The Long Suffering Husband came into the room, as I was contemplating my bead problem and said, "What are they? Dogs ?" He was furious at the idea of teachers having to be 'licenced'. He felt it implied that teachers were less than human. He is, obviously concerned that I might lose the job I love doing if Labour gets voted in at the next parliament. (I'm not so worried. I can always do something else) but he was more concerned for the individual people who had educated our children.
Licence is such a terrible word. A licence is required for things that are dangerous. We have a licence to drive a car because it is too easy to kill with a car if you don't know what you're doing; dogs were licenced because an untrained, uncontrolled dog could kill and you need a licence to own a gun for similarly obvious reasons. In the UK, Doctors are given a licence to practise but a doctor who doesn't know what they're doing can kill someone. I could be wrong but I don't think teachers kill; even really bad teachers are no threat to life.
By suggesting that teachers need to be licenced the Labour party are implying that teachers are dangerous, that the education of a child is the sole responsibility of the teacher and a child who doesn't reach an average level is a danger to society. Let's not buy into this idea. We know that teachers are only part of what happens in a child's education. We know that parents, friends, clubs, TV, video games and many other things in society shape what our children learn. I follow a wonderful blog of a mother, whose child has a particular syndrome that requires her to have a special education, who wrote recently about how she knows better about the books her child wants to read than her teachers or the education authority. http://livingwithrettsyndrome.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/no-to-the-very-busy-spider-just-no.html . This parent constantly makes brilliant choices for her child, as do parents all over the country and equally there will be parents who make less good choices. School isn't the most important thing for lots of people.
Until recently, the licence for Doctors, granted by the General Medical Council, was for life. Since, 2012 doctors now need to re-validate their licence every 5 years, which is done via regular appraisals with their employer. Tristam Hunt announced that teachers will need to be re-licenced every two years. Oh, God, teachers are more likely to kill someone than doctors! They didn't say exactly how teachers are to be licenced, or re-licenced and if it is through regular appraisals with their employer then teachers have nothing to fear because all teachers have a performance management appraisal at least once a year and are observed teaching by their senior management and peers more often. Teaching is a constant challenge of trying to be better. However, we all know that this is not what they mean. They mean time out of a classroom, time at college or time being assessed by an outside government authority, like Ofsted. Do any of these things help the children?
Tristram Hunt said that this process would make it easier to sack bad teachers. I'm quite confused about this. Where are all these bad teachers? And what exactly are they doing that is so terrible? I learnt a lot from teachers who would be considered to be failures by today's standards. Even good teachers are leaving the profession because the pressures and workload are too great and I just can't believe the bad teachers are staying.
He also said, "If you're not a motivated teacher - passionate about your subject, passionate about being in the classroom - then you really have no business being a teacher." Maybe this is true. The teachers I know are passionate and motivated but they also have bad days and are occasionally forced to teach a subject that they are not fully committed to. That's normally, surely? Primary school teachers can't be passionate about every subject. He compares them to doctors and lawyers and implies that they are equivalent professions but while medical practitioners earn an average of £69K pa and lawyers earn an average of £70k, the average teacher's salary is £32K pa. (Figures from thisismoney.co.uk). Metal plate workers and riveters have a similar annual salary, I wonder if they are have no business holding a welding tool if they don't have 100% passion and commitment.
Michael Gove, should be a gift to a shadow education secretary. Teachers, parents and students hate him equally: all those voters that could be won over and instead he has chosen to further demonise teachers. If this idea ever does get passed and if by some fluke I ever manage to get licensed, then I'm going to have cards printed that say:
Julia of All Trades
Music Teacher
Licenced to Kill.
I think I'll add the picture of my bead problem, just to let everyone know just how serious this is.
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