Evening all - your comments are appreciated! I'll try to answer / justify where I can.
At times, my salary seemed to be courtesy of Dick Turpin.....at some other times, no price could have justified it. Anyone here who has employed people knows what a nightmare staff can be.....in the form of absence or improper behaviour.
In the majority of cases, your work doesn't get done, you lose some money, the customer isn't happy but the wound usually can be healed. In my situation, I could have 5 staff absent on a Monday morning. The classes of kids would of course show up - they can't be put on hold! That meant cover for 6 periods per day, per class. It was my duty to them to give them at least, some relevant education. In the majority of cases, the kids would have behaved better if a supply teacher hadn't been there......!
If the teacher wasn't in on Monday you could bet your bottom dollar you wouldn't see them that week.
Fancy a crack at that?
Any of the many toe rags about would be sent to me - like it or not. They could not be refused by someone who valued his staff. OK, they may not have the classroom skills but they sure were better than me at their own subject.
Fancy a crack at that?
As for being academically challenging, that doesn't really hold water - although a treat to me was to teach O level and A level electronics. Does an air traffic controller need to be an academic or just a thoroughly responsible and well trained person?
In a school of 2200 pupils and gawd knows how many staff, there were only 4 faculty heads. A higher rank would have been a deputy head - same salary but no contact with the kids which would not have suited me. I didn't particularly choose it - rather OFSTED chose me.
At the end of the day you know, a situation decides on the importance of the individual. If your bog is blocked, the most important person in the world is the plumber or drainage specialist!
Regards
John
