Teaching CAN be meaningful.... In my backwards country, most teachers are not much more than mere parrots. And they also don't put in any more effort than it takes to stay hired. A good teacher is a rarity. I think a real teacher should have sense of responsibility and will which exceeds the "I just work here" mentality. That's what's lacking from them. They're mostly arrogant know-it-all's who in reality don't know their ass from their elbow.

I dunno if I had said it here by the way, but I "worked"(=government sanctioned forced labor for unemployed, soviet EU style.) in a school last spring for few months as a assistant / janitor. That time really opened my eyes about what kind of bunch most typical teachers are like. Its no wonder kids hate them. I worked my ass off as I thought there might be something to it and perhaps I could do that as a real job. How wrong I was. I will never work with backstabbing, arrogant know-it-all arsewipes who are not better than the drunkard on the street. Actually I would prefer to hang out with the drunkard on the street because they often have kind of perspective on many things which all the fancy people lack.

My review from that "work" at the school sucked big time, they totally bashed me on everything... One specific thing on which they bashed me was my attempts on keeping some sort of discipline. These days the kids rule the school and staff are completely compliant sheep who have their hands tied, they're afraid to loose their jobs if they do anything. Since I wasn't an employee, but a slave worker, I knew I dare to discipline the students and get away with it. But I didn't, teachers had me to get disciplined instead and they were assuring the kids in question that the "problem" will be dealt with.

This bullshit world truly needs teachers who are the real deal and take it to the heart and have a calling for it.

Teaching is more than "meaningful"; it's ESSENTIAL. Once, without teaching, children grew up not knowing the very basics such as reading and writing, etc. We are not an animal that seems to "come into its abilities" just because we hit a certain age or stage of development, like a horse or kestrel. We have to be taught to walk, to dress, to eat, what to eat and how to eat it. We have to be taught everything. So a teacher is essential. But, today, what they teach and how they teach it is very, very harmful. I recommend you read Dumbing Us Down and Instruments Of Mass Instruction by *a writer whose name I can't recall (sorry) but who was a leading, award winning teacher in America for over 30 years.... until he realised and exposed the truth about it.

I know that most schools here now look like prisons - the claim is to keep baddies out and protect the children, but the reality seems to be to keep the children locked in. There is more emphasis put on what they wear and how they do their hair, to stand up and sit down in false respect just because a teacher of a certain status walks into the rooms, to be penalised for being even a minute late for school or class. And in between these lessons of submission to authority and control they learn false history, circular and useless subjects such as Sociology, reading books until they loathe reading under the banner of English.

If we could get freer and more open minded people into the schools, how much different it could be! So Yay for Spacey - hopefully thousands more like him will enter the system (you should have too, Hex. You could make such a difference). Because we cannot change any system by being outside it; we have to have plenty like us on the inside.


ETA: *John Taylor Gatto. His books are online as free pdfs somewhere. Sketti is good at knowing where this stuff is, maybe she can link us.... pretty please!

Really? Its like that in UK? Very interesting thing about the submission to authority... In here its the opposite, there is NO authority in schools any more, the kids are the ones who rule and teachers can't do anything about it. I think this is because following the "Swedish model" of tolerance and all that. Most teachers are libtards. Back in the day, only twenty years ago, most old teachers were more like traditionalists and then they truly had the authority, but the newer generation of teachers are probably indoctrinated to be completely spineless.

At the same time the system here is very tight what they can and cannot teach, most of which is of course completely useless.

Thanks Cantata, I really tried. But my old fashioned idea about discipline (Which I think high school kids especially need!) was seen as not being acceptable and any kind of free thinking is not allowed... Anything that steers away from the libtard indoctrination is not allowed at all. Btw, they denied me any work that had to do with the students after a while and had me do janitorial work instead, mostly carrying lot of heavy stuff around as there was some renovations going on, I didn't apply for that at all.

As their jargon said on the review, "unfit for working with students." "Doesn't qualify in school environment." That's how the system sees any approach that deviates from the norms. Oh another thing, apparently teachers should not show any kind of emotions, no matter what. Which I think is a big mistake on their part. Teacher should not be a emotionless parrot.

There never seems to be any basic sense involved in these institutions, Hex, no basic balance, no taking any individual into account. Here, we have 6 year old children who want to (and have tried in many cases) to commit suicide - AGED SIX - because of the work pressure from school and homework. In response now, some of these PRIMARY schools are jettisoning homework (but too few) so that their young pupils can strike a balance between the discipline of learning and the freedom of the reward of play after it. Just basic sense and balance.

When my daughter was 6, she started to get headaches and rashes and I took her to the doctor who told me it was stress! It was only then my girl told me that she was afraid of the SATS exams that were coming up - aged 6. I made it clear to her that SATS were about the school and their performance. It had nothing to do with her, and that she should proudly go in to answer the questions showing what she had been taught, and exposing what she had not. The result was a kicker (or trophy) for the SCHOOL, not her. She never bothered about SATS again. Just went in, filled in the answers, and went out again.

I taught her all throughout that her GCSEs were about getting the key to go into A levels; her A levels were about getting the key to go into University; a degree was the key to getting a job of her choice..... BUT that she could repeat exams her whole life long to get the results she wanted (we would have to pay the fee, but so what), and that she could go to University as an 18 year old or as a 50 year old. No pressure. Just do your best and try to get things done This Time; if not, do it Next Time.

But that isn't what the schools are teaching: theirs is all about This One Chance Or You're Done. Finished. On The Scrapheap, and we famously have young people killing themselves when their results aren't what they "needed", or breaking down because of the pressure of it all. We've just been doing the University Open Days and most recently went ot Warwick Uni, just down the road from us. My daughter won a writing prize with them earlier this year and this was a serious choice - until we went to the Open Day, where they revealed themselves as giving nothing but the teaching that was heavily paid for and think yourself lucky if you get chosen for that; and it would take a long time for them to finally make their offers unless a student was "particularly strong or particularly weak" - they would hear quicker! This is BEFORE they have even filled out their choices. Warwick has been struck off my daughter's list of choices - which my sister thinks is a "mistake". She is a lecturer of some 20+ years and keeps pushing that Warwick Uni is a "Russell Group". Big deal! We want somewhere my daughter enjoys being, is given plenty of help and support, and that has lots of different types of students reflecting the society we live in. She has my old Uni at the top of her list right now. Good. She'll love it there.

But, ultimately, what I want her to know is that this is just one particular game/rat-run she is entering; and if she does enter this, she has to play by the rules for its duration. But with it or without it, she can still go after whatever it is she wants. She can still start her own business, do her writing, travel, get a good job and work her way up in it. A degree is only a sign to employers that "here is someone who plays the game and stays in it". That's why they want it. But she can still "make it" without one.

All this nonsense about "you'll die in failure without this" is rubbish. All this nonsense about "you come to school to fart-arse about and not bother if you don't want to" is nonsense. It needs a balance struck - and that's not going to happen in a system like ours, where they want obedient head-nodders who do as they are told and live to work, the end.

Space Bandit wrote:

Hey Bandit....nice one lad

Doing something you love doing is going to make all the difference

Some interesting points folks....
From what I've gathered so far... being a teacher is hard!
For every hour lesson, 4 hours worth of preparation should be done. Obviously over time that prep work diminishes if teaching the same modules.
But being able to remember everything and put things into a well structured order; take into account the level that you're teaching at; be able to speak at length with clarity without keeping referring to notes; be able to confidently present yourself in a non-biased way in front of peers and professionals; think of engaging methods of teaching and measuring the teaching; incorporate maths and good English skills; being able to wing it a bit when things don't go to plan; ensuring that you are inclusive; maintaining some form of continous control over people simply with knowledge.... it's a big challenge!

I feel a bit frazzled today as I've just done an 8 minute teach to my peers. Didn't go as well as I'd have liked - good feeback though in general but felt a bit nervy doing it - everybody does.... doesn't show in some people but it did in me today..... probably because I wasn't as well prepared as I should have been. Also I chose to do it on human hearing rather than some more music-tech based stuff to make it interesting, so perhaps I wasn't entirely as confident as I should have been. It's difficult trying to teach people who don't have the remotest idea about music or sound.... and it was also difficult to fit a lot of information into that short space of time and then try & measure a learning outcome.

I hope you're not beating yourself up about it. It's a skill like any other isn't it. And can only get better the more you do it. You'll do great fella

Being reflective is a big part of it. You have to criticise yourself and let others criticise you constantly!

Wow, in that case, I think I've missed my calling. Where do I sign up?

You stay in your nice job on the coast!

I may but the non gender specific deities of self employment are singing Anthrax toons at me like sirens from the rocks

Oh self employment.... Dream on.

I have been thinking of this lately a lot. Heavy metal music doesn't pay. Ironic as Finland is supposed to be the "promised land" of metal music. Yea, I think it is, there's two bands on every street corner and the competition is so insane its nearly impossible to stand out regardless of how well you do things. Its not going to pay any time soon and I'm not selling my soul to garbage to make a coin, I have some dignity about that.

My chances of getting hired are near zero. In the land of black on white, land of rules and regulations and officialdom, a person without some fancy degree and/or years of experience, again proven by a piece of paper, is pretty much without possibilities. I guess I was stupid when I fucked up my studies when I was younger, it made things to be difficult now.... And Then there's this, I'm not well suited for eight to four type of work and I know myself, if I'm forced to do something I really don't like, it wont work for long, my motivation will die off and I can't keep doing what ever it is. No matter if it pays or not, money on its own does not motivate me enough.

Self employment would be damn awesome choice! If it would be a choice... Running your own business is made very difficult and usually the people who do, that's all they do, no time for anything else, work and work and work and it barely makes enough. It would be cool to run a bike repair shop or something like that, or perhaps make those custom vintage bikes, but how in hell could that be made profitable? I have no idea.

I'm sick and tired of being part of the system of unemployment, I'm forced on doing unpaid work, all in the name of my best interest of course. Doing those government sanctioned slave labor jobs has never ever got anybody employed. Not from what I've heard at least. I'm sick of it. I hate wasted effort and even more I hate unpaid work. Its insane. This country is supposed to be rich and civilized, instead its the backwoods soviet who's bosses are just licking the arses of their bosses and unemployed are being kicked in the head for their misfortune.

Hex, in my experience, self employment is what you make of it. If you want an expanding growing business that will provide a legacy for your kids then yes, you'll likely have to give a lot of yourself to it. On the other hand, if you just want to put food on the table and aint looking for Caribbean cruises...you can work as little or much as you like.

I found it great beign self employed. I just worked when I wanted to work which wasn't very often. It was fairly easy to work as little as possible when I imported cars. I'd do it again if I had the stake money again. It beats my current position hands down as well as working for a boss.

I wish I just knew what to do, it would have to be something that pays enough and about that, I have zero idea about.... Other than that it would be easy, I would just go to the job center and tell them to mark me as self employed and never bother with those fucks again.

dubmeup wrote:

Made me laugh out loud that did lol

Hexhammer wrote: I don't know anything about Finland, but working 8 to 4 sounds even worse than 9 to 5!

This might sound like rather facile advice, but the thing to do is work out want you want to do and then do it. But also realise that most people have to compromise a little in order to make money. You also don't have to rely on one solitary source of income, you can have two or three little things on the go at once.

You can play the drums better than probably 99.9% of the population, so there must be some money in that somewhere. I don't know if you can teach or possibly even play sessions. I have no idea because I know nothing about music and have zero talent, but I surmise that virtually every living human being likes some music, and you're good at playing your instrument, so it therefore must be possible to make money from it.

The first thing that comes to mind for me with you is that you speak and write more than one language. There is always money out there for translators, probably Finnish is a niche market, but you will be competing with less people and you might be able to carve out a niche. Here are a few examples that I just found from a Google search:

www.upwork.com/o/jobs/browse/skill/translation-english-finnish/

There are probably tonnes of other business ideas that you could implement as well, but the key thing is to just work out what you're interested in, do a bit of research and then just do it. You really have nothing to lose, as you can easily go back to what you're doing now! The more you think about it, the more your brain will concoct reasons that you can't do it.

Space Bandit wrote:
You keep at it, Spacey. You're going to do great. You've learned harder stuff than this - you'll fly through.

I've done a fair bit of umming and no small amount of ahhing, have chatted at length with those closest to me and...i've now comitted to a decision. Today i am handing in my notice at work. It's time for me to become me own boss again. I'm in the best position to do it that i have been for years and in cornwall, with the work i do, this is about the best time of year to start.
I have a good set of contacts that have already been put 'in the loop' and well...here i go

Good luck mate..... tis the way forward.
You can't beat quitting a job!