Vocations?

Many schools are considering cutting staff or reducing their hours thus having a negative impact on the service they should provide.

In a snap survey by the National Association of Head Teachers they found that 66% of those polled said that they will have to make teaching assistants redundant or reduce their hours to meet budget targets. This is at a time when there is a huge influx of asylum seekers and their children which will cause a greater demand for specialist support staff and resources. Tight budgets and reduction in staffing will produce challenges for education delivery and support activities.

All this while teachers press for another pay rise, and threaten strike action, despite a 5% pay rise in September. Teaching, like Nursing, used to be considered as a vocation or calling. The salary was satisfactory but that wasn't seen to be the main reason for entering the profession. Times have changed and so has the public's perception of teachers. Threatening to strike will not help them get sympathy from parents who are already under the kosh financially and will additionally need to make childcare arrangements to cover non-school days organised by these "professionals".

Think about why you are a professional and not some pale imitation of one.

Twithay?