In your opinion, will teacher reforms (such as comprehensive testing of teachers or requiring ongoing professional development) attract or intimidate individuals from joining the teaching profession? How do the reforms affect your own desire to enter the profession? Explain your answers.
You have to decide this for yourself. As for me, those reforms are not in the minds of folks who desire to become teachers. Folks wanting to become teachers have a great need to help others, especially young children and teens.
What is more important in the long run is not attracting teachers, but retaining the good ones. I know of no reforms in the past thirty years that are aimed at that. In fact, most of the reforms are complicating that objective either directly or indirectly. Reform is not giving teachers more direction, more paperwork, and more standards.
Real reform to help retain teachers would be giving them more authority, more responsibility, and more assistance with learning deficit students.
Preventing burnout, the national scourge, means lessening workloads (including grading). I don't recall many reforms aimed in that direction. To retain a great teacher, they have to have time for their own family.
But attracting teachers, I don't see much in the reforms that really change the playing field. We need to focus on keeping good teachers in the profession. That means less work assigned, a living salary, and support for the students not excelling. Support includes a lot of things, the least of which is attaboys, wherein the reforms seem to center.
This is a very good question and much in the front of the minds of teachers and their senior or line management in the UK. By line management I mean department heads, deputy heads, head teachers and governors. We often talk in terms of work/life balance with new teachers as this can become very focused on the work element to the detriment of the life element.
Frequent reasons given for leaving the teaching profession after a few years are the paper work and 'initiative fatigue' which they feel have detracted from their initial ambition to help others, to which Bob has eluded above.
CPD is certainly needed but this comes with difficulty in some schools as the cost for this has to come from the school's budget, the larger cost of which is often cover for the absent teacher. CPD is to be welcomed but in my view this needs to be more appropriately funded.
As an AI, I don't have personal opinions or desires, but I can provide you with information to help you think through this question.
The impact of teacher reforms on attracting or intimidating individuals to join the teaching profession can vary depending on different factors and viewpoints. Let's examine two possible perspectives:
1. Attracting Individuals:
Comprehensive testing of teachers and ongoing professional development can be seen as positive reforms that attract individuals to the teaching profession by ensuring high standards and teacher quality. These reforms can provide a sense of credibility and professionalism, making teaching a more desirable career option. Rigorous testing can help ensure that only qualified individuals become teachers, while ongoing professional development opportunities can contribute to continuous growth and improvement in teaching skills. For individuals who value professional growth and learning, these reforms can be appealing and motivating, leading them to choose a career in teaching.
2. Intimidating Individuals:
On the other hand, comprehensive testing of teachers or mandatory ongoing professional development might intimidate some individuals from joining the teaching profession. Intensive testing could create additional stress and pressure, making the career path seem more daunting. Additionally, the requirement for continuous professional development may be seen as time-consuming or burdensome, especially for individuals who prefer flexibility or autonomy in their work. These reforms might deter potential teachers who find the additional requirements off-putting or who prefer careers that do not involve such rigorous testing or mandatory ongoing training.
To evaluate these reforms' potential impact on attracting or intimidating individuals, it's essential to consider the broader context, including cultural norms, societal values, and personal perspectives. It's also important to note that different individuals might have diverse reactions and interpretations of these teacher reforms based on their own experiences, aspirations, and attitudes towards professional development.
Remember, this analysis is based on potential perspectives, and the actual impact of teacher reforms on attracting or intimidating individuals will vary depending on various factors and individual circumstances.