Your impression of teachers generally

higgz

I've applied for audience tickets to RTE's The Frontline. They're having a discussion about teachers on Monday. I don't know whether they'll let me on but being a 6th year student should help.

I have my own views on teachers but what are other people's impressions of teachers and of the teaching profession?

Mine are generally positive but there's always a few useless teachers in every school. How do we deal with that and ensure that the best teachers are in all of our classrooms?

Chuchoter

In my own experience there are an awful lot of slackers in it who hate teaching, hate kids and hate their subject. There is also a lot of absenteeism (at least in my own school). There are obviously others who are lovely and really like their subject and try really hard to make their students like it. I think they needs to be much stricter on who can and can't be teacher.

I had terrible attendance in secondary school as I was terrified of a teacher who bullied me in class. That bad attendance has become a habit and since I didn't get into a secondary school routine when I should have, now that I'm in college and can do as I like, I've never managed to get into a routine myself. It wasn't until about a year after leaving the school that I talked to other girls and it turns out she bullied/intimidated them too. In fact it turns out that a number of people had told tutors about it, but as a formal complaint was never lodged, the school didn't care.

higgz

That's a vibe I'm getting from many people I talk to: It's very hard to discipline a teacher or to get them fired when they're not capable of teaching a class.

Thankfully I've never had such a situation in my own school but it seems like a serious problem in some schools.

btw I will be in the audience for the Frontline

Sunny!!

bunch of feckers all i say:D

EuropeanSon

Teachers are way better in college, I've found. They all have a genuine interest in their subject and aren't just there for the short hours and decent pay.

(not saying all second-level teachers are either, btw, there are many excellent teachers, but many do seem to be)

plein de force

I've found most of my teachers are great and really helpful and they really have a huge interest in the area they teach.
But there are a couple who are useless and really shouldn't be "teaching", but there'll be people in every profession when they shouldn't be there.
I do think like in every other job though, there should be more monitoring so they don't end up being lazy and just read a newspaper for a class like some teachers

gaeilgegrinds1

I'll probably be shot for saying this but I might aswell go for it. I'm a secondary teacher. In school I liked most of my teachers, some were useless though. I was ridiculed by one, I used feel physically sick going into her room and actually used to throw up before tests in that subject. She was a horrible person, I'm aware my teenage self might have irritated her somewhat as we were so different as people but it really made me become the teacher I am.
Regarding absenteeism...it's a huge problem. I also think they should do away with permanent jobs, it means once a person is permanent they often do nothing, zilch. In general most teachers are fantastic. Not all though.

ApeLove

I think it's hard to make a judgement because there are some great teachers and some really are just bloody awful. In my experience, these are the teachers I have problems with and there just seem to be too many of:
(1) Nice person, bad teacher: the kind of person who would be lovely as an SPHE teacher or guidance counsellor or something; friendly, kind, obviously likes kids, but has no idea how to teach. Generally spends half the class chatting away, is easily drawn into conversation by slackers who don't want to learn. Hard to complain about because they're lovely but useless.
(2) Permanant teachers: the ones who have been working in this particular school doing this subject for 15 years, etc. Generally they seem to either hate teenagers and hate the job, and as time passed they have lost any ability to teach the subject but they've been around for so long that they won't be fired for anything. I have a couple like this, one was literally legendary for the horrible things she said for students (ridiculing weight, family members in front of the class was commonplace) and every class was just sitting there, watching her hsnd out detentions. There's another who, when I made steps to complain and be moved from her class, I was told by the principal and vice that over the past five or ten years, there are always several students who attempt to formally complain, to which they are told "Look, she's been teaching here since the school opened, she'll be retiring in the next couple of years so there's no point doing anything about it now.".

TrustedApple

What i get is that must dont give a crap about there job and hate being there and only done it because it a easy job with good money.

When i was in 2nd LV i had 5 english teachers in my 6 years there and only 1 was good and help there students work hard and get a good english mark

My english teacher for 1st and 2nd year made fun of me for haveing dyslexia and all ways 3 out of 10 for my home work no matter how good it was but i wonder did he ever read it becuase one day i got sick of it and handed up your a dick for 2 pages and got 3 out of 10 so he never looked out your homework and just hated me

Then my maths teacher for 5th and 6th year did not have a clue how to do maths she would always get the homework wrong on the board everyday

My woodwork teacher was great for my JC and help you with my work all the time and always done the theory with us. But my LC teacher was so bad you cant but a name on it we done only about 15 classes of theory in the hole 2 years i had him

My Geography teacher i had for 6 years was very good for notes and considering i near whent to her class she always made sure i got the notes and had my work done for her

But i done histroy for the LC and did not have a teacher for a year and 1/2 and the school done noting about it but i still got a A in HL because i had to study hard because i had no idea what to do

But i think only 20 % of teachers i had in 2nd Lv where any good and help you with your work. But many dont give a crap and power gos to there head. When your 18 you dont need to ask to go to the loo really and give out to you for not being in school and wheres your note for not being in

Eg one day i had the worst teacher to give us roll she has a bit.ch i nearly got kicked out of school for not takeing of my coat because it was -2 in the classes room and i came out the bad one in that

karlitob

Its definitely a hard one to answer.

My experience is that I had some ****e teachers. And like everyone some very good ones.

My favourites were the ones who enjoyed the subject and got it across. They were teaching the love of the subjects. The others were just doing it because it was a job.

This happens in a ll walks of life - retail, healthcare, auctioneers everything. Can you sack someone from doing their job but just not really doing it very well - maybe I answered my own question - I guess you can.

On a personal note, my little sis is being bullied and the teacher cannot do anything about it because the principal is weak-willed and the parents of the bully have caused uproar with the teacher - being very aggressive and nasty, threatening to sue etc (one wonders why the child is a bully) - what is she to do?

John Sugrue

Yes, I have had the same experiences regarding some teachers who are not good at their job and others who love it. It's a mystery to me how they manage to get away with it. The aspect of this thread that stands out to me is the amount of people who say they were bullied by individual teachers and I have to say (perhapd in my ignorance) that I find it hard to believe that there are as many bullys in teaching as is being suggested. Im not interested in Christian Brothers and Religious Orders, which are well known to have been rough but which are thankfully no longer the figureheads of the education syatem. Im interested in nowadays. People are very quick to accuse anybody in any profession, not just teaching, of bullying, etc.

true-or-false wrote: »

I had terrible attendance in secondary school as I was terrified of a teacher who bullied me in class.

Hi, could you give a bit more detail regarding the bullying? A teacher who's gives out to a student for poor attendance or not doing homework or not making an effort is not a bully, even if it occurs repeatedly. Repeated infringement will of course result in repeated punishment. I should say that I don't mean to be doubting your motives as you may well have been bullied but I, as a trainee teacher, would love to get a better understanding of what goes on. Thanks.

jumpguy

In fairness, at second level, in my experience, MOST teachers are excellent, and there are a few exceptions as there is with everything. You really know if a teacher is good if they have an excellent knowledge (or even experience) at what they teach and are willing to share it with students, particularly with science subjects. There's nothing better than fully and completely understanding a topic and having your curiousity satisfied - even if it is outside the realms of the syllabus.

Bad teachers, however, can have a pretty huge effect. Teachers can be responsible for 30-40 teenagers and their education. That's a pretty massive knock-on effect if their subject is thought poorly, and you've a load of discouraged students.

I think also students can feel powerless against poor-quality teaching. While students shouldn't be given too much power, they should have the power to call up on poor quality teaching without repercussions.

Teachers have an exceptionally important job imo, and it's crucial they get it right.

Chuchoter

I've come across a few bullies in my time. One I had for 3 subjects up until JC. He routinely had girls crying and terrified to go to his class and only ever picked on the girls he knew were too quiet and polite to say anything to him. He never went after the loud girls who'd match him.

Then there was another teacher I had for languages, who was unquestionably a good teacher but really used to put weaker students down (usually by comparing them to me, which is a really **** situation to be in because it made me look like I was in on the whole thing)

spurious

So, some teachers are good, some are bad, some work hard, some are lazy, some probably listen to Kylie, others don't.

If the OP wants to re-open this, PM me with a reason why.