The Student Room Group

Being 'too good' for teaching primary

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clairey87
Plus, your personality is far more important in teaching. My mum has had students in her class who have been AAA A-level students but are useless teachers because of their personality. Those interviews are tough!


I sincerely wish people would stop wheeling this out. There are many, many people with top grades who would make excellent teachers who are not being encouraged to teach, this is a major problem and the whole system has to get on-board to make this happen. Unfortunately the government's advertising scheme falls flat on it's face when you meet a wall of indifference when trying to find out about routes into teaching and trying to gain experience.
clairey87
Plus, your personality is far more important in teaching. My mum has had students in her class who have been AAA A-level students but are useless teachers because of their personality. Those interviews are tough!


I sincerely wish people would stop wheeling this out. There are many, many people with top grades who would make excellent teachers who are not being encouraged to teach, this is a major problem and the whole system has to get on-board to make this happen. Unfortunately the government's advertising scheme falls flat on it's face when you meet a wall of indifference when trying to find out about routes into teaching and trying to gain experience.
Reply 22
I've just sent off my competed GTTR application :eek:
Reply 23
blissy
I've just sent off my competed GTTR application :eek:

Well, good luck! Guess your application will go out with the first batch. Where did you apply? Upper or lower primary?
Reply 24
Well the teachers of mine who'd done the most academically (two out of three had PHd's) were the best teachers. Obviously just being academically good isn't enough, but if you don't fully understand the subject yourself then I don't see how you can teach it properly except by just teaching the mechanics of it.
Reply 25
Maireleghra
People need to wise up. Where I live teaching is still valued, though you do get funny looks when you say you get AAB in your A-levels and yet you're doing primary teaching. Maybe this is because of the limited places on courses in Northern Ireland (i think there's about 300/400 first year places in the entire country) and the fact that the grades they ask for are very high (English and primary in my college was AAB).

All children deserve the best start in life, and so the people who are allowed to teach them should be given the respect that duty entails. I mean would you trust your lawyer with your five year old five days a week for a year? Probably not...but you would trust a teacher to give a fundamental grounding in life and society as well as an education.


I hate to bring this up but I think it's because NI has the best education system. People in NI still really value education and teachers and it shows. Both Stranmilllis and St Mary's, the teacher training colleges, ask for AAB at A-Levels and competition is extremely feirce for these places. I know of people being rejected because the only had predcitions of AAB yet there are places in England were you can get in with much lower grades.
Reply 26
My view on teachers used to be --Those who can , do. Those who cant teach-- I then met some amazing teachers who obviously had a passion for the subjects they were teaching. After a decade in 3 different countries educational systems my belief is that teaching should not only be on academic qualifications, the enthusiasm and passion for the subject and how authoritative they can be if needed, if they are actually interesting to listen to etc. should all be taken into account. Also i think there should be spot checks to make sure the teachers teaching are actually doing their job properly- ie are not making everyone fall to sleep- surely kids have a right to an interesting and stimulating education as well as recieving the required infromation
Teaching is so undervalued - I wanted to be a history teacher from being about 11 years old, but was continually talked out of it by parents / friends parents who are both teachers.

Now I am in the final year of my law degree, applied for LPC and have a training contract with a top 10 firm. And as much as I enjoy what I do now, and have commitment and passion for the law, my thoughts constantly wander back to teaching.......

I remember having great teachers, one of which I still run into in my village and have huge long conversations with (she taught me when I was 6!) and at GCSE I was inspired by 2 teachers in particular. I am passionate about education and the fact I think it helps instill self respect and ambition and a `I can do anything` attitude in kids, and this is what is poorly lacking in our society these days. I did mentoring at a very poorly rated school, and the 15year old girl I mentored *wanted* to do well, and was commited etc., but because she wasnt the brightest academically, she had only been entered for 5 GCSEs because the teachers `didnt want to affect the school's [already appalling] position in the league tables`. (yes that is a quote from one of her teachers) What the hell can you do if this is what teachers are up against, league tables and targets that mean more than the kids??

Maybe I'm far too idealistic, but I'm stuck in limbo between taking up a very well paid job (that I do enjoy) or taking a chance on teaching...

:confused:
Reply 28
ChemistBoy
Not really at all.


:rolleyes:
Reply 29
yourjoyismylow
I just wanted to let off some steam really, because I'm getting really fed up with people telling me that I am, well, too good to become a Primary teacher.
Now, all the interviews I had for a BA with QTS in Primary Education I had this year were successful, but I decided to go for another course in the end.
I did Primary Ed. in Germany, and as English was my major subject, I pretty much did the same stuff as secondary teaching students. I did well, and my professor in American Studies said: Why do you want to waste your time becoming a teacher?

WHAT?

I don't get it, it upsets me. People think with good grades you should do great things. Well, teaching should certainly be among them, NO?



Exactly, teaching is one of the most important jobs in my opinion, without teachers, well, we would be nowhere. I say you should become a teacher! good luck :cool:
Reply 30
kinza75
Exactly, teaching is one of the most important jobs in my opinion, without teachers, well, we would be nowhere. I say you should become a teacher! good luck :cool:


hey thanks for that. i am not on a teaching course though, and decided to get my MA in American Studies and Education Studies in Germany. I want to go into research really, so we'll see how that turns out.

Right now I am teaching English to families, adults and children and love it. But I am finding myself enjoying the work with adults a lot more. I also tutor children privately and have found that the older children just are more 'fun' when it comes to subjects and teaching. Oh well...

I love teaching, primary or other, but in the end, I wanna do many different things and research is something I want to pursue right now. My professors from my old uni were very thrilled by this and said I shouldn't have any problems with it.
poohbear
Have a look at the TES staffroom.
Reading the miserable posts from unhappy and unfulfilled teachers should cure you of your little problem.


http://www.tes.co.uk/section/staffroom/list_threads.aspx?path=%2fbehaviour%2f


Oh my Lord. :eek:
"Assaulted by a pupil - how should I play it?" - this is a thread I NEVER want to be involved in.

Thankyou PoohBear - lawyer-ing it is. :redface:
Reply 32
ive just started my 1st year at portsmouth uni doing history ba, and have wanted to be a teacher forever! (preferably primary) i did well on my gcse's (3 a's 7b's*) but not so well on my a levels (CDDc).
i dont know if i should still aim to be a teacher? i got onto my first place uni offer, and i am thrilled, but im starting to have doubts about whether i am good enough anymore.
anyone have any thoughts?
Reply 33
I've always wanted to be a teacher, and at first I wanted to work with primary children. I thought about it and a few years ago I realised I wanted to teach music to secondary pupils. Most people say that I'm stupid for wanting to do that..but I like doing it, I have experience and I'm aware of the difficulities I might occur. I am really passionate and it is all I want to do. I can't wait to start teaching.
Reply 34
I agree, Teaching, without teacher, there would be absolutely nothing in the world, think about it, all these doctors, nurses, lawyers all had teachers! They should be payed much more, be more values, else there will be no teachers eventually, and then no doctors, nurses or lawyers

kes
yourjoyismylow
I just wanted to let off some steam really, because I'm getting really fed up with people telling me that I am, well, too good to become a Primary teacher.
Now, all the interviews I had for a BA with QTS in Primary Education I had this year were successful, but I decided to go for another course in the end.
I did Primary Ed. in Germany, and as English was my major subject, I pretty much did the same stuff as secondary teaching students. I did well, and my professor in American Studies said: Why do you want to waste your time becoming a teacher?

WHAT?

I don't get it, it upsets me. People think with good grades you should do great things. Well, teaching should certainly be among them, NO?


[joke] Did you ask the professor why s/he wastes his time on American studies? [/joke]
Reply 36
susiemakemeblue
[joke] Did you ask the professor why s/he wastes his time on American studies? [/joke]


Or even if she feels that her own teachers had 'wasted their potential'.
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Mazraz
My view on teachers used to be --Those who can , do. Those who cant teach-- I then met some amazing teachers who obviously had a passion for the subjects they were teaching. After a decade in 3 different countries educational systems my belief is that teaching should not only be on academic qualifications, the enthusiasm and passion for the subject and how authoritative they can be if needed, if they are actually interesting to listen to etc. should all be taken into account. Also i think there should be spot checks to make sure the teachers teaching are actually doing their job properly- ie are not making everyone fall to sleep- surely kids have a right to an interesting and stimulating education as well as recieving the required infromation


That's a quote from George Bernard Shaw who didn't think much of 'the professions' anyway. And in a way it's true - the best reward for a teacher is when a pupil surpasses him/her. This is accompanied by the knowledge that he/ she has facilitated this. I believe it was Socrates who compared teaching to midwifery.
Reply 37
I'm a teacher and I have a first class degree from Cambridge. If my students find out, they tend to ask me with amazement why I am a teacher. They clearly don't value teaching as a profession.