(Another) Teachers strike

[tonyhorne]

Damning statistics I would say.

I agree. Since 2007 within education in this country we have had unprecedented regulation and intervention from HM Government and Ofsted. The result is there for all to see in that article. The solution proposed by Ofsted is for even more regulation and intervention. It's only going to go one way.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Which does rather imply that some of us must be doing something right.

Any tuition is generally better than none at all wouldn't you say? I was reading research the other day supporting the idea that the single biggest indicator of success in life is having ambition. No more, no less. Now tell me, how many teachers do you honestly know that sow that seed in the minds of their students? How many do you honestly know that inspire their students to love their subject as much as they do? To read widely around their subject outside of school as much as possible? To believe that there is so much more out there to learn than what is contained within the crappy exams set by the government?

That's probably the main difference between kids in private schools and kids in state schools. The private ones have it instilled in them that they can be whatever they want to be. Given how rubbish Britain is at social mobility you have to question how effective state schools are at instilling the same lifestyle.

It's not about money. Public libraries are free. The web is as good as free, where you can download learning resources like never before. Heck, many leading universities in America are giving their courseware away online. Money or poverty or whatever isn't a barrier to learning anymore. The only barrier is motivation. That's what teachers should be there to do. They should inspire kids to want to learn. Lets face it, the knowledge kids leave school with isn't going to be enough to get a job doing anything. That's just a fact due to the time constraints involved. In my field of IT you learn bugger all in IT classes at school (and I have checked the curriculum). Certainly not enough to compete against the Indians. So you need kids to both realise that and be motivated enough to do much more on their own time. Forget the exams, they're not important. The knowledge is important, the exams just measure knowledge, they don't provide it.

Maybe I've just got a bad sample, but the schools I've worked in didn't have any teachers like that. The teachers I know now certainly aren't like that. Indeed for the majority of them they'd rather spend money on a holiday somewhere or a new car than on books. So you have to ask yourself, do they love learning or do they love the perks of their job?

Hey, I could be naive, but for me you want teachers with spirit like Keating in Dead Poets, and right now I don't think we have enough like that.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I agree. Since 2007 within education in this country we have had unprecedented regulation and intervention from HM Government and Ofsted. The result is there for all to see in that article. The solution proposed by Ofsted is for even more regulation and intervention. It's only going to go one way.

Surely free schools and academies were supposed to do away with all that and give schools freedom to do things their own way?

 

[scratchnsurf]

Surely free schools and academies were supposed to do away with all that and give schools freedom to do things their own way?

As far as I understand it, if you work in a state school, you have to teach (i.e. are legally bound) to the National Curriculum.

 

[TheBlueGibbon]

As far as I understand it, if you work in a state school, you have to teach (i.e. are legally bound) to the National Curriculum.

That's only for schools under the Local Education Authority, free schools and academies aren't and can hence teach what they like to a degree. Their teachers also don't have to hold teaching certificates.

 

[scratchnsurf]

That's only for schools under the Local Education Authority, free schools and academies aren't and can hence teach what they like to a degree. Their teachers also don't have to hold teaching certificates.

Why thank you, I have learned something new today.

 

[tonyhorne]

Surely free schools and academies were supposed to do away with all that and give schools freedom to do things their own way?

That's what we are supposed to believe. They can teach anything they like as long as it is what Ofsted expect to see when they descend. It amounts to regulation by rumour and veiled threat, apt to change on the caprice of dear Mr Gove. Maybe I'm cynical but this is enforcement worthy of the Third Reich.

All of us, as adults, try to enthuse young people with those things we have an interest and passion for. Teachers are no different and are perhaps even more enthusiastic in this regard which is why they do the job in the first place. Unfortunately, I could have the most ambitious and enthusiastic classes in the world but it would count for nothing if each pupil couldn't tell the Ofsted inspector what level they are working at and what they need to do to get to the next level. I need to have tables and spreadsheets showing how each child has made progress through these levels. Maybe all this bureaucracy works, after all the kids get higher marks every year. Maybe it doesn't, in which case pare it down and lets concentrate on our passions and ambitions

 

[The-Golden-Vision]

That's what we are supposed to believe. They can teach anything they like as long as it is what Ofsted expect to see when they descend. It amounts to regulation by rumour and veiled threat, apt to change on the caprice of dear Mr Gove. Maybe I'm cynical but this is enforcement worthy of the Third Reich.

All of us, as adults, try to enthuse young people with those things we have an interest and passion for. Teachers are no different and are perhaps even more enthusiastic in this regard which is why they do the job in the first place. Unfortunately, I could have the most ambitious and enthusiastic classes in the world but it would count for nothing if each pupil couldn't tell the Ofsted inspector what level they are working at and what they need to do to get to the next level. I need to have tables and spreadsheets showing how each child has made progress through these levels. Maybe all this bureaucracy works, after all the kids get higher marks every year. Maybe it doesn't, in which case pare it down and lets concentrate on our passions and ambitions

Hyperbole 101

 

[Hutch shropshire]

Rubbish... You know nothing about me. I was making the point that it's not just a blanket 12 weeks holiday a year. Most teachers work evenings, weekends and some of the holiday...as do many people in the public sector. I wasn't saying that teaching is the hardest job in the world either...of course lots of private sector jobs are equally difficult and more challenging. I was stating that out of the jobs I've had teaching has been the most challenging.

I'd gladly swap some of my pension and holidays for the company BMWs, share options, private health, bonuses and the like that all three of my less qualified and better paid private sector brothers get. I know it's not the same for everybody in the private sector but why moan about what others have got (and are prepared to fight for) just because you aren't in the same position. I don't want your sympathy but just for you to be prepared to consider things properly from people who are directly involved in Education. Teachers work just as hard as anyone else in my book. Your friends who are teachers...good on them. They obviously made a choice, worked hard, studied, probably got into debt and now like teaching. The get decent pay and conditions and that is why they're happy.

PGCE cost are up due to the government policy on tuition fees. Demand has remained pretty constant over the past ten years. There are shortages in some secondary subjects. Application are up a little. I teach pgce so I know first hand.

 

[tonyhorne]

Hyperbole 101

I haven't been counting but I take your point. I just don't trust Michael Gove and am suspicious of why he wants to remove all barriers and checks to his pronouncements.

 

[Tree13]

PGCE cost are up due to the government policy on tuition fees. Demand has remained pretty constant over the past ten years. There are shortages in some secondary subjects. Application are up a little. I teach pgce so I know first hand.

Au contraire, government policy on tuition fees relates ONLY to undergrad degrees. PGCE fees, like fees on ALL postgrad courses, are set entirely according to whatever the institutions want to charge. Market forces and competition from other institutions are the factors that influence PGCE fees, and the massive surge in PGCE applications in the last five years has caused the fees to treble as the institutions concerned have understandably decided to cash in.

The shortage subjects at PGCE level remain the same: science, maths and modern foreign languages. That's why those subjects are subject to reduced fees, and that's why applications in THOSE areas are slightly increased. Overall, PGCE applications have most certainly not stayed constant over the last ten years because, as I explained before, people have been leaving / been made redundant in their thousands in other industries over the last decade and the demand for new teachers remains high because of the policy in state schools of getting rid of experienced (ie expensive) teachers and replacing them with NQTs.

And you're right, it's not a blanket 12 weeks. I forgot the half-terms.

As for the rest of your post: what's your point?

 

[Hutch shropshire]

I stand corrected on the PGCE point about costs. I was told something different as I've only been involved in HE for a few months? I must have misunderstood as I was new. I have more to do with undergrads. I'm pretty sure that our applications have stood at the same level for at least five years though as I've seen the figures. they're always very high.

Must not post on here though after lunch at the pub in the sun! Might make more sense then! Hic! Thought I'd pressed the 'Reply with quote' button from earlier post. Soz about rant!

 

[peteblue]

I have the highest respect for good teachers. They change the lives of kids and adults alike and are amongst the finest people on the planet. However I have no time for bad teachers who's primary interest is self interest........

 

[janaaa]

I work in a private school. That's 17 weeks holiday a year- brilliant. And i get a decent wage. That doesn't mean I won't strike to protect my rights and those of my colleagues in the state sector. We stick together and help each other. That's how being in a union works. Yes, we're better off in some respects than other professions but that doesn't mean we throw in the towel - that's just a race to the bottom. We need to strive for better pay, better conditions and avoiding a society that's run by the rich for the rich. Every worker and union should do the same.

 

[peteblue]

I work in a private school. That's 17 weeks holiday a year- brilliant. And i get a decent wage. That doesn't mean I won't strike to protect my rights and those of my colleagues in the state sector. We stick together and help each other. That's how being in a union works. Yes, we're better off in some respects than other professions but that doesn't mean we throw in the towel - that's just a race to the bottom. We need to strive for better pay, better conditions and avoiding a society that's run by the rich for the rich. Every worker and union should do the same.

Good for you, and sod everybody else who has to earn money to pay tax to pay you your salary......ffs we've lost the plot in this country and I blame selfish teachers for taking us down this road.......