My staff and I do not lie and cheat, Mr Gove

Penny, my fabulous American English teacher, cannot believe the negative image of teachers in this country. 

On returning to the “land of the free”, she is lauded for being part of the teaching profession – her years of study, her dedication to the job, her care.

Yet, in England, she says she is embarrassed to reveal what she does, due to the inevitable quips regarding long holidays, short days and out of control schools. Why has our profession become so eroded, become an easy target for poor comedians and know-it-alls?

The latest edict from the Dark Lord – that only a student’s first entry for GCSEs will count towards school league tables – was leaked to the subservient press instead of being released properly to the profession. The Daily Telegraph emotively headlined it for him: “Crackdown on the schools that cheat the GCSE system.” It gives a huge clue as to why the profession and the education system in this country are in such a mess.