Why do Teachers complain so much!?

Question

Why on earth do teachers complain so much? They whinge and whine about their "hours", their "responsibilities" their pupils, the pupil's parents, the work environment. Yet they work a third of a year less then all other workers. They also earn in excess of £30,000 after only a few years as juniors: money, remember, for working only 2/3rds of the year and when they also have subsidised housing, mortgages, pensions, insurance, school meals.Whilst, most shameful of all, being at what they laughably call “the chalkface" yet being directly responsible for 50% of school leavers being functionally illiterate.

They also have “professional” pay and absurdly good holidays when they have put very little effort into initial training. Most only just scrape through fourth class degree courses in Teacher Training colleges that aren't even universities.l am sick of their whining and comparing themselves to responsible and serious full timers like Police Officers and nurses. Accept responsibility.

Odd thing about some teachers: make a little mild criticism; little more than observations about their apparently abiding sense of martyrdom - despite the self evident benefits of their employment; and they all fall out of their prams in fits of righteous indignation!

I was curious as to why such self importance thrives in their community and being British, simply exercised my right, in our great democratic country, (now, I hope, we have returned to democratic normality after the Blair aberration), to put forward a point of view.

Perhaps what I find even more surprising, though, in the light of recent global events, I should, I suppose, know better, is why the Yanks always believe everything, including British teacher’s working conditions, concerns them! I was clearly addressing the British issue.

I am grateful for the interest and reactions to my comments and would like to clarify that I do have a great regard for the teaching profession especially where it is pursued as a vocatio

Answer 1

I think the answer to this question can be found in Jonh's answer to a question about finding a good dentist. He wrote:

I am sorry to say there is no such thing as a "good dentist" in Britain. This to my bitter experience growing up in the 60s and 70s to recent times in this country. British Dentist are leeches on society.: little better than licensed thieves.

Think about it what do they do? They drill, fill and remove teeth. They’re not professionals they are technicians and butchers and they charge royally for their work. Some time ago they wanted to call themselves “Doctors” and there was uproar especially from real Doctors who have to be genuinely intelligent, study ten times as much and be far more transparent and moral in dealing with the public. Dentists are such charlatans they don’t even study to doctorate level – it’s like plumbers and telephone repair men calling themselves “engineers” (but that’s another bugbear)

Our dentists earn c. £150,000 a year minimum and all they have ever done is butcher our mouths.

I remember in the 70s and later how they would "test" for decay by using a sharp pin which of course made holes in the surface and ensured decay for the next visit.

In Scotland and Northern England they would encourage everyone to have dentures by the age of 21.

Now that the crooks have ruined our national teeth don't give them any more money. DO what a lot of Brits do and travel the short hop to Poland or Hungary where the Dentists have to be of the highest standard to get into college in the first place and have to be close to the level of surgeons instead of the dead beat, crooked, sorry mob we have over here. "

Me thinks John does not make a lot of money and he only wishes everyone made less. Note: the 'me thinks' was intentional---oh and what are "school leavers"?

Answer 2

Mate i agree with you to an extent and I'm a teacher!
Firstly teachers do whinge and whine far to much let get that out of the way. We don't earn in excess of 30.000 after only a few years I've been in it for 6 years and am still below that. I don't have subsidised housing, mortgage, insurance or school meals. Yeah i do have a pension but i can think of far better ways to raise capital than stick it in a sh*t government pension! As for being responsible for illiterate children, that is a very complex issue. If you want to blame anyone blame the government. Who do you think for the last ten years has been telling the teachers what to teach?

Yeah the holidays are good but so what if your that jealous come and be a teacher than you can have them too!

Going back to your main point on whinging. I'm going to be very controversial now and say that this is down to the vast majority of the profession being women. There I've said it! It is a frustrating profession and there is a lot to moan about regarding trusting teachers to be professional and do their jobs. The profession is forever being messed around with by the government to the point where you don't know if your coming or going. But and it is a big BUT! If the women in the profession had stood up for themselves in the first place and not allowed themselves to trampled on by the government then the profession wouldn't be in this mess and they wouldn't have anything to moan about. I've never seen so much paper work and so many people willing to do it then moan about having to do it. It makes no sense.

Answer 3

It is interesting that you choose to ask a question about how much teachers complain—then continue with a list of complaints. After you receive responses to your arrogant diatribe, you again start to complain. When people of other nations respond to your harangue, you complain AGAIN.

I have met many people like you. My answer to your complaint[s] is… if teaching is so easy, and has so many benefits, why don’t you try it for a week? Or even a day?

I would be interested to see how you feel after shouldering the awesome responsibility of being a teacher. [Yes, awesome. You can be sarcastic about it all you want, but the reality of the situation is that teachers mold and shape our future. Now more than ever, parents are relinquishing many of their duties as well as most of the responsibility for the consequences of their poor parenting skills and lack of effort.]

I find it LAUGHABLE that you [an adult?] have the audacity to state that teachers are “directly responsible for 50% of school leavers being functionally illiterate.” I am sorry…did you forget that everyone is responsible for their own life and their own behaviors? Did you forget that these students have families and parents? [usually] Yet, according to YOU, ALL responsibility belongs to the teacher.

If a child can not read after the 3rd grade, I ask you—do the parents take the time to read to them? If they can not remember their multiplications, have the parents regularly quizzed them? The answer is NO [99% of the time].

Society also plays a part in this. People complain [to the school] about students causing trouble after school—but they are unwilling to pay taxes that fund the programs to keep kids in mentoring programs or after school tutoring.

If you want better schools, get off your A** and STOP complaining, take some responsibility for your own actions and failures. Learn to treat people with common courtesy and respect [something you, my friend, are seriously lacking] without debating about whether they have “earned” it or not.

And for God’s sake, give people a break—until you have lived in their shoes.

Answer 4

Well I'm a teacher, and i don't complain about my students. Beacuse i don't know how their lives are and it's none of my bussines to talk about my students/famlies to other people. I work with a lady who does not shut up. She tells me about her belly being full of gas to the student who can't put a sentence together. I've heard teachers call their students stupid and to be that's not professional at all. The ones who complain about everything are not professional and have no life so they have to but into other people's lives and talk about them. I don't talk to anyone at work about anything, it's the whole gossip at work, which can cause alot of problems. And i respect my students. Anyways ESL has made it much easier fro teachers now, because they want (student centered learning), so all the teacher has to do is walk around and tell the students to figure it out... and i hate that, so stick the ss in pairs and do this, (hmmm the ss think ok, you don't know english and i don't know english, how's that work). i like the the teacher centered learning, However i don't do it all the time, i have the SS figure things on their own, because when you learn something by yourself it makes alot more sense and if someone doesn't understand something i point them to it, i don't really give them the answers all the time. But teaching zaps your mental energy..

Answer 5

As a teacher, you put up with verbal abuse, some times physical abuse, mental abuse, overworking because they want the best for the kids in their class, underappreciated by people like you, and knocked down again and again and keep getting back up to face it all the next day. Sometimes you want to quit because its too hard, but then you think of those kids and that you don't want someone coming behind that is going to just let them go without learning. I agree that there are a great many number of teachers who do not care and, thus, should not be teachers. Police officers, nurses, doctors, and firemen are all magnificent people who give up a lot for their professions, but so do teachers. They are responsible for your future. You know the things you do today because of a teacher. The books you get information from came from a person who learned from teachers. Open your eyes, maybe shadow a teacher for a day. Figure out that its not such a cushy job.

Answer 6

I'm a teacher and i LOVE my job!! Yes, we have LOADS of holidays (although i DO spend most of them marking, planning and organising for the next term). Also, we can't just drag our kids out of school for two weeks to save a couple of quid on a cheap holiday abroad. I'll earn in excess of £30,000 in about 12 years after I've been assessed twice and approved by my head. My insurance isn't subsidised, neither is my mortgage or pension. What teachers are you talking about? Private or State?
I spent four years (3 year degree and 1 year PGCE) studying and am still paying my student loan back, and I got a respectable 2:1.
Also, I am paid to teach yet everyday that I'm looking after 32 children, I also become their guardian, role model, nurse and sadly in some cases, social worker.

I'm sorry that your school time was obviously so bad, but the reason teachers whine and complain is because at the back of our minds we know there are loads of ungrateful parents walking around thinking they could do the job better, when their children desperately need THEIR attention too, not just ours.

Answer 7

The person who posed this question is either playing devil’s advocate or is fantastically ignorant. It is common knowledge that in the UK teaching is a degree-only profession and that the post-graduate teaching qualification is hard to achieve. Very few teachers earn as much as trades people and, as others have noted, the holidays are long but barely make up for working most evenings and weekends. Pay is reasonable if you live in a modest part of the country but very few teachers could even begin to afford to buy a house in one of the larger cities. Constant abuse from kids and frequently also parents is also a highlight of the week. Hopefully this questioner is just having a laugh in order to produce outraged answers – if he is serious then perhaps he should be pitied rather than entertained.

Answer 8

Wow that's quite a chip on your shoulder. Where have you heard these teachers whining? I've been teaching for seven years and still don't earn £30,000. I have no subsidised housing, mortgage, pension or insurance. I love the long holidays, but would point out that although workers in other professions do have far less holidays, they can choose to have them when they want and don't have to pay the highest prices to go on holiday.

As for your point about very little training, teachers in the UK all need to have either a degree and a post graduate qualification, or a degree in eduction. I now work as a senior mentor in my school, training student teachers during their assessed teaching practises and I can assure you that training is rigorous and intensive. No one who had 'scrapped a fourth class degree' would secure a place on a post graduate training course.

Please don't confuse this with whining, I'm simply trying to add some balance to your 'argument.'

Answer 9

I agree wholeheartedly, and in fact had a similar conversation with my son who is going into year 11. I think anyone wishing to become a teacher should take a year long work placement in industry/commerce to experience real life... I dont doubt that teachers do work in their 'own' time, but often teachers are leaving the school at the same time as pupils, ie 2 hours earlier than someone leaving a full time job elsewhere. The long holidays, school meals and any member of the teachers unions will be aware of the advantageous loans and mortgages services available.

What has amused me most about my fellow answerers, is that clearly teachers in the US are thick!! If they cant pick out that the salary quoted is in GBP (thats a short version of GB Pounds for those US readers) then may I ask you see me after class to brush up on your reading and scanning skills before answering a question! Its the lack of reading carefully that loses you vital exam marks!

Answer 10

You have NO idea what you're talking about. My "hours," as you clearly underestimate, are indeed very long. This week alone, I have put in at least 10 hours each day. This is in addition to the work I do at home. Yes, I get holidays off, but who doesn't? Perhaps you are thinking of all the days schools are closed. Most of the times school is closed for students, teachers must still report. Holidays are the exception. I get 2 months off in the summer. During this time I work a part time job to supplement my low income (who knows where you got your info about teachers receiving lavish incomes?), and continue my education (on my own dime!). By my calculations 2 months off during the year is working 5/6 of the year. This is over twice as much as the 2/3 you assume teachers work. Working only 2/3 of the year would mean we have 4 months off. Perhaps you need to go back to school to learn some math skills. And I don't know what you're talking about in regards to subsidized finances. I pay the same amount as everyone else for housing, pensions, insurance, meals, etc. And in the US 50% of students do not leave school functually illiterate. I think you also need to return to school to learn some research skills as well. Your facts are clearly skewed. Check out the American Federation of Teachers for some accurate figures. What angers me the most is your comment about our lack of training. We put in at least 4 years for an undergraduate degree and a year of interning with certified teachers. How many professions require you do do an internship? Not many, and those that do are considered to be very important and high paying...except for teachers. After completing your undergrate degree, finishing your internship, and passing a series of certification exams, most districts require you to obtain a masters degree.

With all of this said, you need to accept YOUR RESPONSIBILITY for your ignorance into the actual lives, roles, and efforts of teachers. It is clearly evident that you lack the ability to make a valid argument based on truthful evidence.