Are teachers worth their pay?

[anotheoldgit]

I heard today that in some areas of the country, because Easter was early this year, the children begin their Easter holidays today.

Does this mean that they will be getting the usual 2 weeks off?

Since they must have also had Good Friday and Easter Monday off, plus they will most likely have an inset day (teacher's training day) tagged on. Making this holday almost 3 weeks long.

All very nice for these teachers who are considering striking for more pay, but not very good for the children's education.

[LoftyLottie]

Yes Steve, I do acknowledge that there is some violence against teachers, but unfortunately there is just as much violence against people in other professions. I just don't think they should be singled out as special people any more than any others. All people that work and work hard are having a hard time these days but most teachers I know (of which there are plenty) feel hard done by. I can think of plenty of others in other walks of life who are more hard done by and work just as hard (and have trained for as long) that are worse off than teachers. There are far too many 'jobsworth' teachers these days. It is meant to be a profession and if people want to be treated as professional then they have to act that way and gain respect.

Times are difficult, we have all had to adjust to a society that is far from perfect. It's just that teachers whinge more than the rest of us.

[Suzyboo]

Teachers are expected to work for the same amount of days as it was previously, yet with more pressure and accountability (e.g. league tables), below inflation pay rises for years and with fewer pupils arriving from families who are supportive or who value education significantly. When I started school, I had already started to learn to read (as had a number of my peers)- how many pupils is that true of today? If I was in trouble at school, I was in worse trouble at home - these days I doubt trouble at school causes many consequences at home. Ultimately, if it really is an easy, overpaid job, why do people leave teaching in such numbers and why are they having trouble recruiting and filling posts? Everyone has an opinion of schools because we all went to one but is that the same as actually knowing what it is like to work as a teacher?

[LoftyLottie]

Having worked amongst them for years, I still maintain that the majority of teachers see themselves as a different breed and refuse to even acknowledge that the rest of us might well be subject to strains and stresses as well. I do not disagree with most of what you say about the way teaching has changed and what teachers have to put up with. I just object to the way that they are blinkered to the rest of us. They need to open their eyes and see they are not the only ones with problems.

[LeMarchand]

I'm with LoftyLottie: I work with teachers and many of them consider themselves "better" than others, and that normal rules shouldn't apply to them because "they're teachers". (eg: I am frequently asked why I can't install a single-user bit of software on a whole yeargroups worth of machines because they all need to use it simultaneously; they genuinely seem to think that it is OK because it's for school use. I could go on, but just in case any of them are reading...)

Obviously, they're not all like that - the lovely Mme LeMarchand wasn't when she was teaching! - but a lot of them seem to be. Though in answer to the OP, the holidays aren't any longer, just spaced differently.

[Hugh Spencer]

I taught in a state primary school for 38 years before gladly retiring. Soon after I left the government began to interfere considerably in education instead of letting the professionals get on with the job. After watching the decline of education and the obstacles put in the way of teachers who just want to get on with their job, and the ridiculous attitude by some parents and the notorious children's rights whereby they know they can do almost anything they like and get away with it. Not everybody could do a conscientious job in the schools but if you think it is an easy number, and prepared to help every child in your care develop their full potential then I suggest you would be most welcome but if join just for the ride, forget it.