RE: Marking a Physics paper (aka: Pay your teachers more... aaka: the system is borked!)
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I've been there - 20 yrs a teacher.
That kind of input just isn't sustainable!
Especially with physics - must be plenty other jobs would pay you better!
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You mean that that is what people would say to you as a teacher? Because that is exactly the point @bengy is making: they are underappreciated (i.e. underpayed).
I think @revisesociology is also making the same point!
I mean especially with maths/ physics - they're some of the best paying degrees out there, expect for in teaching.
If you've got a philosophy degree on the other hand, you've probably done well if you get into teaching, they're much more unemployable!
Fully agree with you @revisesociology I remember reading a survey a while back among teachers in the Netherlands. One question they asked was if they considered leaving the teaching job and why. As you can guess, those who did consider leaving more than often did so because of better pay in other work fields and the under appreciation of the job by society.
(Disclaimer: cant remember where I read about this exactly.)
Now the question remains, what would be a good way to revert this. Of course a first obvious step is giving teachers the pay they deserve. But how does one change societies view on the art of teaching... Will increasing the pay change this?
I link to a survey in this post - https://peakd.com/teaching/@revisesociology/spare-a-thought-for-the-poor-teachers
That shows teacher life satisfaction is so much lower than the average in the UK.
I think honestly we just need to employ MORE teachers and have smaller class sizes. I don't think the pay is so bad for a 50 hour week IF you can actually get most of your 13 weeks holiday as actually holiday.
Thanks for the survey, will check it later today!
I guess you're right, lowering the workload is an important one. But at least here in NL the pay, especially for the abstract courses, is way below what it should be in my opinion.
A combination of both would be great :)
Yes, it would definitely be unsustainable as a classroom teacher. That is a pity that the system really sets it up like that.
Thankfully, I only teach on a one-to-one basis and I charge a fee that I figure is a good match for the time and effort that I put towards my students. It is higher than the "lowest" rate and so I do have a number of new students get turned away by that. However, there are students that share my details by word of mouth and they appreciate that the pricing is reflective of the extra input and effort.
Sounds like you've got it pretty sorted!
Shame it's the only way really.
The teaching system and the pay scale is a disgrace.
Can you imagine being in a school now? In the Covid Times? It must be nuts.
Ack... my kids tell me about the teachers constantly needing to get tests, or just getting sick. It really feels like no-one cares... as long as the kids are out of the house!
Ohh it does sound grim!
Teachers have steadily had more and more duties piled on them, but this is a step too far!