Why teachers are scapegoats

[caz963]

I picked up this blog post the other day from one of the people I follow on Twitter. It's by a teacher in the US, but to be honest, I got about half way through reading it before I realised the blogger wasn't talking about the way that teachers are viewed in the UK.

He/she says that some people have asked why he/she often says that teachers are used as scapegoats on which to heap the blame for all society's ills. So many of the articles I've read in the news media recently keep reinforcing this idea as we're continually fed the idea that there are too many underperforming teachers, and too many underperforming schools. No doubt there are some. But I can honestly say that in all the schools I've worked in since I qualified - and they've all been tough schools - the staff is, on the whole, incredibly hard-working and dedicated.

Add to these misconceptions that there is a new chief of Ofsted who believes that a Principal or Head is "doing something right" if someone tells them that staff morale is at an all time low - and you can't wonder at the fact that a recent survey conducted by the NASUWT stated that around 50% of teachers want out, and the only thing that's keeping them where they are is the fact that the economy has gone down the toilet and there are no jobs out there.

Comments

[annissamazing]

There was an interesting story on NPR the other morning on this very topic. Part of the problem (in the US) is the rulemakers are not held accountable for the outcomes of their decisions. No Child Left Behind is a disaster, but its the teachers (not the people who passed the law) who are taking the brunt of the blame.

I've been told I'd make a good teacher, but there's no way I'd go into that field in today's climate. I have the utmost respect for those who do, because I know they're doing it because they're passionate about it. It's certainly not for the (shitty) pay.

[topaz-eyes.livejournal.com]

I attended a how-do-we-make-schools-better seminar the beginning of last week. The problem IMHO is that governments don't value education themselves. They say they do, but education is always the first on the chopping block for spending cuts. Our group facilitator was not happy when we emphasized teachers can't do their jobs if they never know if they'll have enough money to do their job (or even have a job). And they certainly can't do the job they were hired to do if they don't have the support of ancillary agencies. Seriously, we have one mental health worker for our 4 local school districts. We don't need education reform--we need an entire societal reality check. It does take a village to raise a child.

One parent at our table was convinced teachers had a free ride, with 6 hour-a-day workdays and 2 months paid vacation time. He changed his song pretty quickly. One of our teacher reps went into school at 6:15 that morning to prepare everything her sub would need for the day. Other reps were reviewing report cards on the 2-hour drive to the seminar.

there is a new chief of Ofsted who believes that a Principal or Head is "doing something right" if someone tells them that staff morale is at an all time low

What the everloving...?