JCL - the new kid in town
New member
- Aug 23, 2011
- 1,864
Got something to say or just want fewer pesky ads? Join us... 😊
Teachers Strike
- Thread starter Geestar
- Start date
Creaky
Well-known member
Have a read of this and you will see that various types of action have been 'suggested' by the NUT and NASUWT including the ones you mention. The problem is that rigid adherence to these would disadvantage the children and have very little public impact - so much so that it appears the majority of teachers haven't followed the union's instructions.
A one day strike will probably have less of an impact on an individual child's education but the public awareness has been infinitely greater.
http://www.teachers.org.uk/files/ActionGuidance-9117.pdf
This dispute has been going on for coming upto two years now!
Creaky
Well-known member
you want 4 year olds to be able to read and write when they start school
Why not?
I agree with much of what you say.
Trouble is ,at many schools,pupils are guided/misguided into believing that the only thing to do when they leave school is to go to uni and get a degree.
When I questioned this at my youngest child's school,the teacher looked at me as if I was daft.
Trouble is ,this is the only path that many teachers have trodden and know about.Career advice in many instances is abysmal or non existent.Too many youngsters end up going to uni to study degrees that are of little value,when they may well have been better off following another route to a career.
Problem is too many university degrees are dished out and are therefore devalued.We are going to have more and more disillusioned heavily indebted graduates in this country than we know what to do with.
A lot of people, and I mean a lot, don't have the things in bold. Particularly in the catering industry!
JCL - the new kid in town
New member
- Aug 23, 2011
- 1,864
It depends on what you class as reading and writing i suppose and some 4 year olds will be able to but there will be others that this is too much for at 4
Edit: i also know of parents that have been told off for not teaching their children the right way to read
Last edited:
Southover Street Seagull
Well-known member
And that is my trade unions are still important and relevant today.
hart's shirt
Well-known member
It would have cost a lot more if you'd have taken the kids with you.
Last edited:
Indeed. Rewind nearly 30 years and the careers advice I received at school / 6th Form - "go to Uni". The look I got when I said no I want to go out and earn some money made me feel like I was something unpleasant you stepped in. Nice to see careers advice hasn't moved on one iota !
nicko31
Well-known member
Being a teacher is harder than it used to be, but isn't every job these days? To their credit teachers today are better than a generation ago.
As public sector goes they do pretty well with a final salary pension still intact, extended hols and some benefits Jonny private sector can only dream off.
Made me laugh today when I heard a striking head on the radio saying "We're only doing it for the children".....
As public sector goes they do pretty well with a final salary pension still intact, extended hols and some benefits Jonny private sector can only dream off.
Made me laugh today when I heard a striking head on the radio saying "We're only doing it for the children".....
Goring-by-Seagull
Well-known member
- Jan 5, 2012
- 1,980
you want 4 year olds to be able to read and write when they start school
I told my son I would drown him if he couldn't read by the age of 3. He couldn't. But I didn't have the heart to follow it through so I gave him another year, and by 4 he could read. And can still read now. Voila.
JCL - the new kid in town
New member
- Aug 23, 2011
- 1,864
well done. what level of reading though are we talking about? a few words? whole sentences? whole books? I don't disagree that the parents need to take some responsibility but you can't expect all kids to be at that level at 4
Goring-by-Seagull
Well-known member
- Jan 5, 2012
- 1,980
You're right, we're not all equal and some pick things up quicker than others. But with kids starting school they should surely know the alphabet and the phonetics, so they arrive at least having a basic knowledge.
I'm no expert, I'm no teacher, but I made a good effort from 18 months ish to teach him to read. Whether it made much difference I guess I won't know but I gave it a good shot!
So I wouldn't go as far as saying it's a disgrace that some kids starting school can't read or write, but parents not bothering and expecting teachers to teach them everything - that is the disgrace.
JCL - the new kid in town
New member
- Aug 23, 2011
- 1,864
yes i agree. Yes i do think most kids should know the alphabet and at least be able to write their name, but i don't class that as being able to read and write though.
When people don't like their job, or the salary etc, they can go and work for another company. But that's not so easy when they work in the public sector, as most of the jobs are provided by the government, and the salaries are controlled. And I don't think it's fair to expect people to change careers.
But specifically re teachers: my wife wanted to do a PGCE 22 years ago, and we discussed the fact that teaching salaries were very poor, so she didn't do it. Teaching salaries now compared to back then are very good in my opinion, so I don't have much sympathy for someone that's chosen teaching as a career, knowing what the salary is like, who then complains about the salary.
But is that what this particular strike is about (I have no idea), or are they complaining about changes in working conditions (some of the administrative crap they have to do is a joke)?
Not many kids can read before they start school.
Every child is different. You surely wouldn't expect a dyslexic child to be reading by 4 or one with special educational needs? I could read when I was three but not dress myself and I still struggled with shoe laces at 8. My son could write several words before he started school but he did it off memory rather than phonetically and was therefore slightly behind because the national curriculum proscribes phonemes (and tests for them FAR too early using nonsense words) rather than mixed methods. This by Michael Rosen is excellent on the dangers of the current way of teaching and the different definitions of what constitutes reading. ANY teacher telling you off for teaching a child to read "wrongly" is protecting the school's OFSTED and League Table rankings. They are NOT acting in the best interests of the child.
Or even that easy in the private sector.
Barrel of Fun
Abort, retry, fail
Teachers don't get paid for their holiday, but the money is spread out through the year.
Teachers are expected to work 1,950 hours, but generally it will work out much more than that. That is more than the average office jockey who works 37.5 hours a week for 47/48 weeks.
When I was doing my PGCE, I spent 10 hours in school a day and invariably spent much of the evenings planning for the next day/week/mid term.
Most of my friends doing their NQT years are working 70 hour weeks. My class teacher does the same.
Inset days provide an opportunity for essential training. It is not an 'extra day off'.
Teachers are expected to work 1,950 hours, but generally it will work out much more than that. That is more than the average office jockey who works 37.5 hours a week for 47/48 weeks.
When I was doing my PGCE, I spent 10 hours in school a day and invariably spent much of the evenings planning for the next day/week/mid term.
Most of my friends doing their NQT years are working 70 hour weeks. My class teacher does the same.
Inset days provide an opportunity for essential training. It is not an 'extra day off'.
Barrel of Fun
Abort, retry, fail
2 out of 5 teachers leave the profession within 5 years of starting work. That is not good for schools or the profession.
Creaky
Well-known member
Perfectly fair argument but what if someone joins a profession based on a salary package and signs a contract to that effect and then finds that this is suddenly torn up and the level of pay is effectively reduced?
The value of the pension that will be received has been reduced from that originally agreed and the contributions to receive that reduced pension has been increased meaning a lower level of take-home pay.
Add to that the removal of the automatic pay scale increments based on experience and a two year pay freeze and suddenly it's not so clear cut as, "you agreed to the package when you started teaching so don't complain".