"I am halfway through a Primary PGCE at one of the UK's leading institutions. When asked recently what our short-term (5 year) plans were, only a third of my tutor group anticipated that they would still be in the profession. This is before they have even set foot in the classroom as an NQT.
Teaching has become so degraded as a profession, with every element of it prescribed by government mandates, that new teachers feel inadequate from the outset. The expectations placed on us to perform within a system that often doesn't reflect the pedagogy we have learnt (as skilled professionals) or the experiences we have had in the classroom, leave many of us confused as to what exactly our role and purpose is. We are left with the choice to 'play the game' or to leave.
When so much of the research indicates that a good, effective teacher has the biggest positive impact on learning, why is this exodus of teachers not treated with a greater sense of urgency? (of course, I already know the answer to this question.)"
