Teachers may go on strike. Chaos for parents. Discuss!

[yoyo123]

you have summed it up exactly.

[Chilled]

If you think you get can a better deal elsewhere, go for it and I will replace you. If I cannot get someone else, I may well offer better conditions. If I can get someone else, why should I pay more?

When it is our children's education we are talking about it may not be best to give the job to whoever will do it for the lowest wage with the worst working conditions.

[succeed]

I am heartened to see that the ATL - the most moderate of the 5 teaching unions - have balloted members last week and strike action has been agreed.The remaining 4 unions are yet to ballot, but the forecast for the first national teaching strike in 30 years is now highly probable.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-13424433" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A little background info as to the 'final straw'.


http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6067510" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

This strike, no doubt,will receive little public support and an onslaught of aggressive right wing media 'opinions' thrown into the fire. However, it is essential that teachers stand their ground.

[mim]

To begin with, please excuse my ignorance if I've got stuff wrong. My understanding is that indie teachers access similar pension arrangements as the maintained sector.

Are they contemplating striking? Or being free riders while state employed teachers and state educated children bear the effects of a difficult decision/actions?

How do fee-paying parents feel about this? (Remembers that fees would be higher but for the state pension arrangements enjoyed. And would a day or week off make that much difference?)

Or is it a non-issue because indie teachers are relatively so few?

[succeed]

mim, as you have pointed out, the pension is a 'cross sector' issue. As such, teachers in indie schools will be balloted and given the right to vote to strike.The more the merrier, I say.(and this from a parent who has a son joining the indie sector in September)

[familyinthevalley]

Hmmmm, a couple of points have caught my attention here. One parent has mentioned that it would cause disruption to parents - having to find childcare. Deal with it - it's your kid! Many, many children cause disruption every day in the classroom, stopping the teachers from teaching students who actually do want to learn, and who would like to see a completed lesson once in a while. When we had been in this country two weeks, my 15 yr old came home to say 'what a waste of time classes are here, not once, in two weeks has a teacher been able to complete a lesson due to behaviour'. Maybe....just maybe.....if parents in general were more supportive of raising their children in a better manner overall (and yes, I know, there are many wonderful children out there.....but there are way too many disruptive ones whose parents really don't care what their little darling gets up to) then that might bring a little more job satisfaction to teachers. Even having the support of majority of parents when there is an issue - would make it seem worthwhile for teachers to even bother about the child outside of the classroom in the first instance. My children are not perfect by any means, but any teacher they have ever had has had my full support in the event of any behaviour issue, which has been rare.

When teachers are being asked to work longer, realistically, into some ages where they are a little more fragile in some cases - whose going to be there to protect them from the class 'monster' (I'm being nice...) who feels it is their right to become abusive, physical, violent. I know many who are now retired, who would simply not be capable of protecting the rest of the children, let alone themselves in some situations.

Last two week term break - my OH spent one weekend away on a training course for the Duke of Edinburgh program that he's helping introduce to the school. On that weekend, our own children had several things going on that I had to organise my weekend down to the minute to ensure that they all got to where they were supposed to go, and then even impose on lovely friends to help out. My thoughts - our kids come before the ones he teaches......his thoughts - 'this is the only outdoor activity that some of these kids get - this and other things through school'. Well, okay - and my kids will benefit from it as well in the coming years. Another two days out doing the Bronze award practice walk - again, organising my kids, when their dad should be around to help out. So that's four days out of the 10 days off gone - without pay, doing it for the sake of the students. Another couple of days spent marking, and at least one day prepping and planning.

So for those barking up the tree about all their time off - he'd get paid whether he did this stuff in his own time or not - yet, he spent 7 days working in his 'holidays' as people like to call them. Three days a week he runs after school clubs, during rugby season he does refreshments for the players on a Saturday morning which takes about 4-5 hours, plus the running around the night before to the wholesaler etc. purchasing the food for it. Okay, I as a parent did it before this year, but not having a son playing rugby this year, decided to take a year off. Any other parents available to do it? No, of course not, so he stepped up as a staff member to do it. He attends school discos as a staff member on a Friday night once every couple of months. Without teachers who give of their own time to things like these, often at the expense of their own family, or their own needs, there's a whole lot your children would be missing out on in their school lives.

If we are calling teachers 'professionals', at what point in their career do they start being treated as professionals? Other 'professionals' are protected against violence, or abuse - why aren't teachers (well, except in schools where the headteacher and SMT have backbones and are prepared to support their staff - but then, aren't they the schools that don't really have the problems to begin with?).

Yes teachers - if you want to strike - go for it - you'll have my full support. I'll gladly take a vacation day from work to spend with my kids doing something beneficial with them, as I would hope that some of the outcome would be that school is a better place to be, with people who want to be there. However, last strike which was a couple of years ago by one or two of the unions, nobody at my OH's school actually went on strike - but then, they have a Headteacher who treats them very well, and they know they are appreciated by him, and they are supported by him and other senior management.

When we moved here 9 years ago - there was a drastic shortage of teachers (OH was hired from overseas by way of him sending his cv, and a contract being mailed to him - not even a telephone interview they were that desperate for staff - sure, it was not a great school, but he's at a great one now ) - so before you have another drastic shortage of teachers, and nobody to educate your children - stop treating the teachers as mere 'babysitters' and show them some support

Off my box.....

[KS10]

No, please stay there. I for one appreciated every word.

[Looking for help]

Me too, FITV, good post, and I agree with everything you say

[mad?]

Me too, FITV, good post, and I agree with everything you say

+1

[push-pull-mum]

Rather concerned at the way the poll is going. Over of third of forum voters want to ban strikes? They can't all be Boltblue under a different name, can they? Do we really want to go back to the Ancient Greek system and have our children educated by slaves? And where is it written that professionals don't strike? What about Doctors' concerns about the Health and Social Care Bill? There was talk of strike over that only last month, wasn't there? And civil servants? Famous for it.