Four years ago a friend of mine, who I had took up the profession of teaching straight from school, took a decision which disappointed me at the time, but which I understood. He left the profession and took up a new life on the other side of the globe.

This week he returns to the UK, and I can honestly say, I, today, fully understand why he made the decision he made, and in fact am seriously considering following in his foosteps.

This article : http://teacherleaders.typepad.com/the_tempered_radical/2009/12/teacher-retention-the-impossible-dream.html has reinforced my convictions.

I too am

fed up with a profession that openly ignores the changing nature of today’s workforce.

I am fed up seeing the mis-management of some wonderful schools, and the management culture promoted in some others, where the staff are treated as infants, and the students with deference. Gone are the days when I plan a ‘perfect lesson’;  a lesson which will motivate and inspire students, I look at the criteria for a successful lesson, promoted by educational consultants and think “where has all the enjoyment gone”, students should no longer enjoy learning, it is not a criteria in which teachers are measured.

teachers are overwhelmed by a dozen different change initiatives, the quality of their teaching suffers. We spend less time grading papers, less time planning lessons and less time contacting parents because we’re stuck in more and more meetings designed to improve our schools.

So is leaving the answer, well it is a distinct possibility, as an individual voice is no longer heard, and institutions such as the Historical Association warning about the death of History as a school subject are treated with contempt.

As a teacher I feel I have a moral obligation to help the children in my classroom grow toward becoming full human beings and to feel successful. Teaching cognitive skills is not enough…
— Jean Medick

sadly this is all we are allowed to offer.