Public school teacher

Teaching unions are warning of an “epidemic of stress” as research revealed that 3,750 teachers were signed off on longterm sick leave last year because of pressure of work, anxiety and mental illness. Figures obtained through a mass freedom of information request show a 5% rise on the year before, revealing that one in 83 teachers spent more than a month off work in 2016-17. Altogether 1.3 million days have been taken off by teachers for stress and mental health reasons in the last four years, including around 312,000 in 2016-17, the figures compiled by the Liberal Democrats show. Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, warned of an “epidemic of stress”. “Teachers work more unpaid overtime than any other profession,” she said. “Classroom teachers routinely work 55 hours or over a week. School leaders routinely work over 60 hours a week. “And it is not just the amount of work. It is the pressures of a … [Read more...] about ‘Epidemic of stress’ blamed for 3,750 teachers on long-term sick leave

A school administrator in Florida faces a demotion and a $44,000 pay cut because she showed up for a work Halloween party in a risky 'flasher' costume.     The social media posts of Mary Catherine Coker of the Broward County Public Schools landed the official in trouble when they appeared online on November 1.  Complaints filed against Coker, 46, claim that employees couldn't tell if the costume was 'fake or if she was really naked under the coat'. Coker, who is the district's director of procurement and warehousing services, wore the costume at an event attended by children.  At one point flashes the crowd, getting laughs in return. Mary Catherine Coker of the Broward County Public Schools (second from left) is pictured at a Halloween party inside a school office. She is wearing a hat, sunglasses and a dark coat over a nude woman's body suit Coker, who is director of procurement and warehousing services at the Broward County Public Schools, is … [Read more...] about School administrator who dressed as a flasher for Halloween faces demotion and a $44,000 pay cut after she wore a hat, coat and a fabric bodysuit that looked like a naked female at a party attended by children

More haunting 911 audio from the Florida school shooting has been released by police. In the new recordings, students and a teacher trapped inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland describe the horror unfolding around them. One tearful student is heard telling a 911 operator: "Someone got shot in the head and someone got shot in the stomach, and he came over .. he can't breath and there is blood coming out." In another recording, the 911 operator asks a student "is anyone injured?" The student responds" "Yes, a lot of blood, please help, please." The 911 recordings were released as suspect Nikolas Cruz appeared in court on Wednesday. Cruz, 19, chose to remain silent during a hearing in Broward County circuit court in Fort Lauderdale. Judge Elizabeth Scherer entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf for 17 counts each of first-degree murder and attempted murder for the shooting spree at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School. Cruz, wearing an orange jail jumpsuit and … [Read more...] about ‘There’s a lot of blood – please help’: Harrowing 911 calls reveal horror of Florida school shooting

Last week I chose three constituencies to give out my “teacher’s plea” leaflet : Zac Goldsmith’s Richmond Park, Boris Johnson’s Uxbridge and Iain Duncan Smith’s disparate Chingford and Woodford Green. I have since been dragging myself out of bed at 5am on pitch-black, literally freezing cold mornings to catch the first wave of train commuters before our work days begin. Beneath bundles of gloves and woollens I beam out, “Morning! Teacher’s plea!” to the commuters and parents on the school run. The leaflet explains, “I am witnessing our schools nosedive into serious crisis. Please, think carefully about your vote this election.” I go on to tell them, in 25 compact lines, how “utterly ruthlessly the Conservatives have slashed our budgets and starved our funding. It is relentless and we are kidding ourselves if we think the repercussions aren’t going to be felt in future generations through crime, mental health … [Read more...] about I’m a teacher handing out DIY leaflets against the Tories. And it’s working

Teachers in England are to be offered up to a year’s paid sabbatical after 10 years of service, in an attempt by the government to retain experienced staff in classrooms. In an address on Friday to more than 350 school leaders in Liverpool, education secretary Damian Hinds will announce a £5m pilot scheme designed to ensure teaching remains “an attractive, fulfilling profession”. The pilot scheme would allow teachers to take between a term and a year away from the classroom if they can prove that it will benefit their teaching. Only teachers with 10 years’ experience would be eligible to apply for the sabbatical, which a spokesperson for the Department for Education (DfE) said was intended to help reward long service. Ideas for what teachers could choose to do with the time include studying or spending a year working in an industry relevant to their field. Hinds will also announce a range of other proposals: “We will be introducing an enhanced offer … [Read more...] about Teachers to be offered year’s paid sabbatical to improve retention