Photo: Flickr/ cybrarian77

Student Soapbox- Leaving the classroom door open

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]hen people find out I am studying history, they nearly always ask if I am going to end up as a history teacher. Luckily, for any minds I might potentially ruin, I have no plans to do so at this time. However, the way that teaching is seen as something to ‘end up in’ and the old and highly offensive adage that ‘those who can’t do, teach’, reflects how undervalued teaching is. When the government has missed its target for teacher recruitment for the third year running, leading to fears of a mass shortage in the future, these dated ideas definitely need to change.

Despite the government spending large amounts on recruitment campaigns, figures show that in 2014, 7,700 fewer teachers were recruited than in 2010. This leaves schools with no option but to increase class sizes, which critics argue will adversely affect the quality of teaching. The risk is that some children, particularly those with low attainment or greater educational needs, will be left behind as teachers will be unable to give them enough attention. Therefore we should all be concerned about the apparent shortage of teachers, asking why it has come to this.

 

Obviously, there are myriad reasons for the shortage of teachers, but surely there is a link between the lack of those entering the profession and how it is viewed.

 

Last year significant cuts to PGCE programmes were announced, and in an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, Nicky Morgan, the education secretary, criticised teachers for lacking professionalism. In this climate, where teachers are continually undermined, why would young people be encouraged to enter the profession? Teachers are undoubtedly valued, but this never shines through. Teaching needs a status upgrade: a makeover.

Some steps are already being taken to achieve this. For example, plans were recently announced for the creation of a College of Teachers in England, finally allowing teachers to become high-status professionals alongside doctors and lawyers. However, more needs to be done. Teaching is, for many, a vocation but even those most dedicated to it face being put off by such negative attitudes. If we want to prevent a shortage of teachers, not only do governments need to pay teachers more respect, so do we as a society.

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