The parallels between being a school teacher and being a doctor interest me. It is difficult to think of any job more important and potentially more rewarding than teaching schoolchildren. But in the UK (and many others countries) teachers are — with good reason — deeply unhappy. Much, if not most of the dissatisfaction reflects politics, the New Public Management dogmas, and the resulting deprofessionalisation of teaching and teachers. Teaching in many UK schools is hard in a way few appreciate. If you doubt me check out Lucy Kellaway’s articles in the FT, where she has documented the stories of a group of people who went into teaching late in life, after very successful careers in other domains. The graph below tells a story. I wonder if we might imagine similar trends in medicine.
A slow-motion train-wreck: In England, the rate at which teachers are retained in government-funded schools has declined in each of the last seven years: https://t.co/kDuexCJkFk pic.twitter.com/XqpyYxNFTj
— Dylan Wiliam (@dylanwiliam) February 28, 2019