Yet another issue of The TES is opened and the pages yell out: “Don’t be a teacher!” Are you trying to put people off? How much confidence do pieces like “I quit” instil in new recruits to the profession?
Yes, teaching is difficult - the barriers are always being moved, the rules always change. But there are some joys - the children understanding a topic, producing a fine example of work or showing their parents their achievements.
At the end of my phase one of teaching practice, I felt verwhelmed by the paperwork, but I also felt extreme pride in knowing that I had played a part in the pupils’ understanding of poetry, data-handling and charts, germination of plants and other qualities needed to appreciate the world around them today.
So come on TES, start using the positivity of the teaching profession to help rebuild its positive image. Surely you have a duty to do that.
Stephen Hoskin, student teacher at the College of St Mark and St John, Plymouth, Devon
