A total waste of our resources if we have a NQT like you doing nothing. What is wrong with this country?… we protect pay for needless Public Sector Admins and middle management… we pay out unearned increments.. and have ridiculous student teacher ratios… yet have qualified teachers sitting at home…. batsh!t crazy!!!

From experience, I find new, young teachers coming into schools are so energetic and want to learn themselves. They have great new experience in certain difficulties that pupils may have and have had for many years and in some cases, these pupils have gone through their whole schooling with little or no help.

Unfortunately, many schools don’t have a special needs classroom. In some cases where there are special needs classes (children do all their schooling in this class), the unfortunate pupil that may have mild difficulties is left behind. No, it’s not the teacher’s fault, he/she has 30+ pupils to educate and to get good reports at the end of the year, both for them, the pupils and the teacher themselves. The unfortunate pupil that has mild difficulties can’t get a place in the special needs class and so falls behind very quickly. In some cases, leave school by 14 years old. To me, when a teacher ‘retires’, they should not be offered a job as a substitute or come back as a full time teacher again. These places should be given to newly qualified teachers who want to be there because they are passionate in what they do. New teachers are willing to try anything to help that child along its journey to supposedly, the best times of their lives. I find personally, that many old ways, and ‘because the Minister said we were to teach in this way’ blocks new, great ideas to aid and help children with difficulties. As Minister for Education, Mr. Quinn reports, he can’t be seen to try new ways/styles of education, maybe he should show an interest in the daily life of a child with dyslexia, dyspraxia, add, adhd that actually uses a tool that works but is not allowed, because it’s not in the curriculum!

You are dead right Sheila… unfortunately, the majority of the law makers in this country are old… who don’t want to hear about the learning issues some kids have.. a child with dyslexia, dyspraxia, add, adhd was just ‘stupid’ in their day… and you won’t change an old Irish person’s mind!

Same as yourself Orly – NQT and hoping to hear about an interview over the next few days… for a temporary position. At least 5 other classmates were going for the same job and it’s been weeks since anything was advertised in our subject areas.

I managed to get 2 weeks subbing in a school and it was fantastic. It really confirmed to me how much I want to be doing this yet the way new entrants have been trounced is very demotivating.

I understand how people can argue against the position of teachers by citing the summer off etc but that’s not even going to be an issue for most for at least their first 4 years of teaching. In that time there simply is not the job security that people think exists. On top of that, the Teaching Council have made moves which can assist in dealing with teachers who have been a problem – every parent should know that the code of conduct for teachers exists and cite it if they feel it has been breached.

I’m not in favour of a two-tier system anywhere, and I believe that teachers should be paid appropriately. I can relate that only to my previous work experience which was with the company I worked with before going back to become a teacher. The jobs I worked with them included one which was unionised too. IMO all jobs should not be about perceived worth but about true worth of the responsibility and productivity.

From that point of view and in comparing levels of responsibility (and other areas) I think teacher earnings are appropriate for those who began earlier than we have.
I do think however that for that salary, the taxpayer could get some more value from the education system but that’s an entire other story!

Tomy. My Hat is off to you sir. If only you were the face of teachers in this country rather than the self serving union bosses.

@ Hal.

Interesting ? opposing simplistic statements. You’ve actually managed numerically to capture the Public sector – Private sector divide. You’re either a genius or a troll Hmmm….

That is my function Josh. Would you like to play a game?

Ooooooh Yes

I heard they also started Gangnam Style too…. the b*stards!

#BlameSuarez

Kenny is still a teacher? Right?

@Joe Sixtwo

Well said! Also bring ex ministers like mary harney (Health) and aherne back straight into court and question them on monies, contracts that were given to family members of aherne that owned Leas Cross! Over EUR4million! (allegedly!) One member of that nursing was in the news yesterday, having been ‘stuck off’ – Ms. Graine Conway! The owner and the so called male doctor (at one stage) that knew what was going on and walked away! These people will be held accountable for the deaths of innocent human beings in that hole some day.

Fantastic Input Joe90. You’ve managed to cover about all of your own personal predjudice in two paragraphs. We also did a wonderful job when we removed the vatican from our health system

@josb barton what personal prejudice? I think it was a great idea to rid the health system of Magdalene laundries, prisons for “unmarried mothers” orphanages that were used as brothels for perverted clergy. These were administered by the local health board…yep a good idea of getting the church/vatican out of the health board.
Teach not preach should be the motto of our education system, I do not want my children to be taught that being a faithful little drone is a good thing.
I do have a deep concern when children are brainwashed and exposed to perverted cruel doctrines that serves no other purpose than making a bunch of old men feel important.

@ Joe90.

Se what I mean you just can’t help yourself. You’re opening paragraph once again is just a rant. The magdalene laundries were never part of the health system they were part of the ‘ Irish way of life system’ maybe not you but you’re parents or grandparents were part of that system. But look at our public hospitals, S*itholes run by public service administrators rampant with inefficiency and MRSA. Tell me that they are better than when the nuns ran them

@josh Educate yourself as to the origin of MRSA ,also the various health boards were complicit with the state in interning innocent people in those vile institutions. Do a little research before spouting nonsense.BTW I worked for the southern health board about 30 years ago..want to know a little more about the great nuns.

But Joe… the Nuns can keep MRSA away with the power of prayer…. can’t they??!!

Oh I forgot about that Darren silly me.

@ Joe90

You’re getting desperate now Joe. Resorting to insults. Unlike yourself I have done some research. Magdalene was not unique to Ireland, Granted we eventaully put our own warped spin on it but you’re quite wrong when you say that the health boards were embedded in it but look I’ll leave you to educate yourself on that one. As for MRSA I’m quite aware of the origins of MRSA but I’m talking about the spread of it. You’ve obviously had bad experiences with religous orders but you really should at least attempt to contain your personal bias and make an effort at balanced debate

@Josh Barton,

One doesn’t need the clergy/nuns running hospitals! All we need is a bloody good management team that are on a yearly contract. That contract to be finished if they go over any budgets. We can have lay matrons on wards that will make bloody sure that these cleaning companies that come in using a cloth to wipe skirting boards (when it’s done!) and then to wipe the tray on wheels with the same cloth, be stopped immediately. (allegedly!) That hygiene wipes be brought in everywhere to be used from the floor of toilets to the tray on wheels that patients use. Use it, bin it!! Security/porters make sure that everyone visiting, using the hygiene liquid at entrance and exiting.

Where staff of all kinds from a surgeon – a nurse’s aid dine separately from visitors. That @Josh Barton, will stop M.R.S.A. and the likes getting into hospitals. I think I’ve had enough of religions running everything in my country.

@ Sheila.
Believe it or not I’m in violent agreement with you. We certainly don’t need the religous orders to provide a good health service but…..All of the items and activities that you go on to mention are not available currently in the Public health system. Ask yourself the question why?. Is it money ?. Can’t be because we’ve doubled the health spend in the last 15 years so what is it ?

@ Josh now you are being silly, I presented facts if you feel insulted that is alone your problem.

@Josh Bardon

Probably bad management! Salaries of Management team leaders, consultants etc. huge waste, are to blame. Yes, the budgets were probably smaller back then, but just because we never really heard of M.R.S.A. when the nuns ran the hospitals, doesn’t mean it wasn’t happening. Just likes Aids, aids was always there, just hadn’t got a name for it.

In every walk of life including our Government. ‘Less generals and more foot soldiers’.

@ Joe90,
No Joe you didn’t present facts you presented emotion. Phrases like ‘vile institutions’ indicate your own personal bias which you beleive add weight to your argument and phrases like spouting nonsense are certainly not reasoned arguments or facts but are angry words used to attempt to counter the reason of my arguments

@ Sheila,
There is no doubt that there is bad management but no… that argument is convenient but not good enough. It’s easy for the ‘ foot soldiers’ to exonerate themselves from blame by pointing to management. The budgets were not ‘probably ‘ smaller they were significantly smaller ( check the estimates) MRSA was there but the spread of it was contained by good controls and personal discipline and responsibility. The generals are pretty useless but the ‘ Foot soldiers’ are pretty slovenly too

My Nana was a nurse & she always said that over 50% of her time was spent cleaning. Nurses nowadays do not clean as part of thier job & have been replased by cleaners. But if there is 8 nurses on a floor you don’t see 4 cleaners on duty, your lucky if you see one & not on a weekend !

Yeah, I think they have now noticed that that particular move of protecting their current members at the cost to new potential members has been viewed as cynical and opportunistic by the public… and now a back-pedal is required.
However, our education spend is too low… our teachers not rewarded well enough for good efforts/success’… and we spend to much time and energy of stuff that is of no practical benefit in education.

No it didn’t. There was no mention of new recruits in the Croke park agreement.

That’s the point sham. There was no attempt to protect the pay for future teachers.

When the teacher unions signed up to the CPA they had no idea that the employers would seek to reduce the pay bill by targeting teachers employed after the CPA was signed.

That is completely true but when they refused any cuts whatsoever to their pay which I think is 70% of the education budget, it forced the department to get creative about how to make the cuts. By the way I speak as a qualified teacher who has gone abroad. To be honest I’m not too impressed with the tunnel vision that teachers unions always seem to have.

“Ah Here.. Leave it out!”

Did you even read the article? The protest starts after school.

now we know what time they knock off

Yes, they r unemployed!!!

The majority of people there, I can imagine, will be student teachers or recently qualified teachers who either can’t get jobs or are aggrieved about the pay they are on if they just got a teaching position.

My bad, my very bad bad…….hands held highly up here….sorrry…..I like teachers………really….

They can protest because they are newly qualified and have no jobs and because they are student teachers still in college.

The protest started at 4.30, which happens to be after school hours.

Many of them were student teachers, many were unemployed newly qualified teachers, many were teachers who are entitled to be there as it was after schools had closed…. Next question…

WOW, I guess I can see why you are so angry, you must have had an awful teacher seeing as you cannot count months of the year!!

September -June = more than 6 months…not to mention the endless hours spent grading and planning outside of the school day

I hope you’re not a teacher Elaine… HAL clearly said that was a “Simplistic Statement”….