No idea what your job is but mine is to educate kids and help them become well rounded individuals
And thats why you're such a good RE teacher 😆 😉
What subject do you teach?
Biology mostly but my role as a form tutor involves getting the kids to talk about current affairs and the like.
Biology mostly but my role as a form tutor involves getting the kids to talk about current affairs and the like.
Fair enough. Hard to avoid politics in current affairs.
anagallis_arvensis - Member
No idea what your job is but mine is to educate kids and help them become well rounded individuals and to me that includes promoting engagement with politics showing that I care about it and helping them think about it and debate it amongst their peers and if that needs me to put an opinion out there then so be it.
Absolutely. Also the subject you teach should be irrelevant. Most of the discussions around political subjects happen in my pastoral role as a tutor rather than in my Art lessons. We (my school) even give one one morning registration each weak to discuss current affairs, which is awkward to do without some discussion of political views from all parties.
Tomorrow morning I think I might go with May and Rudd. Will be interesting in a school with around 40% of students of Asian or Eastern European descent...
[s]one one[/s] [u]one [i]to[/i] one[/u] morning registration each[s] weak [/s][u]week[/u] to discuss current affairs
See me after class
Another good reason for keeping (local) governments out of education
I'm sorry where did I say they were extremists?
You implied it with your response to Junkyard?
maccruiskeen - Member
one one one to one morning registration each weak week to discuss current affairs
See me after class
Sorry sir. Must try harder.
[excuse]Bloody phone predictive typing while multitasking with an overworked teacher's tired mind[/excuse]
Plus, I'm an Art teacher. Everyone knows it's not a real subject and we're only one small step above PE teachers in terms of intellect.
Oh wait, that's an EU thing, never mind.
No, it really isn't ECHR is separate from EU and the ECJ.
-Staff are not allowed to express political views on site, social media or in public
So no talking about Brexit or other major issues of the day in the staff room then?
I am subject to similar rules as a civil servant. I can have views, I can express them , but not in my work capacity or in any way that may link my views to my employer.
Seems fair to me. We don't want everyone to know that it's shit in the public sector and it's all Thatchers fault.
You implied it with your response to Junkyard?
No I did not it was also a generic response hence no quote. You really are someone who deliberate twists peoples responses.
Biology mostly but my role as a form tutor involves getting the kids to talk about current affairs and the like.
I don't think that's what it means I understand it as not making your political views the only ones.
Our council said we weren't to show political affiliation or give our own political bias (my words). you can discuss politics but not push your view. This included bumper stickers in staff car parks during the indy referendum.
All Teachers are lefties, always have been always will be 🙄
There is a logic but its badly put.
Politics has no place in education except in a balanced informational way. Eg "these are the views, take your pic." As in RE.
For a member of the profession to voice their opinion in one particular way would be very wrong and putting personal beliefs before the children.
I object to religious missionaries in the same way. Religion is fine but keep it to yourself please.
I think that when one choses certain positions in life , one has to accept that there may be certain "standards", possibly unwritten, that are to be adhered to. Many people here happily condone speeding but if an off duty copper is knicked all hell is let loose. Public displays of belief that show pinion too strongly might need to be avoided. Helping save a footpath the other end of the country when the chances of anything controversial reason the home town local rag might be ok. Lobbing eggs at the Queen when she visits the old peoples home next door to the school isn't. Teachers don't get their tits out on holiday then FB this pics. That undermines the respect for them and the profession. I see that behaving like a bunch of yobs at a political rally in much the same way.
I suspect that nothing could be enforced unless the OP's wife could be charged with bringing the profession into disrepute.
But the rules are from the council or governing body not gtc/gtcs therefore profession into disrepute not applicable. Although there will be something in the councils code of conduct.
So teachers are barred from being councillors or MPs without the councils permission? Total bollocks. There really are dome dullards on here.
OP she should tell them to jog on
At school that's entirely appropriate. Outside its questionable imo.
OP posting on social media can be used by employers in cases of misconduct especially if your profile is linked to your employer. So if a teacher has their school on their profile and then posts about politics it could well be a problem.
So teachers are barred from being councillors or MPs?
I think having any full time job is a fairly significant bar to being an councillor or MP
No it isn't (at least not to stand as an mp which "may" involve saying politicky things, apparently). And what about part time teachers. Loads of councillors have full time jobs.
My local councilor (with a party badge) was a full time school teacher in the same council area. Don't see the problem.
Council meetings were in the evenings, surgeries evenings and weekends. My understanding is that the councilors set strategy and take decisions but that there are officials to do the full time work.
Probably worth being careful what social media posts are made but that applies to many jobs. I don't post anything anywhere under my full name.
Mr Joplin, my History teacher, was a 2CV (replete with CND badge) driving pinko who had no issue with sharing his political views and spoke at many marches when he wasn't picketing the school or supporting the miners. He could have won over us young impressionable adolescents except his other pastime was morris dancing which rather took the edge off his allure.
I'm pretty careful not to overtly share my political views though the kids are normally desperately keen to know what you think. Pretty certain they have a good idea of my opinion on most things even if I have not expressed it directly. I do think it's important for kids to have role models who are politically aware and motivated though - as a generation their parent's are depressingly politically apathetic so most are not getting it at home.
I think having any full time job is a fairly significant bar to being an councillor or MP
My A level economics teacher stood as an MP. Later became Home Sec.
Did you pass? 😉
The romantic answer should be the Welsh wizard Merlyn Rees but I doubt you are that old and that would make you an Old Harrovian!!!. The more mundane answer would be Miss Smith and early days in Redditch??
My son had an economics teacher who debated politics in class with the kids in class, it caused a lot of debate at home with junior going to the next class well armed for the next debate. Junior was sufficiently inspired to put in the work necessary to get into Science Po, Paris, and was in a debate with Madame Tobira last week. Vocations often start in school, I'm delighted his teacher expressed views even if they were often the opposite of my own.
It's pretty much impossible to lead a political debate without expressing an opinion if only through how you moderate the debate. You have to point out when what's being debated breaks laws, is elitist, dictatorial, xenophobic or whatever. Judgements need to be made, kids demand them. Reading through a UK news site I can understand that councils and the current government may wish to stop teachers making those kind of judgements.
Someone needs to tell the kids and parents that the council is trying to deny teachers their rights and to vote for someone else when the elections come around.
My A level economics teacher stood as an MP. Later became Home Sec
TEAMHURTMORE?
I suppose it has to be allowed in school to some extent, a history teacher teaching about world war 2 would be hard pressed to remain apolitical, so I suppose actions should be taken on an individual basis, where the line is drawn exactly, is not clear. Whether it's possible to draw a line is also unclear.
If I didn't get to shout abuse at my Tory colleagues at lunch time my life would be the poorer for it. As would theirs as they try to undermine are pinko dogma.
Are we really saying this shouldn't be allowed in the staff room?
PS I seem to be under alot of pressure to teach British Values. Isn't that in effect expressing political opinions
Ex teacher here and I was told all the stuff O.P. mentioned on my 1st day of teaching years ago.
No more Facebook etc.
I never expressed my political views in teaching but taught constructive criticism in my physics classes.
Apparently you are not allowed to do anything but be boring citizens or extremely sporty/charitable.
I am happier not teaching although I miss teaching kids, I don't marking and completing other pointless systems.
If you're a Nazi or sexist, then don't teach kids as you could be seen as projecting those views/discriminating to kids.
ampthill - Member
PS I seem to be under alot of pressure to teach British Values. Isn't that in effect expressing political opinions
Yes, but crucially they're the CORRECT political opinions so that's OK...
Frankenstein - Member
No more Facebook etc.
Interesting one that.
In my last school social media presence wasn't even mentioned (but then neither were lots of things, which was odd given it was apparently an outstanding school).
In the school before that, we were 'advised' not to be on any social media but it was never monitored or enforced, and even staff who openly criticised the school on Facebook were never taken to task.
In my current school (I started here this September) I have seen a refreshingly sensible approach. We have been told it's absolutely OK to have a personal presence on social media but just to exercise common sense about what we post.
Did you pass
With an A
Seems to be a real mess my son is a teacher and has been advised not to express political opinions on social media or in public which seems understandable at least, but he has also been told not to go to The Yesbar as that would be seen as endorsing independence.
Seems to be a real mess my son is a teacher and has been advised not to express political opinions on social media or in public which seems understandable at least, but he has also been told not to go to The Yesbar as that would be seen as endorsing independence.
Stop being so reasonable. None of that is understandable or acceptable and all of it needs to be challenged.
This only becomes an issue if one believes that kids are not discerning or capable enough to realise that teachers (like anyone else) are capable of talking/believing shite.
IME that is not the case plus it removes the kids opportunity to have some fun at listening to the kind of tripe that gets spouted in econ threads here and elsewhere.
This only becomes an issue if one believes that kids are not discerning or capable enough to realise that teachers (like anyone else) are capable of talking/believing shite.
Like the population in general some are and some aren't. Some need to be protected from classroom ideologues and some don't. That's not the point here, although some have made it the point. The OP isn't talking about classroom bans on political expression. What he's talking about is limiting expression out with the class, which is wrong unless the views being expressed fall under the hate laws.
I agree hece my first response
I saw the previous post. I wasn't being critical of you.
No probs - we can all express a view 😉
IME that is not the case plus it removes the kids opportunity to have some fun at listening to the kind of tripe that gets spouted in econ threads here and elsewhere.
Whats your job again?
we can all express a view
Oh the ironing, I forgot the ironing
Oh the ironing, I forgot the ironing
Was the A in home economics then? I can sympathise though as I sometimes forget stuff I was taught at school.
Funny how my old maths room was used for some Catholic religious club at lunch times...
Or how we could not use the staff lounge as someone needed to pray towards Mecca.
Ooh P45 from the school.
Watched: 'To Sir with love' last night. Summed up my 1st year of teaching. Imagine Sydney Poitier marking books till 2300 lol.
I can trace my political views back to a history teacher I had at high school. We were doing a lesson on the industrial revolution and she had a feminist rant about why women weren't allowed to work down the pits. At the time this was a crazy idea, but it got me thinking outside of the normal taboos and social norms. I really don't see why within reason teachers can't express political views, they're central to who we are and politics affects our lives every day. If we want people to be more engaged with politics then we should have more expression of political views in places like schools, not less. Denying this part of ourselves only marginalises the subject and generates apathy.
I also remember being told about Thatcher's resignation in the middle of a mock-GCSE maths exam by our raging lefty maths teacher, and the silence was broken by a big cheer.
Agreed - it teaches the students to develop heir own critical faculties to ask why might a particular teacher say this? Why do they read that odd newspaper or smell of gin? Of course, this is central to studying history as a subject, but it's already a natural talent that kids possess and it gives them hours of fun. Let it flourish....
PS I seem to be under alot of pressure to teach British Values. Isn't that in effect expressing political opinions
Not in my book. These two are pretty apolitical.
Obey the law
Respect others with equality amongst men/women, religion and race
There is a strong argument for having specific agreed study in politics covering all views in a consistent and balanced way as well as study of philosophy and how that interacts.
