Monday, February 04, 2008

Turn Your Talent To Teaching

I heard one of the new teacher recruitment adverts today on the radio. A cheerful sounding fellow was explaining about how many galaxies there were to a spellbound class (apart from one wag who very politely asked had he seen them all, Sir?) He claimed to have once been an astrophysicist, which got me thinking:

How many ex-astrophysicists are teaching in the State Comps?

Maybe if you had been caught pointing your telescope at the local gym's outdoor aerobics class, then I suppose you might be asked to look elsewhere for a job. Although to be fair, the Government seems to be doing its best to get scientists to consider other careers by cutting £68 million off the Science budget

Also, if you made a joke about calling a galaxy 'Fred' to a group who were intelligent enough to be listening, then I don't think they would politely laugh; I reckon they would just think that you were a prat.

9 comments:

nuttycow said...

How can we take any website (especially one concerned with teaching) seriously which states "Your are in: Home" at the top of it?

Anonymous said...

These sound like the ads spoofed on the recent Armstrong and Miller TV series (the when_there_is_nowhere_else_to_go.gov.uk types)

BrockleyBiker said...

I have come to the conclusion that I want to teach [i]despite[/i] the adverts.

They are a bit like the military adverts that make it seem like your are going on a glorified summer holiday and fail to mention the ever so slight possibilty of you being killed in one of many and varied ways.

Anonymous said...

I was lucky back in the 70s, and was taught in my local comprehensive by a physics team that included and astrophysicist, and also a PhD in Nuclear Physics that had decided to get out of that speciality on moral grounds instead and teach.

Oh and also one complete idiot who I fortunately never had to study under who once told me "Well I only got a 2.2 so all i could do was go into teaching" !!

Anonymous said...

Sorry, that should read 'and teach instead'

Anonymous said...

I'm 25 years old and would love to become a teacher but I can't afford university. I refused to let my parents go in to debt 7 years ago in order for me to make it and I simply cannot afford it on my own. I have no doubt I was a complete pain in the arse while I was at school but thanks to a couple of inspirational teachers I somehow I managed to pass all my exams and actually enjoyed doing my A-levels. My spare time is spent reading whatever I can get my hands on and I'm currently saving up to buy a language pack to teach me latin of all things. I know I'm not a typical 25 year old but I have talent I would love to teach but unless I win the lottery I will never be a teacher because I will never have a degree.

For the record I believe a degree is an essetial qualification for a teacher along with a masters in riot control from what I remember and read about.

My point is rather than the goverment cajole people in to becoming teachers who have just obtained a degree in Sociology (one of the courses in this degree is football culture where you get to study David Beckham if you go to Stafford Uni) and have no use for it in the real world take a look at the thousands of talented citizens you have got, young or old who need help in order to study in the first place. I am not interested in the £1000 incentive to study to teach English/Science/Maths or any other subject I just want someone in the government to figure out how I can study, pay a mortgage and obtain my QTS. If/When this is ever resolved said person should immediatly be shot because they are obviously in the wrong profession!

Anonymous said...

elijah
I was in the Army before I joined the police, and it WAS a 'glorified summer holiday' and I didn't get killed (despite rumours to the contrary) in fact sometimes it was a 'glorified winter holiday'. It's true that we had to take some 'incoming' from the odd Irish/Kosovan/Arab jonnie from time to time, but usually the tiffin was splendid and no one in my unit was killed in all the time I was there!

Whichendbites said...

We all know this is another load of deeply flawed marketting trash from a government who waste far too much money on promoting what is a flawed brand instead of making sure the brand is right in the first place.

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