The nasty side to teaching

Yep, people over 40 in my school do not apply for posts because they won't get them - these are competent experienced people that the workload falls back on when the **** hits the fan because they know what to do. Teachers out of college 2-3 years are getting the posts and while they are perfectly entitled to apply for them, none of them stop for one second to consider why teachers with huge amounts of experience are not getting the jobs and are also not applying. Another post interview a couple of years back in my school, a teacher came out of it and having had a chat with them they told me how hard the questions were, that they didn't understand some of them and said 'i don't know' to multiple questions. The person still got the A post ahead of highly experienced, competent teachers. It's an absolute farce.

So you haven't actually done any interviewing in this sector which is what you were trying to imply in your earlier posts? Then you have no idea what you are talking about and have no business lecturing teachers about transparency in post interviews when you haven't the first clue about how the system works.

Withdrawal of normal support for teacher (senior postholder), so that person will leave. In 5th Class, acknowledged by many to be the most crucial year of the Primary Cycle. A few children permitted to disrupt the class for the entire year. "I'm not takin off me coat do ya want me to freeze to death? Anyway it's a Michael Wotsit. It'd be robbed out on the corridor." Response of Principal? I wouldn't go there with that mother if I were you!!. Serious breach of Health and Safety eg attempting to send the teacher out alone with twenty pupils to a local venue, several crossings, busy road, behavioral issues in the group! That's only a tiny fraction of the outrageous incidents. An absolute circus of a year! The problem is the uncertainty about who is in charge. How are these abuses permitted?

So true Treppen & because newly appointed Ps have spent so little time in the classroom they see themselves as ‘managers’ not teachers. And don’t get me started on VPs not teaching their required hours, so all the ‘managers’ sit in their offices. Then have minimum staff meetings & lump everyone into ‘school planning’ groups for CP hours…the actual ‘managers’ have very little to do

I think its sad how quickly it has been adopted and how detrimental it is to collegiality etc

I have to laugh quietly to myself whenever I hear the whole "community of learners" type tropes trotted out....most of what I see and hear is very much at odds with the idea of a community.....its every man, woman and child for his or herself or indeed whatever gender you are having yourself as far as I can see.

I think it will prove to be quite damaging long term but only time will tell I suppose.

Ah, we haven't had a staff meeting since September and I know there was 1 A post holder meeting in late September early October about a specific issue, but there hasn't been any since. The stuff that goes on in my school (or doesn't go on depending on what way you look at it ) is mental.

🤣🤣 Oh god yes, a total legend.

Yes it's definitely a thing. No staff meetings, just CPD and a few announcements.

Consultation is gone out the window, other than a survey that's already pre-determined , maybe they were too heated and personal in the past, but still... It's nice to be consulted and have a chat.

Didn't the union's sign the Croke park agreement on behalf of their members?

Theyve kinda been told to vary post duties to broaden our skillset and in theory any post should be capable of being done by any staff member .On the ground of course thats not what happens .

The same sh1t has been going on for years and unfortunately will not change any time soon. Younger teachers,for the most part have no interest in joining their union…..but will take on positions that may further their careers!

As regards changing the Posts around it has been 'a recommendation ' for a number of years now to do this.Some Principals adhere to it,some do not.

Have you noticed when Principals return from an ETB principals meeting or a JMB meeting that 'new' ideas of how to keep the teacher busy are thrown out at meetings. ETB principals have it easy and try to make their positions 'important' by having countless,useless meetings. Voluntary Secondary school principals have a more difficult job.

Has anyone noticed that the most important teacher in any school is the class teacher……if that person is absent there is generally chaos in trying to get a sub whereas if a principal is missing,no one notices and the school day runs smoothly!

Gun to their heads at the time. Sign this or we cut your pay.

I'd be critical of unions as to how slow they are in moving to remove the hours now the agreements have expired (Croke Park & Haddington).

Easter conferences passed a number of motions to have these hours removed. Hopefully we're entering the last year of doing these daft hours (if you don't know, they do nothing to improve teaching)