Why be a teacher, page-18

"if you want to attract good teachers, you need to pay good money."

I agree but the main problem, is that if the good teacher gets the pay rise, all the bad ones also get it.

My mum was a teacher, and twice we have had students living with us (40+ years ago) due to hostile domestic environments. Obviously, this wouldn't be done now but I'd put her as well regarded by fellow teachers, students and parents, and seemingly a very good teacher but we were never rich, or even well off, for that matter.

People look at teachers holidays every year, and hours (at school) every day, and don't realise that they need to prepare a program for the coming year, mark papers/assignments every day, get the kids safely off school grounds, then get home to do their own family stuff.

Our education falling away, is more due to parents not being behind the teacher, than teachers being paid too little. My sister, who is still a Math's Teacher, said that sitting down with parents on review night, has gone from parents asking, 'what can we do?', for a child lagging a little, to 'what can you do?' today.

It's probably a consequence of this nanny state thing, where government is taking over every facet of our lives, including what you should and shouldn't do, as a parent.