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Letter: Wrong view of teachers
Saturday 13th June 2009, 9:30AM BST.
LETTER: In reply to the letter headed “Spotlight may fall on teachers” I would like to respond in the strongest terms. As a newly qualified teacher I found the letter to be both factually incorrect and insulting.
Readers should be aware that the figure of “around £600 per week” for a newly qualified teacher is vastly incorrect. The actual figure is closer to £400 which I accept, in these difficult times, is a reasonable amount.
The point of the letter I find most objectionable is the assumption that the 12 weeks I am out of school is 12 weeks holiday.
I can assure G Thomas that the great majority of this time is spent working, either marking pupils’ work or preparing for future lessons. In addition, my “working” day spent in school will nearly always begin at 7.30am and I am often marking books until late into the evening.
I am sure that G Thomas will have heard this claim before, and by the tone and content of the letter dismisses it.
I also object to being compared to those MPs who have been discredited by inappropriate expenses claims.
To compare the time allocated to me to work away from school and an MP who claims for his moat to be cleaned and wisteria to be trimmed, is nothing less than a fanciful leap.
I write this letter as a newly qualified teacher who enjoys the profession and do not wish to be perceived as “poor me”, but I do get frustrated at disparaging comments about teaching from people who obviously do not have first hand knowledge.
If G Thomas’s opinions are truly represented by the letter I am surprised he or she doesn’t become a teacher him/herself.
K Evans
Shrewsbury
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Oh come on please. I and many who are selfemployed put far more hours in including weekends etc no sick pay or holiday pay for us . I am happy, i chose to do it as many teachers have chosen to do the job they are paid to do.
As for the following,
(If G Thomas’s opinions are truly represented by the letter I am surprised he or she doesn’t become a teacher him/herself.) I say if it is as bad as many teachers claim why are they still in the job?? .They can easily retrain a school teacher is not the only job in the world.
(Happy for any mistakes ie grammer/spelling mistakes to be corrected before any teachers wish to answer the question or gripe put to them by the original letter writer.)
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Just one more thing on a teachers employment contract does it state the amount of days given as holidays???.If it does how many is it?? and may i also say if you are unable to do the work in the allocated time given are you actually able and fit to do the job?? and are you manageing your time correctly?.
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Mr Finch,
I knew what the pay and conditions were when I entered the profession so I am not moaning and certainly don’t want to look for another profession.
But what I can’t understand is that if we teachers are living and working in some kind of paradise, how come people like you aren’t battering down the doors to join us in this employment utopia?
Incidentally, 195 days required at school for teaching/availability for teaching. 2-3 hours per week for planning and assessment. Everything else – it’s done in your own time.
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K.Evans, I have been involved with schools for over 30 years, attending school board meetings, on PAC, as a school councillor etc., and have two children who attended school through grade 12. I continue to take an outside interest in public systems both here in Canada and overseas and I must say that most Western education systems are in great need of improvement, and indeed are failing far too many students. This is especially true of the United States and Great Britain.
I find that most educators are ignorant of the history of their own profession and have scant knowledge of its beginnings in Germany, the influence of Froebel, Pestalozzi and (on this continent) Dewey. I believe even a brief trip into the past would broaden a teacher’s perspective and help provide wider more meaningful education for all children.
As far as teachers’ compensation and work load I have to admit that I have rarely been impressed by the amount of work a teacher takes on in spite of what most people would consider very high salaries and long lazy vacations.
And on your claim that times are difficult today…. when I was at school (Shropshire) in the 1940s..’50s there were generally 45 kids to a class, no libraries full of lovely books the toilets were the outside variety and nobody had heard of hot water coming out of a tap. Schools often had no heating, and supplies that you today take for granted like pens, paper, ink were hard to come by.
So what has gone wrong? Pupils are often lacking in basic English, geography and arithmetic skills after some 12 years in school. Do you have the answer (Mr. Ms) K.Evans?
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People moan and state teachers working conditions/holidays are good etc compared to many and they are correct.Some critics of teachers could retrain and join your ranks but they do not wish too or cant afford too or are not intelligent enough to be a teacher but at the same time you may not have the intelligence to do their job what ever it may be.Irecall a milkman who gave up teaching becouse of the stress he then gave up being a milkman and said that was to demanding and stresfull i am afraid the long term sick is made up of many ex teachers who went out on stress .
I remember a teacher telling me they could do most jobs?? a degree or teaching certificate does not make you capable of doing other jobs.I would not do your job as i prefer to be my own boss i run my own business and teaching does not pay enough and i left school at 16 with the odd cse.I would also point out the amount of hours a teacher does if they transfered to factory work they could on my calculations earn around £600pw for a 5 day week 12 hour shifts which is what many teachers say they do any way less hassle little stress etc etc .It is fact i am afraid teaching is a whinging proffesion never enough is enough and now the public do not realy care.
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