April 24, 200817 yr Wow...i go to 6th form and go to 2 schools... One school there's barely any teachers ther...but the two teachers i have today are not on strike :( The other school have like 5 teachers on strike (but i dont have any lessons there today :() The 1st one has let everyone, except 6th formers stay at home UNFAIR...and the other one is running as normal!!! I think they do have the right to strike...but not so close to exam time :(
April 24, 200817 yr My 12 year-old daughter goes to an all-girl Catholic school and they're not off today but the boys' Catholic is, as well as all other schools round here.
April 24, 200817 yr my old school is only open to Year 11's :o and the rival school :heehee: is completely open for business
April 24, 200817 yr Author the threads supposed to be about the rights and wrongs of the teachers strike... not whos off and who isnt <_<
April 24, 200817 yr calm down dear :heehee: I don't know where to park myself properly, but I sort of disagree with the teacher's and college lecturers striking, especially this close to exam season. Yes it maybe one day so far, but that's one day a lot of kids lose out on. Plain and simple the teacher's are thinking of themselves and not those they teach is how I'm seeing it. I was against the University lecturers striking as it nearly resulted it none of us getting our marks for the year. 4% doesn't seem much (compared to the ludicrous 40% we've seen in past demands for others ^_^) but when you consider how many teachers/lecturers there are in the country, it's not just possible to meet their ransom demand :heehee: Let's not forget teacher's get the best holidays ever year :lol:
April 24, 200817 yr Author im against it... i dont think they are justified. so what if the cost of living is rising SLIGHTLY faster then their wages.... it isnt a given right that wages are pegged to the cost of living, mine arnt! sometimes your living standards drop SLIGHTLY, not thats 'slightly', no ones gonna be barely any worse off, maybe a take away or two... lol. if the teachers get 4%, then why shouldnt everyone else? which means the cost of living will rise to pay for it! ive lived through rampant inflation in the early 70's, paying people more ISNT the answer, tightening your belts for a while IS.
April 24, 200817 yr I'm totally against it. Teachers only work 7 hours a day anyway and have 13 weeks a year off. What other profession or job has so many weeks a year off? Answer: None. Edited April 24, 200817 yr by Crazy Chris
April 24, 200817 yr Most teachers start early and don't leave school until well past 5 some days, and when they get home, they are still working, planning lessons and marking work, so i'm for it, even though my GCSES start in under a month, and i'm missing out on a days worth of lessons, plus tomorrow we have an 'off time table day' which is pointless and I'll be missing another day of school.
April 24, 200817 yr How do teachers' start early? As far as I know they start at 9am. They have meetings and things like that My form tutor even has to teach a lesson before school starts one day a week
April 24, 200817 yr I don't actually know the average wage - it all depends on what you teach, at what level, whether you're in management etc, so it's quite difficult to tell. All I know is that teachers do NOT have the best holidays. Both my parents are teachers and, to be honest, I don't see them much, or when I do, they're frequently doing work at the same time. Take Easter. My mum teaches Food Tech, and spent the first 3 days of holidays with me, then the rest of the two weeks marking coursework from before I even woke up, til about 7pm, and by the end of the day was too knackered from it all to do anything with the free time left. My Dad teaches Maths, and is Assistant Head, and spend all but one days of the Easter holiday in his office at work, devising next years timetable. People have no idea how hard teachers work during their holidays, and the time they're not paid for, unless they have first hand experience. It's so easy to think teachers spend 13 weeks a year sat on their arse, but it just isn't the case. Sorry. And that doesn't even start on their actual job. It is actually laughable, Chris, that you think teachers work 7 hours a day. Both my parents leave the house at 7am, and get in about 6 after staying for after-school classes and study support (for example, Mum has to stay and cook with the kids in order for them to get enough practical experience for them to get a deacent coursework mark. If a kid wants more than a B or C at GCSE, there just isn't enough timetabled time in the academic year - and she think it's her duty to get the kids who care about their grades to get them the best possible mark). I know this post sounds full of self-pity and "woe is me, I never see my folks!", and that isn't the case. Of course, I do see them, but I'm trying to stress that teachers don't roll up at five to nine on a morning, knock off at 3 o'clock and spend their holidays watching Daytime TV. What I'm trying to point out is that teachers deserve more RECOGNITION for what they do. Even with all I've said, I don't necessarily think that doesn't have to come in the form of money. My life is perfectly comfortable, and we manage just fine, so most teachers probably don't NEED a 4% increase. And it's true, that although I have experience of the difficulties of teaching, I'm sure there are a lot of other hugely difficult careers out there who could also argue their case for a pay increase. But it is an unrewarding lifestyle - I went to drop something off to my parents at School a couple of weeks ago, and a lot the kids at the school were just rude, inconsiderate, and completely different characters to when I was educated at the same school (and I'm only 19!!) Teaching is a different profession to what it ever has been before, and full of difficulties even with day to day stuff. I know my parents would rather get out of their profession as soon as possible, and have less money, than put up with another year of the ungrateful little sod's they have to deal with every day. As soon as I've finished my degree next year, I know it'll be a matter of months before both of their resignation letters are on the desk - and that's nothing to do with money. It's to do with the attitudes of the kids, the parents and the public towards their profession, and that's what needs to change. But it won't, so I guess on the other hands, who can blame them for seeking compensation in money, because they sure as hell ain't gonna get it in respect!! So I guess, no, they shouldn't have an increase, as there are probably difficult professions out there that deserve it just as much, and if you give it to one, you have no reason not to give it to the next. But, if it is given to them, I hope it's because all of the teachers I know work bloody hard.
April 24, 200817 yr You should put your post on the BBC News boards as a lot of the posts are similar to mine. The only supporters seem to be teachers and their spouses!
April 24, 200817 yr Maybe because they're the ones who actually know the inner workings of the profession? It's easy to say how easy something is without experiencing it.
April 24, 200817 yr Putting holidays aside and the amount of work, the whole strike is about pay :P Everyone is feeling the squeeze at the moment, and teachers get paid more on average than a lot of emergency workers who put their lives on the line.
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