More teacher strikes

[Diagro]

Yay another teacher thread.

I can't understand why people who don't teach try and preach to others that teachers have it easy... If you don't understand the job and think they simply work 9-3:30 then gtfo

 

[Ocean Breeze]

Sitting in an office staring at a computer all day and going to the occasional meeting is NOTHING compared to what a teacher has to do.

I know this as my Dad was a teacher in secondary school. It's more riot control these days whilst trying to teach the kids something. You have one lesson after another five days a week. Each lesson needs to be planned in advance. All the marking every night when you come home and all the bureaucracy that the government forces you to complete. Feel un-well or have things on you're mind that are troubling you, tough luck you got to stand there and be animated. No sitting, being quiet feeling sorry for yourself. You have to deal in some real problem kids, who's parents often come in to give you abuse. The list goes on..

 

[estebanrey]

Sitting in an office staring at a computer all day and going to the occasional meeting is NOTHING compared to what a teacher has to do.

Yeah because making paper mache Easter Eggs and judging the egg and spoon race sounds like damn demanding stuff.


See, I like you can dismiss other occupations with flippancy too.

I know this as my Dad was a teacher in secondary school. It's more riot control these days whilst trying to teach the kids something. You have one lesson after another five days a week. Each lesson needs to be planned in advance.

Being serious now though, isn't lesson planning essentially a one time event though? Just rinse and repeat every year after that. I don;t believe that every lesson a teacher does is unique, it certainly wasn't in my day (older siblings would verify my classes were exactly the same as their's a couple of years before). If you are writing a lesson plan for every lesson indefinitely, I'd say your'e not very innovative.

 

[Ocean Breeze]

You wouldn't be planning from scratch totally, but you have to think about what you are going to do. Which excercises, what books to use etc. You have to re-familiarise yourself with what you are teaching as won't remember all the lessons from the previous year.

Also the syllabus changes often, so some of that 6 week holiday in the summer is spent planning a whole year of new lessons.

 

[Lakeland]

Sitting in an office staring at a computer all day and going to the occasional meeting is NOTHING compared to what a teacher has to do.

I know this as my Dad was a teacher in secondary school. It's more riot control these days whilst trying to teach the kids something. You have one lesson after another five days a week. Each lesson needs to be planned in advance. All the marking every night when you come home and all the bureaucracy that the government forces you to complete. Feel un-well or have things on you're mind that are troubling you, tough luck you got to stand there and be animated. No sitting, being quiet feeling sorry for yourself. You have to deal in some real problem kids, who's parents often come in to give you abuse. The list goes on..

It varies from school to school, sometimes the pressure is from the management, some it's the parents and some it's the students.

In some of my gcse classes I teach a student who is anorexic and struggles to do anything because of low energy levels and regular absence, a student who's dad recently died and left him to survive with his alcoholic mother-he has about 50% attendance, a student who's mother can't control him and so he has 35% attendance because he can't be bothered to come in to school, a student who's mother is hooked on crack, a student who's sister is being treated for cancer and a student who is a carer for their disabled single mother.

And no I'm not moaning, I love making a difference to these peoples lives. 6 days of my easter holiday were spent running intervention sessions in school with eager students (including some of the above). And no, I don't want any recognition or extra money, that's not why I decided to be a teacher.

 

[Hawkesbury]

Being serious now though, isn't lesson planning essentially a one time event though? Just rinse and repeat every year after that. I don;t believe that every lesson a teacher does is unique, it certainly wasn't in my day (older siblings would verify my classes were exactly the same as their's a couple of years before). If you are writing a lesson plan for every lesson indefinitely, I'd say your'e not very innovative.

The problem comes from the fact that as a teacher I am expected to ensure that each student leaves my lesson knowing more than when they arrived. If I taught the same thing each year I would not be differentiating for those pupils who learn in different ways or have specific learning difficulties.

Also Mr Gove and co have changed where the Goal posts are in education, so what a few years ago would have been considered worthy knowledge is now only a footnote.

On a side note:

I am now a teacher but used to be in the Police. Before joining the Police I worked in Industry and did some charity work.

Honestly, Yes, we get long Holidays but I am going back into school tomorrow only just feeling like I have enough Energy to keep me going to the next break. This is not due to me being unwell, eating badly or not managing my time properly but having to give 100% when teaching.

If I only give 50%, the kids realise and wont want to engage in learning. You learn from passionate people who are engaged in what they teach*.

*yes there are a lot of boring dull non engaging teachers out there! but I don't want to be one of those.

 

[D.P.]

Sitting in an office staring at a computer all day and going to the occasional meeting is NOTHING compared to what a teacher has to do.

I know this as my Dad was a teacher in secondary school. It's more riot control these days whilst trying to teach the kids something. You have one lesson after another five days a week. Each lesson needs to be planned in advance. All the marking every night when you come home and all the bureaucracy that the government forces you to complete. Feel un-well or have things on you're mind that are troubling you, tough luck you got to stand there and be animated. No sitting, being quiet feeling sorry for yourself. You have to deal in some real problem kids, who's parents often come in to give you abuse. The list goes on..

Teaching children to join the dots and colour in is such demanding work

Everyone can make meaningless statements you see.

 

[MrMoonX]

Seems to me the only people crying are the teachers going on strike, boohoo i work so hard boohoo i want more money boohoo im going to spend a day on strike because they are making changes to my kushty job. oh and waahaaah lol grow up

And let me guess your job flipping burgers wanes in comparison to that of a teacher

 

[D.P.]

Yeah because making paper mache Easter Eggs and judging the egg and spoon race sounds like damn demanding stuff.


See, I like you can dismiss other occupations with flippancy too.




Being serious now though, isn't lesson planning essentially a one time event though? Just rinse and repeat every year after that. I don;t believe that every lesson a teacher does is unique, it certainly wasn't in my day (older siblings would verify my classes were exactly the same as their's a couple of years before). If you are writing a lesson plan for every lesson indefinitely, I'd say your'e not very innovative.

I said this earlier int he thread, teaching is hard to begin with because there is a lot of prep needed that you don't get additional funding for. Once they have produced and understood the coursework it rarely changes. Th efficient teachers maintain notes and fact files for each lesson so when next year comes around they can quickly refresh their memory.

What changes do come around mostly seem to be about removing content and simplifying concepts which are relatively easy to do. Linear algebra is the same now as it was 10 years ago, the math teacher just teach less of it than they used to.


All the best teaches I had did very little work

 

[Lakeland]

Being serious now though, isn't lesson planning essentially a one time event though? Just rinse and repeat every year after that. I don;t believe that every lesson a teacher does is unique, it certainly wasn't in my day (older siblings would verify my classes were exactly the same as their's a couple of years before). If you are writing a lesson plan for every lesson indefinitely, I'd say your'e not very innovative.

If it's done properly you should never really be able to just use the same resources over and over. The work set should be targeted for specific classes so that it covers the least able to the most able and all those in-between.

To do that with the same resources is near impossible in my experience, you can duplicate the resources and modify them but it's not just re-using material over and over.

Imo, resources should be relevant / up to date / modern and therefore you will never have a resource for life. If you did get a superhuman teacher that did manage to get it all sorted, someone would come along and move the goal posts or change the assessment criteria like Gove is doing now so you're almost back to square one.

The curriculum changing means Y7 to Y9 needs new or heavily modified resources and BTECs have already changed, only 2 equivalent gcse's can be counted in the league tables so most schools have binned the majority of btec courses so all the resources for delivering those are effectively wasted as they're moving back to gcse. GCSEs are bound to follow the curriculum changes as the content no longer links from ks3 to ks4 so again more resources required.

Some might say that's a good thing but imo a good teacher would change / modify resources on a regular basis anyhow and they'd do this over time not in one big hit.

 

[scorza]

All the best teaches I had did very little work

I think that's quite apparent.

 

[Deleted member 66701]

Being serious now though, isn't lesson planning essentially a one time event though?

No, you have to differentiate the lesson for ability etc. Also, the syllabus changes each year, so what you taught last year might not be current this year. Also (more in the case of primary teachers), you often move year groups - a lesson on history for 5 year olds obviously wont be the same lesson for 10 year olds.

I don;t believe that every lesson a teacher does is unique,

They are for the good teachers.

it certainly wasn't in my day (older siblings would verify my classes were exactly the same as their's a couple of years before).

That makes you sound really old

If you are writing a lesson plan for every lesson indefinitely, I'd say your'e not very innovative.

A teacher might have a common template but each lesson is specifically tailored.

 

[estebanrey]

No, you have to differentiate the lesson for ability etc. Also, the syllabus changes each year, so what you taught last year might not be current this year. Also (more in the case of primary teachers), you often move year groups - a lesson on history for 5 year olds obviously wont be the same lesson for 10 year olds.

Since when did 5 year olds have History lessons? I did my work experience at a Primary and it was mainly colouring in, reading and playing in the sandpit.

A teacher might have a common template but each lesson is specifically tailored.

I could understand this for people teaching individuals, but in a class of the 30 isn't the ability, on average, going to be the same every year?

 

[Deleted member 66701]

Since when did 5 year olds have History lessons? I did my work experience at a Primary and it was mainly colouring in, reading and playing in the sandpit.

Now you're just embarassing yourself.

When you troll, don't make it so obvious mkay?

I could understand this for people teaching individuals, but in a class of the 30 isn't the ability, on average, going to be the same every year?

Again, really?

Okay, I'll bite. It's surprisingly common for there to be three whole points of deviation in average between intakes.

 

[Lakeland]

I could understand this for people teaching individuals, but in a class of the 30 isn't the ability, on average, going to be the same every year?

On average probably but it doesn't always work like that, my y7 cohort are (on average) more able than my y8's at the moment, so when my current year 8's were in y7 the gap would have been even larger. I have some y7's doing y9 level work and y9's doing y11 work. I do however have y7's who have the ability of a y4/y5 so it's never easy.

 

[RDM]

No, you have to differentiate the lesson for ability etc. Also, the syllabus changes each year, so what you taught last year might not be current this year. Also (more in the case of primary teachers), you often move year groups - a lesson on history for 5 year olds obviously wont be the same lesson for 10 year olds.

It doesn't change that often at Secondary level. Does depend on the subject obviously and some are going through some pretty significant changes at the moment but even when they do change a lot of content remains.

They are for the good teachers.

The lessons will change but the resources will mostly remain similar. You will kill yourself with overwork if you create brand new resources for every lesson you teach!

A teacher might have a common template but each lesson is specifically tailored.

"Specifically tailored" can leave a lot of scope for reused resources...

 

[estebanrey]

Now you're just embarassing yourself.

When you troll, don't make it so obvious mkay?

Well I'm not "trolling" as you say.

I did work experience at my old primary circa 2002 and there were certainly no "History" lessons or any structured subject for that matter. Kids didn't start doing named subjects until they were around 9. Before that it was concentrating of getting the basics of reading, writing and basic maths down first.

Are you suggesting I am so out of touch, that children barely out of playschool are being taught about the Third Reich and the Magna Carta nowadays?

And yes I am serious, I mostly remember the "play time" sessions outside and painting indoors when it was raining.

 

[Deleted member 66701]

Well I'm not "trolling" as you say.

I did work experience at my old primary circa 2002 and there were certainly no "History" lessons or any structured subject for that matter.

12 years ago? There you go then.

Are you suggesting I am so out of touch,

Yes.

that children barely out of playschool are being taught about the Third Reich and the Magna Carta nowadays?

Well, you're being a bit silly there aren't you. But my son did do and the moon landings in reception, castles and fortifications in year 1 and he's doing the battle of hastings now (year 2).

And yes I am serious, I mostly remember the "play time" sessions outside and painting indoors when it was raining.

As I said, a lot has changed in 12 years (one of the reasons for the strikes - i.e. unreasonable rate of change).

 

[RDM]

As I said, a lot has changed in 12 years (one of the reasons for the strikes - i.e. unreasonable rate of change).

Some of it is just plain resistance to change that you get in any organisation. Some of the changes being brought in are long overdue tbh.

 

[Judgeneo]

On average probably but it doesn't always work like that, my y7 cohort are (on average) more able than my y8's at the moment, so when my current year 8's were in y7 the gap would have been even larger. I have some y7's doing y9 level work and y9's doing y11 work. I do however have y7's who have the ability of a y4/y5 so it's never easy.

So do the kids with more ability get taught harder stuff and get put into exams sooner or something? There was none of that at my school, you got taught depending on what year you were in and what set in that year.