The disregard for teachers during Covid is the ultimate proof of a vilified and undervalued profession
Teachers have long known that their profession isn’t appreciated and Covid has made that even clearer
I’ve always known that teaching in the UK is an underappreciated profession. Successive governments have underfunded schools and colleges and right wing media has continued to lambaste and brand teachers as lazy. Furthermore, the hackneyed belief that teachers are always on holiday, and off home at 3:30 each day, continues to be ignorantly peddled even by some parents.
The pandemic presented an opportunity to change that. As key workers, teachers continued to work during the first national lockdown. Schools remained open for children of key workers and vulnerable children and teachers continued to provide remote learning for all other students. While the country was locked down, teachers remained on the front line.
It should have signalled the government showing its gratitude for a profession that for so long, it has shown disdain. It was a chance for attitudes from parents and the wider public to shift as homeschooling, and being with their children without any respite, prompted a newfound appreciation for the job teachers and support staff do. Alas, none…
