“Slaves and Patients”: 71% of teachers would not like to return to work

In the first place among teachers’ problems is not salary, but boring reporting

Tomorrow, September 1, I offer my condolences. Something like this the movie hero from “You never dreamed of” said to his bride-teacher. And in response I heard – nothing like that, I love my job. Alas and ah – by the efforts of specialists from the education of enthusiasts among the teaching brethren, it has decreased to a critical point. A recent opinion poll showed that 71% of teachers and teachers do not want to return to their jobs after the summer holidays.

Guess we don’t want to either. All adults are a little schoolchildren and “nets”, dreaming that “mathematician, chemist and physicist” would get sick. And we are in the cinema! Or phone…

But it’s another matter if the work is tired of teachers, “representatives of the most necessary profession.” Although, judging by the salary, you can’t say this … What will happen to the public field if it grows with weeds instead of “reasonable, kind and eternal”? The stupid, the evil, the momentary will triumph, and don’t go to a fortuneteller. And only because they brought teachers to the handle.

Pedagogical universities teach the humanities. You are convinced of this once again by studying in more detail the answers of these same 71% of teachers who hated their work. For the sake of self-interest, that is, because of low wages, which they pull and pull, but they cannot reach the average for the region, do they want to desert schools? Not at all. “Preparing a huge number of reports” is the most popular answer, reports spoil the lives of 48% of teachers out of 1286 respondents from all over Russia.

And there will be even more. Because in the academic year 2023/2024, in addition to “talking about important things” on Mondays, they are going to add a mandatory career guidance class hour on Thursdays. There will also be compulsory labor education, NVP. This is what has already been accepted: next in line at the “parliamentary printer” is family science, “falling to the roots” from the 1st grade, a theater in every school, outdoor events. They will eat up not only the strength and time of the teacher, but also add new manuals, programs and reports. After all, ministries and departments are tirelessly working to reduce “paper reporting”, increasing “electronic”.

And only in second place among the reasons for teachers’ dissatisfaction is salary – 38% complain about it. Then in the list of teachers’ “hardships and hardships”: inflexible work schedule (31%); toxic work team (24%); “inexpedient tasks” – cleaning the classroom and school premises – 21%, hello to such kind Duma members “labor education” with cleaning, borscht and stools. Unsolicited electives and courses repel 20% of teachers.

Teachers’ publics on the eve of September 1 also speak for themselves. “Colleagues, congratulations – I refused the class management. There are only hours in subjects left, hurray!” Or, a graduate of a pedagogical university: “Colleagues met me in the hallway with a diploma and said “kind words”, comparing work with hell.” Or: “What if I realized that I no longer love children …”

It can be seen from the personal stories of teachers that teachers are forced to work when they are sick, pregnant, and administrative duties are imposed without asking. They do not pay overtime, and even blackmail them by refusing to pay “in excess” of the salary. Many, probably in the heat of the moment, call themselves “tolerant” and “slaves” in such communities.

And they are very encouraging “those who planned to escape.” That is, the transition to teachers of additional education and courses, leaving to tutors, to colleges. And even the prospect of settling down at home and baking cakes or tending the garden is less frightening than the impending September 1st. Such communities even use conspiracy theories: “they all do it” to push through distance learning and home education. That’s why teachers are harassed.

Indeed, in the field of reason, not to mention morality and feelings, there is no explanation for what is happening with the school today. One preparation for the exam already from the 7th grade resembles a mine from the time of Stakhanov in all respects. Including agitation “for Soviet power” and other political agenda, growing along the curve. Plus a ton of reporting, mandatory retraining, certification, passing on a category. And every year there is something new – now these are new educational standards and unified textbooks, not counting the “seeds” in the form of new subjects and class hours. And various events where it is necessary to pull up not only schoolchildren, but also their parents. And my parents got used to it…

It is not even clear with what to compare, it turns out too grotesque canvas even for Bosch. But, in connection with school and children, a meme suggests itself. The ship of fools is sailing somehow, loaded to the sides with two Rabelais departments, educational and supervisory. And sits in a puddle. The servants of the people scoop up water and pour it on the mill of yesterday. The picture is accompanied by inhuman music: Mephistopheles’s aria (“People die for metal”) is intertwined with a choir of peasant teachers with the composition “When we leave the schoolyard”. Anxious shot: suspense thickens…

Published in the newspaper “Moskovsky Komsomolets” No. 29098 dated August 23, 2023

Newspaper headline:
Gloomy September 1