Hmmmm..... discuss:

a quote:
I read the other person’s blog post, and (as with most such things), I noticed that she was far more interested in publicizing her outrage, and fanning the flames, than in actually fixing the situation. I also noticed that she identifies herself as a teacher, which in her mind seems to give her a license to diss other people’s teaching. I know many teachers, and unfortunately many of them are the worst possible students. I sometimes think people become teachers so that they will never again be in a classroom they themselves do not control. Certainly she did not stop to think how she would feel if a student in her own class plastered her disgruntlement all over the airwaves.

This is about me, I read it, thought about it and am still thinking about it. I only bring it up because it is one of the few comments 'over there' in sycophant land that didn't make me want to laugh / vomit.

Let's look at this point by point.
Far more interested in pulicizing my outrage?
I am not outraged - good heavens, it hardly merits that sort of emotional investment, I was  pretty stunned by all the points I mentioned before, that someone can be this crap and still 'teach'. Outraged? I don't think so.

fanning the flames, than in actually fixing the situation. Hmmmm .... bear in mind the readership of this blog was limited to my close friends. It was intended for my personal use. The posts about SCKC were then included as an absolutely true personal account of a week that had stirred up a huge amount of interest DIRECTLY due to the utter incompetence, rudeness and lack of communication from the 'organiser'. (I still cannot bear to write that word without inverted commas).
How, pray tell, do you suggest I fix the situation? By ignoring it? By doing what certain people are doing and sticking my head in the sand, hoping it will all go away?
Do you not think that people have the right to know the truth?

I stress again - this was not some made up, exaggerated, embellished story just for the sake of it, or for the sake of a bit of cheap sensationalism - it was the truth. Guns, illness, lack of handouts, incredible rudeness, egotistical attitudes, disorganisation, humiliation - need I go on? Really - you think I made it up? I think not. I know not.

It isn't for me to fix. I am not the one with rubbish classes.

identifies herself as a teacher, which in her mind seems to give her a license to diss other people’s teaching.
No, what it gives me is a benchmark and a lot of experience against which to judge whether a class of any sort is good or not. I don't 'diss' other people's teaching - but by hell I am not going to say 'oh it was fine' when it was a bag of shite.
Next.

I know many teachers, and unfortunately many of them are the worst possible students
Really? I know a lot of teachers too, some crap, some average, some inspirational - I don't however know many who are the 'worst possible students'. Instead, I know plenty who have respect for whoever is teaching / delivering training because they appreciate how hard it is to get it right. They make allowances because they have all been in that position. However, they can also be damned hard critics BECAUSE they have been in that position. You want to be an excellent, outstanding teacher? Then you play the bloody game, you tick the fekkin boxes, you cater for all learning styles, you have a plan, a clear objective, you share this with your students - and by the end of the lesson, session, training, whatever - you show how you have all made progress against these objectives and what the next step would be.

It applies across the board.
Joking about guns? Fuck me, I think not.
My health is terrible, I keep forgetting what I am doing - well plan for that then, have notes, have prompts - PLAN. Be a bloody professional - or get another job.
Humiliating students? Really? This is acceptable is it? Not to me it isn't, ever.

Got it?
Right.
I would suggest you mix with a better class of teacher in future, the ones you know are obviously not up to much.
Next.

I sometimes think people become teachers so that they will never again be in a classroom they themselves do not control
Well if that's what you think that's fine, your opinion. But I am not quite sure what you are getting at here - do you mean that teachers feel the need to control every teaching experience they have? Blimey, a course with what, 200 teachers that I was on a few years ago which was superb, by far the best I have been on in a long time (one of Ros Wilson's Big Writing days, if anyone is interested) would have been quite bizarre if all 200 had tried to take control of the day. Most bizarre.
Genuinely, I am confused by your statement.
If I am not delivering a lesson I don't want to have control of the room - believe me, it's very nice to sit back and absorb information rather than be up front delivering. I can only assume you are not a teacher.

Certainly she did not stop to think how she would feel if a student in her own class plastered her disgruntlement all over the airwaves.
Blimey, that's said with a lot of conviction. If a student in my class was utterly pissed off believe me, I would know about it - the kids I teach would throw a table and run out, or utterly destroy your whole lesson if it wasn't pitched correctly, wasn't tightly planned, didn't take into account their learning styles, wasn't correctly differentiated etc etc. Or punch someone in the face.
All over the airwaves? Really? My blog is on the telly? Wow, I missed that bit, I would have done my roots if I had known. Did my bum look big?
I have taught adults - I have had feedback, good and not so good  and have adapted what I teach and how, have learned from it (or aimed to learn from it) and moved on. Teaching isn't static - you don't get outstanding and sit back on your laurels and relax. You keep learning, keep improving, keep striving to be the best you possibly can. Criticism hurts - in any realm of life - and you move on, hopefully as a better person and a better teacher.
But you can only do this if your ego is not so utterly huge that it prevents you.

OK, that's me done.
Anyone else?

I know, I know, all I have really done by typing this little lot is give someone a bit of publicity. Maybe, by responding, I am being as silly and petty as the sycophants.
After all, if people are perfectly happy with the teaching I have slated then that's their business, there's plenty of room in the world for everyone.

But can we accept that I have an absolute right to post my opinion on here, my blog? I don't have to be polite, I don't have to mince my words, I don't have to do that genteel English thing of apologising when someone bumps into you or saying 'yes it's fine' when it absolutely isn't. Yes that haircut that just cost me £60 and makes me look like the bastard offspring of Ziggy Stardust and Pat Butcher is exactly what I wanted, thank you it's lovely. Bugger that.

But it was  a vaguely interesting post that made me stop and think for a few minutes. So I replied, sort of (it doesn't seem at all fair to link directly to the person who posted it). After all, I can't possibly post pretty photos of sunflowers every day, can I?

Now, moving on - have you all played with Google today?