[BetteBoop]

There are so many vents on EB about teachers not doing a good enough job. They tell kids about Santa. They don't stop bullying. They have untidy hair.

Why do teachers get so much negative attention?

Are teachers generally pretty crappy or do people have unfair expectations?

[Lucretia Borgia]

I think teachers on the whole are brilliant, should get a lot more respect than they do, should get paid more than they do, and should be held in higher esteem than they are. Sure there is the odd dodgy one, but that is true of any profession.

[JuliaGulia]

I think it's because everybody has been to school, and seen teachers, and therefore know exactly what teachers do.

I'm not a teacher, but it drives me mad.

[BadCat]

Generally speaking, teachers are saints.

My issues with bullying and lack of extension opportunities are not about the teachers. They are about education department policy.

You couldn't pay me enough to work as a teacher in the current school system.

[*LucyE*]

As with any loose grouping of people, any one person is an individual. Not all teachers are bad/cruel/whatever. That individual person may be but it doesn't mean that all teachers are.

It just seems on EB, some people have trouble differentiating.

[Jemstar]

I think it's the old talk about the bad ones thing, where those that are talked about as bad are the minority. I know I haven't started a thread to talk about the absolutely brilliant teacher my 7 year old has had this year- I probably should!

It is also that when dealing with parents the situation is very emotional for the parent, and often parents cannot see 'the wood for the trees' because what Mr or Mrs X is saying about their child can't possibly be true, so it must be the teacher's fault!

There has also been a shift, even in the time I have been teaching, away from students (and parents) having to take responsibility for their learning. There was a point in time where you could tell a year 12 that if they didn't get their work in on time it was too bad, so sad, but now you have to jump through eleventy-billion hoops to try and get the kid to hand in the work, to the point of having to accept something that was due in Term 1 on the cut-off date for marking in Term 4 because that is 'giving them every opportunity to succeed'. Whilst to a point I agree with the notion of giving them every opportunity, I'm not sure it is teaching them anything about being responsible member of society.

Anyway..l went off on my own semi-rant there... Sorry about that.

This post has been edited by Jemstar: 15/12/2012, 06:53 PM

[JRA]

I think like any profession, there are good and bad.

Not all teachers are good, and not all teachers are good in all areas. Each teacher has a personality that deals better with some things than others. That is the same as if you were a nurse, a doctor, a policeman, an accountant, a lawyer, a check out chick.


Just because people complain about bad teachers doesn't mean all teachers are bad. In the same way people here complain about "bad" doctors, nurses, lawyers etc.

I would say that though that teachers seem to be very thin skinned. Maybe that is because they simply get sick of it, or because they are.

[Niamh23]

I think it's the old talk about the bad ones thing, where those that are talked about as bad are the minority. I know I haven't started a thread to talk about the absolutely brilliant teacher my 7 year old has had this year- I probably should!

It is also that when dealing with parents the situation is very emotional for the parent, and often parents cannot see 'the wood for the trees' because what Mr or Mrs X is saying about their child can't possibly be true, so it must be the teacher's fault!

There has also been a shift, even in the time I have been teaching, away from students (and parents) having to take responsibility for their learning. There was a point in time where you could tell a year 12 that if they didn't get their work in on time it was too bad, so sad, but now you have to jump through eleventy-billion hoops to try and get the kid to hand in the work, to the point of having to except something that was due in Term 1 on the cut-off date for marking in Term 4 because that is 'giving them every opportunity to succeed'. Whilst to a point I agree with the notion of giving them every opportunity, I'm not sure it is teaching them anything about being responsible member of society.

Anyway..l went off on my own semi-rant there... Sorry about that.

Completely agree with everything you've said here! One wonders how some of these students who are given chance after chance will cope when they have to go out and earn a living...

[Jemstar]

Teachers are thin skinned because so much criticism is heaped upon them when in reality much of the time their hands are tied by policy.

It also gets very tiring to hear over and over and over how easy your job is because you get a lot of holidays. It gets a bit boring after a while.

Edit - crazy iPad putting in unnecessary apostrophes.

This post has been edited by Jemstar: 15/12/2012, 10:14 AM

[eilca]

I am a teacher and I believe that on the whole teachers are a caring, passionate bunch of professionals. I do believe there are a few really bad apples whose personality types do not suit teaching. These horrid few can make a school year a cruel experience for some children and we tend to hear more about them. And rightly so.

I have read some threads on EB and thought, "yeah right. Typical school yard gossip based on chinese whispers", but I know from personal experience with one of my daughters that there are wicked teachers. I have also worked with one or two teachers whose personalities were too manic for students to feel calm, safe and supported in the class room.

But as I said, throughout my career (long, I am ancient) and through experiences with my daughters, the majority of teachers are committed, caring, passionate and effective educators.

I just wish that people with concerns about their child's teacher went to the teacher and discussed them. I have worked closely with the school this year regarding my concerns about my daughter's teacher and I have felt supported, with change being effected. It would have never occurred to me to vent on EB about the situation.

So to all teachers out there...happy holidays!