Lessons from an Okay Teacher

  It is that time of year again.   It’s that bittersweet time for teachers when we say goodbye to those students who are leaving us or if we are leaving them to take up a new job elsewhere. Primary school teachers in the UK will be seeing their little charges disappear into the   perceived Hellscape of Secondary schools whilst the Sixth Formers party off into the educational world of university or the cut-throat world of business and trying to earn a living. Or, if they’re loaded and bored, off for a Gap Yah. It can be a rather poignant time as we look back with pride at how our students have turned out and cherish the fond memories that we have of them.   Because, make no mistake, most   of our students are kind, co-operative and nice to be around. Statistics suggest anywhere between 50 to 60% of our students can be bracketed in this way.* And that’s a nice statistic.   Some others that are chucked around include the 5 to 10% of students who are ...

  Back in the Olden Days   - pre internet, mobile phones that were the size of small dogs, no OFSTED (!), no league tables – there were teaching degrees for budding primary school teachers that were four years long. Four years!   Can you imagine that now?   There wasn’t a crisis of recruitment at that time so I guess the profession could take its time and get us properly prepared for the rigours of school. Anyway, there’s a photo of my graduating year from that time and it shows about 80 of us standing looking very pleased with ourselves.   Nine of us are male. Why do I mention this?   Well, the gender imbalance in the teaching profession is, yet again, in the news with some people who are ‘experts’ in the field saying that there needs to be more men in teaching and that it would give male students a role model to look up to so that the pernicious influence of the online misogyny sites will be less impactful. Sounds reasonable, right?   The...