So today is the Teachers' strike regarding pensions. I know that there are a lot of different opinions out there and there are definitely reasons for and against striking but here I wanted to share my thoughts FOR the strike. Stephen at Part 3 presents a really succinct and convincing argument for them which I recommend reading.
All consuming- marking and assessing
Now, first things first - as a teacher, my life really isn't my own. It really is all consuming. I experience intense guilt, misery, disappointment, stress, low self-confidence and exhaustion on a regular basis. It is not a job you can leave at the door like many jobs (and in fact, most unless you are self-employed)- it is always ongoing. Every evening, I go home, making my dinner, filled with dread that I have got to mark x number of books (4 lessons a day, 31 children- theoretically that can mean 124 books a day. And it really isn't a case of just ticking. Has the child achieve the objective? Give them a task and identify corrections, tell them what they've done well, tick sheets to fill in- Literacy marking is the worst. Marking a piece of writing takes me at least 10 minutes per child) Admittedly, PE and Art don't necessarily need marking- but there is now assessment data for those to keep up with. Has Child x achieved the learning objective? Is Child b able to throw a ball with accuracy and a variety of techniques? Can Child y weave paper in a variety of ways? And even ICT isn't free from burdens- assessments, evidence files, assessment pieces. And I nowadays, have it much easier than many other teachers in terms of the 2 days I do music- so I don't necessarily have marking for those, though there is written evidence to scrutinize, recordings to upload, edit and name, work to look at, responses to listening, compositions to consider. Tick sheets galore. I'm now supposed to keep assessment sheets of the key skills that children have achieved in music.
The workload and guilt
The guilt- if I choose not to do any work one evening, then guaranteed I will suffer for it the next day. I feel guilty, depressed, and useless every time I teach a lesson that goes badly. Everytime a child does not listen, fails to understand something you are teaching, I take it personally. I feel I have done badly, no matter how long I have spent preparing for it. You can and are expected to adapt work for 4 different abilities (for every subject) (and don't get me started on how long making resources takes.) and a child, for various reasons, may fail to get anything out of it. Conversely, when a child really gets something, it is wonderful- but sadly, there are so many extraneous factors at play that you can never guarantee this all the time.
Planning
Planning any lesson takes an incredibly long length of time. Again 4 lessons a day x 5 days =20 lessons. People say, "Why not just download something from the internet" or "Oh you can use last year's plans." Well, regarding the first, even searching for resources takes an inordinate amount of time. Finding something suitable, something that is adapted. I can wade through 6 pages of links before finding anything suitable and then I might not find anything (and this can be plans or sheets), even just formatting a lesson plan takes ages. And if you don't have the resources to match, that is a drain on your time, finding those, checking they are working (if a set of light bulbs), copying them, trimming them to size. Regarding the latter, if I am doing my job properly, I have to look at the specific needs of a group of pupils, they are very different and what works for one will not work for another so every plan must be adapted
And even if it weren't for that- every single stupid, meddling government attacks education, changes the expectations, the goal posts, puts their own demands on the system. They just can't leave it alone. In the 5 years I have been in the teaching profession, things have changed completely, new things have been added and taken away all the time. Literacy and maths has gone from one framework to another, a new horrendous way of assessing called APP has been introduced, first for writing,then reading, then maths and now this year, Science- all this affects your planning to ensure you are able to find evidence for these targets. We've had Primary modern foreign languages being squeezed into the timetable- we've had guided reading added (well this has been for a while), in my school, KEY SKILLS have been introduced for every Foundation subject- it's supposed to be called the Creative curriculum- so everything has to be linked up, with attached targets, your planning must include those targets and address those, and since every other teacher in your school has had to introduce new plans, then the 2nd year you discover that X target has not been addressed so you have to replan for this. Or a particular skill has gone. The government constantly slags off teachers in the press- we're not doing our jobs properly. OFSTED breathing down you spine. (And consequently, head teachers breathing down your neck in preparation for it. Work scrutinies, marking scruitinies, action plans for your subject, monitoring other teachers who teach your subjects if you are a subject leader)
Scrutiny- 3 exams a year
Did you hate exams at school? Especially ones where you were being watched? Now imagine you have to sit 3 exams every year in which instead of being a written paper, you are watched by an examiner, I must have 3 observations a year where another senior member of staff watches me. Except that there are 30 totally random individuals who could throw a spanner in the works- you have to consider their individual learning styles, make use of ICT, guarantee progress has been made, deal with disruptive behaviour, manage another member of staff if you are lucky enough to have an assistant, make sure YOU and the children are assessing their own and their peers progress and show this through a variety of ways, and more.
It's terrifying. I am someone who actually doesn't mind exams too much- I previously mentioned that I have taken over 40 practical music exams in addition to regular recitals at university, GCSEs, A levels and copious observations during my PGCE. But even I am terrified when I am observed and lack total confidence in my abilities when it comes to my observations.
Training constantly.
Considering the decisions we have to make on a daily basis, the workload, in no other job are you expected to spend 1.5 hours every week (Staff INSET= acronym for In service training- every Monday), receiving training in addition to others.
Dealing with hostility and disparagement from the Government at the top, down to petty parents who, because you have so much to deal with, seem to think it their duty to undermine you and put burdens upon you, headteachers putting too much upon you. (I should stress at this point, that there are many, many wonderful, supportive, lovely parents too and my headteacher has a good heart and wants her school to be good)
Decisions
I am not a decisive person, as anyone who has ever asked me to make a decision will attest to. And yet, every minute, I am forced to make decisions, which cannot always be predicted. I hate it. One small example: Child x has hit Child y apparently, according to Child y. Yet Child x denies this and says that Child y hit them. Who do you believe? Do I deal with this now and totally interrupt my lesson and affect the other children? Do I say I will sort it later and put up with whinging and more subversion over the next hour? Do I believe Y and not x? Will x then do something even worse to pay back x? Will w get involved and cause a further problem? Will Child x continue to be disruptive in order to make the point they are still cross? This is not good for my stress levels.
Already agreed
As Stephen states, the pension agreement was already in place and we have paid into something and to now be told that it is changing in 5 ways to make it worse, well that does not seem fair. Stephen says:
We're not setting up public sector pay and pension arrangements from a blank slate. A particular set of pay and conditions were agreed, including the current pension arrangements. And simply trying to change those unilaterally is wrong.If it was YOU, Mr or Mrs non-teacher, how would you feel if you were told- "Right, even though you expected your pension to be like this and you've been providing for a certain moment, despite the fact we don't pay you loads, now, you will have to work another couple of years when you are old and tired, despite the fact your bosses will want to sack you, humiliate you as an older teacher because employing young whippersnappers is much cheaper and you can bully them more (seriously I have known it happen in many schools). Oh and we're freezing your pay for some years and then it will not increase with the cost of things, and you're going to have to pay more money to us and then get much less in the end." Sound good? We're being really generous!
And those bankers would throw an absolutely barney if their situation was changing like this- yet it's not for them! We don't get bonuses and unless you teach, you have no idea of the hours.
One of the few pulls in teaching has been the pension. We certainly don't go into it for the pay!
Teaching and old age
You really cannot do this job beyond a certain age- it is very physical, the hours, the levels of enthusiasm, the mental strain, clambering on ladders to put up displays, running around a playground, demonstrating, modelling, staying up late marking, running after school clubs, reports every term (and don't even get me started on how long these take), all that marking, assessment procedures. I reiterate that headteachers (except enlightened ones) want to get rid of 'expensive' older staff. I am only 30 and the thought of doing this for ANOTHER 38 years terrifies me.
Discouraging potential teachers
In addition to my teaching and marking, I plan for and run 5 extra-curricular clubs, 2 assemblies. And it is not a case of just turning up and doing it. I have to practice myself, I can't just do it, find repertoire, suitable music, format it. (I spent a year and half going to 2 hour training sessions on Thursdays evenings for my musical development in the school including 30mins travel either way) I do this because I know I have a skill that I want people to share. I came into teaching because I knew I had a lot to share with children and it was not a decision I took lightly if you care to read the archives of my blog (and read of the misery or beginning) Dumbledore says of music in Harry Potter Book 1,
"A magic beyond all we do here...".I want children to develop their soul, to have this wonderful outlet for creativity. I want to give my expertise to them, to help them to find their voice (and Bonnie that includes you! I would be delighted to help you find your voice!). Our world loves music. And when the children delight in it, it fills my heart with joy! When they burst into spontaneous and delighted applause when they have sung a song together as a community perfectly, I could burst with how wonderful this feeling is.
Surely, we want the best people possible to teach and train our children?
Surely we want to encourage those people who have skills to nurture, encourage and help our young people achieve greatness but right now I would tell anyone considering teaching to run a mile!
The other side of the coin
I know we've all got to do our bit to help the economy and many people are suffering in many ways from cuts and difficulties which is horrible but attacking the foundation of training and building young people that can achieve great things to help us (and this does count for other public sector workers as well, I am just talking from my perspective) help our economy does not really help. Sure do one of these proposed changes to our pension if you must but not all of them!
I do understand if people say, "Well I don't get a pension like that for doing my job and I work really hard" and I agree with you in that sense. I am aware that compared to some pensions it must seem much more generous (I presume) and I know, whatever job you do, it is hard, stressful, makes you feel like you cannot cope with it. No one's burden can seem harder than someone else's because it is YOUR burden or situation and knowing that someone else's is 'easier' or 'harder' (I say this because those terms are subjective) does not make yours seem any harder or easier for YOU and I would never have the audacity to say that anyone's job is easier than mine, because I have not experienced their particular situation. I can only comment on my situation as I see it- that someone is changing something that I expected. I will accept my lot whatever it is and will not moan about it regardless of the circumstances, but I wanted to share my perspectives. I could say so much more but I am aware that I have written rather a lot and I am sure you switched off ages ago! I am also aware that I sound very negative- I don't like that especially as there are some great things about the profession, I like to be positive and see the joy in life rather than the gloom - however this is offering my justification for why I think that the cuts are wrong! (and I need to ensure my blog doesn't become too frivolous!!! Some gritty issues every now and again to make me think!)
What do you think though?
