Teacher Strike in England…and the coming of robot educators

Summary

Teachers in England are striking due to longstanding issues exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, including low pay, burnout, and a lack of support, while the potential introduction of robot educators looms as a capitalist solution.

Abstract

The current teacher strike in England is the first of its scale since 2016, with educators protesting low wages and the burnout caused by the pandemic's demands, including adapting to remote learning, managing student distress, and navigating health risks. This strike is part of a broader movement among service workers in England, including railway workers and civil servants, who bore the brunt of essential service provision during the pandemic. The disruption in education is a global issue, with teachers worldwide facing similar challenges. While some advocate for the humanistic approach of valuing and investing in educators, others see the integration of robots as a cost-effective solution to teaching and learning. This perspective reflects a larger trend towards the commodification of education, where educators are increasingly viewed as service providers rather than professionals.

Opinions

There is a strong sentiment among teachers that they are undervalued and underpaid, especially considering the increased demands and stresses of the pandemic.
The strike is seen as a necessary action to draw attention to the teachers' plight and to push for better working conditions and compensation.
Some view the potential use of robot educators as a positive development that could enhance teaching and learning while reducing costs.
There is concern that the trend towards commodification in education is leading to a devaluation of educators, treating them as service providers rather than esteemed professionals.
The broader societal implications of the strike highlight the essential role of teachers and the need for systemic change to support and appreciate their contributions to society.

Teacher Strike in England…and the coming of robot educators

Today marks the beginning of the first countrywide teacher strike in England since 2016. Ironically, many of the issues and conditions that triggered the previous demonstration of intolerance for exploitive practices are the same issues motivating teachers to walkout of their schools in protest today. This protest is not just about low pay. Teachers are burned out from three years of constantly changing safety guidelines, vaccination mandates, remote learning, and social isolation caused by the COVID-19 global pandemic. Teachers endured primary and secondary trauma as people close to them died and they observed as civil society began to unravel under the stress of anomic uncertainty. Teachers are tired, and they are voicing their distress in search of support from those in positions of affluence who have the power to improve their circumstances. Teachers are among other service workers — railway workers and civil servants — in England who were also disproportionately saddled with the weight of responsibility for the provision of essential services when we needed them most. Coordinating a large-scale halt to the provision of vital public services such as transportation, sanitation, and education may be enough to rattle the cages of the owners of the means of production into loosening their purse strings to share the profits with those responsible for the lion’s share of the labor behind it.

Disruption to education is not endemic to England. Countries and communities all over the world are trying to cope with the disruption to education endured over the last 3 years. Teachers specifically were forced into impossible situations where they needed to develop expertise in remote learning, manage classrooms when students were unable to access them due to technological difficulties, triaging students in distress for everything from fear of infection to housing and food insecurity, and all while attempting to navigate a burning house of potential COVID infection to preserve their own health and the health of their family.

From a humanistic perspective, the reaction of teachers and other service workers should serve as a signal that the employers of these people should invest more in improving the living wage of their workers. Viewing employees as valued members of the company with lives and families that are equally valued is an ideal situation for any employee. For teachers, even thinking of them as employees de-professionalizes their role in the scheme of society. Teachers are our most

From a capitalist perspective, the reaction of the teachers is one more reason why to replace human teachers with robots. Some argue that the future inclusion of robots is not such a bad idea, and in fact stands to improve the teaching and learning conditions for teachers and students. Regardless of however many benefits the inclusion of robots will add to the instruction of students, the appeal of reduced salary overhead — and consistent resistance to cost-saving measures — will eventually become too attractive to district officials.

As millions of workers across England join in solidarity to stand in opposition of exploitive pay and work conditions, many of the services England relies on for social function will be disrupted for the foreseeable future. Teachers — who are largely responsible for any success experiences during our return to normal — are being underappreciated and undervalued and under supported as they endeavor to help students return to their educational journey. They are not alone. Professors in Chicago and teachers in California are also demanding change. As we continue to move toward the full commodification of education, educators will continue to be viewed as service providers as opposed to the professionals that they are. Until we reframe the role of educators as professionals, we will continue to see striking teachers, a push toward the mechanization of education, and divestment in salaries for teachers.