The Secret Teacher

KaiserLu

I know I’m not the only one who’s read this...

https://www.google.ie/amp/s/www.irishtimes.com/news/education/the-secret-teacher-meet-ireland-s-biggest-dosser-1.3611385%3fmode=amp

Nail on the head for me. Sick and tired of flogging myself while certain others do diddly squat and end up with an AP1!!

happywithlife

oh ffs
another very thinly (and poorly!) veiled anti-teacher bash
would we expect anything less from our mainstream media?
not particularly the inspiring article I want or need to read at the start of the teaching week - especially on a day where our school has had ructions yet again by the same very minor cohert of students who know all their "rights" but none of their responsibilities and whose disruption is causing far more harm to the 20 odd other students in the classroom than "Mary next door who is a teacher but doesn't teach" ....

r93kaey5p2izun

I seriously doubt the authenticity of this column. None of articles ring true for me, unlike the ones in the Guardian. They all read like they were written by someone who hasn't been in a school in any capacity in the last 15 years.

amacca

Writer seems somewhat hysterical ....It could be a teacher, just one you wouldnt want to spend a hell of a lot of time around.....the previous article about the 79 successive days wasn't too bad....although if you just read the headline it would just stir up anti teacher sentiment.....

I think this persons role (be it a teacher or not) is simply to stir **** because after all who wants to read the truth or a well rounded balanced piece with nuance in it these days...who is going to click on that?

I mean imagine if you did try to solve this problem which occurs in every workplace imo and root out what in my experience has been the very very small percentage of colleagues that acted this way ...the box ticking and level of scrutiny would become so onerous less and less people would a) choose the career and b) bother to remain in it i.e.: UK

Then you would have to either start paying people more (much much more to attract the type of candidate you want - willing to put up with the nonsense and still deliver a quality product as they could get paid more for doing less elsewhere imo if the terms conditions continue to deteriorate) or accept the fact that the whataboutery will inevitably lead to an education system with an average career length of about 5-6 years for a significant proportion of teachers...massive staff turnover and the job seen as a stepping stone at best or even shorter term/temporary/transient role that only those are stuck doing it would stay at because they couldn't get anything better


Then the "secret teacher" would be writing articles about jimmy who was lovely and on top of his game but unfortunately left after 3 months because he got something better and thats the third one this year.....why oh why...woe is me.

evolving_doors

Chad Incalculable Driver wrote: »

I seriously doubt the authenticity of this column. None of articles ring true for me, unlike the ones in the Guardian. They all read like they were written by someone who hasn't been in a school in any capacity in the last 15 years.

My thoughts exactly... it's either a loose attempt to copy the Guardian with the smidgen of the secret RTE producer to spill the beans... or else just one very bitter teacher who's looking for some credit for the work they do (wrong profession for that :pac:)

Actually a few times I thought there were extracts which were 'influenced' by conversations on here. Like the giving out about the teacher who was out often for some reason that the OP didn't believe.

Few other parts I don't think a teacher would say..

Nor is there any point in raising the subject with Mary, as everyone knows she has her union on speed dial, and won’t be long finding a fundamental maternal or human right that has been violated.

Are they aware of a time whereby this teacher has used the union because they were refused personal leave of some sort to deal with a family issue. They use the word 'maternal' as a put down as if it's not a good enough 'excuse' to have a sick child... of course the writer knows whether the child is sick or not:rolleyes:.

also this:

The dossers have contributed hugely to how perceptions of teachers have changed over the years.

Yet again re-enforcing the 'what about all the bad teacher joe' position.
I don't really think the common perception is that teachers are swinging the lead more than ever.

Then there's the next re-enforcement of the typical teacher basher..

‘Untouchable’
Collusion contributes massively to the silent scandal that is the dosser teachers. Job security creates an “untouchable” aura around an individual. Power, when wielded just the right way, prevents others from wanting to “take you on”.

Next we have the painting of the whole profession of teachers ..

And that’s where those who give grinds are on a real winner. Last week, in schools the length and breadth of the country, classroom teachers took the credit for marks to which a grinds teacher had contributed far more significantly. Saying nothing always amounts to collusion, even if it is, unfortunately, often the most sensible course of action.

Notice how they don't qualify it with 'SOME' classroom teachers. Hence they are talking about ALL classroom teachers. I think we can see from this slip-up what's the motives behind the article. One second it's about Lazy mary next door, the next they've conflated it with all teachers. Arguing from the particular to the general... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallacy_of_composition
They're loosing grades for the genuineness of this article by the minute in my books.

Next is the term NO teacher uses of their own profession- 'a job for life'- especially those starting out. To us it's just called a job.
Does this sound like a real teacher:

The holy grail for any young adult is securing a good job with long-term prospects. In our profession this is known as a CID, contract of indefinite duration (ie a job for life).

NExt there's the bashing of those who don't take on Extra Curricular, but then the writer tries to redeem themselves form their bitterness by saying :

Teachers are generally courteous and professional to each other despite huge variations in how they perceive their role and conduct themselves.

I wouldn't blame anyone for relinquishing Extra Curricular.. usually when a full time post comes in is the same time that young family time kicks in for a lot of people (30's-40's). But actually I've never really known anyone with young families to cut back on the extra curricular in my school... no matter how tough things are at home they'll be on that bus or giving up their lunch times or after schools.

Who hasn't had to dash up to the photocopier or the staff room from time to time between classes? The writer of this article appears to give the impression that they themselves end classes at 10am and commence the next class at 1 second past 10am, they're so brilliant:rolleyes:

Who hasn't had to look after a kid at some stage. Actually I had to leave 1 hour before a parent teacher meeting as my kid was seriously ill in school (had to go to hospital!). Maybe the secret teacher is on our staff :P We should all place our certs and doctors phone numbers to allay the secret teacher's concerns.

I could go on, but it just seems so bitter they really need to just get over it and on with it.

evolving_doors

happywithlife wrote: »

oh ffs
another very thinly (and poorly!) veiled anti-teacher bash
would we expect anything less from our mainstream media?
not particularly the inspiring article I want or need to read at the start of the teaching week - especially on a day where our school has had ructions yet again by the same very minor cohert of students who know all their "rights" but none of their responsibilities and whose disruption is causing far more harm to the 20 odd other students in the classroom than "Mary next door who is a teacher but doesn't teach" ....

Actually the timing is very curious!

It was published Tuesday sept 4th.

So that would mean this SECRET TEACHER

has written it over the summer, which is a bit weird for any teacher to be fretting over, most of the teachers I know don't really go off on a rant like this over the summer, so much so they'd be putting pen to paper/finger to email!.
Or else they've just written it the first day back and emailed it into the IT... FFS the first day back.. they'll be a nervous wreck by Mid-Term.

Or else the editor had it in their filing cabinet for over 4 months just waiting for a good old teacher bash.

Is there a union action on the cards or something?

Sprinter Sacre

No way this is a real teacher. She refers to the students as "children" which is the cherry on top. Now that might get a pass with some primary teachers but seeing as this is clearly a secondary school teacher I find it extremely unlikely that they would refer to them as children, especially in today's day where everything has to be referred to by its proper title. This person's grammar and way of writing is absolutely atrocious as well and I'd be shocked to find this person is supposed to be educating people the way the write and put across their ideas and views.

spurious

It was the taking credit for the students' results that convinced me. I have never EVER heard a teacher take credit for exam results. You can try your best with them, but at the end of the day, the students gets their own result. Maybe those outside the job think we all swig champers and gin the days of the results in a self-congratulatory haze.

'Has her union on speed dial'.
I have never heard anyone refer to the union as anything other than the union.

All a bit rum.
Summer holidays Joe/Home by 3/golden pension/repeat ad nauseum.

Noveight

I previously thought those articles were the work of a wind-up merchant.

The latest headline has me thinking I'm correct.

‘If children are the future, then it isn’t all that bright’

6am7f9zxrsjvnb

Noveight wrote: »

I previously thought those articles were the work of a wind-up merchant.

The latest headline has me thinking I'm correct.

‘If children are the future, then it isn’t all that bright’

Just read that article...the fact that The Times are publishing such incoherent rambling is disturbing .

evolving_doors

Arianna Gorgeous Dress wrote: »

Just read that article...the fact that The Times are publishing such incoherent rambling is disturbing .

This 'teacher' needs to grow up a bit and take a break from the hyperbola.
Last article they were out baying for blood against the teachers (on the 4th of Sept!!:rolleyes:)

Now they've set their sights on the kids who just received their Junior Cert results. Stinks.... just the same as the article about the % of students failing maths on the day of the L.Cert results.

Stay classy 'secret teacher'/journalist.

happywithlife

absolute tripe. I seriously doubt they are a teacher but on the off chance they are with that stinking attitude I pity their students. It's a terribly demeaning & stereotypical rant at the younger people. I know I posted in the other thread re students complete lack of self awareness but the way this article is written suggests a young millennial out of her depth perhaps

Mardy Bum

Pure fiction.