A short thread on why teachers could have managed the pandemic better than @BorisJohnson @GavinWilliamson 1) Teachers never over promise. They are great at managing expectations and knows if they under deliver they will be torn to shreds by at least 2/3s of the class.

2/ Teachers know how to shape the behaviour of groups. They establish clear reasonable rules, reinforce them regularly & are fair & consistent in how they are applied & enforced. They also ensure rules are understood. If they waiver from this, the students take back control.

3/. Teachers can plan for a variety of situations & needs. In a class they will have a wide range of academic abilities & skills. There will be a myriad of different needs that need to be catered for (Aspergers, autism, dyslexia etc) get this wrong and students get left behind.

4/ Teachers are adaptable. When a class needs covering with 5 minutes notice, “no problem, what topic are they on?” They are skilled at responding to a crisis no matter how complex and know the best approach, especially when that means listening to experts like SENCOS or SLT.

5/5 Need someone to manage logistics & planning? Teachers have got it nailed. Teaching 20+ different lessons a week to hundreds of kids, managing planning, marking, organising trips and visits, guest speakers, analysing data, composing reports. We were made for this. Unlike...