Mike Frog - in response to your comment regarding the International Baccalaureate and teacher resistance to change. My school looked at starting the IB, however, in consultation with the universities (particularly the Russell Group) the decision was taken not to implement it as the admissions tutors weren't happy with the course in comparison to A-levels. Instead we now offer an extended A2 research-based project and support students taking entry-level OU modules in the summer of lower 6th instead.
On a slightly different note, how many teachers would like to see a 5 term year of, say 8 weeks school, 2 weeks off, maybe an extra week at Christmas/Summer? Wouldn't this be more beneficial to the children?
Pleased to hear it. If you go in for personal injury you could quite possibly garner some cases from trade unions. And maybe you will then begin to understand what unions do in the workplace.
That's the problem with Unions Muttley they've become claims organisations and forgotten how to get anything done
Have they now? To know what you're talking about you are obviously in a union and possibly an activist or even a rep. First-hand evidence please.
Dave, how dare you! Its still about the same, 12 weeks 'working from home' preparing stuff, lesson planning, meetings and so on, but spread out more evenly. Surely thats better?
Prices would increase for each holiday and there are only teachers who are restricted to school holidays, others may go at other times if they wish. Probably not too much of an issue for you Dave as fee paying schools generally have longer holidays which fall outside of the huge price increases.
Savi : alot of schools are now acadamy status , the ones here have slightly different holidays , one gets 4 weeks summer break and another 2 weeks in September .
At least teachers know when they can take leave , i have to compete with requests from all the other working parents , trying to get time off with their kids.
It's not sacrifice during the 11 yrs kids are at school for families to adapt their holidays ,
and no one forces teachers to take a job with such annual leave conditions .
I never said anyone did nor have I said anything against the annual leave. I did respond to a point made about the cost of holidays and that non teacher families may, if they wish, take holidays at a time that suits their circumstances.
It is nice sitting at the airport waiting to fly off on holiday in August watching hundreds of screaming kids coming the other way out of the airport, Knowing they will be safely tucked up in class rooms whilst we are away.
yes but savi, if the nation adopted more terms, then they could cunningly be staggered so there is no standard holiday (with the exception of Christmas). At the very least this would iron out the ridiculous spiking of prices for half terms, and summer months, and therefore the need to take holidays in 'term time' for cost reasons.
What's wrong with monitoring the performance of teachers? Pretty much everyone else in the working world gets monitored by some kind of personal development plan, so why should they be any different? And, given the reports that lots of kids are coming out of school unable to read and write properly shouldn't we have been performance monitoring a long time ago?!?!?!?!?
Remove the heads as Business leaders, make them just senior teachers and allow a general manager to run each organisation, someone accustomed to managing people, budgets, safety and change
Comments
On a slightly different note, how many teachers would like to see a 5 term year of, say 8 weeks school, 2 weeks off, maybe an extra week at Christmas/Summer?
Wouldn't this be more beneficial to the children?
Have they now? To know what you're talking about you are obviously in a union and possibly an activist or even a rep. First-hand evidence please.
Dave, how dare you! Its still about the same, 12 weeks 'working from home' preparing stuff, lesson planning, meetings and so on, but spread out more evenly. Surely thats better?
If teachers had a shorter summer holiday, It would mean the prices would only go up for a shorter period, So we would benefit..
It's not an issue for me as the youngest of our brood is 23....
At least teachers know when they can take leave , i have to compete with requests from all the other working parents , trying to get time off with their kids.
It's not sacrifice during the 11 yrs kids are at school for families to adapt their holidays ,
and no one forces teachers to take a job with such annual leave conditions .
Don't be silly
It is nice sitting at the airport waiting to fly off on holiday in August watching hundreds of screaming kids coming the other way out of the airport, Knowing they will be safely tucked up in class rooms whilst we are away.
yes but savi, if the nation adopted more terms, then they could cunningly be staggered so there is no standard holiday (with the exception of Christmas).
At the very least this would iron out the ridiculous spiking of prices for half terms, and summer months, and therefore the need to take holidays in 'term time' for cost reasons.
But how will we know when to go away to avoid the "little darlings" ?
Dave - avoid the canaries, mainland spain, eurocamps in France and florida.
Tenerife has been brilliant the last couple of years (1st week in March), and we avoid the others at anytime of the year
( drums fingers)
Oh, yeah... did anyone see this about the benefits of testing and performance-related bonuses for teachers? http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/29/us/georgia-cheating-scandal/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
Yes,I read it intently.
If anyone wants homework, 500 words on the merits / challenges of having a numercially target-lead industry. ( health comparisons welcome)
Or even better, an essay on the criteria that determine which jobs work well with performance-related bonuses and which don't.
Unfortunately I have 1500 words to do for my real teachers!
Performance related bonuses.. yes thats an interesting one. I am to be allowed to pay my staff bonuses.
Of course the budgets have been cut, so that if I decide to pay someone extra, I have to atke if away from soneone else.
Highly motivating to be told, ' You'rs marvellous, I have decided that you are worth a bonus. Unfortunately I can't as we don't have any money..'
Good thinking Mr Gove
If they get PRP, and I get Performance Related Tax?
What's wrong with monitoring the performance of teachers? Pretty much everyone else in the working world gets monitored by some kind of personal development plan, so why should they be any different? And, given the reports that lots of kids are coming out of school unable to read and write properly shouldn't we have been performance monitoring a long time ago?!?!?!?!?
Remove the heads as Business leaders, make them just senior teachers and allow a general manager to run each organisation, someone accustomed to managing people, budgets, safety and change