[LeatherTrumpet]

How do you feel about today's strike by "overworked" teachers?

[AnnieK]

Lonely....all my colleagues are off as their kids are on strike so I'm on my own today

[King Gizzard]

It is one of the important (and difficult) jobs there is, I back them 100%

maybe not if I had kids, but that's not their fault, they have to be heard somehow

[arista]

Its not Democracy

only 40% wanted the strike.


Typical NUT Corruption.

[smudgie]

Depends which Union they are in. Some are not on strike.
I support them 100%.

[arista]

Only one union is on Strike
NUT
they only got 40% vote to strike.


You should have more than half

[MTVN]

What's new?

[Livia]

I think we should all go on strike until everyone gets the pay and conditions that teachers get, and for a 36 week year. And any pay increase should be results-based because although there are many brilliant teachers, there are also some really, really useless ones being protected by the union.

[Toy Soldier]

In two minds. On the one hand I think they have a right to stand up and say that they think they're bit being treated well or fairly because, let's face it, no worker is these days. Unless you're the one at the top with the real money... It's ****.

On the other hand, I'm sick of teachers and nurses thinking they have a monopoly on "working hard" or "deserving more". They do work very hard but... They're not the only ones? There are people with none of the career benefits that teachers enjoy, little to no hope of progression, and being paid less than half of what they earn.

I can't even JOIN any sort of union. Doing so, or attempting to organise or engage in strike action, would be considered gross misconduct and I would be fired. Its a prominent part of my employment contract. They move the goalposts and dick around with our contracts and job roles constantly and theres nothing we can do about it... Suck it up, or leave, basically.

So... Anyway. I'm not saying that this is a good thing or that "they should just accept it because the rest of us have to". That sounds like the starting pistol of a race to the bottom, to me. If they think they can reasonably improve their employment conditions then I say go for it. HOWEVER, I really do wish they'd stop claiming that they have a harder job than anyone else. Unless they've done both jobs, how can they possibly know that?

[Toy Soldier]

Originally Posted by Livia

And any pay increase should be results-based because although there are many brilliant teachers, there are also some really, really useless ones being protected by the union.

I also agree with this: there are some truly amazing, horrendously undervalued teachers out there who never rise beyond the rank-and-file because thwyre concentrating on teaching and not playing workplace politics. And then there are some absolutely useless, lazy teachers who were being paid far more than what they're worth in the first place as general teachers, who often rise to department heads or other supervisory roles within schools and earn good money, simply because they cackle with the right crowd at lunch time.

[Kazanne]

I'm annoyed as my kids are at school but I am not,the one I work in is on strike,plus it annoys me that parents get fined for taking kids out of school,but teachers can do it when they please.It's a hard job we know,but so are many other jobs out there,imagine if all carers and medical staff went on strike.

[Cherie]

Today's strike is about the Government basically taking away the running/funding of schools from the Local Authority, and handing them over to private business to run, hands up who thinks that is a good idea, just glad my kids are nearly finished their High School education.

[Cherie]

They also want to get rid of Learning Suppport Assistants, I guess the two go hand in hand, more profitable that way.

[smudgie]

Originally Posted by Cherie

Today's strike is about the Government basically taking away the running/funding of schools from the Local Authority, and handing them over to private business to run, hands up who thinks that is a good idea, just glad my kids are nearly finished their High School education.

My problem with this is all the free schools, no way would I send my kids to a school where the "teachers" don't have to be qualified.

[Ammi]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

I also agree with this: there are some truly amazing, horrendously undervalued teachers out there who never rise beyond the rank-and-file because thwyre concentrating on teaching and not playing workplace politics. And then there are some absolutely useless, lazy teachers who were being paid far more than what they're worth in the first place as general teachers, who often rise to department heads or other supervisory roles within schools and earn good money, simply because they cackle with the right crowd at lunch time.

..I don't think that I've ever been aware of/or witnessed that happening but maybe you have...I agree there are some not so good teachers as there is in anything but the way that it's all structured now with Ofsted requirements/budgets etc and even a lot of the Curriculum itself all it's going to mean is that there will be a lot more 'bad teachers' as it's no longer becoming a vocation and that isn't the fault of teaching staff who want to 'teach' as a priority, of which there are many....

[Z]

I think teachers and nurses should be treated better because everybody at some point in their life has to deal with them. Teachers shape the young minds of tomorrow and nurses look after all of us from birth to death. Yes there are tougher jobs out there, as Toy Soldier says, but I think that essential jobs like teaching and nursing should be better supported so that 1) the staff are properly rewarded for the hard work they do put in and 2) better people are attracted to those jobs to stop the rubbish teachers/nurses from getting jobs just because they need the staff and having a crap employee is better than having no employee.

[Ammi]

Originally Posted by Cherie

They also want to get rid of Learning Suppport Assistants, I guess the two go hand in hand, more profitable that way.

..I don't know if it's different where you are Cherie..(RoI..?..)..but I can't see that happening here because teachers are being taken out of classrooms more for 'statistic' work and ticking boxes etc so the LSAs are more important than ever atm...in our school and the local ones they are, anyway....

[Nedusa]

I wonder how many people really appreciate the hard work and long hours teachers have to put in just to stay abreast of the work.

My partner is a college lecturer in English and the amount of hours he has to put in with lesson preparations and marking , not to mention unannounced OFSTED observations which can add even more stress to overworked teachers.

The holidays are long but they have to start two weeks early and are required to go on courses during summer break. Also they NEED long breaks to de stress after a hard year.

And the money they get is not as much as other professions , they are undervalued and not given the respect they deserve by successive Govts .

No wonder as a last resort they feel the only option is strike action.

[Livia]

Originally Posted by Kazanne

I'm annoyed as my kids are at school but I am not,the one I work in is on strike,plus it annoys me that parents get fined for taking kids out of school,but teachers can do it when they please.It's a hard job we know,but so are many other jobs out there,imagine if all carers and medical staff went on strike.

Right, Kazanne. it's quite annoying they take their training days in term time too, while parents get fined for taking their kid out of school during the academic year.

I worked for an FE college when I left uni... it's not a doddle... but it's no more stressful than any other job. I'm qualified to teach adults (English as a Second or Other Language) which I did briefly. It is not the hardest, most stressful job I've ever had, and the pay is bloody great compared to some of the other jobs I've done as a graduate. Maybe it's harder teaching kids, I don't know... but the holidays would make up for it.

[Cherie]

Originally Posted by Ammi

..I don't know if it's different where you are Cherie..(RoI..?..)..but I can't see that happening here because teachers are being taken out of classrooms more for 'statistic' work and ticking boxes etc so the LSAs are more important than ever atm...in our school and the local ones they are, anyway....

mg: Quite shocked that you have not heard about this Ammi. I live in the UK and work in a school, there are petitions going around and the literature has been in our staff room for months. Google it Ammi but here is a link in the meantime. Do you not have a Union rep at your school?

.http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network

[Ammi]

Originally Posted by Cherie

mg: Quite shocked that you have not heard about this Ammi. I live in the UK and work in a school, there are petitions going around and the literature has been in our staff room for months. Google it Ammi but here is a link in the meantime. Do you not have a Union rep at your school?

.http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network

..no, no one at our school is in a union Cherie so I'm not sure we get any literature...I'll check the link out though, thank you....

[Cherie]

Sorry it is a rubbish link, here is a better one.

http://www.eteachblog.com/teaching-a...-face-the-axe/

[Cherie]

Originally Posted by Livia

Right, Kazanne. it's quite annoying they take their training days in term time too, while parents get fined for taking their kid out of school during the academic year.

I worked for an FE college when I left uni... it's not a doddle... but it's no more stressful than any other job. I'm qualified to teach adults (English as a Second or Other Language) which I did briefly. It is not the hardest, most stressful job I've ever had, and the pay is bloody great compared to some of the other jobs I've done as a graduate. Maybe it's harder teaching kids, I don't know... but the holidays would make up for it.

It's not teachers doing the fining, it is the Local Authority

[Kazanne]

Originally Posted by Livia

Right, Kazanne. it's quite annoying they take their training days in term time too, while parents get fined for taking their kid out of school during the academic year.

I worked for an FE college when I left uni... it's not a doddle... but it's no more stressful than any other job. I'm qualified to teach adults (English as a Second or Other Language) which I did briefly. It is not the hardest, most stressful job I've ever had, and the pay is bloody great compared to some of the other jobs I've done as a graduate. Maybe it's harder teaching kids, I don't know... but the holidays would make up for it.

How many other proffessions get paid holidays like that all through the year,not many is there? I cant think of any offhand.

[Cherie]

Originally Posted by Kazanne

How many other proffessions get paid holidays like that all through the year,not many is there? I cant think of any offhand.

The strike is about taking the responsibility for schools away from the Local Authorities and handing them over to private business?