Looking back at when you started teaching, how different is it?

[Chchchchangesss]

Not intended as too intense (although I’m not trying to police, just saying how I see it) - what sort of things have changed since you started?

I was an NQT in 2003. I have a vague recollection of Bromcoms and how teachers on placements were all excited about them being the next technology leap forward!
Power dressing from Next in an attempt not to look like a sixth former.
OHPs.
The 21 (I think) tasks teachers weren’t supposed to do coming into force and it being a hotbed of discussion on the TES forums.

As we moved through the decade, I remember Brain Gym, Moodle (I think) and APP in 2009, I was KS3 coordinator at that point and it gave me the biggest headache.

As we got into the 2010s academy fever spread, it felt like loads of schools were migrating to shiny new buildings and having new names and new uniforms. Exam reform. I vaguely remember something about blogging your learning being the done thing.

I’ve recently been job hunting again, TES is nearly unusable. It used to be such fun.

What do you remember?

1999. Smoking in the smoking room. It was packed. Being called a BT (Beginning Teacher). People being tired and stressed but not on their knees like now. Registers by hand.

Yes the smoking room!
Paper registers, no instant messaging (on SIMs) beeping every 5 mins all day, OHPs and having to book in advance to use a digital projector.
The kids haven't really changed much but they are definitely more stressed now, more MH problems . I think social media has a lot to do with that.

Most messages being sent via your pigeonhole rather than email. My pigeonhole is so empty these days.

OHPs.

Not being endlessly told to contact parents about every single little thing.

Now everything is targets and spreadsheets and interventions. Teachers are doing way more admin.

Back in the day I remember my focus being teaching and marking. Now it seems to be a load of other stuff, even though I’m still only a class teacher.

Just thought of another - actual proper study leave where children organised their own revision and we didn't see them after May. Now it's constant revision sessions 8am-4pm from about November onwards and the kids don't think they need to do anything extra at home.

1997 - my classroom had a roller blackboard and a drawer full of chalk. Staff smoking room on main corridor, totally stunk. Email was new, didn't really use it for several years, I used to fax in work if off !

I qualified in 1998 and started teaching that September.
The job has changed so much in that time.
Far far more accountability, so many hoops to jump through now for no apparent reason.
I loved teaching then and I still do now, if only that was it!
Unfortunately I am now a teacher, social worker, family support, shoulder to cry on for parents/carers, mental health worker, special needs expert, manager etc etc
There is no time to just teach any more.
I remember the days when you worked with every child for the same amount of time regardless of whether they were pupil premium or not!
And don't even get me started on GDPR.....

Qualified in 95...

NO EMAIL- Wonderful!!!!!
No whiteboards
2 or 3 computers between 30 kids
Using cassettes for music listening tasks and not YouTube videos
Friday lunchtime pub time
Seeing people in their 50s still teaching and not pushed out of teaching.
No targets enforced on you just your own professional judgement
No assessment for learning psychobabble rubbish
The thought of a 'career in teaching'

Qualified in 1989.
Planning for the week was written on 2 sides of A4 in a hard back book.

Staff meetings happened once per half term- but only if we really needed one.

I'm so old and qualified almost 30 years ago (not always been teaching in that time). I taught a mixed Y3 and Y2 class. I used to give the children a list of things to do for that day and they just got on and did them. There would be odd times when we would talk as a whole class about the activities. We did art and or DT everyday at some point. The children used proper tools, glue guns etc with little thought of health and safety. There was a role play area that changed every half term. I spent a lot of time doing amazing displays of their work and the only planning I had to submit was three sides of A4 and a topic web.

1992 : all of the above have come flooding back.

English 100% coursework at GCSE (aaahhhh, bliss!). GCSEs were pretty new. Still had first, second , third etc years.

I am so old!!

We still have about 2 computers between 30 kids!! If we are in luck!!

Friday lunchtime pub time ! So miss that!

Lunch HOURS.

On the plus side, I was allergic to chalk!

I am still in the same school I started in in 1996. We still have the same lights, the same heaters, the same carpets!!

Clause 28. Not knowing if it was ok to bollock some brat who was being homophobic because the law said you couldn't promote being gay.

I had a Big wooden 100 square with the numbers on pegs. My cardigan used to get caught on the pegs and pull half the numbers off. Such fun.
Watching videos like magic grandad.

This is very true neo. However now we can't bollock anyone! WW3 once broke out on a thread about 'good old fashioned bollockings'.

I started in 2003 and we still had a smoking room!

I fondly remember geography coursework which changed to controlled assessment and now bloody awful fieldwork skills exam 😭

I remember walking with a skip in my step thinking I was making a difference.

Got my first teaching job in 1988

Planning for the week was written on 2 sides of A4 in a large exercise book

No computers
No internet
No whiteboards
No e-mail

My first school wan an infant school. We had 'Reception' 'Middles' and Tops (before National Curriculum years came in)

We did 'topic' and tried to link most subjects in

We generally "worked" through the mornings then in the afternoons there was play and a lot more art and craft, whilst I did 1:1 work with them (hearing readers, helping with handwriting etc)

There were only two Nursery Nurses for the 6 classes (+ one more in the Nursery class). The Nursery Nurses (as TAs used t be called) al had a superb qualification called an NNEB - nothing since has matched that training, IMO.

Obviously registers were done by hand, as were worksheets. Then you could 'banda' them (copying by turning the handle and the ink was purple and smelled lovely).

We had some volunteer parents who used to make squash for all the classes at break time, then wash up 180 plastic cups
Then milk cartons came in. 7p a day for milk I seem to remember.
All displays had to be done by hand too - no computer produced titles or labels.

Anything you wanted to keep (resources) you covered with sticky back plastic (Blue Peter style)

1997-qualified in primary.

No learning objectives cut up and stuck in for lessons (and shit, kids still learnt!).

Printing/copying machine with a handle-it came out all purple and smelt funny-what were they called? Banda machines or something?

No levels really in Ks1.

Topic webs

Experienced teachers in their late 50s helping out and being respected by NQTs, not being placed on capability plans and got rid of for being expensive.

Discussion about the ‘new’ literacy and numeracy hours that were coming in and older teachers not being keen on being told what to teach in minute detail!

News writing on a Monday

Music and lesson tapes from the BBC! Let’s Dance, was it, or Let’s Move?!

Breakthru sentence holders and individual sentence strips (anyone remember those?!).

I still have some lovely lesson observation feedback from that year. Those lessons would probably have me sacked now as they tick no boxes. The children still made good progress though...!

That’s what makes me so cross. The amount time spent now on total crap for the benefit of someone else (Ofsted?!) does not make for any better lessons. Just leaves a teacher who hasn’t got time for planning fun lessons or any sort of work/life balance, but we know (as we’ve done it) that it doesn’t actually have to be like this for kids to learn.

Karwomannghia I sometimes treat my class to Magic Grandad on Youtube (and Look & Read!)

Qualified 1996. Retired now. [late starter]
Only 1 tv on the whole corridor, which had to be booked a week in advance if you wanted to show a GCSE class part of a Shakespearean play being studied.
Could play things more by ear ...especially with key stage 3. Could borrow some drums from music dept for instance and do a bit of unplanned drama on the field if you thought it would help get the novel's themes across.
Far less anxiety over inspections. Pretty much a slightly smartened up version of what you usually did with inspectors who were specialists in your subject so knew what you were trying to achieve.
Concern for all kids in the year group and a genuine attempt to get all abilities engaged. By the time I retired the top sets were looked after well, the c/d border kids were partly treat like Gods who had to be persuaded and encouraged across the C finish line and partly harassed with so many interventions before and after school that they could hardly breathe, whilst the poor kids with no hope of a C mainly got the teacher always off sick/changing supply/teachers. They didn't matter you see ...no advantage to the school in putting any resources into them. Back in the day it wasn't a criminal offence to be less than average academically.
Far less paperwork. As a Hd of Yr, I could handwrite a letter to a parent and a secretary would type it out, get me to sign it then envelope and address it for me ...amazing
Oh and far more fun. Even with the yearly pressures of GCSE and A level results, there were still teachers with enough energy to put on musical shows like Oliver with all of the preparation, music, choirs, scenery painting ext ext. How did we do it ...well we were allowed to get on with teaching and people trusted us to deliver the curriculum without the endless jumping through hoops my younger colleagues endure. Exhausted at the end of term...yes. Exhausted but not burnt out.
Rant over. I loved teaching, my daughter is a dedicated teacher now, but I wouldn't and couldn't do what you all do now.

Yes to Experienced teachers in their late 50s helping out and being respected by NQTs, not being placed on capability plans and got rid of for being expensive..

I learned so much from the experienced teachers at my first school.

Actually that is one thing that hasn't changed so much - the fact you learn virtually everything from your teaching practices and wonderful supportive colleagues, rather than the time spent in college much of which was such a waste of space

We too have a huge TV on a big trolley you had to wheel across the playground to watch snippets you'd recorded on to video tape.

I actually thought my PGCE was brilliant. really academic. Lots of time at uni. And being a proper student still. Good times. Liked my teaching practices but wasn't as earnest or as ridiculoulsy hard working as current trainees.

Gavin whathisface should read this thread.

I started teaching in 1978 in secondary and we went to the pub every Friday lunchtime and had alcoholic drinks then went back to school to do an afternoons teaching.
CSEs and mode 3. Some yr11s went off to the local FE college a day a week to do what was called a link course. Me, as a young probationer (NQT) was sent off with them on the bus and was supposed to keep order - no risk assessment or support.

Half the kids off school to help with the harvest in the summer and autumn

All the best jobs going to the men and being told by the dep head when I questioned why my male colleague got promoted and not me that it was because he was married and a man.

At least four useless male heads of departments on high pay scales
Paper
Banda machines
A big tape recorder
Blackboards
Childcare
Cakes in the cookery room