Another teacher's strike looms

[Michael_W]

That's part of the problem with the job. The boundaries between home and work get pretty blurred.

 

I know plenty of people who do half hearted shifts in their workplace, by the way, Not you, clearly. I'm sure that you have your shoulder to that wheel for 25 hours a day, 8 days a week.

 

Blurred boundaries, crikey it really must be tough, burn out is imminent, I think you should get a big pay rise and retire much earlier with a final salary pension ........ "what do we want, when do we want it"

[wednesday1]

Blurred boundaries, crikey it really must be tough, burn out is imminent, I think you should get a big pay rise and retire much earlier with a final salary pension ........ "what do we want, when do we want it"

 

 

With respect, Sibon (and other teachers) will have had to put himself through University then Teacher training college, probably taking around 5 years. If you don't make teaching attractive then you would end up with a load of dumplings as teachers.

[gnvqsos]

I've been sworn at , spat at , had threats to break my neck and to kill me . We in the public sector need to stand together , and not bleat on about differences . That is just what the "government" ( in the loosest possible terms ) want .

 

At the end of the day , we are all struggling , in this alleged "austerity" , and that is far more important than individual point-scoring amongst various sections of the public sector and between ourselves - think about it , this is exactly what "they "want us to do .

 

Teachers are just a part of it , I urge you to read Niemerman's "poem" and Mayer's book " They Thought They Were Free" . Do your homework , have a think , and then come back - but please don't use the words "neoliberalist" unless you can break that stupid word down into its' key components , cos I can't !

 

Does the clergy fall into the public sector?Its great to think they are available for help in disputes.

[Guest sibon]

With respect, Sibon (and other teachers) will have had to put himself through University then Teacher training college, probably taking around 5 years. If you don't make teaching attractive then you would end up with a load of dumplings as teachers.

 

Actually, wednesday, I went to University under the Thatcher Government. Things were much better then. I didn't pay my own fees and I got a grant towards my living expenses.

 

Bring back Maggie, I say*.

 

 

 

*I don't really say this:)

[AWOL]

Teachers are a very molly coddled bunch of people who for many years have been cushioned form the harshness of reality by extensive holidays, a very good pay structure and very early retirement that others can only dream about.

[L00b]

I'm interested in your opinion now. You must come across numerous well educated young folks. What skills do they need, that they don't already posess?

At the risk of wasting bandwidth typing a string of clichés - not so much 'skills' as 'qualities': humility, perseverance and professionalism. Past a certain level of education, it's not so much what they know and how well they know it, as how well can they use it in a professional context, and are they cut out for same.

 

I've lost count of how many 'heads' (eg. biochem PhDs) I have seen enter the profession, only to leave within weeks (the shortest I ever saw was 2 days) as they just can't hack "real world"/the job. There is a big attrition rate for newcomers to the profession, which -relative to past years- is growing. To my mind, that's not symptomatic of deficiencies in the content taught, but of deficiencies in character-building. I'll readily admit that it's not all to be laid at the feet of schools/teachers...but they have a role to play, and I would contend that they don't play that role as much as they used to.

 

Oh, yeah - nearly forgot: stronger grounding in basic maths and proficient written English

 

Though English is not my first language at all (and I came to it fairly late), somehow I ended up in a profession here, which hinges essentially upon 'textual craftsmanship', wherein every word and its meaning 'counts', to the tune of potentially £-millions (and more) in a business context. Yes, I'll let you imagine the size of my annual professional indemnity insurance premium

 

In that context, I always find it "a bit rich" to have to correct natives about basic vocabulary and grammar skills in their own language. And I despair when a tertiary level-educated secretary can't work out a figure for an invoice using a basic rule of three!

[bob1]

Sibon (and other teachers) will have had to put himself through University then Teacher training college, probably taking around 5 years.

 

Teachers' qualifications are in line with other graduate professions. As is their salary. In addition, their leave provision is disproportionately generous. This combination is what makes the frequency with which they strike irritating. It displays an impressive greed and lack of understanding of the wider society. It also suggests a significant lack of awareness of other methods of initiating change.