Let's talk about Teachers!

Retired primary teacher here; started off teaching top infants (yr 2) and finished my career teaching yr 6. My specialism was music and was music co-ordinator for a few years. I have taught in Singapore and Australia. Joined Gransnet having read about it in a newspaper, and just thought it would be an interesting group to join.

Yes - another one here - I clocked up 35 years altogether. Started by teaching in a junior dept but at one school the head asked if I would help him out and teach an infant class - I agreed and absolutely loved it! For a good number of years I taught reception and so enjoyed that. I went on a course once where an inspector said - for a young child there are only two times - now and not now. How true that is.
It was wonderful when a struggling child suddenly could read. I always felt that the greatest gift you could give a child was the ability to read - it opens so many doors.
I retired a bit early when all the form filling and other administration work was meaning I had insufficient time to spend organising things for the children to do etc.
I enjoyed the time spent with the children and never had the desire to sit in an office for most of the day. Someone mentioned classes getting to 40 - I remember having a reception class of 42 and no teaching assistant etc.
After I retired I had a spell doing other things and then went back to supply teaching which showed me I had made the right choice of career all those years ago.

I'm still a teacher. I love it, other than in the UK and during Covid.

The only people who might find this kind of thread ‘elitist’ are those who feel insecure in themselves. I think it’s a really interesting thread.

I was a Social Worker, a Counsellor (trained in the mid 70s before most people knew what a counsellor was), a Teacher (PSHE and English for Speakers of other Languages) and I currently run a homelessness charity.

I have also home-schooled one of my children, been a foster carer and provided lodgings for waifs and strays (and many others besides).

The reason I came on GN in the first place was because it started up at a difficult time in my life. I had been supporting my widowed daughter and her baby (he's 11 today) and I saw the add for GN and just thought it would be nice to have a place to 'be' where there were no expectations placed on me. I still don't belong to any other forums and enjoy dipping into GN whenever my health and work allow me.

Yet another retired teacher. I started my training in 1972 and retired in 2012, one year early. I rose up the ranks to deputy and then assistant headteacher. I taught in primary schools, all year groups. My main subject was science, so I was always being asked to swap everyone else’s music/ RE/ PE/ art etc if I would just teach their class science, I could have been like a secondary teacher, just teaching one subject had I accepted all of the invitations. For my last 12 years I migrated to the independent sector, in the hope of getting away from the totally unnecessary paperwork, it worked for a while, but then it spread to independent schools as well, so I left!

Another one here - mainly reception. I left when the class size hit 40! I still enjoy hearing the children in the playground (I live near the school) and knowing I'm not on playground duty. That never gets old!

Another retired teacher here. I taught French and RS and became Head of MFL.
I now volunteer for Citizens Advice which I like to think helps me to be non-judgmental, very useful at the moment. It also means I am interested in people’s problems and like to look for solutions.

I taught Modern Languages in a variety of schools, grammar, sec .mod comprehensive, always state sector. After a longish stint as Head of a large department moved to a pastoral role, Head of Year and then did careers on the way to retirement. Also did some exam marking, really to find out how they did it, and on retirement did supply and invigilation, school and university.

I wasn’t a teacher, but both my parents were, plus my aunt, uncle, cousin, cousin’s wife, and both my DDs.
Tea-time conversations were mainly focussed on the NUT, the iniquities of the Tory government, the horrors of Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Schools, and Sir Edward Boyle who was Minister of State for Education at the time.

Having to attend the elementary school where both my parents taught scarred me for life

I was a university teacher/lecturer (English Language). Does that count? My brother was a professor of pharmacology. Both my parents taught French, my maternal grandfather was a headmaster - we are quite a teacherish family! None of the younger generation are teachers, though. I wonder what that signifies?

I’m on here because I have a lot of time on my hands, and I like talking and exchanging opinions.

I have some teachers in the family. My daughter teaches Business studies/Economics. Her OH teaches Chemistry/Physics as did my sister.
I was a school librarian for a time and I take my hat off to all teachers. I didn't last long and returned to being a branch librarian. Children are very hard work and demanding!

Thank you Lucas. I do feel it is necessary. Some students have become anxious and depressed since this all started and a lot feel stressed and upset at what they are missing , as well as worrying about their families becoming ill. Socialisation and peer reassurance is very important to adolescents and at the moment and it’s not happening for them so they are struggling.

Not a teacher but do have 5 children - does that count?

Two of our children are teachers- both of English - although DD1 became a Senco and now works for the virtual school.

PS my sister and two nieces are teachers

Never been a teacher but opened the thread out of interest because I have noticed that the majority of gransnetters are, or have been, teachers.
I had an early career in law , then admin in coroners office, full time mother for a good while, then PA to the MD of a large company and finally semi retired with our own holiday lets.
None of my children became teachers but all have successful careers.
All of our successes are largely due to good teachers. So ? for teachers.

I’m a retired primary school teacher. Taught for over 40 years with a few years off when having a family. Loved it. Miss the children and staff but not the paperwork, reports or lesson observations.

Trained 1975-1978 at Teacher Training College, got a BEd 3-9 years olds but have taught up to 11 yr olds in Cornwall and Dorset. Loved teaching until 2006 when a bullying Head and Deputy forced me to resign. Could not trust SLT anymore so, in 2007, went on Supply and regained my confidence. Last taught on March 20th 2020 so not sure I will go back now ( have grandparent duties ) despite absolutely loving Supply. Husband was a teacher too but our 3 daughters steered well clear !!!

And - do you have a theory as to why there are so many of us on here?

Interesting question because there seems also to be disproportionately high number of retired teachers and lecturers involved in running U3A groups too, perhaps because they are good at organising others and speaking in public.

No, I refused to go into teaching although it was what my DM wanted me to do and, interestingly, my DD are teachers although they qualified some time after university and after having other careers.

I was a teachers assistant on a voluntary basis with special needs children for 10 years.
I loved every minute of those days.
And a very good friend of mine won teacher of the year award.
I was so proud of him.
I think there are alot of teachers on here as they are always looking to learn and teach us with their wisdom even when retired.
Thank you .

Not a teacher, didn’t enjoy schooldays at all. I loved being a student a few years later.

As a software developer I have done some teaching, either in a classroom setting or one-to-one, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Knowledge transfer and seeing people gain in confidence gave great job satisfaction. It wasn’t a major part of my work though, that was mostly designing, developing, documenting and testing.

Retired 2 years early as had enough of reforms, Ofsted and constant changes for which I could not see any reason, along with ever increasing workload- encroaching on family time.
I was a Primary school teaching Deputy Head, Senco, and English lead. Qualified as a teacher in 1980 and taught across the age range from nursery to Y6- never felt the need to become a HT - enjoyed/needed the contact with the children although did have 2 afternoons out of the classroom for admin!
Was enjoying retirement very much, took a while to adjust from a busy working life thoughtfelt guilty initially but soon settled into the new groove. Then along came 2020...nuff said!

Oh the admin....and the edicts “this is the only acceptable way to teach”. Three years later “ no this is the only way to teach”
Ofsted inspections, threshold applications, NC levels........?

I was the child of a teacher. Perish the thought, I always said!
I did dabble a bit in teaching, loved every minute, but life had too many other exciting jobs to try.

FannyCornforth
Please don’t remove it. I was thinking of starting a similar thread as I had noticed a lot of retired teachers on that thread too!
I’m a retired Further Education lecturer and loved the teaching but not the increased workload of admin which came about from not replacing admin staff when they left, in a cost cutting exercise.
BBevan ?