How far does corruption stem into teaching

Before going ahead, i'd like to mention this is currently my second and final year of teaching.

Now, I like many other people went into teaching to reduce educational inequality. I have worked in a tough school, with students who come from low-income families. I have worked with students who have the most severe child protection issues and SENs.

I have put in the hours and work, often exceeding 70 hours a week at times. This ultimately leads onto what I found the most challenging part of teaching. The management.

I have had amazing colleagues who have been slowly bullied out of the school, which has all become too common.

You have to question what kind of profession you are in when your performance is judged by the opinion of someone else. I have seen amazing teachers who have hit every teaching standard to every little detail. However, they will still be given support plans just because the management can. This isn't something you can fight against, you just do it and go along with it. I have seen data manipulation by management to make themselves appear better, with anyone who has been given an underperforming class getting slapped with support plans.

I personally lost my passion for teaching a while back, when I realised the worst part of teaching isn't the challenging students or the workload, but the management who have the power to use bully tactics to force out results because they can.

I feel this is becoming all too common with more academies popping up. I personally can only advise anyone to really research deeply into teaching before going into it.

Reply 1

Trinculo

21

The issue is that senior management of schools comes exclusively from the teaching profession. The profession is rife with extremely mediocre people, who are then promoted to senior management with no experience of management or skill with dealing with people.

This supports the idea that only teachers know anything about education, but leads into a closed spiral of ideas. There are no ideas coming into teaching management other than from government - which are always going to be immediately dismissed.

In the NHS, non-clinical managers have become the norm. Even in the police, they are starting to bring in non-police officers into senior ranks to open the thinking and practices of the police service.

Until this happens in teaching, nothing will change. This is why in schools up and down the country it's always the same old story. Schools and the people in them look the same and behave the same - because they are the same.

A simple question to ask - why is it that most school receptionists behave like nightclub bouncers?

Reply 2

04MR17

Volunteer Section Leader

22

Original post by Trinculo

no experience of management or skill with dealing with people.

Replace people with children. :wink:

Original post by Trinculo

A simple question to ask - why is it that most school receptionists behave like nightclub bouncers?

https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=22

Reply 3

username1799249

19

It comes all the way from the very very top. The Department of Education is run by a minister that knows nothing about education. The Civil Servants that work there know nothing about education and hand down dictats to schools without understanding the implications. The head then passes those dictats down to senior leadership who pass it to heads of department who pass it to the teachers.

What I have learned in the 5 months I have been a full time teacher, is that you focus on your kids and do the absolute minimum required to keep the monkeys off your back. Sadly this means doing some level of jobsworthness so for me it is about sticking Attitude to Learning stickers on 500 folders, but if it keeps senior management happy, I can focus on my teaching. Same with the lesson observations. You put a bit of effort into an amazing lesson (you will never teach again), everyone is happy and on you go. If you take it all to heart though, I can see how some will just drown.

But the grass is not greener. I have worked for 17 years in the software business where I have never been praised and no one cares what (if anything) I do or don't do. At least I can see the fruits of my labour in the work my kids produce even if it is not acknowledged by anyone else. I only care what my kids think - not anyone else. They are my customers.

Reply 4

xSkyFire

OP

19

Original post by ByEeek

Same with the lesson observations. You put a bit of effort into an amazing lesson (you will never teach again), everyone is happy and on you go.

That's the problem - they won't be happy the more senior you become. You can have the most amazing lesson in the world but they can still say it is inadequate because they can. I have seen a teacher fail and put onto support plans over petty things like a child taking 5 seconds too long getting their equipment out, even if the class showed amazing progress.

It's like playing a raffle with no winning prize.

Reply 5

username1799249

19

Original post by xSkyFire

That's the problem - they won't be happy the more senior you become. You can have the most amazing lesson in the world but they can still say it is inadequate because they can. I have seen a teacher fail and put onto support plans over petty things like a child taking 5 seconds too long getting their equipment out, even if the class showed amazing progress.

Well no. You still have to give an outstanding lesson when being observed although thankfully Ofsted have done away with rating individual lessons. But that doesn't mean you are going to spend two hours planning every lesson like you would your observation lesson. But at the same time, if something has been picked up from your observation, you would be a fool not to act on the feedback.

Lesson observations aren't a bad thing in their own right. It all comes down to your attitude towards them.

Reply 6

xSkyFire

OP

19

Original post by ByEeek

Well no. You still have to give an outstanding lesson when being observed although thankfully Ofsted have done away with rating individual lessons. But that doesn't mean you are going to spend two hours planning every lesson like you would your observation lesson. But at the same time, if something has been picked up from your observation, you would be a fool not to act on the feedback.

Lesson observations aren't a bad thing in their own right. It all comes down to your attitude towards them.

Original post by ByEeek

Well no. You still have to give an outstanding lesson when being observed although thankfully Ofsted have done away with rating individual lessons. But that doesn't mean you are going to spend two hours planning every lesson like you would your observation lesson. But at the same time, if something has been picked up from your observation, you would be a fool not to act on the feedback.

Lesson observations aren't a bad thing in their own right. It all comes down to your attitude towards them.

Original post by ByEeek

Well no. You still have to give an outstanding lesson when being observed although thankfully Ofsted have done away with rating individual lessons. But that doesn't mean you are going to spend two hours planning every lesson like you would your observation lesson. But at the same time, if something has been picked up from your observation, you would be a fool not to act on the feedback.

Lesson observations aren't a bad thing in their own right. It all comes down to your attitude towards them.

An oustanding lesson is purely subjective within an academy. It may be outstanding to an extenal observer, but SLT have the final say. Which is quite a rigged system, if you have an oustanding lesson but SLT deem it as inadequate.

Reply 7

username1799249

19

Original post by xSkyFire

An oustanding lesson is purely subjective within an academy. It may be outstanding to an extenal observer, but SLT have the final say. Which is quite a rigged system, if you have an oustanding lesson but SLT deem it as inadequate.

True. My mantra is "Are they learning? Did anyone die?" But you could step it up even further and ask "Are they enjoying themselves?" Sadly you don't get taught any of these during training.

But frankly if you are applying these concepts and SLT don't get it you are probably not in a particularly positive environment that is conducive to teaching and learning.

How far does corruption stem into teaching

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