What are the schools like in the U.K.?

It's always the question, and one I never know how to answer, mainly because I only have one year's experience in one school. Got an email today from a friend who teaches in England (also her first year here, also a 'mature' U.S. teacher with lots of experience).

"My contract is up in August as I am filling in for a woman on maternity leave. I might just go back to the States. I'm not sure. I love to teach, but this isn't teaching. There is just too much distraction and misbehavior. It is really quite unbelievable. I like the kids on an individual basis (most of them, anyway) but it is just too chaotic. I like feeling that I am accomplishing something, but here, I rarely feel that way. I talked with one of the heads of year, and he acknowledged how bad it has gotten, and that England is at the very bottom of the list for education! He, and all the other teachers, say it was not like this 10 years ago. He blames government for closing down the Special Schools (for behaviour-problem kids) and putting those students in regular schools. They brought the bad behavior with them. It has infected everyone. He also acknowledged that all the schools and staff let it (the problems) happen. So, now I have an explanation, but it certainly is not going to get better, so I am looking at independent schools, private schools or just going home."

The two things I can see clearly here are . . .

1) Behaviour issues: The way laws/schools/rules are set up, there is very little they can 'do' to these kids, and the kids know it. It takes mountains of paperwork, and months and years of problems before you can expel ('exclude') a kid. In America, it's easy to be expelled, so that serves as a deterrent. Kids know what they'll face at home if they get suspended (3-10 days, depending on the violation) or expelled (permanent), and therefore, problems are fewer. (As far as social issues which lead to these behaviours, I'm not touching that. Haven't been here long enough to begin to know why it's cool/acceptable to throw food and smash sandwiches into the floor, spit indoors on floors [in classroom or on other people's heads as they walk up the stairs], and just humiliate and disgrace yourself in general. In America you'd be the laughing stock of the school with that type of behaviour. You'd never want to show your face again -- it would completely humiliating and embarrassing. Not here. I guess if everyone else acts like that, it's acceptable? Normal?)

2) No daily grades. Oh, you can assign work, collect it, mark it, and you can even put the marks into your grade book, but it means nothing. There's a test every few years (not a pass/fail test -- just a test. Results don't get you anything), and that's it. In the U.S., if you consistently do poor work (below 70% accuracy/achievement), you repeat the year, so while your classmates move on to year 10, for example, you remain in year 9 for another year. So kids do their work and do it reasonably well. They pay attention and work in class. Sure, some will try to goof off for a few weeks, but when mid-term marks go home and they see they're failing, they change their ways. They need good marks to get into a decent university or to just get a job. Even employers look at school transcripts -- if you can't show up to school and do a good job, you'll likely not do that at work either. Transcripts are great predictors of future behaviour/success.

I don't for a minute think that the U.S. education system is perfect. I do, however, think that each system could take from the other and do well. The teaching here, the content, the curriculum, is so much better, so superior to the U.S curriculum. But too often you can't do what you want to, due to wasting your days on foolishness. I was told that a teacher from my school here, after an exchange year in the U.S., came back seriously wanting to quit, after seeing what she could be working in, and facing the reality of English schools once again. I can believe that.

So I guess that answers why the shortage of teachers in this country, but also begs a new question: When will it end? How will it change?

What does Thomas Hardy's parson say in 'Channel Firing'? "Instead of preaching forty year, I wish I'd stuck with pipes and beer."