No credit for A level teachers

Subject: No credit for A level teachers
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 08:35 AM

As this is A level results day and thousands of nice young things are celebrating their A grades and below, I see little or no credit given to their teachers, who obviously now excel in preparation for A level exams.

Subject: RE: No credit for A level teachers
From: GUEST,Ay Up
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 09:58 AM

"In the first place God made idiots. This was for practice. Then he made school boards." - Mark Twain

Some of our children kill themselves because they cannot take the horrendous pressure put upon them by teachers and politicians, to get 'A' grades or any grades.

The day the teachers of every country stand up and stand together to get rid of all exams, and realise that children and young people should be judged on who they are and not how many questions they can answer in an hour or two, depending on whether they're feeling well, feeling comfortable, feeling capable, feeling distressed, feeling unable to cope or simply feeling terrified, well, that's the day I'll give teachers credit.

Life is aboout Learning. It is NOT about Exams!

Subject: RE: No credit for A level teachers
From: Paco Rabanne
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 10:06 AM

My youngest daughter got two A's, a C, and a D today. Large Pimms all around I would say!

Subject: RE: No credit for A level teachers
From: brassy sharman
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 10:15 AM

Why do teachers have to get credit, millions of us are in jobs that they do exceedingly well but get no credit for.   I suggest taking the pay packet and holidays and keeping quiet about appreciation.

Subject: RE: No credit for A level teachers
From: Paco Rabanne
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 10:17 AM

Well said Brassy!

Subject: RE: No credit for A level teachers
From: GUEST,Honest Frankie
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 10:20 AM

And what does this discussion have to do about folk music or musicians?

Subject: RE: No credit for A level teachers
From: Wesley S
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 10:39 AM

Of course teachers should get some credit. Unless the child has learned how to absorb this information by putting the books under their pillows at night.

Subject: RE: No credit for A level teachers
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 10:57 AM

"Why do teachers have to get credit, millions of us are in jobs that they do exceedingly well but get no credit for.   I suggest taking the pay packet and holidays and keeping quiet about appreciation."

I am not a teacher, although members of my family have been/still are, and would most certainly have an answer for you. Actually teachers only get paid for the term time, which is paid monthly - and I am specifically referring to teachers here, if it's all the same to you!

Subject: RE: No credit for A level teachers
From: GUEST,meself
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 11:30 AM

" ... that's the day I'll give teachers credit."

"Why do teachers have to get credit"

"Well said Brassy!"

Wow - this sounds just like a Junior High classroom! Isn't it nice?

Subject: RE: No credit for A level teachers
From: saulgoldie
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 12:23 PM

Credit for good scholastic performance (as usually and foolishly measured by letter grades) is divided among the teacher, the student, and the student's parents. Students can excel despite lousy teaching. They can also overcome lousy parental support for their education. A great teacher can inspire a student to perform beyond what might have been expected of that student. So can parents.

However, there can be great teaching, great support for the process, and the student still does not perform, gradewise. There can be many reasons for this, including undiagnosed physical or mental/emotional conditions. Dyslexia, hearing problems, ADHD, schizophrenia, and depression come quickly to mind. Or perhaps the student learns better in setting other than the one created in a school. It is impossible to quantify in each and every specific situation what component carried what share of the "blame" for "success" or "failure."

As for that "vacation" teachers get every summer...as stated earlier, teachers get paid for ten months, and not twelve. At least in the US. Furthermore, they are required to keep their education current, and often have to spend that "vacation" and a goodly chunk of money taking classes over the summer. Some teach summer school for extra cash. Teachers' salaries are pretty overrated. They don't start getting good until much later in one's career, by which time teacher may have had enough of the bullshit that they have to deal with to be the kind of teacher they want to be. And with all the charter schools and union-busting going on, teachers are even less likely to stay "in the business."

I am really tired of people who have a cursory understanding of the process and the environment pontificating on the subject of education.

Saul

Subject: RE: No credit for A level teachers
From: Peter K (Fionn)
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 01:31 PM

In the UK teachers get paid for the full year. The standard of teaching is not perfect but it's probably better than it's ever been, and that's acknowledged (in reports by the inspection regime, for instance).

(Thread drift.... Could someone stateside please explain to me what is meant by "class of **"? Is it the year of starting high school, the year of finishing, or what? And are there any Mudcatters in San Francisco or the bay area? I need to know a couple of things about education there.)

Subject: RE: No credit for A level teachers
From: jeffp
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 02:50 PM

Class of ** refers to the year of graduation. For example, I graduated from high school as part of the class of 71, in June 1971. That simple.

Subject: RE: No credit for A level teachers
From: The PA
Date: 17 Aug 07 - 04:09 AM

I think teachers do deserve credit for their efforts. Whilst I am not a teacher we do have teachers in the family and to be honest, from what they tell us, and I have no reason to disbelieve them, I wouldnt do their job for twice the money or holidays.

We have had a few 'hicups' this year with our son, who is waiting for his GCSE results, and without the support and guidance of his year head and the rest of the staff, all in their own time I may add, things could have turned out much worse.

Tim now wants to be a teacher, so they've obviously made an impression on someone!

Good on ya!!!

Subject: RE: No credit for A level teachers
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 17 Aug 07 - 04:23 AM

My wife teaches Spanish at adult further education classes - or whatever fancy name is flavour of the month at the moment, and believe me, the preparation, after class administration, appraisals and other such nonsence required defies logic for a bunch of folks who want to be able to order a meal in a restaurant or book a room at a hotel in Spanish and the like. So I would imagine that A level teachers in the UK are subjected to considerably more nonsence, from this hideous Labour government!!!

Subject: RE: No credit for A level teachers
From: Cats
Date: 17 Aug 07 - 04:48 AM

I teach. I see my colleagues working all hours and incredibly hard, givng up their lunchtimes, every night until very late, weekends, after school, even going out to students houses to pick up coursework to make sure the students get the grades they are capable of. As for school holidays.. I don't know of any teacher who doesn't go into school during the holidays. So much so that the UK government has just accepted that we work some of the longest and most stressful hours and have introduced legislation to make sure we have a work/life balance. I do agree that we are in a culture that overtests and overexamines and have spoken about this at national conferences but, I have to say that, in my experience, the testing is driven by government and parents. So, congratulations to all the suvccessful condidates, and to all those who didn't get the grades they hoped for ~ don't panic, your teachers are in school in the holidays to make sure you get a university place or an appropriate course and they will carry on working for you until they do. And, congratulations to teachers for working to get the students such good grades.

Subject: RE: No credit for A level teachers
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 17 Aug 07 - 05:12 AM

100% agreed. My father, a former headmaster for over 20 years of a junior & infants school in North London retired in 1989, and never regretted it. He could see the way things were going!!

Subject: RE: No credit for A level teachers
From: Peter K (Fionn)
Date: 17 Aug 07 - 08:12 AM

Thanks jeffp, but not that simple for me alas. Does everyone in the class graduate, or only those that achieve a certain standard? In the UK the term is used for the awarding of a degree to someone who has achieved pass standard or better in tertiary education.

Subject: RE: No credit for A level teachers
From: Rog Peek
Date: 17 Aug 07 - 01:01 PM

saulgoldie - reasons why 'student still does not perform, gradewise'.

You forgot one, "just plain bone bloody idle!"

Subject: RE: No credit for A level teachers
From: Ythanside
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 01:27 PM

Bonzo3legs, in one posting you refer to 'this hideous Labour government!!!' and, in another, say that your father retired in 1989 because 'He could see the way things were going!!'.

In 1981, the Tory Minister for Education, Keith Joseph was asked why Thatcher's government had awarded the Police force a substantial (and un-asked for) pay rise while refusing to listen to requests from the NUT for a pay review. His dismissive retort,'We pay for what we value.' is perhaps what allowed your father, and thousands of other teachers, to see precisely the way things were going under the Tories.

BTW, I think that school teachers are, for the most part, doing a grand job.

Subject: RE: No credit for A level teachers
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 04:11 PM

This was my post - It's good to see my old school, QE Boys Barnet, top of the A level table yet again! Funnily enough I left that school in 1964 having failed all my A levels, but of course they were far more difficult then!!

Subject: RE: No credit for A level teachers
From: Barry Finn
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 10:04 PM

If you are doing well now as a adult you probably have to groups to thank for directly, your parents & your teachers, those that aren't doing well, well,,,,,,,,,,
We'd like to be at a point where everyone can thank both these groups but we don't live in places were the education systems are perfect, parents sometimes can't do it all on their own & the same goes for the teachers. However if we have governments that really valued education instead of just giving lip service to it, teachers might get the recognition & living wages they so rightfully work for & maybe we'd all see a rise across the board in the national levels of our nations. I know here in the US we don't seem to be doing to well when compared to other industrialized nations & we have an educational president in office at the moment & he's been ther for the past 7 yrs working on it too. Surprizingly we're falling further & further behind & the costs of education are going up while the compensation for educational staff along with their benifits are dropping below others as well as tax breaks & funding.
We are dumbing down to where any idiot can hold the most important job in the nation & the see his even dumber son replace him.

Don't thank a teacher for that though, if we had all recieved better education we would not now have an idiot in the highest government office leading us all around (in tailspins) by the nose.

When education gets better & the nation is out of debt & out of war & into homes, schools & jobs then go thank a teacher. Because it'll be their fault for proving the tools it takes for the enlightened to guide us out of the hole we've dug ourselves into.

Teachers & educators shold be on the top of our lists as those to be honored by all societies or was it only the primitive socities that were intellagent enough to recognize this.
These primitive societies all had names for their ones that passed on knowledge, teacher is not one that we hear today but should be.

Barry

Subject: RE: No credit for A level teachers
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 05:34 AM

I failed my A levels in 1964 because I was too busy playing in a band, in fact I had gigs 3 nights running immediately before they started. With hindsight, I would have still done the gigs - much more fun than studying! My parents were furious of course.

Subject: RE: No credit for A level teachers
From: Ebbie
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 04:38 PM

Fionn, in the US students don't 'pass' out of high school unless they have garnered a certain number of credits. If a student takes extra classes or hours and accumulates those credits before the end of the year s/he is then out of high school and all that remains is to be presented with the certificate. Which is usually at the graduation ceremony, usually in June. Some students who graduate early don't attend the ceremony.

Subject: RE: No credit for A level teachers
From: Nickhere
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 05:03 PM

DRUNKEN RIOTS MARK EXAM RESULTS

from our Newsagency 2007

The centre of town was paralysed last night as hundreds of teachers took to the streets to celebrate exceptional exam results. Shopping trolleys and traffic cones were dumped in the local river causing distress to a number of the ducks living there. One mallard complained "we are quiet and peace loving and object to this kind of reprehensible behaviour" Another added "we pay enough in rates for this stretch of river - when are the council going to do something about it?"

Other residents of the city centre complained about the behaviour of the teachers, many of whom were in an evident state of intoxication. "It was disgraceful" one resident, who asked not to be named, told us "teachers were everywhere, shouting and drinking openly on the street. I was afraid to go outside my door all night. Please don't put my name in the paper" she added "I'm afraid my son will get very poor marks in his exams next summer if I am recognised".

Police said there had been a number of arrests for various breaches of the law, mainly under the Intoxicating Liquor Act. A police spokesman told this newspaper that "our officers were very busy last night, we have had a number of arrests for a range of offences from Drunk & Disorderly, graffiting maths formuale on the walls of various business premises in town, vandalism and so on. The number of arrests were in line with previous years and we are on top of the situation (as always, unless we are looking for extra resources)"

A number of teenagers said they had cancelled their own traditional end-of-exam drunken binges out of fear of encountering their equally drunken form teachers while on the town.

A spokesman from the main teacher's organisation said this kind of behaviour was not condoned and that the vast majority of teachers behave in a perfectly respectable manner.
"But the piblic must understand that tecahers are under tremendous stress for the whole year trying to manage a roomful of brats, deal with their whinging parents and produce ever-better stratospehric results for school boardsw that are being increasingly run like corporate boards answerable to shareholders. It is only to be expected they might let off a little steam now and then"

None of the thousands of teachers letting off some steam last night could be named for legal reasons.

Copyright 2007 Utopian news agency.

Subject: RE: No credit for A level teachers
From: Cats
Date: 20 Aug 07 - 02:50 PM

I wish...