Off Topic If teachers are so 'fragile', this confirms why they should NOT be employed

But 'teaching' is too small a part of the job (imo). The amount of paperwork and lesson planning (largely for audit purposes for OFSTED) is what drives teachers to the brink and in many cases now leads to them quitting.

Also for most of the most important roles (eg: specialists in physics, maths etc) there are other options outside of teaching, and that means they don't tend to stick with this insane working pattern of 12hr days 5 days a week, burning out and needing holidays to come round or they would literally just break down. Instead they take jobs elsewhere and in many cases that means non-specialists teaching them important subjects.

It's a very hard job, and there is no work life balance. In the end, if we don't have good teachers, we also fail our kids, and so yes, actually I think the job and balance of power in teaching has shifted so far away from teachers, that it is stopping that and the job does need to get back to what it was all about 30 years ago, ie: teaching.

 

Because they aren't contracted enough hours to get done everything that is expected of them.

 

You're audited on things like your lesson plans (for three different ability groups within each class, with different lessons, outcomes etc), marking being up to date etc. There literally isn't time in the day to do it all, so they have no choice.

Typical day for my ex was up at 6:30, leave at 7:30, in work by 8:10, spend half an hour meeting in the department etc, then bang, straight into it, managing pastoral issues for your form, teaching lessons, then at the end of the day, you have to plan all of the next day and also mark the work of the same day, as well as prepare reports and other ad-hoc tasks, deal with after-school clubs etc.

You can add a solid 4-5 hrs onto most days. It is no life in my opinion, and as soon as you fall behind, the stress ramps up because at any moment, OFSTED can drop in, and/or you can be monitored by others above you to ensure you're following the set methodology as rigidly as possible. As an outsider, I found the whole thing bureaucratic and ludicrous. The kids really do not ****ing matter to the people managing the education system, all that matters is paperwork targets.

 

I know what you mean mate I just can't understand why they do the extra work for nothing.

 

It just seems bizarre that a group of intelligent people work loads of extra hours for nothing would you?

 

The problem is that it's not 'for nothing', it's because it's expected that they do all of the things that I listed, and the people managing their workloads either don't understand that this would need superhuman abilities to do within an 8hr day, or more pertinently, don't care at all.

So they do it to keep their job, and because they have to, not because they choose to.

 

They have to or they wouldn't be able to do the work that's required of them during their contracted hours. There is so much planning to do, paperwork to fill in, just to prepare a lesson. They've then got to deliver the lesson while the kids are present. When the kids have gone, they have to mark work. The expectations and the pressure is immense and working beyond your contracted hours is the only way to get it done. It's that or not be able to do the job effectively. That's why so many people leave teaching after only a few years and why they struggle to recruit people.

 

They say it is a vocation and is expected.. I wouldn't do it that's for sure..

 

I understand what you are saying RAW it just doesn't make sense to me they either signed a contract and it includes free extra hours or they should get payed for them, i remember my dad saying to me when I left school " any idiot can work for nowt lad just go for a walk instead you've still got nowt but you are not working for it. "

 

They bloody should get paid for them but they don't. Very hard working people, teachers.

 

I agree mate I just can't get my head round why they work for nothing I never have I never would. I can just imagine any of my bosses saying would you like to work 3 or 4 hours tonight Rooch, Aye no problem is it time and a half or double time no you are not getting payed, Er! no bye!

 

Don't think there's much choice to be honest. I think if you haven't done the out of hours stuff, you've got no material to present when the kids are looking at you expectantly, waiting for you to expand their little minds

 

I could live with that

 

Apparently its frowned upon if they don't learn what they're supposed to be in your classes!

 

Plus you can actually lose your job! There are all kinds of performance targets to meet, and if you don't do it and they inspect your books, you get labelled a bad teacher. Simple equation really, the government and education system in general is shafting them.

 

So your saying if all the teachers say we want paying for the extra hours we do they will get sacked. That would go down well.

 

Pretty much.

There was a great idea from May's government to get former soldiers into the classroom. 40k bursary, and they only got 40 in total in the entire country. I know lads who would sign up for another tour in Afghan rather than going into teaching