National Union of Teachers vote to stop MoD recruitment in Schools
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Maybe this government should consider giving currently serving military personnel, who have instructional skills, proper accreditation and maybe some financial incentives to entice them into the teaching profession?
The only problem removing MOD careers visits will have, is that the teachers will now have to supervise their charges instead of dumping a whole yeargroup into the assembly hall and disappearing for a crafty smoke, whilst expecting some poor sob recruiter to try and keep order with 100+ kids. (Biggles111)
Wyler has made good points, so has Charlie Golf - the NUT are radical nutters (I'm in Scotland, thank God, them there loons don't affect me), they do not represent schoolteachers as a whole. In any staffroom you'll find Genghis Khan and Mahatma Ghandi...even in the Highlands, where there's only one teacher in the school.
I bet Ross Kemp has done more for recruiting, however, than any official organ of the forces...teenagers love to do Taceval stuff - my retirement plan is to charge servicemen a fiver to supply a stand-in 5th year pupil for them when exercises are called. I'm charging the pupils a tenner - they're usually better off, frankly.
Too much 'tarring with the same brush' is occurring here - it's silly to complain that some sectors of the populace regard all servicemen as steely eyed killers, only to then rant about "all teachers do X" in the next sentence. You can't complain about being stereotyped on the one hand, only to stereotype another profession in the next breath.
As for the standard hoary old chestnuts - teachers actually teach what those in authority say we should teach. Course content is, in the main, set in blocks of stone.
Discipline in schools is not something I, or any other teacher, has any say in - I have to operate within narrow guidelines, set by the local authority, under the overall authority of parliament... I can't sort problem pupils out in any sensible way (I'm allowed to tell pupils off, provided I don't use demeaning terminology - woe betide the teacher who calls somebody an idiot just because they set fire to the pupil next to them for fun). I have suggested to management that we should therefore bluff the kids, pretend to have the power we need
We have the teachers that the politicians, over the past 30 years, decided we should have - and it's the airy fairy lot who exit the classroom sharpish (theory being preferable to practise) who rise up the pyramind to determine policy for the next decade or two - assisted by soundbyte based policy decisions.
Thank you davejb for an excellent and informative post! Your point that:
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pretty well confirms what I already suspected, that though there may well be many dedicated and potentially effective teachers, the educational industry itself is crap, an asylum literally run by the least appropriate inmates. That spells out disaster just as it would for the aviation industry. That has many systems and procedures in place to try to avoid disaster. Would it not be a good idea if the same applied to education, education, education? Isn't it time that the real customers', ie the kids', interests were paramount, or are they in the same bed as NHS patients?
We have the teachers that the politicians, over the past 30 years, decided we should have - and it's the airy fairy lot who exit the classroom sharpish (theory being preferable to practise) who rise up the pyramind to determine policy for the next decade or two - assisted by soundbyte based policy decisions
pretty well confirms what I already suspected, that though there may well be many dedicated and potentially effective teachers, the educational industry itself is crap, an asylum literally run by the least appropriate inmates. That spells out disaster just as it would for the aviation industry. That has many systems and procedures in place to try to avoid disaster. Would it not be a good idea if the same applied to education, education, education? Isn't it time that the real customers', ie the kids', interests were paramount, or are they in the same bed as NHS patients?
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Education, education, education...
davejb is absolutely right. I spent 40 years (and 72 days) as a teacher and lost count of the number of times the NUT threatened action over some scheme - frequently nothing to do with education - and in the end nothing happened. The Barmy Left took over the NUT some years ago but as their rules require each school to vote individually for action the majority never does anything.
Don't forget it's for Headteachers to decide if a presentation by the Armed Forces is held in a school; the NUT doesn't yet run the schools, you know.
I was several times invited to presentations by all three Services. The Army provided numerous NCOs to guide visitors to the car park, a Brigadier to address us and there was one officer to look after groups of 5 guests - overmanning or what? - but the buffet was excellent.
The RAF sent a Group Captain, numerous pilots and a string quartet
; the video of the FJs was terrific but the food was diabolical and confirmed the notion that no-one has yet passed the RAF cooks' course.
The RN did it all with a Captain, two Lieutenants, a couple of Leading Hands and an AB to work the video system. It was all very understated but I thought they should have brought an RM band.
As far as education itself is concerned, I always thought we'd done well if we got to Tuesday in any week without a "major education shake-up" being announced. It took at least a day a week just to read up on the changes.
I haven't had the letter yet asking me to return to save the education world from itself; perhaps they heard me when I told them the next time I entered a school would be to vote...
Don't forget it's for Headteachers to decide if a presentation by the Armed Forces is held in a school; the NUT doesn't yet run the schools, you know.
I was several times invited to presentations by all three Services. The Army provided numerous NCOs to guide visitors to the car park, a Brigadier to address us and there was one officer to look after groups of 5 guests - overmanning or what? - but the buffet was excellent.
The RAF sent a Group Captain, numerous pilots and a string quartet
; the video of the FJs was terrific but the food was diabolical and confirmed the notion that no-one has yet passed the RAF cooks' course.The RN did it all with a Captain, two Lieutenants, a couple of Leading Hands and an AB to work the video system. It was all very understated but I thought they should have brought an RM band.
As far as education itself is concerned, I always thought we'd done well if we got to Tuesday in any week without a "major education shake-up" being announced. It took at least a day a week just to read up on the changes.
I haven't had the letter yet asking me to return to save the education world from itself; perhaps they heard me when I told them the next time I entered a school would be to vote...
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To quote the letters page in the Times today "If we wish to keep propaganda out of the classroom, would it not be better to ban members of the NUT rather than members of Her Majesty's Armed Forces"
And that's from a member of the cloth...!!!
And that's from a member of the cloth...!!!
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Fan Blade: Now there's a thought worth pursuing.
Years ago when I was but a Baby Teacher, we welcomed to the school a group of students from a nearby College of Education, one of whom was more mature than the rest. He was attached to my class of 11 year-olds and proved to be an instant hit with the pupils. Not only did he express himself fluently and clearly but he was also obviously very capable of managing large groups of people and holding their attention. He had been with us for a week when he let it be known that in a previous life he had been a Major in 1LF. His obvious man-management skills impressed us all and the pupils particularly enjoyed the PE lesson when he led several platoon attacks on the old shed in the corner of the school field...
We were sad to see him go but I bet he was an asset to the school which employed him when he qualified.
I am of that certain age group most of whose teachers had served during WW2, had nothing to prove and were disciplined and dedicated to their jobs. In those days the teacher unions (even the NUT!) concerned themselves with educational matters; it was much the same when I joined. Was it really better then or is my memory dimmed by age?
Cue more posts about the days when we had an Air Force, Navy, etc., etc.
Years ago when I was but a Baby Teacher, we welcomed to the school a group of students from a nearby College of Education, one of whom was more mature than the rest. He was attached to my class of 11 year-olds and proved to be an instant hit with the pupils. Not only did he express himself fluently and clearly but he was also obviously very capable of managing large groups of people and holding their attention. He had been with us for a week when he let it be known that in a previous life he had been a Major in 1LF. His obvious man-management skills impressed us all and the pupils particularly enjoyed the PE lesson when he led several platoon attacks on the old shed in the corner of the school field...
We were sad to see him go but I bet he was an asset to the school which employed him when he qualified.
I am of that certain age group most of whose teachers had served during WW2, had nothing to prove and were disciplined and dedicated to their jobs. In those days the teacher unions (even the NUT!) concerned themselves with educational matters; it was much the same when I joined. Was it really better then or is my memory dimmed by age?
Cue more posts about the days when we had an Air Force, Navy, etc., etc.
Thought police antagonist
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Be interesting to see / hear the N.U.T's reaction to this little gem then ....
http://education.guardian.co.uk/scho...269175,00.html
As for the "reading age of 11" comment, well whose responsibility would it be to ensure this should not be the case I wonder ?.....answers, on a recycled postcard to........that said, the issue of poor numeracy and literacy is not exclusive to recruitment for the Armed Forces....it's a well established lament across all sectors and it's now common practice I understand for many Universities to include modules that are designed to, er, educate students in the basics of Maths and English.
http://education.guardian.co.uk/scho...269175,00.html
As for the "reading age of 11" comment, well whose responsibility would it be to ensure this should not be the case I wonder ?.....answers, on a recycled postcard to........that said, the issue of poor numeracy and literacy is not exclusive to recruitment for the Armed Forces....it's a well established lament across all sectors and it's now common practice I understand for many Universities to include modules that are designed to, er, educate students in the basics of Maths and English.
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It looks like someone has been reading PPRUNE and making policy again!
"Failing schools set to be saved by RAF heros" - Sunday Express 27 Apr 2008.
Remember, you heard it here first! Ah - the power of PPRUNE!
"Failing schools set to be saved by RAF heros" - Sunday Express 27 Apr 2008.
RAF heros are to be encouraged to become teachers after leaving the Armed Forces to help turn round our failing classrooms.
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As an added bonus, the tough servicemen will instill discipline and respect in schools.
Military chiefs hope that former soldiers and sailers will also join in the scheme, called Transition to Teaching, which will allow ex-servicemen to use their skills to help shape the next generation.
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As an added bonus, the tough servicemen will instill discipline and respect in schools.
Military chiefs hope that former soldiers and sailers will also join in the scheme, called Transition to Teaching, which will allow ex-servicemen to use their skills to help shape the next generation.
