Clearly, I’ve been on a reading kick lately (nearly finished ‘Leaders Eat Last’- loving it!) but it hasn’t all been work related professional reading… and before you ask, it hasn’t been romance novels either! I recently finished Adam Kay’s ‘This is going to hurt.’ A comedian and television writer now, Kay originally trained and worked as a Doctor, and his book is selected diary entries from his 6 years on the wards of the UK’s National Health Service. The entries range from the laugh out loud, to the heartbreaking to the ‘Ugh! Too Much Information.’ I was particularly struck by the descriptions of the hours he worked, missing important events in the lives of his family and friends because there was no one to cover the rota, extending a shift because the locum who was meant to take over had no clue how to respond to emergencies in that particular department. ‘It’s not a profession you go in to to satisfy the dollar signs behind your eyes, whatever the occasional dead- mouthed politician may say. Besides, even if you’re unhappy with your salary, there’s sod all you can do about it. It’s all determined centrally, and rolled out across the entire profession. [...] Nobody joins the NHS looking for plaudits or expecting a gold star or a biscuit every time they do a good job, but you’d think it might be basic psychology (and common sense) to occasionally acknowledge, if not reward, good behavior to get the most out of your staff.’ (Kay, Adam ‘This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor.’ Pg 86 & 88; 2018, Picador.) Kay's reflections on pay and his sentiments put me right back in my classrooms of 10+ years ago; the fact that the wages are so vastly disproportionate to the work (but if you complain, it must be because you aren't prepared to give your all for the children.) That the weekends spent marking and the holidays spent rehearsing productions or (get this) laying new flooring in the classrooms went by uncommented upon and unrecognized in any way that would improve my quality of life. It’s really not about the money, it never was, but when you’re living paycheck to paycheck and your car exhaust is hanging off because you can’t afford to get it fixed until the end of the month, it’s important to recognize that a little more financial recognition would make a little bit of difference to your sense of self worth. In no small way, the teaching situation in the UK led me to my first overseas adventure- in a state (public) school in the USA. If you get chance, and whichever country you’re from, it’s worth picking up Kay’s book. It’s a reminder of the sacrifices that are made by others to ensure that we get the care, and service, we need when we need it.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
About the AuthorPassionate about learning, creativity, innovation and tech. Brit Abroad keen to work with others to make the world a little kinder. Archives
April 2019
Categories |