Overheard in the staffroom

13th January 2006, 12:00am

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Overheard in the staffroom

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/overheard-staffroom-39
The TES online forums are a hotbed of debate. Here is just a taste of what users are saying this week.

Join the discussion at: www.tes.co.ukstaffroom

“Two thirds of teachers happy with their jobs”

janemk: This has just landed in my inbox. You do shoot yourselves in the foot, don’t you! Or are you the third that isn’t happy?! No wonder nothing changes if people don’t grab the opportunity to highlight the situation.

suze_sooze : It was me - I take some of the blame: the call came to the staffroom about five weeks ago from the TES researcher. They asked to speak to an experienced teacher.The survey took about five minutes, I answered honestly... what more can I say?

nim: If they asked to speak to an experienced teacher then it is hardly a representative sample. They are missing out struggling NQTs and 2nd-year teachers who will leave the profession because they are unhappy.

moroba: Depends on how you define teaching, doesn’t it? I love that part of my job when I actually am teaching: it’s the other 75 per cent of the time when I am being a surrogate parent to students and other staff, checking boxes to keep the invisible “they” happy and rewriting plans for the upmteenth time because of ill-conceived initiatives by government and my head of department that I have problems with.

lumpy golightly: Moroba, I don’t object to being a surrogate parent to students if they need that - do you really? We don’t just teach because of a love for the subject, do we? We have to care for the kids as well. Agree 100 per cent about your comment about the invisible “they”, though.

The cure for indiscipline has been found!

psalm23: The Daily Telegraph says constant praise is the best way to make children behave... It’s as easy as that, apparently!

I wish all these experts would come and show us!

physphobic: GENIUS? Why didn’t I think of that! All my problems have been solved. I will sleep easy tonight. No more swearing, shouting, name calling - all I have to do is praise. Oh! What an easy job we have. If only I could talk to these people to thank them!

mad_hatter : Yes praise, that is the solution, in fact it is probably the solution to world peace and all our political problems in history. Of course, this theory came from someone who was vastly experienced in teaching horrible, racistviolent etc students in classrooms!

eyeontheball: “Remember to look for the behaviour you want rather than the behaviour you do not want.“Tried it out yesterday, looked for good behaviour of kids working. Didn’t look for poor behaviour, so ignored the two year 9s fighting in my classroom. Worked a treat, I was totally stress-free by the end of the lesson. Ok, one of the boys did get taken to hospital for stitches but I didn’t raise my voice once durIng the lesson.

Is it time to take the “C” out of ICT (Information and communications technology)?

Eureka!: Communication skills should be part of English, or a separate core skill, methinks.

MistyRain: ICT has a lot to answer for in terms of (damaging) literacy skills. How many English teachers have to deal with “txt spk” on a regular basis? Also the spellchecker has led to some children being extremely lazy in their spelling.

Ms Eng: The use of computers and communication are not isolated activities.

Much communication is done via the PC. I can’t remember the last time I posted a letter, I email instead.

I also apply for jobs online. All require communication skills via electronic media.

MistyRain: Ms Eng do not get me wrong, I love technology and relish the language evolving - what I am against is the “lazy language” that seems to have become the norm for our children. Even if I email, I tend to write things out properly rather than shortening everything (m8, RU etc).

spiz : Before the “C” was put into ICT, IT (information technology) tended to be about hardware and programming. Most people want to be able to use software, not write their own, hence the change. Presumably you also want to include rebuilding engines in the driving test.

These comments are the personal opinions of individual contributors

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