Interesting thought

gaeilgegrinds1

Ok so I've done both ends of the spectrum. Taught in what is supposedly the roughest school in the west and a grind school. Which was easier? Hard to say. Had to posed to me today by a non-teacher that surely I should have received better pay for the tougher school as they do in England. But those years I mad over 300 a week on grinds, never brought a book home and weekends were most certainly my own. As for the grind school, never left before 7. We were a much tighter staff when things were tough, still in touch with most of them there. Grind school felt lonely. What do ye think? Which have ye found easier and how should money work out?

sitstill

I work in a "tough" school in Inner city Dublin - when I tell people where I work, the reaction is always "Oh my God, that must be awful". But it's not. I don't think I deserve extra money for working there. Schemes like that in the UK are a part of a bigger problem there regarding teacher recruitment. However, teachers who work in Central London do receive a payment in recognition of their higher living costs, that I think could be helpful.

TheDriver

very interesting and its nice that a non teacher didn't grill you immensely about overpaid teachers etc! I must say grinds are heartless, money driven episodes where productivity in a holisticless environment is the order of the day. As much as trouble makers are tough work, it can have its pleasures and fun and getting a d in ord level JC can have a much bigger smile than someone only getting an a2 in higher level.

gaeilgegrinds1

Maybe it's cos I'm such a people person that I felt more wanted & needed, poor reflection on myself perhaps, in the, 'tough,' school. Little things I did were appreciated. As for the staff, when I had my baby a few months back I was bombarded by texts and 4 of the girls came to the house within the first week with really thoughtful presents, stuff nobody thinks of! Nobody in the private school even knows or cares I'd say! School I am in now is fairly tough and for all their misgivings I'd manys a 5th year lad offer to carry bags for me, all hold doors etc. Not that I expect that but it happened. It's funny how people assume private or really high-end work is what we al strive for. In the end, it won't neccesarily make us happy. What ar other peoples' experiences? Sorry, I know it is is such a fluffy thread but it's nice sometimes to just bounce experiences off.

TheDriver

not fluffy thread at all, beats the usual stuff here. Congrats on the Baby by the way!!!
ONe thing is tougher lads will always volunteer to help you for crappy work such as moving desks etc. Maybe its the doss but they are always willing and able

gaeilgegrinds1

I suspect my lads would paint the room ten times over sometimes rather than read their Irish prós! Hey making and having the baby was easy, now juggling baby, fulltime job, his mother, my mother, himself and managing myself might not be quite so easy!!! But thanks.

byhookorbycrook

What makes a "tough" school?I taught in a number of "disadvantaged" schools and found some of them easier than those in supposedly "better" area.

gaeilgegrinds1

I've never experienced that but obviously you have. I suppose where I was was, 'tough,' as most of the students were from extremely disadvantaged backgrounds. We had little or no support from home, if anything, mostly more hassle when we contacted them. However, I found some of the most genuine students there, genuinely troublesome most of the time.
I have never thought that a, 'tough,' school would be in an affluent area as I've never experienced that but I'm sure if you say they are there, they must be. What would make them, 'tough,' though?

spurious

A great deal depends on the discipline structure and supports in the school. I visit schools all over the country delivering inservice and some of the carry on and language used to and about teachers that I have seen in 'prestigious' schools would have them out the door in our place. We have a very strict policy that no one inside the doors of our school will be treated with disrespect.

So, any bad or disrespectful language towards staff from students or parents and they are asked to leave; any violence, threatened or actual and we call the police. We have had parents in the past who were not allowed in the building because of previous actions. It's made clear to the students that 'we' are not the reason their parent has to leave work to come to the school, 'they' are.

This is not to say we don't have problems, we occasionally have some children who have what can only be described as untreated psychiatric issues. They are way beyond any level of help we can offer them in the school and the state of adolescent psychiatric care in this country means it can be years before they get proper help. Meanwhile, we have to deal with them in a room of 20+.

At the same time, we are able to have a number of 'out' gay students and teachers without it being a big deal, we have a fairly tight anti-bullying set-up and we seem to deal with 'difference' fairly easily. It's a difficult enough place to work in terms of emotional stress and the days are long, but I wouldn't swap it for anything. I could choose to teach the 'other end of the spectrum' within the school, but I like my boys and girls, there is a certain honesty about them and there is very little surpasses the feeling I get when seeing a child who came to us illiterate at 12, pass a Junior Cert. exam.

We STILL have children doing Junior Cert. who are the first person in their whole family to do a State examination. I was surprised by this 25 years ago and yet here we still are. The level playing field, eh?

gaeilgegrinds1

Spurious that rule sounds fantastic. I mean it goes without saying that respect should be a given but it is not in our place. Some of my students are let get away with horrendous behaviour. Regarding being the first doing the JC, many of mine are and never ceases to amaze me, tis unreal really! That said, despite the bad behaviour, I am starting to miss teaching...is that weird?!!