So, there aren't enough teachers to fill the vacancies, not surprised.

It doesn't really matter how advanced the subject matter is though (as long as you have the knowledge) as primary school stuff is as advanced to the primary kids is as the secondary school stuff is to the secondary kids; both things are just as hard to teach. I'd be a bit surprised if someone who had done secondary school and got good grades, did A-Levels at college at then 4 years training to be a teacher at uni couldn't understand GCSE stuff. Same with lower down primary too, it isn't just child minding as they have to teach them how to form letters, basic counting and reading skills (as well as how to get dressed, brush their teeth etc.). To a little kid that is really hard and requires great innovative teaching to set them up for life properly, especially as they are less independent than older children, you can't just give them a book and tell them to crack on.

 

By God !!

How little you know.

Try it, you, like me, would be out on your heel by 9.30a.m. first day, up in court later that same afternoon for assault of kids unless they'd shredded you into little pieces themselves.

 

There's a far higher expectation at primary school now especially in English and maths so you do have to teach them some pretty advanced stuff to be fair - fronted adverbials , subordinate clauses , algebra - sure we didn't do this until secondary in some cases not at all

 

The problem with not meaning to say that is that, you did say that and that's the meaning people will take away.

Broad strokes hit everyone.

 

Race to the bottom. Grrrrrrreat

 

My other half is an 'unqualified teacher' in Maths due to the sheer shortage in Maths teachers. She worked on reception and wanted to do a PGCE. The school says why don't you train here while getting paid. Her degree is in Geography and she's teaching Maths. Don't get me wrong, she does a fantastic job, but I know for a fact they are still 2 maths teachers short and 3 down in a neighbouring school. They do have a 'consequences system' where if any kid has to be told off 4 times for being disruptive, they are made to leave the classroom, which does allow the better behaved kids to learn.

 

Childminding?! Oh aye.

That's half the problem, many parents consider school to be nothing more than that.

 

Exactly. Education starts at home. If parents aren't going to read with their kids or help with maths (ie bake with their kids for measurement, play logical games) then teachers are already losing the battle. If the parents don't care then this filters down. Way too much is blamed on 'failing' schools when the parents don't give a ****.

 

So how come the schools are turning out people with such a poor grasp of English and Maths and employers would rather take on someone from abroad?

 

Cheaper? We get everything else cheap from abroad

 

Which employers are these? If you mean minimum wage/zero hour contract employers then they are hardly taking on people from abroad for their great English and maths skills. Maybe it's because they are cheaper, or willing to accept lower working conditions, or have a second language? You haven't given enough context to answer your question.

Maybe schools are 'turning out people' like that because of all the interference from the government so that they can't actually spend much time planning and teaching lessons?

Maybe it's because of parents who won't do anything with their kids at home. Yesterday, I had a parent refuse free tuition for their child because they didn't want to get out of bed 30mins earlier. Parents are supposed to listen to their child read 3 times a week at our school but I have just two children who are listened to once every month or so and the others haven't read to someone at home in years. No matter how much I talk to parents, the kids, set up reward charts/incentives etc. they just won't read with them!

Also, are levels getting worse? I thought everyone was proclaiming that exams were getting easier because of the higher number of people who are now achieving a higher level of qualification.

 

It's an invasive thing now. To my outsiders way of thinking children should be given a good start in life by their parents, the ones who brought them into this world.
If the parents can't be bothered then it immediately rubs off on to the children.. and the "I can't be arsed" attitude takes over, in life and at school.
My wife picks up on this daily. Kids with a major attitude problem. Kids with rights and no responsibilities. She faces this **** every day.
And these are the same ones who expect so much handed to them on a plate. The ones who say to her that they want to be earning thousands and thousands of pounds in some cushy number somewhere, and when asked to multiply 2 times 2 look at her with total blankness.
There has been too much emphasis put on educational equality for too long now. All people are different, we all learn at different speeds, some of us might never get there, but not encouraging competition in all walks of life, education, sport, (so long as little Jonny takes part he will get a medal and there are no winners - type - ********) then we as a country are on a big time loser.
No wonder there is such a big gap in teacher job applications, nobody can cope any more. I couldn't do it, I wouldn't want to do it, I'd get so infuriated by the system I'd quit, or be sacked, after five minutes.

 

There's a massive shortage of English teachers.

 

No luck involved.

Just hard graft, a commitment to improving both expectation and outcome and a willingness to give up a significant part of your daily life to making sure that everyone (including those that don't want it) succeed.

 

Thanks for the answer last night about primary education, I obviously have very little experience with it other than the fact that I went to school when I was a kid so I find proper explanations of what it involves quite interesting.

From personal experience I would say that exams MUST be getting easier or teaching has changed so much in the last 15 years that pupils are learning in a way that is focused solely on achieving the grades. Is things aren't being explained fully but are just repeated over and over till a calculation is stuck in their head without them knowing what it actually means. I only say this because in the last few years I have known white a few people who are thick as pig **** who have done surprisingly well in exams when without wishing to blow my own trumpet (im no Einstein) I know I am far more intelligent than them yet they somehow have the better grades. Could it be right that they are being taught in a way to get them through the exams with flying colours witohut actually learning anything?
People who can't add for example the numbers 4.79 and 5.46 together but have got an A in maths at school. How can that be?

Or could it be that my school was simply ****? Looking back on it now there are a lot of subjects where I can honestly say they didn't actually teach us anything properly and I do feel a bit let down. I remember going to college and when they were going over something the people from my school all said we were never taught that. It happened on a few occasions. Anyway enough about that. And for anyone still reading I don't mean to put down anyones achievements as the vast majority of people work bloody hard to get the grades they do. Some work harder than others but even the ones who don't appear to have worked so hard in my experience actually have in their own way worked as hard as they can. For some people an hours revision a day is just as much hard work as 20 hours can be for someone else.

Moving on to the standards of teaching, as I said I have had experience of some awful teachers but also of some excellent ones. As a pupil you can really tell the difference between those who want to be there and those who are only doing it for the money and holidays. Do I think the standard of teaching has gone down? By that I mean do I think the standard of new teachers is lower now than in the past? Yes. And no. I think the standard or teachers like you is just as good as its always been but because of the shortage they are also being forced to give teaching positions to poorer candidates who 10 years ago wouldn't get shortlisted. It's common sense that if over 100 people applied for your job then the one who got it must be pretty good but if only 2 people applied for it then both of you could be crap but if you were slightly less crap you'd get the job so in that way there will inevitably be some poorer teachers getting employment now. That's not their fault though it's the fault of the system which has put a lot of people off applying.

Well that was a long post to say absolutely nothing wasn't it

One last random question to you and any other teachers. Would you still want to be a teacher if you only got say 5 weeks holiday and worked 9-5 five days a week but the working at home on evenings and the ******** paperwork was reduced?

 

How many employers would rather take on someone from abroad? Actual facts please rather than just an opinion or guess

 

Yes.

 

When I was leaving school it was understood by most in my school that you went into teaching because it was seen as a cushy number and when you couldn't get anything else it was the last resort to having to work down the pit. One guy I was pally with went to Liverpool teacher training college and just about every night he was on the p**s or laying the opposite sex. Party time as you never knew it, and similar stories this I've heard from other teachers. I hope it improved since then or the country is buggered.

 

I'm glad this wasn't as much of a generalisation as I first thought. I had the foundation year of my course where I got all the drinking out of the way, used that year to get used to living away from home and make friends.

Now I've started my degree course I never have a night out when I have lectures the next day and to be honest I barely go out at all and instead just watch football or play pool and snooker with my friends. (Even got one friend who shocked their own family at Christmas by chanting Sam Winnall's name when he scored against Blackpool)

I'm already dreading the workload next year with what it is like this year and all the people that turned up hungover to lectures or not at all have mostly left by now as university "isn't for them".

Also I'm in the process of hearing back from a job interview which is in charge of the content that goes on football stadium screens. Still a part time job but with reasonable hours on weekends or weekday evenings and it's relevant to my course and future career and will look decent on my CV (rather than a bar or shop job).

There's one lecturer who will just read off PowerPoints and that's the only absence I sometimes have as I don't agree with the idea of turning up for that when I see and read the presentation for myself when they put it on the university site and I'm not learning anything new by turning up and listening to them.

 

In regards to the teachers I completely agree. I struggled at English for years (not helped by one whole year of supply teachers) until Year 10 and I was put in Set 3 with the best teacher who has ever taught me and he quickly realised where I needed help and he took my grades from C/D to A*/A in the space of a few months and even offered me the chance to go up to Set 1 but I refused as I didn't see the point of changing teachers.

But then things started to change, every class he would look stressed and tired beyond belief and he would be constantly having to leave the class to fill a form in or help another English teacher. The other students picked up on it and started to play on it which only made it worse. I could sense the relief when he saw someone had turned up early for class but it was just me and not one of the trouble causers. It seemed to happen over the summer, he still was a brilliant teacher but he had lost control of the class and he didn't have the energy to get it back.

I know he still works here and I can only hope things got better but from your post it sounds like it's a wishful dream rather than a reality.