Teaching - an elite profession

TruckerT

Today's announcement implies that wannabe teachers need to have been taught by teachers who can do sums and can spell words.

There is a much better chance of finding such wannabes if they were educated in the public schools.

In the meantime, the government is promoting the free school movement which, apparently, is likely to be employing large numbers of totally unqualified teaching staff.

Did anyone else hear John Humphries' red-necked grilling this morning on the 8.10 Today interview of the lady who dared to try to veer from the Today programme's agenda?

TruckerT

Loughton_Monkey

TruckerT wrote: »

Today's announcement implies that wannabe teachers need to have been taught by teachers who can do sums and can spell words....

What about wannabe teachers who were not taught by such teachers [i.e. most of them], but nevertheless can add up and spell? Maybe they were self-taught, or had good parents?

TruckerT wrote: »

In the meantime, the government is promoting the free school movement which, apparently, is likely to be employing large numbers of totally unqualified teaching staff.

No change there then.

ILW

Have you ever watched the NUT's annual conference.
Profession?????

LydiaJ

Independent schools have always employed "unqualified" teachers. They look at whether you have (a) a good qualification in the subject you are going to teach, and (b) the ability to stand in front of a class and teach it. If they think you have both these, they do not worry too much about whether you have a qualification in teaching. They certainly wouldn't employ anyone who couldn't do sums and write words, regardless of their qualifications or otherwise - it would make the wrong impression on the parents, and the parents pay the piper.

State schools, on the other hand, are not allowed to employ you to teach unless you have a teaching qualification, but if you have the magic piece of paper that says you are a teacher, then they may ask you to teach subjects in which you have no qualification, or training, or anything else. Most state schools try not to do this, but if there are staffing problems, they may have no alternative.

I started teaching with just a degree* and some natural aptitude and a lot of help from my department. I got the PGCE later. I'm now technically qualified to teach "science" - including biology, which I gave up when I made my O-level choices in 1982, and haven't studied since. The independent school where I work wouldn't dream of asking me to teach bio - I teach my own subject, which is physics, and have been offered the opportunity to teach maths, although I turned it down. I've taught maths in another independent school, though.

I suspect that the teaching qualification is a lot more relevant in "challenging" schools, and it's probably a good idea that these schools have to insist on it. I certainly remember ploughing through a lot of stuff on my PGCE that was never ever going to be relevant to the kind of schools in which I've spent my career, but would be crucial in a different kind of school. On the other hand, where parents are paying thousands of pounds a year for their offspring to be educated by experts, really excellent subject knowledge becomes more important than most other things. So it's easy to see how the current situation came about.

NB Everything I've said is about secondary level. I can't comment on what goes on in primary schools.

* Actually, a degree and most of a doctorate, although it wasn't quite finished at that point.

vivatifosi

TruckerT wrote: »

Did anyone else hear John Humphries' red-necked grilling this morning on the 8.10 Today interview of the lady who dared to try to veer from the Today programme's agenda?

Were we listening to the same programme?

TruckerT

vivatifosi wrote: »

Were we listening to the same programme?

We each have two ears

TruckerT

ruggedtoast

I dont think I could be a teacher. Imagine a job where every single hour you spend has to deliver some quantified measurable output, on kids no less. Not the world's most controllable variables.

It's outrageous for a public sector job too.

At least half my day is spent looking at cats on the internet.

vivatifosi

TruckerT wrote: »

We each have two ears

TruckerT

Indeed we do. I think that the whole issue raises an interesting problem for critics. For while it is an idea being brought in by a Conservative Government, it is doing so to imitate best practice from the countries that have the most efficient school systems. One such country cited is Finland, which has tended to be a bit to the left of Britain politially. So if Labour were to criticise the move, the response will be that it uses best practice from largely socialist countries.

On the other hand, if the Conservatives push too hard, then as the second woman said, why is this not going to be mandatory in free schools and academies, where there is greater free rein?

It is unusually a hard area to score political points and I thought Humphreys tried to round out the whole debate. I've heard him being a lot tougher.

TruckerT

vivatifosi wrote: »

It is unusually a hard area to score political points and I thought Humphreys tried to round out the whole debate. I've heard him being a lot tougher.

John Humphreys is not tough - he works for the BBC

I was pretty amazed to hear such casual use of the word 'elite' - I would have thought that by now it would be politically unacceptable, like n*gger or b*nker

TruckerT

PasturesNew

I taught once. Only for a year as it was part-time, split lessons, and I then got a full-time job. I doubled the pass rate for the exam; I increased the pass mark significantly. My pupils joined as they thought it was a doss .... and they ended up enjoying it and getting an exam they never expected.

I am not a qualified teacher ... and, actually, the subject is no longer taught anywhere in the country I suspect.

Twas nice n easy though

I found it a doss.

DaddyBear

ruggedtoast wrote: »

I dont think I could be a teacher. Imagine a job where every single hour you spend has to deliver some quantified measurable output, on kids no less. Not the world's most controllable variables.

It's outrageous for a public sector job too.

At least half my day is spent looking at cats on the internet.

I wouldn't mind. Imagine a job where your working day is 6 hours, which includes three breaks totalling 90mins, and you get 13 weeks annual leave per year spread out so that you never have to work more than 7 weeks without a holiday.