Caring too much?

Figures have been published this week that suggest (show?) an increasing number of UK teachers are suffering various kinds of ill health and mental  stress related to their work. (Follow the link:
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/jan/11/epidemic-of-stress-blamed-for-3750-teachers-on-longterm-sick-leave?CMP=share_btn_fbI ). As I read the article I found myself nodding in agreement with many of the points made and it was interesting that no mention was made anywhere of any direct link with issues like teacher pay - rather, this was about work load and the huge pressures of the job; both things that I could relate to. I, however, have a belief that there are other factors in the situation.

I retired from teaching in primary schools over 10 years ago having spent over 40 years as teacher, school leader and latterly as a trainer and assessor for graduate entrants to the profession. In all those years (and Facebook trolls may not wish to know this!) I can say with absolute conviction and honesty I never met, worked with or managed a single teacher who did not want to do the best job that they could and do their best for their pupils. Some of those with whom I had the privilege of working were outstanding, others industrious in the extreme, others maybe not so successful - but still overwhelmingly committed, aware of their deficiencies and desperate to improve. I didn't always agree with some of my colleagues or trainees and often they needed advice, support or clear guidance but without exception, young and old they were keen to do the best job they could - each and every day - for each and every one of their charges.

It does not surprise me that so many are struggling to keep going. Yes, there is huge pressure to succeed, yes, the government continues to move the goalposts every five minutes, yes, many teachers do fight a daily battle in the classroom ........but there is another, more telling, issue.

Teachers spend their whole life encouraging young people to "do the right thing" - to work hard, to act responsibly, to be kind and considerate.....etc........beliefs and aspirations such as these are hard wired into every teacher. They are what underpin every lesson they teach and every expectation that they have for their pupils and indeed themselves. From the day a teacher starts his or her training he or she is required to undertake self criticism and lesson evaluations after each and every lesson - and those training exercises become part of the everyday life of the classroom teacher - asking themselves the question how did I do, what could I have done better, what went wrong and why? The result is that there is a huge element of self castigation present in the mind set of teachers; they are supremely aware of their perceived failings and linked in with that is the fact that they have entered a caring profession - whose professional requirement is to care about the people they work with and the job that they do.  And following from this every teacher with whom I have ever worked has ALWAYS, as a result, tried to do the right thing as they saw it for their pupils - sometimes they failed and when that happened my experience was that they went home and worried about it; they blamed themselves. They knew that they had not only "failed" their pupils but failed themselves too. When a lesson didn't go well, they criticised themselves, when a child didn't succeed they looked for faults within their own lesson planning or class management. In short they were, and are, hugely self critical.

Governments since the time of Thatcher and sadly, often wider society, has realised this – and "naming an shaming" has become the language of favour for beating our public servants who fail to meet up to the latest crack pot idea from Whitehall or Downing Street and people like teachers, nurses, doctors, social workers are easy meat – simply because they care. When a parent comes in to complain about another child "bullying", or about some new school rule, or the teacher's relationship with their child or their child's progress then in my experience teachers listen and (often through gritted teeth) "understand" - they might profoundly disagree but they take it on board and try to solve the problem. And they do this because they care - but in doing so they too often also accept that they themselves might have failed to do the best job they could. Perversely then the teacher blames themselves for the problem rather than the parent, the child or other circumstances that might be completely outside of their control. In reality, they care too much. Downing Street and Whitehall rarely if ever "name and shame " bankers, lawyers, politicians, or "entrepreneurs" like the despicable Sir Philp Green (ex-owner of BHS) and their ilk because there is no point. People like these don't give a toss - they simply don't "care" - and wouldn't know the meaning of terms like commitment, professionalism, endeavour, doing the right thing, self criticism, kindness, accepting personal responsibility for their actions......and all the rest. For these and others in high power “professions” (I use the term loosely) criticism and failure runs off their back - unless there are large dollops of money involved of course – like water from a duck. For people like these it’s always somebody else’s fault and only when cornered or legally charged is it theirs. If one wants evidence think how easily the 2008 financial crisis was skipped over by the financial establishment – they had caused it but no-one got out their hair shirt and admitted fully to their failings, nor was anyone named and shamed. Think of the owners of the rail franchises in this country - people like Richard Branson - who continually put up fares and give a declining service - but it is never their fault, there is never an apology just a bland comment that "this is the way it is".. Or, think of Theresa May and her cronies – the NHS in meltdown, the Grenfell Tower disaster , the Brexit debacle, the homelessness on our streets, the growth in food banks and all the rest .......but no-one, and certainly not St Theresa, ever stands up and says "Sorry this is down to me" – it’s always someone else. And the reason? - they don't care enough so naming and shaming is never going to work with them. They have no shame!

Not so teachers and other public servants – they assume responsibility (often wrongly) each and every day; and they take the criticisms to heart - for it is what they expect of their charges each and every day - that children will "work hard", "do the right thing", "act well", “do their best” whatever the circumstances. And, as professionals these people, in my 40 years of school experience, impose the same imperatives – to always do their best, to assume responsibility for their actions, to worry when things go wrong - upon themselves. They do this day in day out. It is the ultimate quality and definer of a true professional, to care and to go the extra mile. and in contemporary Britain we have the worrying situation that those who show the greatest capacity to care and to display the very qualities that we might all subscribe and aspire to are, too often now vilified, named and shamed when they do not quite meet society’s ever increasing expectations and demands - no matter how ill considered or unreasonable - and, the criticism is most vociferous, it seems to me, from those very people who care least. It's all too easy to take pop at others simply to cover up your own failings - the politician who doesn't fund our schools or hospitals sufficiently or the parent who is unwilling to ensure that their child is well prepared and well behaved in school. For people like these - the teacher in school or the busy A&E doctor or the poorly paid but hard working nurse/social worker/policeman /paramedic/carer etc. - is an easy target. And, sadly, teachers and others in these caring professions, both individually and collectively, take it all on board and more often than not blaming themselves for what in reality are society's inadequacies and failings. We should be very worried about what sort of a society, we are becoming when we increasingly seek to put the blame and the responsibility for our own shortcomings upon those, who every day, strive on our behalf to make our lives and , in the case of teachers, the lives of our children better.

Half a century ago President John F Kennedy sadly reflected "Modern cynics and sceptics see no harm in paying those to whom they entrust the minds and well being of their children a smaller wage than is paid to those whom they entrust their plumbing. Until America understands this fundamental wrong then our education system, the life chances of our children, and indeed, the overall well being of our society will be forever blighted." While this present concern about the health and welfare of our teachers is not directly about remuneration I think Kennedy's point shows an abundant understanding of the relative value that we place upon our teachers. In short, as a society we no longer hold them in high regard or give them the respect and courtesy they so much deserve; instead from government minister to Mr & Mrs Joe Public teachers are, it seems to me, increasingly fair game for criticism  - to be pilloried at will when, despite their best efforts they fail to meet society's ever changing and often quite impossible expectations. Sadly, it is no surprise to me that so many wonderfully talented and committed (and yes, excellent teachers) are suffering. If we began treating our public servants in general, and our teachers in particular, with more grace and praise rather than constantly reminding them of their inadequacies (which, I can assure OFSTED, St Theresa and Mr & Mrs Joe Public, every teacher that I have ever worked with is already quite well aware of and is trying desperately to remedy) then maybe we would have a happier teaching force and perhaps even more successful schools.