thanks WonderfullyWacky.com

So, teaching is to become a more elitist profession?! Don’t make me laugh. The profession is already worryingly elitist. Filled with self-involved teachers who not only set themselves above their colleagues but above parents, kids and government ministers (though that one I understand).

It’s been a long time since I’ve heard a teacher say they’ve got anything to learn. But they’re so busy ‘teaching’ aren’t they?

The Tories keep on throwing more crazy, unresearched crap at us – for a vision of education that doesn’t even make sense. As far as I can tell we will have schools run by parents, teaching only certain subjects that Micheal Gove deems good quality, and there will be a new breed of elitist, Masters educated teachers – who will work where exactly? They’re not good enough to work in the crappy schools being taken over by parents (who of course can do so much better, because everyone can do better when they’re not actually in charge.)

So the future of education is a series of out of work elitist teachers. Of course. Makes total sense.

My most favourite of royals – I have a thing for people with big ears, bygones – Prince Charles has waded into the education fray again to say that constant reforms and new initiatives are failing teachers, who as a result don’t have time to train. Thank god someone has finally had the (Ed) Balls to say this.

Training for teachers is woefully inadequate, and while I don’t hugely want to spend my precious holidays and weekends ‘improving my craft’ I wouldn’t mind the opportunity to spend a few days every term away from the classroom with other teachers, sharing ideas. But there simply isn’t the time. Our non-contact time during the day usually involves detentions, speaking to parents or internal meetings and the entire rest of my life, it seems, is spent marking. So when are you supposed to improve?

That said, I doubt Prince Charles’ comments will make much difference, we’ll still have to spend most of the day chasing our tails and filling in reports about one agenda or other, but at least someone’s noticed.