Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

The staffroom

Whether you're a permanent teacher, supply teacher or student teacher, you'll find others in the same situation on our Staffroom forum.

What educational guff is winding you up the most?

114 replies

Justagame · 26/02/2020 23:27

I could list a few; teach like chump, coaching, sporting analogies, endless acronyms and those motivational quotes with inspiring images just to really help you understand the power of the message. Are there any schools that aren't full of this shite at the moment?

OP posts:
noblegiraffe · 29/02/2020 16:56

Paul Dix is the ‘I let a kid tell me to fuck off every morning for weeks and that just shows what a better teacher I am than you’ guy.

He also advises handshakes at the door of the classroom. Hopefully coronavirus warnings will see that fad off.

pfrench · 29/02/2020 17:01

I hate that handshake thing - it's the sort of FB or Insta bollocks isn't it. While you're standing at the door high fiving 32 kids, in the classroom there have been 4 fights, someone has a nosebleed and SOMEONE'S TOUCHED YOUR DESK MISS. Cos you know, no TAs anymore, no money.

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 29/02/2020 17:09

The handshake thing is ridiculous. Get them into the classroom and learning fgs.

drspouse · 29/02/2020 18:46

I always assumed the handshake thing was first thing in the morning for lower primary only, where you'd probably be happy of a few minutes to get them sat down anyway.

Corneliawildthing · 29/02/2020 19:04

I have taught forever and thankfully teach in a school where we don't do any of this shit. In fact I had to google hive mind, flipped learning, ACES and knowledge organisers amongst others.

We are told by our LA that when kids are running riot around the school making fools out of everyone this is because we're not meeting their needs. Nobody will actually tells us HOW to do this.

Roll on retirement

Feenie · 29/02/2020 19:04

, and I went to look at a job at the school of one of these edutwitter celebrities.

Ooh, which one?

I know of one who likes to say that staff are so happy that they never leave - but I met a teacher on a course who left his school last year. She also told me he is having an affair with one of his SLT.

HopeClearwater · 29/02/2020 19:35

If I were a massively cynical structuralist, I might argue that this is - in fact - the entire point

On my darker days I agree, but most of the time I reckon that educationalist types are not really bright enough to plot such a result.

Piggywaspushed · 29/02/2020 19:40

Gove was, but he has gone. I agree the others are not bright enough to have a master plan. Pray to whatever God you like that Dominic Cummings does not get anywhere near education.

pinkrocker · 29/02/2020 19:50

I know it's been said already, but Knowledge Organisers: who are they for and where are they meant to be looked at, are they meant to be in books or on website??

Piggywaspushed · 29/02/2020 19:57

Stuck in the kids' exercise books/ in their extra special knowledge folders, I believe, so that they know everything before they are taught it....

pinkrocker · 29/02/2020 20:02

@piggywaspushed but that would take the fun out of me teaching it Sad ...or is that the idea..

Piggywaspushed · 29/02/2020 20:03

I suspect nothing is to be Fun.

Kuponut · 29/02/2020 20:23

Flipped learning...

I made myself soooo popular with the new head and deputy smarm-boy at my kids' new school when they trumpeted on and on (accompanied by mandatory wooshy powerpoint) to new parents about their revolutionary "flipped learning" and I asked what it was and they told me it was preparing for the learning at home in advance of the session and I chirpily replied, "Oh you mean homework" and smarm-boy squirmed uncomfortably and sheepishly admitted "yes"

(I worked my ticket a fair bit at that presentation of edu-bollocks - the head went on a rant about supply teachers and how she doesn't believe in them, then was working the room after and asked me what I did, and the look when she heard I was a supply teacher was hilarious!)

monkeytennis97 · 01/03/2020 00:19

@Kuponut brilliant! Smile

noblegiraffe · 01/03/2020 01:38

How can you not believe in supply teachers? Confused I bet she didn’t mean that she covered the lessons herself, but instead got her already overworked subordinates to do it.

winewolfhowls · 01/03/2020 07:16

Curriculum intent thingies. Wtf is that about? I've never seen one, is it just a twitter thing?

I always thought we promoted a love of our subject, plus add in some literacy and employability skills. Isn't that a given? Why do we then need some document explaining this?

Plus all the general blog, website, podcast promotion you see everywhere that makes one feel inferior. Sharing useful resources fab. Sharing your brilliant insights not, unless you are actually experienced, saying that something new, or engaged in actual academic debate.

drspouse · 01/03/2020 08:09

How can you not believe in supply teachers?
Maybe it's like the tooth fairy?

BillywilliamV · 01/03/2020 08:19

You guys need to find your "zones of genius", everybody has one!

OutComeTheWolves · 01/03/2020 08:28

Restorative conversation
Cultural capital
Quality first teaching
Relentlessly bothered (as opposed to just being sporadically bothered I suppose)

Hercwasonaroll · 01/03/2020 09:34

"early intervention" is pissing me off. Just an excuse for other services to not do anything and pass the buck back to schools. (funding etc I know I know)

Edujaded · 01/03/2020 09:44

Relentlessly positive

Piggywaspushed · 01/03/2020 11:03

Botheredness anyone?

Piggywaspushed · 01/03/2020 11:04

Oh just seen wolves did that!

noblegiraffe · 01/03/2020 11:08

I always didn’t give a shit and deliberately taught everything craply until I went on this course. Changed my life.

Why wasn’t I told this on my PGCE?

Piggywaspushed · 01/03/2020 11:12

The thing is now one of my Dep Heads has told us all to be 'bothered' she seems so fake. She genuinely gives no shots about any of us and I imagine this extends to most of the kids. She was actually more use when she was quite grumpy with them. Now she is one of the hot chocolate brigade.