Teachers

white_isle_calling said:
Actually, from my own personal experience, it was always the class room assistant who taught reading. And my parents, of course. I'm sure each classroom and individual has a different experience.
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Wow! I wish I had a classroom assistant!

Yes, for sure, each and every classroom, teacher and school is very different. I think with the best teachers, you can't even see their classroom management. It's just there. Which is key to being a good teacher. Without the classroom management you can't teach.
 
white_isle_calling said:
When I was in primary school we had a handful of disruptive kids. The good teachers (yes, there were a few bad ones) soon realised, as did I even at such a young age, that the best policy was simply to sit them by themselves and ignore them.

You may think that harsh, or that you would be doing that child a disservice. But frankly, unless that child has learning problem, and in which case should be in a specialist school or class, then it is because of its up-bringing and their behaviour should not disrupt the rest of the class.

In secondard school - not my school, but a neighbouring school on the same site - some pupils brought knives into class and other threatened or physically assaulted their teachers.

Give me the primary school kids any day of the week.
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You can't ignore a child. It's all about inclusion these days. There aren't specialist classes. So it's your ( my) job as a teacher to make sure all kids are a part of the class. That is non-negotiable in schools. Of course they are disruptive and their behaviour affects other kids, but that's why teaching can be stressful. Yes there SHOULD be extra support for those kids and yes there SHOULD be parental support, but often there is not, so the teachers have to deal with it.

It's alright saying what would be ideal, but it's just not how it is. I've seen that type of behaviour (knives etc) in primary school too and it is scary!

What would you do with these primary kids when you have them for any day of the week?
 
utagaura said:
Wow! I wish I had a classroom assistant!
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They have probably been deemed "surplus to requirement" in cost-cutting exercises in recent years, much the same as the number and aptitude of doorman in my line of work.

I think the reason you will find everybody has (sometimes very extreme) views on teaching, teachers and the standard thereof, is because everybody has passed through school during their lives. Unlike other professions, which we may or may not ever have first-hand experience of.

Some of us now (myself excluded) are even putting our own kids through school, so get another perspective yet again.

I appreciate that you transcend that as you are a teacher yourself.

But when it is a role under scrunity with which we all contribute too through our taxes, you must expect a certain level of criticism, whether it be positive or negative.

By and large, I do appreciate the work teachers do. My hat goes off to them in fact.

But much the same as farmers moaning about the weather, or celebrities complaining about the paparazzi, it grinds my gears when they persistantly whinge & whine about things it seems obvious to me are part and parcel of the job.
 
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white_isle_calling said:
By and large, I do appreciate the work teachers do. My hat goes off to them in fact.

But much the same as farmers moaning about the weather, or celebrities complaining about the paparazzi, it grinds my gears when they persistantly whinge & whine about things it seems obvious to me are part and parcel of the job.
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Maybe I'm just speaking for myself, but what gets me annoyed is when people think teaching is just a show-up for a few hours and babysit some kids.

I responded to this because Buckley (and many others, off spotlight or in real life) say it's a "part time" job. Which it is not. Or that they get loads of holidays (which I don't, as every year my job ends and I need to wait for a new one) Or that it isn't really teaching, or that it's an easy job which ends at 3 pm.

I don't think just because someone went to school, or had a teacher, they are an expert on teaching. I'm not an expert in the medical field because I've been to a hospital, nor am I an expert on cars just because I drive one.

I don't know what it's like to work in many other professions, yet many people who have never taught think they know exactly what a teacher's job entails.
 
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I personally don't think it is a part-time job. But I do think that the lengthly periods of time off are preportionate to the hours and work during term time, even taking into account planning and marking.

I don't pertain to be an expert by any stretch of the imagination. But a weeks stay in hospital, give or take, is hardly comparable to 14 straight years in education. And lets be honest, plenty of people have opinions on our health service - some of which I consider to be well wide of the mark. You just don't happen notice those as much because you are a teacher, and therefore take remarks about teaching more to heart.

I go back to my point, that if you are in a public role then you must expect some level of opinion from the general public in regards to your actions, whether you agree with them or not.

In regards to contracts that run from Sept to July, I've not heard of that before. Certainly it is not a situation that my teacher friends are in. That does sound unbelievably unfair, and I cannot see how that is allowed to go on.
 
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utagaura said:
Being in a classroom as a student is not the same as teaching. If someone's been on a plane 1000 times it still doesn't mean they can fly it!
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I'm sorry, but I think that to be a poor example, and not true.

I for example teach people at my current job, and at my previous job. I've not had any teacher training per se, but I understand the concept of training and thus can apply it to scenarios that I know are familiar with the job role.

If I had the materials available to me, I am confident I could teach a certain age for eg. as it is a subject that I know a fair deal about.

You will argue of course that that is not the same, because the people I work with want to be there and learn. But I am afraid that is not always the case.

Like you, I have to deal with a variety of abilities and attitudes. I still have to find a way to connect and engage each one individually, as no one person will pick up the tasks in the same way.

I am not trying to say how I coach my staff is even remotely as difficult as teaching before anybody gets on their high horse. But my point is, the concept of teaching is ingrained in us from a young age.

I could stand in the cock-pit physically watch a pilot take-off, fly and land a plane a thousand times and gradually learn to do it from memory. It is not the same as sitting on a plane and experiencing the flight.
 
deepseadiver said:
white_ isle_calling , utagaura

please give each other a call or send a pm?:)
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My fault really, stirring it up!:lol:

The reason I do though, on this subject, is the reaction you get. Teachers here get lots more holiday than everyone else, but the very suggestion of this simple fact is always met with outrage. The argument that non-teachers don't realise how stressful it is is redundant unless teachers have done the jobs which they claim to have less stress involved.
 
Buckley said:
My fault really, stirring it up!:lol:

The reason I do though, on this subject, is the reaction you get. Teachers here get lots more holiday than everyone else, but the very suggestion of this simple fact is always met with outrage. The argument that non-teachers don't realise how stressful it is is redundant unless teachers have done the jobs which they claim to have less stress involved.
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To be honest, i was planning a more lengthy reply initially, but I am tired after finishing work at midnight last night.

What i will say is that most teachers i know (admittedly it aint many) will quite gladly babble on about how damn hard they work - give it a rest

Would I do their job? - No

Retire at 60 ? - Yes

Should they double their pension contributions? - Yes
 
Buckley said:
My fault really, stirring it up!:lol:

The reason I do though, on this subject, is the reaction you get. Teachers here get lots more holiday than everyone else, but the very suggestion of this simple fact is always met with outrage. The argument that non-teachers don't realise how stressful it is is redundant unless teachers have done the jobs which they claim to have less stress involved.
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Lots of people on here say they get 20-25 days of holiday.

I get 15. 10 days at Christmas and 5 days at Spring break or Easter. With a long weekend in October, February and one in May. And that's only if I have a contract that goes past Christmas

How is this "lots more holiday"?

Like I said, jobs aren't continuous. They go until the end of June, then your job is done and you go to a new school, new contract, new year, new everything.

I know several teachers last year who had one job until Christmas, then a new one started up in January. So essentially they got 5 days of holiday.

Tell me how this is lots of holiday?
 
utagaura said:
Lots of people on here say they get 20-25 days of holiday.

I get 15. 10 days at Christmas and 5 days at Spring break or Easter. With a long weekend in October, February and one in May. And that's only if I have a contract that goes past Christmas

How is this "lots more holiday"?

Like I said, jobs aren't continuous. They go until the end of June, then your job is done and you go to a new school, new contract, new year, new everything.

I know several teachers last year who had one job until Christmas, then a new one started up in January. So essentially they got 5 days of holiday.

Tell me how this is lots of holiday?
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That's not the case in England. I think we've established it's different in other countries.

Here, most people get 4-5 weeks paid holiday, teachers get 12.
 
Facebook and Twitter awash with London teachers celebrating a 'snow day', yet my journey from North London to Essex (near Southend) was problem-free. Poor kids!
 
So 60 schools closed yesterday in Barnet, but on Sunday 36,000 people made it to watch the football at Tottenham in a neighbouring borough.
 
Typical FB status of teachers on my friends list

9pm Sunday: "I bet they don't close the school tomorrow - even the though it's not safe to be out and about in this weather"

9am Monday: "School closed - Yippee!"

10am Monday: "Off out shopping then drinking wine this afternoon with friends - i love snow days!"

:spank:
 
Of course, no-one in any other profession would celebrate if they got a 'snow day'.

I'm surprised you chaps can bring yourselves to have teachers in your friends list... ;)
 
Its a bloody disgrace. I have to go into work over the weekend on nights, if for some reason I cannot get in then I will be collected. If I cannot be collected then I must go into the nearest office. And to top it all, my RWD BMW hates the snow. So much so, it decided (I was driving carefully) to slide into a kerb, 100 metres from home on Monday morning, so now I have an alloy wheel to repair (£30?).

Talk of playgrounds being unsafe for children, yet those on a day off do guess what? Tit about in the snow :confused: I had one daughter off and one in school, the schools are 1 mile apart!!!!!

"Off drinking wine" kin to$$ers!

On another note, my wifes cousin is head of dept (wow) at a High School - £46,000 per year:twisted:
 
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