(08 Apr 2016, 8:03 pm)BusLoverMum wrote Sadly they get no say in this. Any deviation from the expectation and they are performance managed back into compliance. Or out of the profession.
It does appear that many schools have been turned into sausage factories which do not serve the needs of many young people at all well. Compulsory academisation is, unfortunately, going to be the git big hammer whacking the final nail into that coffin.
While it comes with its own headaches, it is a slight relief for them that my boys are completely side-stepping mainstream secondary school.
Many friends I went to school with have now gone full circle and are now qualified teachers. I know they've done it out of a love for the profession and a genuine passion for imparting knowledge which is a far more noble thing than I've ever achieved. I worry as time moves on that their devotion to teaching is being ebbed away by the pressure and processes put before them that dilutes the pure essence of teaching.
Looking back to my time at school now as an adult it's clear to see the teachers who had lost a passion for teaching and children and we're now motivated by their own career development. This could have meant they were striving for results in the same way a salesman uses tactics to get their commission. I recal a German teacher who gave 'clues' to us during our exams (there was only 6 of us in the class). I got an A in GCSE German but can barely speak a word 8 years on. So who really benefited?
The opposite is also true for the passionate veteran teachers who stood steadfast against the changes to their profession. I recal a teacher having a blazing row with our head of year in front of the class regarding the utter tosh that was the PHSE/social & health education lesson plan when we could be discussing the real things that concern teenagers about the big scary world. That lady I hold as a true inspiration, she understood my conundrum and organised a work placement with a catering company for me alongside my a-levels.