TEACHING - THE FEEBLE PROFESSION

neilmhewitt: Heavy workload puts me off committing to teaching, even though I mostly enjoy it. No job is worth sacrificing your free time and social life for. It’s time that we, as a profession, made a stance and said enough is enough. Is it any wonder that kids look down on us when we don’t stand up for ourselves.

Mathsteach2: I am beginning to think that many teachers, nay most, are not very bright. They have drifted into teaching for want of something else to do, and all they can now do is complain about their workload, parents, senior management team, even the poor kids.

WHAT LESSONS DO YOU REMEMBER FROM SCHOOL?

Oldsomeman: Learning not to flinch when caned on the hands, lest others think you are a coward.

Ssnsmudge: I remember trooping down to the school hall (the girls, with dresses tucked into their knickers), listening to the radio, dancing round the hall and pretending to be a seed all curled up, gradually growing into a huge tree. Those were the days.

PLANNING HELL - COMPARE THE DAMAGE

Freeze: It seems that each week more detail is needed in our planning. It isn’t enough that we have really detailed mid-term plans, but we need to write a mini-novel every time we sit at our laptops.

Jack55: Once upon a time we taught based on our experience and knowledge.

And it worked. All this detailed planning is imposed on a top-down basis because the Government does not trust any of us.

2I269: The Government probably wants all these detailed plans to give them to cover supervisors - and give us highly-paid, moaning teacher types the boot.