Teachers

bwfc1874 wrote:I used to think that, but my girlfriend started in September. She get's up at 5 every day comes home and works on lesson plans until 11.30pm most nights, has been forced to teach extra lessons on a subject she knows nothing about and gets little to no support as most of the teachers in the school are trainees - consequence of working for an academy.

bwfc1874 wrote:I used to think that, but my girlfriend started in September.

bwfc1874 wrote:

rammywhite wrote:

gloswhite wrote:Unfortunately the politicisation of the education system has been going on for years, which does of course play into the hands of the politicians, rather than the people it is supposed to help. Unfortunately, the putting of political, and personal, aims first, has reduced any serious planning of the most beneficial teaching methods/results, for the education, to the bottom of the list. The sad part is that the teachers, who have neither the skill nor power to confront the politicians and their backers on a fair footing, come across as a ragamuffin bunch who want nothing but to withdraw their labour. I still think a lot of them, the silent majority, still see their work as a calling rather than a career, and are just quietly hoping things work out.
I have no idea of the benefits or not of the Academies, but I do know that, having been involved in serious disputes when working for this government, they are a duplicitous, conniving bunch, who will do anything and everything to further their argument, including changing the law. (They're doing it with the junior doctors at the moment). Based on my experience with them, I would say that its all about money, eventually, to their benefit of course, and would say 'no' on principle.

Glos- I've never experienced a direct confrontation but I can see the evidence of what you are saying particularly with junior doctors. In my line of work we've had a 1% pay rise for each of the last six years and as I'm at the top of the scale there are no increments either- so I'm losing out. Luckily(or otherwise) I'm now of pensionable age and drawing both my state pension and 80% of my work pension -so I'm as well off as I've ever been.
We negotiate with vice-chancellors (who are grossly overpaid) but at least they are sympathetic as the vast majority have come up through the ranks and not been parachuted in as political appointments. Rather than strike (which for us is genuinely laughable) we've adopted the following tactics ,and generally been successful particularly as regards the salaries of junior members of staff who have got far higher rises than simply the 1% that the geriatrics like me have been offered
We've:
a) refused to mark exams and assessed assignments
b) refused to pass any marks on to administrators
c) refused to do references for students ( employers soon get on side about this)
d) refused to do admissions
e) refused to do sick cover
f) refused to attend admin meetings

.....plus lots of other minor irritations ,which added together creates rather a bad press and gets the negotiators to the table.
There are alternatives to strikes which are  much more effective

Guessing you're a lecturer Rammy? I suppose the major difference in your version of striking is scale, you refusing to do the extra bits has a direct effect on the leadership team you're negotiating with. Teachers would be harming their students and more senior colleagues - most of which are on their side anyway - but doing nothing to effect the government.   Not to mention the fact there has to be publicity to put pressure on the government to act, so something as public and obvious as a strike has that effect.

wessy wrote:Quote  They'll naturally oppose anything that government (particularly Tory government ) proposes. They'll want the status quo to be maintained as they can manipulate it to some degree to maintain their bargaining position. Change the system radically and you'll change the balance of power.
I'd still rather hear from experienced educationalists who can take a more balanced view.

If the teachers aren't experienced educationalists, who the fook are!! They are on the front line maybe they take against the Tory government because they change things without thought time and time again, Bedroom tax, pasty tax, disabled etc. the list is endless.

Why would a primary school need to be classed as an academy, concentrate on teaching the basics and worry about academy status further down the line.

Don't forget this isn't a choice this is being enforced upon a group that think it is detrimental.

bwfc1874 wrote:For me, the people who are working in and experiencing academies are best placed to comment on their benefits to education. Given how the majority of teachers are opposed then that's pretty damming. I don't agree with the view that all teachers are bothered about is maintaining the status quo, I think they're actually concerned with anything that makes their job easier and education standards higher. Most teachers I know (some retired in my family, others practicing now) see their profession as a vocation and feel a real responsibility to their students. 

They deserve far more respect than Gove and now Morgan have afforded them.

The motivation for imposing academy status is obvious, soften the blow of cuts to local government funding by removing their responsibility for education and handing it to the private sector. I think you'd have to be criminally naive to think the primary intention is to improve standards of education given the evidence of academies impacts so far.

gloswhite wrote:

bwfc1874 wrote:For me, the people who are working in and experiencing academies are best placed to comment on their benefits to education. Given how the majority of teachers are opposed then that's pretty damming. I don't agree with the view that all teachers are bothered about is maintaining the status quo, I think they're actually concerned with anything that makes their job easier and education standards higher. Most teachers I know (some retired in my family, others practicing now) see their profession as a vocation and feel a real responsibility to their students. 

They deserve far more respect than Gove and now Morgan have afforded them.

The motivation for imposing academy status is obvious, soften the blow of cuts to local government funding by removing their responsibility for education and handing it to the private sector. I think you'd have to be criminally naive to think the primary intention is to improve standards of education given the evidence of academies impacts so far.

Spot on.