Drive-by reply for the sake of completeness and some clarification ...
> Perhaps if I have had the same input as you did, maybe we would be in agreement.
Perhaps - given my context (see below) it seems likely I've had and have much more contact with teachers than you, and so have more insight into what it's like to be a teacher.
> Your personal circle of friends who happen to be teachers is not the same sample as the posters quoted in the original post.
I'm not referring to my circle of friends. I have extensive professional contact with hundreds of teachers every year (in the UK).
> ... education as we know it needs to undergo a sea change.
This is true, and I'm working with some to try to make it happen. But it's Sisyphean.
> I think if someone has a ‘calling’, they should do it for free or must be free to walk away without worrying about their means to survive. Since it’s a career choice, it carries with it all the baggage of a rat race. One can’t have it both ways.
People go into the career with the clear-eyed innocence of youth, and as the years go by get ground into the ground by the administrative load and the toxicity of the parents and community. But teaching is important, and many/most soldier on, trying to teach the students regardless of the circumstances. In the vast majority of cases the teachers really are doing absolutely everything they can to give the students the best education possible under the circumstances.
In short, I disagree with you on this.
> When one joins an union and goes on strike, it’s not a “calling”.
I disagree completely. When one despairs of making any progress, and of being able to do what the students need, going on strike can be the best thing for the students as a whole. Without doubt it is damaging to the current students in the short term, but you are saying the system needs to change. How can it change without those at the coal face taking some action?
> Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this, but I am not sure it has made a difference. I have heard others say the same thing second hand but the first hand opinions that I have heard from teachers themselves have been different.
I have no doubt that you are concerned for the right things, and I have no doubt that we agree on much. There may be things we disagree on, but I suspect it's for the right reasons, and because there are no simple answers or quick fixes.
Education must change radically, and it's unclear that it can happen without significant disruption. I have concerns for those who will be caught in the mess.
Above all, I desperately wish the students got a better deal than they currently get, and I equally desperately wish the system would get out of the way of the good teachers and let them teach. It has to change, but I don't know how.
> Perhaps if I have had the same input as you did, maybe we would be in agreement.
Perhaps - given my context (see below) it seems likely I've had and have much more contact with teachers than you, and so have more insight into what it's like to be a teacher.
> Your personal circle of friends who happen to be teachers is not the same sample as the posters quoted in the original post.
I'm not referring to my circle of friends. I have extensive professional contact with hundreds of teachers every year (in the UK).
> ... education as we know it needs to undergo a sea change.
This is true, and I'm working with some to try to make it happen. But it's Sisyphean.
> I think if someone has a ‘calling’, they should do it for free or must be free to walk away without worrying about their means to survive. Since it’s a career choice, it carries with it all the baggage of a rat race. One can’t have it both ways.
People go into the career with the clear-eyed innocence of youth, and as the years go by get ground into the ground by the administrative load and the toxicity of the parents and community. But teaching is important, and many/most soldier on, trying to teach the students regardless of the circumstances. In the vast majority of cases the teachers really are doing absolutely everything they can to give the students the best education possible under the circumstances.
In short, I disagree with you on this.
> When one joins an union and goes on strike, it’s not a “calling”.
I disagree completely. When one despairs of making any progress, and of being able to do what the students need, going on strike can be the best thing for the students as a whole. Without doubt it is damaging to the current students in the short term, but you are saying the system needs to change. How can it change without those at the coal face taking some action?
> Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this, but I am not sure it has made a difference. I have heard others say the same thing second hand but the first hand opinions that I have heard from teachers themselves have been different.
I have no doubt that you are concerned for the right things, and I have no doubt that we agree on much. There may be things we disagree on, but I suspect it's for the right reasons, and because there are no simple answers or quick fixes.
Education must change radically, and it's unclear that it can happen without significant disruption. I have concerns for those who will be caught in the mess.
Above all, I desperately wish the students got a better deal than they currently get, and I equally desperately wish the system would get out of the way of the good teachers and let them teach. It has to change, but I don't know how.