Meanwhile US teachers gettin thrown around like its a Jamaican dance hall.
After reporting a bullying incident I was physically threatened by said bully. Later the same day I had another student shouting in my face refusing to make any attempt at the task despite giving one to one assistance and help all year. They’re capable they just don’t believe it themselves.
I teach English classes in an open area, as the school doesnt have enough class rooms, where those who choose not to attend classes barge their way into my teaching space to disrupt the learning and the pupils in my class spend more time on their phones than making any attempt to improve their literacy skills. You try and build a curriculum that is relevant, differentiated and interesting but building a working relationship with some students is sometimes impossible for a variety of reasons.
You follow the behaviour policy of the school, your boss contacts home, has meetings, discussions with management but nothing will change until they hit near school leaving age and suddenly they need some qualifications where you have to basically do the work for them to get some bottom of the barrel nonsense piece of paper. Sometimes they don’t even get that and you wonder, what are they going to do with their life, or how long will it be until they are a convicted criminal?
But then you have a kid that thanks you, is kind and considerate, works their butt off and becomes the first member of their family to go to uni, becomes a Dr or starts their own business. Thats what makes it all worth while.
90% of the time you’re in the trenches fighting fires. But there are some moments you are reminded you are making a difference. You need to hold onto those moments for dear life, because if you dont, this profession will destroy you mentally if not physically through bad habits and substance abuse. Lots of kids do notice the good you are doing, but most don’t want to say anything or even do anything to be seen as different from others.
Honestly that sounds not much different to when I was at school, in the UK, 30 years ago, especially when it comes to supply teachers.
the bleak reality of being a teacher
in the UK
Fixed that for you.
I assume you’re both using strikethrough, but it’s not visible to me. So I’ll just write:
the bleak reality of being a teacher
It’s not like that where I’m teaching, in Canada, but I understand it’s similar in large swaths of the US, particularly in “red states”.
Of course things have gotten worse since COVID, and screen addiction is a problem (I say when I’m on my phone instead of sleeping), but it’s not hard to control a class as an experienced sub, from what I’ve encountered across two provinces and over a dozen schools. I think that’s a reasonable benchmark, too, since students are usually on their worst behaviour with subs.
Not the US, but I hear similar stories from Belgium, the Netherlands and France. Covid did a lot of damage, but it’s not just that. It’s not just phones either.
It’s that teachers no longer enjoy the authority they once had(not just a teacher thing, people will happily argue with their doctor based off a 5 second google), and the relationship with parents is often poor or even combative so they don’t work with the teacher. We’re talking parents beating up teachers or thinking they know better than the professionals. Parents are also often and increasingly overstretched. I had kids whose parents I’d never see. Education is also often underfunded and underpaid, certainly if you factor in the hours you need to put in, especially as kids are more easily bored and you can’t just hold a lecture.
There are staff shortages everywhere, but because there are staff shortages, new recruits often don’t get enough support, which means they leave within the first few years, which means existing overstretched staff don’t see the point in supporting new staff, which means new staff are even less supported, etc. etc.
It really is, teachers are truly undervalued/underpaid and parents these days trust their kids are telling the truth. If a kids mouth is moving, they are almost certainly lying lol.
Pshh let’s go over what teachers do
Give homework
Assign detentions
Get summers off
We should be paying the Nabisco CEO more so he can invent more flavors of Oreos.
What, a ten year old told you to piss off? Where the fuck are you, the Cotswolds or something? Rural Hampshire?
