Red tape, knights on white horses and teaching

[matilda36]

Having spent some of the most enjoyable years of my life as a Civil Servant ( yes I am kinky that way), being wrapped up in red tape stretching between two countries to get my qualifications recognised has been a bit frustrating. Make that a lot frustrating.

And now who comes to my rescue as a Knight on a white horse? My father, who in a day not only offers to come with me on a trip to London at the end of the month (should have known he misses the city as much as i do...) but offers me the services of his lawyer to sort out the red tape and get my teaching qualifications cleared up, hopefully in both Italy and the Uk.

Luckily for me both countries need English teachers. I know Italy desperately needs them. I do see the results of poor teaching everyday in my tutoring work. 

Yesterday I was reading a book on advice for ESOL teachers and it included this little gem:

Note that in some countries, for example Italy, teachers are rarely observed during their whole teaching career and do not always welcome the idea.

The fact is that while there have been great efforts made at political level to improve the teaching of languages in quantity, teaching Unions opposition to any form of quality control makes any effort worthless. Kids start learning English at 6, but there is very little control on what they have been taught and how. 

It is true that tthere is very little help available for teachers wanting to improve their skills, but how can you know what is wrong with the process, if you cannot observe what's going on?

Comments

[ginny305.livejournal.com]

*hugs* Sometimes help comes in the most surprising places. I hope that things get sorted out quickly.

Good teachers are needed everywhere. More than that, competent teachers that want to be there are needed. Because someone can be good, but if they don't want to be there, the students aren't going to respond well.

It's sad how little help there is sometimes for teachers. One of the great things about the program that I'll be in is that I get advising sessions with people who have been teaching - heck, we're already in touch with a number of people who've gone through the same program and are teaching now. Observations are wonderful. They let you see what works and figure out how to modify it to fit yourself. But you know that already.

*hugs* Good luck. Praying for you. Hoping everything sorts itself out of the red tape.

[matilda36.livejournal.com]

That's why my first hope is still the PGCE programme. It's very similar to the one you are on I think. On the first year you spend your time between school and University and then the first year in school you get special support.

If I get in with the Oversea Qualified programme I would have just something more than the normal support, that is much less.

*cuddles* thank for your support honey. It's much appreciated.

*smiles* hey maybe we can create our own teacher support network...

[mer5.livejournal.com]

I hope you get all the red tape cleared and you get into the programme you want.
I find very curious that teachers aren't observed in Italy, I remember having assistant teachers when I was in school and high school and our teachers where with them there showing how things were done. Also said teachers had from time to time a visit from the education inspector to check that they were teaching us what they were suppossed to

[matilda36.livejournal.com]

I worked for 5 years for the Uk Governement organising school inspections and in the Uk every school has to be inspected at least every 4 years, the reports are published on the web.

In Italy that's not done. Teachers Unions are stonewalling any attempt at quality control, with in the end damage to their members too. Teachers are left to their own devices, students soffer from poor quality of teaching, get bored and end up creating serious behaviour control problems in the class room.

It is something that really gets to me... teaching is not a way to get a safe full time pay part-time job as a lot of teachers around here consider it. It is the shaping of the new generations...

[mistokath13.livejournal.com]

*huggles you*
Just wanted to drop by to say good luck and leave some *hugs*. I know you're going to be a great teacher.

It's the same thing here, teachers are rarely observed, and if someone tries it, they get all defensive and aggressive and all that :) However, we have a two-year-period at the beginning (between the first and the second exam) where we future teachers are being watched teaching and all that, which, for the most people, is the last time someone checked their teaching style...

[matilda36.livejournal.com]

*snuggles*

And they do wonder why it is so dificult to get good teachers.

I hope to become a good one. I have passion for it.

Maybe we can have the Sylum teacher network...