Sir Michael Wilshaw, the head of Ofsted, has come up with the wonderful opinion that teaching isn't stressful. Having met headteachers who were facing the sack if their Ofsted inspection wasn't up to scratch and working in a world where such terms as 'hostile takeovers' and 'vunerability' are now everyday language, I think the chap might be a little mistaken.
What Wilshaw says is, to a point, true as he spoke of the workplace stress that came from trying to find work in the post-war depression years and the struggle to keep food on the table and clothes on their family's back but it is facile to say that the teaching role is not pressurised.
It's just a different pressure!
4 comments:
I know personally and well two teachers whose careers came to an abrupt end when the stress of their daily school lives caused nervous breakdowns.
They are, I am sure, not in a small minority.
Someone hasn't done his homework.
Thanks Vic
I know five former teachers and three former heads. All of these left their chosen profession because of the stress of ofsteds, targets, staff reductions, the demise of teaching and the role of teaching monkeys to pass SATs, GCSEs and the like rather than educate them.
The pressure of meeting targets and the demise of state schooling and the requirements of 'real' teachers due to the academies will only increase the pressure on qualified teachers and will see our education slip further down the scale internationally.
Great post Vic
Thank you for posting this. It is much needed common sense.
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