) without having a passion for their subject and a genuine love of teenagers - I presume the same can be said for primary.

Hopefully the more experienced people being attracted by Teach Now would be pretty passionate (you’d have to be - to give up the larger salaries!) so let’s just hope they’re also realistic, thick skinned and good at deflecting criticism.

My impression appu - albeit somewhat biased- is that , with the kind of self confidence that comes with a long background in prestige journalism, she has set up her own thing to suit her. Education is full of these types these days isn't it? Don't like the local school set up? Set up a free school! Still don't like it ? Open a 'studio school'. Scarper to some 'policy institute' when the going gets tough. Or set up another free school. Or a MAT.

Is the school she is at Mossbourne? The one that Ofsted said was 'beyond outstanding'?

Just a couple of articles not behind a paywall:

www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-news/most-
difficult-thing-total-loss-control-meet-now-teach-career

www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-news/teaching-brutal-now-teach-founder-reflects-first-months-classroom

Some interesting comments from other starters that do illustrate the changes they had to make to lifestyle in particular! No more champagne or poker...

No champagne?! But that’s how I cope 🥂

Not really. I find much more effective.

I get through the day on but if you want to swig the between lessons, you secret's safe with me.

Here's the quote that says it all, really:

"“Before I started, every teacher I came across issued the identical warning: this will be the hardest thing you have done,” she writes. “At the time I found this annoying… its being hard was part of the attraction. Who wants to coast through the last quarter of their working lives?

“Eleven weeks in and I’m changing my mind. Writing columns turns out to be a relative doddle… Teaching is hard in so many ways. There are at least a dozen roles you need to master — including performer, marshal, counsellor, clerical worker, mathematician, role model and nag — and you need to know exactly when and how to be which.”"

Person who doesn't know what the job involves thinks that teachers are 'annoying' for telling others how hard it is. Once actually doing the job, realises that they have a point!