Ep 40: The Drastically Changing Teaching Profession: Chronic Underfunding, Enormous Workload & Dwindling Respect

0:00 Hello everyone. Welcome back to another episode of Teach, Sleep, Repeat. My name is Dylan. And my name is Hayden. Adam feels like forever, so just the last two sat here doing. This because it has been. Forever it has been. What have you been doing? You selfish? Man ohh you know, moving house. In house. Just kidding, of course I have had a baby, so. Oh my God. Stop going on about it. Is this what I was like? Is this what I was like when I was? With you when I made a joke. Ohh look everything you got on there about. Rory Yeah. Yeah. Couldn't care less. Yeah, Could not care less. Nice. Point So that's that's my week done. Yeah. Anyway, hello listeners. Thank you for being so patient. Thank you for listening to our little bite size episodes for our amazing interview with Jane Cornstein. And I keep getting Constine or Considine right. If you're listening, I'm sorry, it's one of them. And Heather Wright reading books ever, ever. Wrong.

0:43 Good banter. Now they're lovely. I'll tell you what, I'm not gonna do it right now, but yeah. Yeah, this is what I was gonna. Say a big thanks because we've received a package today. Whoa, Heather from Reading rocks. I'm gonna open this a bit later on. If you're watching the podcast, we'll do a little Instagram real opening up the little goodies inside. Thank you very much. Heather Brilliant. So that's gonna get some engagement. Instagram popping off. Still love it? Yeah. Go on, talk about. You. No, That's all. We're making some memes, guys. If you love memes, get onto Instagram. We love memes. And we finally decided to start making some memes. And I can't believe one of the memes. It's just this dog doing the most stupid laugh in the world, even though all I did was at the top. Just put when you teach your friends say teachings. Easy. And there's a dog going 1.2 million views. And people like. Oh my God the funniest thing I've ever seen, and it is, it is.

1:27 Don't, Don't rip the customers. No, no, no, no. Customers over 1000. Drinking. It's been long enough now that when we say customers, people are like why do they keep? Calling it kind of, but episode one, I've also had messages within the last week or so from three different people who've self referenced themselves. As customers, good. Well, thank you to our customers. Keep listening. You can buy absolutely nothing from our merch store that doesn't exist. But one day we're going to set up a merch store. Like 2 days we'll make 5 sales. And that'll be the end. We've got real customers. Anyway, thanks for listening, as always. Hopefully you're ready for a nice little chat. Hayden, we're gonna talk about a week because I remember when I got to come to the podcast after Rory was born. It was my time to vent and say things that I just wanted to get out there. So this is your chance, Hayden.

2:10 How have your last two or three weeks? Been I don't think I'm as quite as delusional as. You. I don't think you are. Either you were you'd like lost. It I know. Well, here's the thing. I did a lot for my partner. So yeah, I find it quite easy. I've been sleeping every night. I put earplugs in. In fact, I go to next. I go next door most days. No, I think I tell you what has been helpful, and I've said it before, but we. But listening to your ramblings and your experiences did help us because it was kind of like, well, I can probably skip a few of these. Things now on the test animal. Yeah, you're the best animal. Maybe not make some of the mistakes you made. It would have made him the first. I would have made them. I would have made them. You know, steak. Yeah. Anyway, how's it been now? How, how, How are you feeling? Because it's bloody tough, right? Ohh mate, it's the first few days I I was like oh this is the biggest mistake I've ever made in my life during the night times because I was like I can't I can't sleep in the hospital. That was only a fleeting moment of of thought because when I see her and I'm cutting ohh man, I'm so I'm already getting taking the Mick out off by my family because I just can't I can't leave her alone.

3:14 I can't stop by picking her up and giving her kisses and. Cuddles. You thought I was weird saying I was gonna be kissing Rory and my. Children, I know. I was just like, no, no, no, you know, I just, I I really didn't think I'd enjoy the newborn stage at all, though. I know we briefly mentioned this, but I really, really struggled on the kind of, like the weeks leading up to birth for. I'm sort of putting on this front of, like, are you excited? I'm supposed to be nothing but this feeling. And I'm not because I'm just nervous that I'm actually not going to enjoy it all and I'm going to be in that massive statistic of parents who whose regret is having kids. But you don't hear about it. You don't hear about it. And it's good that even though you might have turned the corner, it is good that you talk about it because there be people who are we're leading up thinking they can't say that, yeah, hearing hearing at that is real and it's a it's a legitimate feeling. It'll be really good.

3:57 But so. So post now that you've had the experience, have the night times be. Well, they're not as bad as I thought. I thought they were gonna be Absolutely terrible. I think we're in this weird routine right now, which can't go on, by the way, the only reason this is OK because I'm still on maternity leave. So at the moment, Lauren goes to bed at like 10, and I'll stay with the baby a bit longer because I just to give her some sleep, basically. All right? Because she's breastfeeding. So it's just giving her a break for like a couple of hours at least, just just getting to sleep. So I'll stay with the baby for a bit. But she seems to have. I mean, it's called the witching hour. Yeah, It's like an actual phenomenon. And it's not an hour either. No, It's like 3-4, three or four hours. So every single night so far we are 12 days in now every single night between precisely between 10:00 PM and 1:30 AM.

4:42 That time when you're trying to get ready to get some. Sleep when Lauren gets to sleep and then I get to the point where I'm really tired now, sort of like half eleven. I'm like, OK, Lawrence had an hour and a half, like I've fed the baby. Hopefully now she'll sleep for three hours and then Lauren and Totals had like four or five hours. Of sleep. Yeah. Yeah. Oh my God, she she's a different beast. She wasn't stopped. Doesn't stop fussing. So all day, like, right now, she'll be downstairs. Super chill. Yeah. Once she's had a feed, she'll sleep for three hours. She doesn't care. She's cool. And if she's awake, she's just happy. Like, she's just sort of looking around, flailing her arms around. She doesn't really fuss. 10:00 PM, She's like, oh, had a feed. There you go. Put you down. OK, I'll pick you back up. I'll Rock You. There's rocking work.

5:23 No screaming, screaming, screaming. OK, Rocking is not good. That's fine. Let's swaddle you up. Let's get you wrapped up. Let's get you out. Do you like that? She's like, get it off me. Pushing her arms out. And I'm like Oh my God, it's been 2 hours of you crying and I don't know what to do. And I've seen a video. She is loud. She is loud. For a tiny little Princess, she is loud. Dream man she can. Scream. Dreams. But that's that's the bit. That's the bit I'm struggling with. I'm getting to terms of it now. The first night, I really, really, really struggled because you just feel like a, I mean, I know you had this feeling as well, but you feel like you're failing the kids. Yeah, of course. Because she was screaming and nothing I was doing was consoling her. And it was part of my brain that was like, Oh well, stuffy then honestly, it was so pathetic. I was like well. Like again, you're getting angry over baby. I've given you what you want.

6:05 I've given you I'm. Have you said this? Cause I've I've said this to Rory multiple times. I like you. Get exactly what you want as soon as you want it. Every single day. Forever. What are you moaning about? What? I've said to you Milk. And you've cracked it back out. What else? Do you? I've wiped the poo off the back of your neck because somehow it got up there. Ohh baby, let's talk, let's talk poo. Let's talk. Poo. Let's talk poo for me. If you're if you're a bit squeamish or you just don't like this and you know, then tough you got Oh my God, it's just something else isn't it? Like And it's just constant, I mean. And with breastfeeding, it's relentless. And it's just wet as well. It's like it's like brown water comes out of my baby and it stinks and I'm like, ohh yay.

6:47 At least that's not gonna happen for another 19 minutes, and the amount of times she like, has done it immediately after a change. They know they. Know they they just. Know what's that? What's that? Brand new. Yeah. OK, yeah. What's that? Ohh, I'm putting a nappy on you, right? Ohh. Better do that now. Then it's the time to poo, isn't it? Shall I poo once you've changed? Yes. Shall I scream once Mommy's gone to bed? Yes. Yeah. I think you know this. Like, talk about how newborns like they can't cognitively, but they know what they do. Yeah, I think they know exactly what they're. Doing. Ohh, it's just a poo smile. No, she's smiling at me because she knows what she's doing. All right. She knows Wendy smiles are a conspiracy. Yeah, that they're not real. Don't listen to them.

7:28 Here's where you get your real father and mother news. Yeah, Windy smiles are not real. But getting used to it though, you know it's not as Again, I was quite scared about the whole nappy changing thing because I just didn't think I'd be one of those people. But yeah, you just do it and she's just an extension of you. It's weird, isn't it? If it's any consolation, I still hate getting changed, so few weeks down the road it will be exactly. The same at the moment. She just doesn't like it, she screamed. But I've realised is is just purely if she's remotely cold. Yeah, imagine someone taking all your clothes off involuntarily and like, come on then, let's wipe your I'm gonna hold your legs. Up on your arse like you'd be like what? This is horrible, horrible experience. Only are you touching me? My bum, which I hate.

8:09 You're holding my legs up in the air and I'm on my neck and I and I was fully clothed minute ago. Now I'm freezing cold and the pool was warm Warm seat. Yeah. Ohh man, but you still talking about? Her. Jeez. Ohh. Do you wanna know? Something No. Yeah. No. But I will summarise, there's been lots of highs and lows. Yeah, like extreme highs, extreme lows. I feel like the kind of honeymoon period is wearing off a little bit now because I was like super crazy, like euphoric in my feelings. So the first thing that. Keeps you going, though. Keeps you going. Calm down a bit now I'm a bit more like this is my life now, This is just this is just my life now. So we have nice cuddles in the day and. You've made me think because I've got. Because I'm not going to lie, I just spoke to someone at work who had two sets of twins.

8:55 Yeah. Right. So not only did they have twins and I was like how did you do that? Two years later fell pregnant again. Twins again. And I was I was just talking to her like, I I can't fathom doing twins once. Now I've got Rory never mind then doing twins again. And I just said to her, I I just because I was knackered. I was absolutely knackered. And I remember we speak about how I do still think we've got it easier than than the girls being at home constantly trying to with a fussy baby. Yeah yeah. But I think what I need to reflect on now and really make clear to everyone is it doesn't mean that our jobs easy like it's if if their jobs 10 out of 10 hard ours is 9.9. Because going to work and trying to function without sleep it, it just it doesn't work for me it doesn't work and I know I'm running at like 40% all the time.

9:41 But I asked her at what point am I not going to be tired? And she almost she just laughed and she went, Nah, that's done now. Her reasoning was really funny and I was just taken aback by how much it made sense. And I was really sad after because she said by the time you get over being tired, you've either had another one gone through it again, yeah, And then when they're old enough, eventually you're just old. So you're just tired now? And I was like, oh, oh, right. So I will never not feel tired again. She was like, yeah, basically. Ohh it sucks. I see. Ohh, it's objectively terrible for my well-being. OK, it's alright. Hopefully he becomes some kind of, you know, rich, you know, businessman or football player.

10:22 Because that's the only way it's gonna be off. Look after you. Yeah. The only way it's gonna pay off. Well. Statistically speaking, yeah, 37. Sorry Dad, I can't afford the £700,000 home because the Boomers have got them. But Dad, you're a boomer. Will be the Boomers. I love how the idea of Boomer is like it's just an old question, nothing to do with the. Actual person who's a cured wealth. But yeah, it made me think as well, because the other night I was so tired in in the night. I'm like, I'm a different beast. I'm a different beast. And I was just knackered like that. Rory's fussing with Lauren. She's feeding him, getting him down. And I'm half awake. And I I just hear him fussing. And that usually means he's in his in his crib, wanting to be fed. Yeah.

11:04 OK, wait a minute. Here you go. And I just picked up my pillow and gave it to Lauren. And there's the baby. There you go. There's the baby. I was like, what? And I was like baby. Take Lauren, take the baby. Laurence holding the baby's feeding. And now she's holding the. Other one sleep giving him a bellow as if that's helpful as well. Ohh, he's fussing. Ego take feed the pillow. I love your delusional brain. You. I tell you what you reminded me because I don't really get that. But I did have one thing last night I've not even told Lauren yet. Yeah, I woke up in a very, very well, those weird states where I'm not actually awake. Yeah, yeah, I'm awake enough to think I'm awake and. That's so weird mistake. Isn't it? It's very bizarre because you just hallucinate.

11:45 Yeah. Yeah. And I was looking at Laura and I just remember this, it was really bizarre but didn't freak me out at the moment cause I was half asleep and I was looking at Lauren and she just had a giant head that was Rivers head. Her face was just Rivers face. And I looked at it for us. Solid, solid 10 seconds. Was Lauren's face on Rivers smaller? So Lauren was just facing me, you know, on the pillow like this. And I was looking at her, and she was just riveting but giant. Just Are you sure it wasn't River just really? Close to you. Yeah yeah yeah yeah. And and and I didn't freak out my my honest thought train was ohh I guess she does look like her. It wasn't it was just river. It was her actual face on Lauren.

12:26 Nonsense like the the short hair and everything. Ohh, she doesn't like mummy. OK, I'm going to. Sleep. Yeah, I know. I was like, OK, that's fine. I accept that. I accept. Message was real, like the the shock and horror. Yeah, yeah. Just last night as well. I just remembered something else. I had the first Holy Trinity. The Holy Trinity. This the sick, the Father, the Ghost. I had, I had the the, the Von people at the same time. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was funny, actually. Maybe laugh. Quite a lot that you or river. Yeah, it was actually. Lauren. When she was. Stressing, she was right. Yeah, I was changing. She was crying as well. I guess that's that's yeah. OK, let's change the pose. Ohh, we all.

13:08 Ohh, you bombed as well. OK, brilliant. You're covered in. Poo. And you've done all that. You're crying again. Yes, you're. Crying you're crying. Ohh nappies on time to Yep, time to crap. OK, let's do it again. I say on average I get through. Yeah, on average 2 nappies per per change. Every time. Every time. She always immediately does something this I'm going to bed for a second. Because. This has boiled my blood because it's my fault every time. And it happens every freaking time. Every time I change her, exaggerating every time. Most of the time I change her. Keep up the. She wees right. Yeah. And it's. I get it. I know that's the thing like it's the cold and maybe you know you're wiping them over the weeks and and I'm always ready for it now. And I'll I'll have that nappy.

13:56 I'll read the the new clean one there. I'm ready. I'm like, come on you, We I'm gonna get this. And every time I managed to, I do this and then I sort of pull her clothes back because I just kind of folded. Right, Yeah. And she's just weed on them every time she's managed to get away on them. And I'm like, Oh my God, because she hates. Being Why you putting clothes back before you change the nappy. What's going on? What do you mean? Is she just completely naked when you pull the clothes? Back. Well, yeah. So. Like unpopular. Up. Nah, Nah, Nah, Nah, Nah. Half the half. The new nappy underneath. So when's the chance to go? Home. I don't know. That's why I understand it. Because I'm like, surely the new nappies catching this week. Yeah. And then it's clearly just trickling down the back of this new right and just about to put a nappy. On like wrapped it round and done it. Up. No, at this point she's weird. Like I'm literally taking the other one away. Nah, and she's peed everywhere.

14:39 So I'm like, ohh quick catch it. Yeah. And somehow it's gone. Quite on her belly. I tried that, yeah. She screams so much that I was like, I can never do this to you again because you will explode. Her head was gonna explode. Ohh, so it's been fun. We're working out. I have. Really. She's she's not cried once or twice when changing her, and both times she's been super warm. So I was like, clearly she's just she's cold, you know, cold baby. Anyway, That's right. Yeah, I needed that. OK, nice. That nice one. This one. Why my week? But it's not really remotely as interesting. Ohh, I'm sure it is. Yeah, So. Well, I've done Christmas decorations in school.

15:21 You're one of two types of teachers, aren't you? I don't know. Anyone listening with a teacher could put themselves into one of two brackets. I did a little vote on Instagram this week and it's about a cupboard, you know? Is your cupboard just a hell hole where you shove everything? Yeah. Yes. Or is it unbelievably, pristinely organised people like banners and big this is my pen draw and et cetera like that. I'm definitely the chaotic person. I think you're actually quite good. You're probably maybe edging towards chaos. Not quite that pristine. I always think of like a pristine. Easy. Beginning of the year The beginning of the year A. Lot of people say that. I'm saying I do one big, big big big, tidy. Hmm. It's already a mess in right now. Like, that doesn't even last Christmas for me. Anyway, I was asking one of two types of teachers we've got to do, and this is really like staple. Anyone who's in a primary school probably did this. You gotta decorate your hoops because your hoop in the hall. For us, it's long pieces of ribbon. And we had some amazing year four with my parallel teachers. They did some beautiful wreaths.

16:15 They looked really pristine all around the edge, you know, I'll post a picture. My other parallel teacher in your Ford did some snowflakes. Beautifully folded and cut out with. It just looks fantastic and they were kind of hung up in the shared area next to each other. I was like, why is it? That's beautiful. That's really nice. Where's my one? Ohh. There it is. The absolutely demented snowmen. We did snowmen and I honest to God, snowmen are meant to be round. Don't you sit circles to cut out with your 4. Don't do that because they don't have the dexterity to cut circles out. It's basically hexagons. Nominations. Complete nonsense. I tried to do in 3D as well. So like they fold out and they they that that kind of worked. But then I was like OK if they're hanging in the hall the back, it's just going to be blue while they're on card. That's going to look rubbish.

17:00 So what we'll do is I'll double up, Every kid can just pair up at the end. We'll do them together at the back and then be like 360. Yeah. Didn't think that's gonna half the amount of decorations I. Have ohh yeah of. Course, so it doesn't remotely fill the line anymore. So it's just sporadic, horrible, Frosty the snowman. Holy hell, half melted really heavy. You gotta fall the kids head on. Assembly look like absolute rubbish now. I was like, cool. That's teacher B right there. That's A to be, don't know which one. You are, and I'm not even being there. I'm teaching my donkeys. My donkeys of the year was like. Context. We can pick whatever we want. He picked a donkey. Why would you pick a donkey? Was like the last day to do them. I hadn't picked anything. So you went on. What's the most horribly tricky thing to make with LIKE?

17:42 10 year olds. I wasn't drinking, mate. We made, we made a great card and they cut out like a trapezium shape. The truth that makes me is as well like Kyle, but they were just so crap. Yeah, because mines like that as well. So you can tell it's a rubbish Christmas decoration because it was just three white circles and I gave them felt tips. Can you draw the snowman? Everyone took the make up completely, completely. I've not been this. Year complete. Nonsense Complete. Ohh yeah. They've done my job. Share teacher will have. They gone up this. Week. Done that. I don't know what they've done. I can't remember what they signed up. But it's not ours.

18:25 It's all the better for the school. Think Hayden. What we should move on because you've had enough out there. Someone did supposed with their Spotify wrapped. Have you seen it? Spotify Rap types. You see everyone. It was really nice to see the amount of people who are sending us stuff saying thank you for being the top podcast. I was like, that's unbelievable. And there's literally, I can't remember the exact number. It was over 500 different people wearing like their top five. Or top ten or something. That is unbelievable. Like the amount of people just listen to us so much. Thank you guys, that's nice. One of my friends, I will say very quickly we've produced 2.2000 minutes, Something like that, yeah, something like that. One of my friends sent me his and he was in the in the top nought .5% of listeners saying are you legend, Shout out, big shout, James Brown, absolute legend.

19:09 But then I looked deeper and he'd listened to something like 2.8000 minutes and I went, you've listened. You've listened to the equivalent of 16 hour long episodes, something like that, yeah. And he was like, yeah, listen to it. Twice. Yeah, we were like, good one. But then that was we worked out and it was like, yeah, I told you, didn't it? Wow. I mean, he actually does, but he he said he don't know what's going. On because we picked up his. Company. I don't know, maybe he's just been sending it to to people, to customers. I got this episode. Ohh, I like I like this one. I'm really interested in toxic skills. No, listen. Listen to this point at 27 minutes into episode 40. Two, well, quick shout out to James, actually been helping me a lot recently.

19:50 Yeah, we've been remortgaging. Yep, need. Financial planning. I do need. It Do you need financial planning? Yeah, go to Need financial planning. He's done a fantastic job. He's a top. Cheers, James. Well done, James. There you go. There you click, mate. It's gonna next year. Spotify. Nought .1%. Really weird because look at the analytics this episode 500 more listeners are more imagine. Ohh cool. Let's pick up James everyday, then every episode. Sponsored by Need Financial Planning. All right. OK. We've had a debrief. We've had, you know, the first half when our parenting podcast, let's get on to the educational stuff here because we did do a bite size episode end of last week and it was all about things you can do before you quit teaching. And I know we always plough in, don't we? And it feels like we go negative, negative, negative.

20:32 But we're still teachers, you know, all this, all these things we talk about. There were some really practical steps we've taken to stay in the profession because at the end of the day, we love teaching. It's as simple as that. We love working with the children. We love helping them out. But this kind of idea that the profession this kind of sleepwalk into this horrible situation where we're losing a lot of teachers, people who are in the job are more dissatisfied than ever than are being reported, showed that. So I thought today what we could do was kind of lead on from last time five ways we can stay in the job if you haven't listened to listen very practical and send it to your teacher. Friends who have been a bit low might help them out a little bit, But I wanted to talk now a bit more about in our longer episode about how the job has changed because the well-being is on the on the down, OK, recruitment on the down and people are leaving in droves.

21:19 So something's changed. The job is getting more different and we're going to spend it in half, aren't we? Had in two different ideas here. Yeah, we've kind of got this. We've thought about what's changed and actually there's these kind of macro changes. Aren't these big changes from like over decades really like that? If you talk to your parents and grandparents, they might tell you some stories of how what education was like then. But there's also been a massive change since we have joined this career. So we're talking over the last decade at the most and that sort of 8-9 years really. And it's been intense of the last, I'd say, Since COVID, yeah. And since before. I think it's been even more intense since then. Yeah, since about 2019, Ohh. What happened? Then? Let's listen to find out. Charlie, but realistically, it's 2014. It's kind of. The the new curriculum.

22:00 That's the new curriculum. There was a new national curriculum for those that aren't in education and new national curriculum in 2014. And there's definitely just been changes culturally and with funding and everything. We go into those those topics a bit more. So should we start then just by let's underpin this whole conversation with a bit of a chat about the macro changes. What are some of the big things that have changed over time in education? From the teacher's perspective, I guess mostly. Yeah. And I think this is great to start off with because like we always say, we've got lots of listeners and education, lots of listeners outside. We can all attest to this. And I think some of the big changes in education, I'm talking like over 30-40 fifty years. Have been really positive, yeah, I'd say. Mostly, I think it's been really good.

22:41 And the biggest thing, I suppose, is you talk to teachers have been doing it the whole career. They never used to even be a curriculum. They'd walk in one day. But hmm, let's paint some Van Gogh sunflowers in the afternoon. We do a bit of maths in the morning and you know, what was expected of children was nowhere near the levels we're talking today. We can have a discussion later about whether we expect too much from children today. Yeah. But I think having that kind of broad and balanced curriculum that was consistent across the country and levels and and kind of benchmarks that we want children to get to clearly was a good. Thing I think it was. I'm trying to think of the day we didn't write it down. Was it 99? I felt like it was it was it? Was it? Was it late 80s? I don't know. We're completely making this up. So let's. Not pretend to know. I can't remember.

23:22 I just was trying to think of was was it when we were at primary? School before that, I think. Yeah, Because if it was I I don't remember there being, like, feeling like a change, but yeah. Yeah, well, when when primary school, there's things like the numeracy hour and the literacy hour, and that was embedded and it was really prescriptive. So there was definitely that shift from kind of artsy fartsy. Yeah, primary school. Just do what? You want life skills, you know, talk about things and do addition. Roman Empire, weren't you? Build a Colosseum. That'd be nice, wouldn't it? Yeah, And then, you know, we'll do something else. But think that move and that shift especially at the start was only a good thing having levels of what we expect children to get to and kind of a balanced even when no matter where you are in the country you've. Got to learn this. Do you mean a good thing overall for everyone, or do you mean a good thing for the kids? Good thing.

24:07 Listen it get it was less autonomy to the teacher. I'm sure if you're a teacher at the time, be really annoying to be told. Now you've got to plan everything from scratch do exactly this. But I think overall, I think it has to be a good thing. Has to be a good thing that we have kind of what's the word? I'm looking for expectations and people will hold you accountable to it. Because depending on what school you go to, what teach you got, I'm sure some children had an amazing experience. Some children have. Had because there just wasn't that structure in place. It was a bit more potluck, but it was different back then I can imagine. Yeah, it was quite annoying because when we we've talked with people who actually taught in that time period, talk at the end of their careers and I've been doing it for 34 years and we've heard stories of teachers going to the pub at. Lunchtime. Yeah, I know. And I wasn't even really that long ago. I know teachers now who are, who've still got a good, you know, 10-15 years left of the career who were like, Yep, I remember at the start of my career, you know, on a Monday, when Monday and Wednesday every week we'd go down the pub at lunchtime for a whole hour and we'd have a beer and we'd have, you know.

25:03 And I think I don't know about you. I'm up for a pub visit. You know me, Hayden. We're always up for going to the pub. I've always felt slightly unnerved by that and and this idea whenever you say it or like Ohh then that sound great. It down to the pub. I've always deep down even if I've laughed and agreed, I've always thought oh that's not quite professional is it? That's yeah, that's not that's not the it's the beer. The beer going out food. Of course you can. The idea of sinking a pint and coming back smelling of ale. Yeah. And teaching the children to me, that's that's a that's a step too far. I don't think in in the course of your day teaching you should be consuming. Alcohol. No, but I think that I think the mindset of alcohol in our country has shifted a lot over the years anyway. Isn't it used to be a lot more just downstream people. I mean, people were drinking like drive their. Car yeah.

25:48 Literally would do that. And it was like not even a thing for quite a long time. You know it's mad. Definitely, yeah. So yeah, I mean, they're, they're some of the big changes. Like culturally what you hear about, I suppose the big one, you see a lot online. And again, I've always thought, is this true? It clearly is dwindling respect of the profession because I think if you speak to my parents or anyone who's over just sat in generation, the teacher said something that was final that that was it and it was that. That's it I'm afraid. Yeah, I'm the teacher side, of course. Yeah, if the teacher said my kid has done something, my kids in trouble. Yeah, but I believe the teacher that I respect them. Thank you, Mr Teacher, Mr Teacher. Whatever.

26:28 Because why on earth would you make that up? And even if you haven't made-up my kids going to take on the chin? Yeah, because you know, OK, no, no, no, listen, don't, don't hear it. Teachers dealt with it, and this is the conclusion they've come to? Yeah, that's the conclusion they've come to. You're gonna have to learn. Sometimes it's not fair, Yeah. But most of the time, the teacher's not making something. Up. Definitely, definitely change now. I mean, I made a meme recently. Didn't do as well as yours, obviously, but you know it was. At 1.2 million. Views. No, it was about 4000 so mine was close. Yeah, 1.2. What's more, 1.2 million? Ohh no 1.2 million bit. More no, we need a national curriculum so that we can both do. That anyway. I mean, the whole point is me was about I literally said in it, the child has been caught shoving glue sticks into someone else's shoes and then the parents like my my kid, would never do that. My kid told me he didn't.

27:11 Ohh. That's fine then. Ohh, sorry your kid told your kid told you He didn't. I must have not seen that. Kids don't lie. I forget as a teacher when I taught 1000 children. The kids don't. Like it's weird. And teachers? Do teachers do teachers? Do. What's that? You saw him do it. You do teachers eyes, they're weird. They've got these. There's something about teachers eyes. They don't see things properly. Don't get it. I don't get it. I think linked to that though. The kind of idea of the respect of the teacher. Yeah, There is something though, both ways. Yeah, because I do think that it was very militant back then. And I don't necessarily think it's bad that we shifted from complete 100%. Oh my gosh, the teacher's word is final. That's the end of it. It's awful because I also think teachers a lot. Back then the attitude was if a child couldn't do something, this transform. Yeah, you're not trying hard enough. What do you mean you can't?

27:59 What do you mean you can't do this math because you're not trying hard enough. And I'm gonna tell your parents you're not trying hard enough in class. And that links in with SN ASD autism. I think ADHD, I think a lot more people back in the day. When I've been back in the day, I'm talking like more than 20 years ago, I guess. Yeah, I think a lot more people had a very negative experience of school and possibly even traumatic, you know, to the point where people grow up and they really, really hate the idea of school and then they pass that down, that fear and that anxiety to their kids. They had such a bad time. Everyone in the country right now, me and you, everyone knows of someone in the older generations of their family talking about having a rubber thrown at their head. Yeah, talking about being caned by the head teacher. That stuff doesn't leave you.

28:42 It's unbelievable to think that back then that was acceptable. And it's another example of how the big change in education have been unbelievably good that we, of course, we can't lay our hands on children anymore. That is unbelievably crazy to me right now. And I don't believe that back then there weren't people who thought that's wrong. Yeah, I know. And it's funny because it's the irony is like, you know, people like my grandad are saying, well say, I mean he won't actually. But people of that kind of age will say things like, yeah, I remember, you know, I got bored rubber throat in my head when I was chatting to SO and so it's good. We need to bring this stuff back. Yeah. And it's sort of like, ohh, wasn't a bit traumatising. No, it's like, aren't you? Aren't you remembering? This Are you still talking about? It And you tell me this every single year. It sounds like it was a bit traumatising, actually, and it's really stuck with you. And that's not good.

29:22 Like, you shouldn't really remember being told off. You should just be. And just because you remember, it seems like it's a good. Thing. Yeah, it's like. Ohh, I didn't do it. Yeah, because you were hit in the head. Yeah, and you were lucky enough to be alright afterwards. Some people would have been horribly traumatised and it genuinely, genuinely would have like set them up for a very different life after that because they've been literally physically abused at school. Like, that's not cool. No, it's unbelievable. And I think that the last macro change that we want to talk about before we get into our experience and again, we hear this all the time. There was no such thing as autism back in my day. Well, these kids just badly behaved. There's should be ADHD. Just making excuses for these kids. Yes, there was. Yeah. And those kids were left behind.

30:03 Yeah. And those kids weren't given the provision they need. They were the naughty kids. They were the kids who didn't try their hardest. They were the kids who didn't achieve well. They still had the. Needs they What also happened with those kids, they didn't go to school. Yeah. Yeah. Sometimes there was so much shame in it. Yeah, that's OK. That doesn't go to school. Or they get sent to a different specialist provision school and they maybe don't really need to be there because they're just a bit naughty. But yeah, there's a reason these things just haven't. They haven't just appeared. I think people need to kind. Of you telling me it wasn't the? Vaccines. Yeah, alright. People need to kind of get over. It's a I think it's a really immature thought process. When I hear people say that, I'm like, have you really come to that conclusion If you're not, if you not spent like 10 seconds thinking about how that's that's. Ludicrous.

30:43 When was the last time you were in a classroom with 32 kids? And from our point of view, we can. We notice when there are needs, right? When was the last time those people saying it doesn't existed, that it doesn't exist? You Have you seen them? No. Just badly paid, not even badly behaved. I know they just have needs like they're not even bad behaviour, you know such. A horrible thing to say, isn't it? Badly behaved? What just like can't hold their concentration for more than 10 seconds because of a literal disposition, like a chemical disposal? Yeah. So what we're gonna do as staff, and this is something that's changed. I think teachers now think, OK, if a child doesn't get something, it's my job to find a different way. It's my job to kind of help them find a way to do it. It's never ever The child can't do it, though.

31:25 It's your fault for not doing it. And that has detrimental effects on our well-being when funding doesn't happen and we don't get the help need. But yeah, overall, it's one of those big macro changes. I think if you go from general education, 5060, seventies general education, Northeast, tens, 20s, it's incomparable. Yeah, it's been for the best. Yeah, I agree. I think most of the changes are for the good. People might disagree, but what about recent? Years they've been. Should we dive a bit? Into OK, let's have a quick Jingle, get our brains together and come back and talk about the recent years. All right, Hayden. So there, there's like general macro events that have happened, the things that have changed in teaching. But I think what's going to be really interesting for people now and hopefully we can really lay this out and articulate it because teachers will be feeling this and maybe just not being able to say, well, what, what is it? That's why am I so, so, so much now more stressed than I've ever been, especially in these more recent years. So we've really thought hard, haven't we, about what exactly has changed because we started teaching in 2016, ish 20/15/2016.

32:29 We're now in 2023. And I do think that the job of being a teacher is at this point almost impossible. I think what is literally laid out as expected from us. Yeah, I I actually, I'm gonna go out on a whim now and say it is impossible to deliver all parts of our job to a high professional standard all of the time. It is impossible. It is. Something has to give and people find that really hard. I think part of maturing as a teacher is realising that something has to give, otherwise it's you. It's kind of like something's gotta go or you're leaving this profession, you know? And that's hard because you wanna do a really good job. Of course we do. We all wanna wanna do a really good job.

33:09 Let's talk about some of the things. Then we've kind of divided it into 3 categories and there's a few little things we'll talk about each one. So we're going to start by talking a bit about money, a bit about funding, because. We're not talking salaries. No. Yeah. We're not talking about us, not about our money here. We're talking about a chronic and consistent underfunding of schools in the last decade. And it does go back further. You can go back further, but let's just think about it in recent. History. I'm wearing the, you know, when we're in primary school, education was ploughed with money and I felt it, I felt it. I felt we got new things. We got computer suites, we got new playground equipment, playground, We got stuff all the time. And it was really, really good. And Blair had that whole thing with the Labour government of education, education, education. It was.

33:51 There was a huge drive since 2010. Austerity. Hmm. It just, it has been consistently, if you look at every graph possible, this isn't a political spin. It is a fact. Every graph possible. It's been squeezed and squeezed and we feel. It do, you know, to be a really good experiment for people to do. If you could ever be bothered to do this, go back. If you're an adult listening, go back to your primary school, right. And you know, I don't know what age you are. This could be like recent history. Whatever. Go back to your primary school and look around it and I promise you that there is a very high chance that you will go around and it looks exactly the same. Same carpets, same building. Like there's no new building work, that it's all just a bit more crumbly.

34:33 Same roof, same crumbly concrete. Same crumbly concrete. It will be the same kinds of things on the walls, the same whole equipment. You know, in the early 2000s when every single score hall ever, the wooden floor got one of those wall wall equipment things installed that no one ever used because it was too scary to pull out? That's still there and there's not been any advancement since then. And and I've said this before in another episode ages ago, that there was a a TikTok meme of OHH. It was supposed to be nostalgic and like remember, remember all these? And it was showing pictures, benches. Yeah, 6 benches in year sixes. Ohh, it's the same. The little beanbags, the wall equipment. And it was like, yeah, none of that's. Changed that's not. The little blue chairs with the holes in and those tables and the green carpets, it's all there. It's all there and just rotted now.

35:14 But we have to use it because there's no funding for equipment. There's no funding for tech. It's so hard. There was a push about 10 years ago that got iPads in loads of schools. I mean, if, if, unless those iPads are still running, good luck, yeah, because it's hard to get any more funding. From you know what did happen as well? Worst thing that's ever gone into schools, ever. Chromebooks. Everyone got a Chromebook. They never worked. They never worked. They cost about £0.10 each, I think, to run. Yeah, they they everyone got a Chromebooks. Cool. We got a Chromebook each, but 57% of them don't work ever. And the other lots aren't charged. So there's your Chromebook. God, but yeah. So chronic underfunding, even in things like research and having specialists in your school.

35:59 There used to be just a lot more budget for a school to be like, haha, there's this need in our school. We're going to spend 12 grand this year having this group come in and this specialist, and we're gonna do these little workshops and bits and bobs to enrich this part of our culture. Cultural capital of the school can teach that can teach. Yeah, that's it. Now teach that. Please don't identify the gap. OK. What we gonna do about it? Well, what you put in your planning. You do that. Can you? Not do specialist music teaching. No Ohh. Not gonna get it then because I've got no money. I think the number one way for me as a teacher, I noticed this. So I notice everything you've been saying. The thing that really, really, really, really gets me is teaching assistants. Teaching assistants.

36:43 It's the number one way where I think back to me being at school and I think now teaching assistants. I felt like at my school when I was younger, outnumbered teachers like two or three to one. There was like a whole army of them and they all had specific jobs. It might be 1 to one, it might be that they're just literally assisting in the class as a teaching assistant. That's the one thing to me that's absolutely crazy because I look at maths and English and we're going to talk about Ofsted later on in the expectations of afternoon lessons. But the big thing for me is I think what would transform my job is having a teaching assistant who is my teaching assistant all day, works with me as a teacher and we are a team and we can plan.

37:25 I'm going to do the planning on the teacher of course, but we can literally together plan out our day and and we work as a team. Not shared with the other year group for the rest of the year group. Sorry, yeah, because at the minute I think I probably get a TA for 50% of my morning lessons, not even every maths lesson in your lesson. And never once for an afternoon. Lesson and that standard by the way, that's not just our school. That's just that's just pretty standard. Depends, you know just depends where you are. Depends what class you got. And it's quite reasonable now for people to have nothing at all at all times in the day. Maybe you're in a school that sets viability and the TAS have just been that, you know, they're they're limited resource and they've all gone to the the lower sets that need more handle support. And you happen to be teaching higher sets all morning and and you just don't.

38:09 Have any By the way, I still 8 years old and need help. Yeah. Yeah. And you also the point is and here's here's the big change right not only has the has the funding you know caused us to have less TCAS fewer fewer TA always catches now we do on purpose now that's my my rules for. Notice the mistake? Well done, yeah. Fewer mistakes from me, please. Yeah. Yes. Confused. Me. Yeah. So not only the funding has affected a it's it's their role as well. So like you were just saying I it definitely used to be a team. There was a team spirit. It was like the TA and the teacher, they were just this little unit and between them they did what they needed to do. It doesn't feel like that anymore.

38:49 That you'll be very lucky to have that is very much. You might have a little bit of support and they're not really your tea. They're also being pulled from pillar to. Post and they're doing interventions and probably taking some children out in the afternoon to do some extra maths or something. Yeah, Or you know, but it's just gone. Says where it might be that the teacher just needs some literal assistance, not with the kids from and it just literally they need help because they've got tonnes of jobs to do and they're in charge. They're the manager of the classroom and they need someone to go and pick up this. Could you print that? Would you mind just putting this up on the wall for me? Can you go and get the medication for that kid and just sort this out for me? You just can't do that anymore, I think. We're going to talk more about this later, I think, when we talk about afternoons, sure, because that would be really interesting. But I guess the last thing to do with funding for me, and it's a huge gaping gap because whilst we talked in the gaping gap, I don't know what gap isn't gambling. This is a gaping gap.

39:43 And the point though is we talked about our macro change of SEM provision, special educational needs being a lot more on the map and and us being way more aware of it. Yeah, which is great, which is absolutely fantastic. What's horrendous is that then it stops. So as a teacher, from my point of view, what's happening is OK, this child's getting a provision plan. Fantastic. Getting this education, health and care plan amazing. Getting diagnosis, brilliant. I think we know all about their needs. Down we can really cater to that. How are we going to cater to that and what what do you mean? We this lower case it really. Yeah, there you. Go, mate. Off you go. No. Look, there's the report. Now. We gonna take you to it? No. They've given you.

40:24 Sorry. Have you got any funding for me to implement any of? Yeah, we spent on getting the report. OK. Yeah, that's all we've got. And isn't it something crazy like the 1st 10,000 lbs of someone's need has to be funded? By the school, I think that's with educational healthcare. Plans. So what they're basically saying is that if you go through the rigmarole of helping a child needs an education health care plan, you're gonna put a 10 grand hole in your. Budget on the school budget? Yeah, it really takes a hit. It makes it very hard. For So what? What if you have seven children in your class who absolutely need support? Sorry, 70 grand before we do anything. Tough. We've seen it. We've seen it happen year after year after year. I've seen it happen every single year in my career. Children get left behind. Yeah they do and it's horrible. Look at them. I think. Ohh, you deserve it just as much as.

41:04 That person. And you know what? Do you know what? Obviously I'm not gonna pretend that we are more of a detriment than the child who might be getting what they need. But that's on us mentally that we know that these lovely children who are under our care, who we are paid to look after every single day and help develop and meet their needs, We physically cannot do that because we don't have what's in place needed, that we have all agreed because there's been a plan approved. Everyone in the system agrees that the child needs this, but it's down to you to do with no funding and no help. Yeah, no. And UTI's gone. Yeah, and there's no, there's no, there's nothing there. We are at the end game of the funding crisis and I think to to summarise this whole funding thing it it is completely broken and we are not making when we go on strike and when we shout out about this, we're not doing it because we're lazy, we're not doing it. We like moaning.

41:49 We're doing it because we live this job. We are. We love this job and it is completely. Broken. It's failing the kid. We get to watch it first hand, fail a lot of these children and you just think, God, there could, there could be so much more in place for these children with just a little bit of money, a bit of funding and it's not there. So it's double edged blade. Yes, we think it's great blade, double edged sword, sword, same thing. All right, all right. Let's just stick from now on and the same. Who are you? Who are you calling me out on these gaping gaps? You crazy, man. It's a double edged sword because yes, overall the change towards SEM provision has been great because it's way more recognised now. Capability. Yeah, you know, that's great. But the funding availability?

42:32 The funding. The funding hasn't kept up with. It. I meant accessibility, vision, you know, we. Just say what someone else is saying. Like, yeah, yeah, but that's the problem. It's not kept out. The funding hasn't kept up with the research and understanding of these children's needs, which is really hard because then we just get to watch the system fail, great part of teaching. In the 70s it didn't exist. We were blind to it. Now we know it's there and it still doesn't get. Sorted. Yes, woo. Brilliant. Right. Let's talk about our next sort of topic of conversation. I guess so. Since we started, since we started school, this has been, it's unimaginable to me this change it. I I can't actually fathom it. Looking back now that it used to be.

43:13 We teach maths and English and then we do some topic in the afternoon and with some science. It wasn't low stakes, OK? We still want to make some fantastic and we have some fun lessons. We might do some geography where we looking at some maps and we go outside for a bit history. We'll get some artefacts out and discuss them and that's cool because these are 7 year olds so that is all they need to do is just have a little chat. About actually need to remember. Certain facts? No, they do. They do now. Yeah, because in 2019 there was a new Ofsted and that framework has single handedly ruined this profession in my opinion. No, we I do. Think big words and. Doesn't. No, no. Because we talk about the funding. Yeah, that you know, teachers with miracle workers and will always put the kids first. And we are professionals and we do make sure children get what they need. So jokes aside and stress aside, the annoying thing about the underfunding is they're such a fantastic teachers out there that we are kind of plugging those. Gaps and pick up the slack.

44:04 Picking up the slack and and that's why we're so stressed. That's why we're so stressed. But however with the Ofsted unless you follow this framework, you're at risk of your score being deemed requires improvement and then head loses their job. Everything down the pan. Yep. So Hayden can you just very quickly summarise for anyone who doesn't know what we're talking about. Firstly, what do we even mean by a framework? What happened in 2019? How did this shift and change our job a lot when it comes to afternoon. Lessons. So you probably know what often is and you know their job is to keep schools accountable and they have their own framework documents so that when they go into schools that all of their inspectors, they're all consistent and they know what they're looking for. And what I guess the major change in 2019 was this idea that any sub they can look at any subject, including all of the afternoon subjects in extreme detail and they will scrutinise at any one subject to an extreme level. Whereas before there was a there was a bit more of a kind of a surface approach.

44:59 They might, they might do that with English because they are the core subjects, and with science. But when it comes to those afternoon subjects, when it comes to maybe PE and geography, history and music and languages and RE, it might to be a bit more of A. Let's just check that you've got a curriculum you're following and the children are being enriched and they're they're developing some understanding of of these subjects because they are primary school that they'll go to secondary school and become a bit more specialised in areas in those. Subjects with specialised. Teachers with teachers who only teach that thing. So what it's done is it's put this immense pressure on schools to make sure that every teacher is an absolute specialist in every single subject, which is which you might think, wow, that's great.

45:40 And yeah, I in the ideal world, that is great, isn't it? That does sound good. Imagine having skilled teachers that well, it's like Kate. Cool. It's not real though, is it? And also where where does that come from? It's Ohh. Suddenly I'm just going to be that skill now. It's no, no. It's going to come out of my time and it's going to be very stressful. And it manifests in the idea then since then, leading a subject has become the most toxic thing you honestly could possibly do to someone's well-being, because you don't get paid for it. You simply don't get paid for it. So you've got to do this change in school progression documents, make sure everything is really clear between year three and year four, then your five. And how is that going if you're in history? How's the chronology getting better? And how's their understanding of sources getting better?

46:21 And how's all the, you know, all the different strands of history? There's gotta be progression throughout the whole school. You're in charge of that, by the way. You've got, you've got to make that OK. Not only am I not a history specialist, so I don't know what you're talking about, I also am just delivering my job of teaching, which is all my time already. That's all my time gone already. And now you want me to be a specialist in history And I made a meme about this. The joke was you know, a a head teacher buttering up someone saying how ohh. Who's that wonderful girl? Because my dad's asked you to leave geography. For nothing. Yeah, yeah, it's it's the fact that it doesn't come with pay your time. It's just insanity. Even just time is a bit like a bit cheeky, Not actually paying me for it, but at least I'm reducing time from my other job and just pay is still a bit like what's a bit cheesy because I do work full time hours already. You are just kind of paying me to do it my weekends. And it's never it's never worth it. No, Not at all.

47:11 Never. Never perfect. So yeah, Office 2019 did mess things up a little bit. We've definitely felt the change, especially post COVID when those when it was even more imperative to catch these kids up. But I think the main issue I have is it's become really knowledged based. And boring, Yeah, it is. On the whole, I think there's big changes you can make to curriculums to make them better. And I think progression is cool and I understand it, but the lead into knowledge. I agree with you more and more as time goes on. I don't care if a child doesn't know when Tutankhamun's tomb was found. Umm. However, what would be really cool would be to talk about what was in the tomb. Hmm. And why they? Went and found it. And knowing the ancient, what the ancient Egyptians were, Yeah, just having that kind of more interesting level of knowledge.

47:57 Do you know what? 7 year old. If you really find this interesting, you can go and do a bit more research on it. And you might even do it in the next five years of secondary school when you have a specialist history teacher that knows loads about. It I think the job has to be right and this is where it's changed and it's more stressful than ever. I would love my job to be to get children to be able to read, understand well, to be able to do the most basic of maths and understand that there are problems that they can work towards and have methods on how to solve them and have a love of learning other things. And that's enough. They they don't have to leave second primary school, sorry, knowing what the rock formation was in an ancient in Pompeii. I don't care if they know that's metamorphic or not.

48:39 Or sedimentary or whatever. I don't actually care. What I care about is, I imagine, if they were hooked by the story. Are there any volcanoes in Peru and are they active or dormant? They kids don't care, yeah, why would they care about that? Yeah, it's so uninteresting and boring. But kids to most. People, but I've seen kids and this is the beauty of being in a primary school. They can get hooked on a rocks lesson. They can get hooked on it because they're going to just go and get some rocks from the playground. Whenever I've done rocks with children before for weeks afterwards, I get children come in the morning. I found a rock. Yeah, they just bring me a rock and it's like that. That is all I care about. Yeah, you, if you couldn't tell me, how old do you think that rock is? Because based on the lines and the sedimentary build up, I couldn't care. Less, but if you could tell me if a kid said to me I want to go and find out excellent X or Y about this, then I'd be like I've done my job.

49:26 Well good. I don't care if they memorised it now, but this is just a memory test. It's all a memory test. Now we're really going down this rabbit hole in education of test and memory on everything. It's such a stupid way of standardising children. And I suppose to summarise how has that changed over our career? I think it's just it's it's workload and its expectation with absolutely no extra support, and it links back to what we're saying. And that's the point I wanted to make about a because we have this really high bar now. That bar has been raised and raised and raised for afternoon lessons. You can come at me and tell me that's a good thing, all you want. And I'd be hard for me to argue against it, to say for the same reason it was good that curriculum came in general, of course. Is it good that we have higher standards for history and science? Of course.

50:07 It's hard for me to argue, no, but it has to come alongside. Funding has to come alongside support, because I bet you now if you're a teacher listening to this podcast, you have help in the mornings for English and maths at some point. And you probably have smaller groups because you might have people premium funding to get an extra teacher and do sets and things like that. I bet you have nothing in the. Afternoon, and I bet it's your longest subjects as well. The idea of an 8 year old doing a two hour 20 or two hour 30 lesson in the afternoon where it's pure, you've got to remember all these historical facts is mental. Without break, Yeah. Without break. Some schools have breaks. Most schools don't know in the afternoon. It's just like a big chunk. Of we got loads of support, loads of extra input from maths and English, real with help, and it's only for an hour and a half ish, but in the afternoon you're on your own.

50:51 It's 2 1/2 hours and got to know. Everything and make sure you don't forget the three hours of English did before. That I know. Already exhausted, Tough. You're really tired and you don't want to work hard to OK, cool. Well, that's tough because I'm going to get judged on it. And by the way, afterwards I need to assess you on every single tiny strand in. Every single. My happy memories of school are 100% doing nice fun things in the afternoon that got me interested in the stuff that that is it. Yeah, I know I did Tudors, right? Yeah. I couldn't tell you now. I probably could. So it's bad example, but I couldn't tell you. For example, when Queen Elizabeth was born, I'm sure I got taught. But do you know what I remember that she was a leader who never married and she was part of the Spanish Armada. And we had this whole thing was like, wow, that's cool. That's really interesting.

51:38 And what, You know, Henry the Eighth was this unbelievable tyrant. They were just split from the church and made-up this new religion. Like, wow, I remember that. That's really interesting. Yeah, I don't remember the single. Remember the the type of material that was used to make his his cloaks. That's the kind of random. Nonsense. What was the chronological link between that and the Victorians? He shot. Yeah, Tell tell me about democracy in that time. How did democracy change from the Stone Age? Yeah, to the victory Don't. Care. And you know what? I don't even have a huge problem with having those discussions. I just don't like when it's forced in. If there's a time where you think this is, the kids are really interested in this, and this is a good way to talk about democracy, That's an important concept to understand. Cool. It's just. But it doesn't matter if a 10 year old cannot make a democratic link throughout history, no. No, of course it doesn't.

52:22 Let's go into the last. One, let's be quick here because we are coming towards the end of the episode. But there is one more thing. I think it's huge think this is could have sneaked into macro, but I do think that there's a part of this which really has been intensified, especially since COVID in my opinion. Yeah. And that is the digital age, OK. I think the digital age in general, we can talk about all the positives and the ways that we can use technology to help us. But I think there's two strands to this. And the first one is direct access to your teacher. I don't think that was ever a thing previously. The idea now that in a lot of schools, luckily not our school very well managed, I think every school should be like this, but a lot of schools just 24/7 access. You could receive an e-mail at 9:00 PM from SLT saying do this for tomorrow. You could receive an e-mail at 6:30 in the morning from a teacher saying, ohh, my son's going to be doing this today. Can you please make sure that you keep an eye on him? Hmm.

53:09 Can you please make sure you don't message me because I'll do my job? Without you telling me, that's not even the worst here. That's a bad tear, by the way. And if that happens in your school, you just say no, it's not my working hours. You absolutely never, ever, ever report response. You might want to read it. That's why it's up to you. Yeah. Don't respond to an e-mail at 9:00 PM because then it will just set this precedent. But that's that's Tier 1. Tier 2 is that happens. And also parents have direct access to you as well and through whatever system your school has. And we'll and can just message you at any point in the day. And again if there's a bad culture in your school, they will expect a reply. Yeah, certain point you just think that's mad. That did not happen before back in the like the the macro conversation titled. Isn't. It yeah, is extremely entitled as if we're just. Ohh, just yeah. Would you ever just message your doctor at half six going excuse me?

53:50 Yeah, That thing you tried, it's not working. No, you'd be on the phone for 10. Minutes. Yeah, Yeah. The next. They have. They have a reception putting you in to not even book you in. Yeah, so. Not only are you talking to someone else, you don't even get to talk to the doctor at the end. It's like, at what point did we become these fools who just again, just from a parent saying, ohh, I'm sorry my daughter said that this thing happened today and she wasn't happy about it. Yeah, all right. Quick thing, by the way, it's really, really short. I rang 2 dentists yesterday really bad toothache. I'm not signed up for the just. E-mail them direct e-mail. Yeah yeah I just messaged message rang 2 dentists and I explained my situation said I don't think I remember can I can I get some sort of NHS membership because obviously I am I I do I am a paying member of this country. And the answer hilariously it was like ohh no. That was it.

54:34 Is there a way to get? Is there a way to get in No fully? Fully. I've got a hole in my tooth. Ohh ah bye. That's a shame. Can I get, can I get on that list? No, there's no space. No dentist, OK can no get a list. Thank you. Bye bye. Now I've just got a horrible toothache and I don't really know what to do. I have to pay private but. Maybe you'll start screaming like river. Every time you change your nappy. Last thing on this, because I think this is LinkedIn something that's changed a lot and it's to do with the whole media thing culture. It's just it's just smartphone usage and and I think why that's changed in the last few years is it used to be when Maria school, there's still mobile phones but it was literally a mobile phone. I could call someone like a text someone there might be some things going on all texting each other inappropriate things might be bullying or going on and that's to do with the teachers. But but these days if there's something going on WhatsApp group chat, suddenly it's the teachers problem to try and sort out if it's outside of work.

55:31 And I'm sorry, it's the parents job. Don't give your child WhatsApp if they can't handle it. Yeah and if there's a problem going, don't come to me, go to the other parents. You know it's it's not I I I find it crazy. That's even in our. Jurisdiction primary school drives me crazy of these things. Secondary schools are different game because they are at the age where they can actually have these things. But primary school drives me insane because it's like it's quite clearly they're very well. They're very well advertised as being like 13 plus quite or 11 plus or whatever. I'm like no one at primary school is actually technically should be like. So it's never my problem. I literally, I'm like, no, they shouldn't. You're choosing that your kid used that thing. It is not absolutely not my problem now if if some drama happens outside of school, but it's the thing, isn't it? That's changed a lot over the years. It's just this expectation that we will get.

56:12 Involved somehow it's because they're just children in our class and I get we we we do. I don't know what to think. We don't feel this bond with our children that we want to help them whenever we can. But there is a line is is my job to teach them stuff. I'm It's not my job, I don't think. Or it shouldn't be, at least to solve issues outside of Go on apps you let your children download on phones you. Buy that we don't let them use in school. If it was on an iPad in school, my job. My job completely, yeah, yeah, it's on an internal system. My. Job. And The thing is, I say that I know I've never said no, I've never once turned down that help. I've always got involved in help. But there is that in the back of my head. I'm like for God's and again. Of course we'll help cause we're then kind of people, but I just that's another thing. It's another string to our bow right now, which we it's just adding to our workload relentlessly. So and the one last thing with smartphones and we'll finish this bit the worst thing now and this has changed and we're talking like three or four years now even from when we started. And smartphones are already a problem is it is those is TikTok and Instagram reels and things because they are so unfiltered and driven by an algorithm of what you like watching. As soon as a kid gets fed something and they remotely linger on it a bit too long.

57:17 Feeds them more. Feeds them more so much inappropriate content. On TikTok I use TikTok and it's horribly inappropriate. I'm an adult and I can philtre that content myself and I. But I often will be scrolling through and I'm thinking through the lens of a kid in my class. I feel like, you know what if if some of these videos popped up that are just genuinely violence, you'll get one that I get. I'll get think something like racist or something. I'm like that someone's making a racist joke in in a in a on a little tick tock video here to get some laughs, hopefully by people that maybe understand the nuance or they're just being horribly racist and you think kids can consume that? Yep. And they don't have the intelligence, the philtre to be like, oh that's disgusting. That's someone that's just free media that someone put on there. And I'm like kids can watch this stuff, man. And it really impacts them.

57:59 Of course they talk about it. How many? Children mention Elon Musk got Andrew Tate, Ohh Andrew KSI, Logan Paul. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm sorry. I don't care. I'm in France. They are for adults. If you like them, crack on mate. Don't bother me for the fact that the way that the people like KSI and Logan Paul pretend that they're marketing to adults, when really they're just absolutely rinsing. Kids watch time on for ad revenue. It's weird and prime and things like that, but the things they churn out is just adult content. It's not appropriate, disgusting because I have no problem with people, obviously, because kids TV, the kids media exist and adult TV can exist and adult content can exist. But there is a chasm right now on YouTube and TikTok that we have these influencers who are absolutely rinsing child's watch time for ad revenue whilst pretending it's for adults and they know full well that they are marketing to kids.

58:47 There's no way Prime is not marketed to children with Bright. Yellow colours under 10 years. How many adults have drank prime? Gone. All that's delicious. Yeah, I'll keep buying those. No, it's. I'll collect the bottles. It's for 12 year olds and and let's stop pretending it's not. And then when they they release their podcasts and things, they're just talking like in a very inappropriate about adult content, knowing full well that their audience are 12 year olds. It's. Disgusting. It's Dodge and it seems his way into school. That's a big change. We've seen smartphones and their usage is becoming a real problem both in cyber bullying and the things they can access on them so easily now. Ohh dear, do you want to finish a quick story? Let's finish. Very quick story. What about now? Yeah, we're gonna go. This is a really short story, but it made me laugh so much. So I'm gonna tell this story, then we'll wrap it up and we'll come.

59:30 OK. So I was talking to one of my friends the other day came to see Rory, we having a chat and they had this story for me that as soon as it happened they said to their friend, I've got, I've got the podcast. So really short one. There was something went on at school, OK. Between a few children. And as you know, we've got to contact parents sometimes, depending on what it is. So it's OK. It's gonna let parent know what happened. Cool. After school, Yeah. We'll go and get the number of the parents. So this teacher went along, got the number for the parent. Ready to have a really serious conversation about what? You know. This did happen today. Blah, blah blah. So sat down, tucked in the number ringing. Ring, ring, ring, ring. Person picks up. Make me a winner, teacher.

1:00:12 Put the phone down straight away. Didn't say anything before. It was a radio show about to give him money. That's what is that on there? Ohh yeah. Ohh my. Gosh, the teacher put the phone down, went to their mates. I can't call them, I can't call them back. So. Funny. Do you know what? I, I I love that happened because I thought so many times. I've listened to the radio thing. I'm like, there's gotta be some people who have just coincidentally been listening to, had a phone call from someone and then shouted it and embarrassed themselves. Oh, sorry, no, you haven't got the. Job, that is make me, you know, I'm not a winner. I haven't won and I don't. Have the job, mate. I tell you what, if if someone did that to me, if someone answered the phone to me saying make me a winner, there's no way I would be able to resist the urge to go along with it. For a minute.

1:00:55 I pretend I'd be like yes, well done, You have one. A child who broke the rules. This is your teacher speaking here, apparently, by the way. Yeah, if you ask people, you can tell them that. People don't always watch Hayden. Ohh yeah, if you're not watching then you're missing out. So I'm making a phone. Simple. If you're not watching, make a phone symbol to here, right? Now is it with your small finger and your thumb, That means you're old. Yeah, because you're used to like that kind of flip phone. What kids do now, apparently, is just flat palm. Flat part they make like a claw. Well, you know, like same planet, Yeah, just where you holding. Yeah. Wow. There we go, Boomers. Boomers, We're all one now. We're all one eventually, so it works. It works, boy. Ohh dear.

1:01:35 What age were we all vote Tory? Hmm, I don't know. Never. Let's wrap up Ohh political ohh in there that you get that right in. There, don't forget, Rishi does listen. Does listen. Yeah. Does this joke. I think you're doing an absolutely stop now. Terrible. Job. OK, guys. Thank you so much for listening. Thanks for making it this far. And we'll see you again next. Time Check out our bite size episode as well if you haven't already. This week is really fun. Bye.