Mike's Minute: Why are we concerned about the age of workers?

We've got more ageism, this time in education. 

Unions are "concerned" as more teachers work past retirement age. 

This in part is the trouble with unions. 

1) They aren't keen on work to start with, 

2) They are bogged down in old fashioned rules and views of the world. 

What is retirement and how do you know you are past it? 

They refer of course to Super and this tired, old business of thinking that when Super kicks in you must check out. 

Obviously, the world has changed and is changing, just not that quickly in union land. 

At 64-years-old if you're loving teaching, somehow chronologically at 65-years-old that desire and love of pursuit needs to be shelved, as you wander off collecting your retirement income and presumably filling your days with bowls and walks. 

8000 people teaching are 65-years-old or over. That’s double what it used to be 10 years ago. 

But then a lot is different to what it was 10 years ago. 

Beyond the numbers, does anyone ask any questions? 

Like, are they doing it because they have to, as opposed to want to? Bit of a difference I would have thought. 

Most importantly for teaching, given the unions insist on the mad-cap business of time in the classroom being the measure for income, are these oldies any good? 

Could they be better given their experience and institutional knowledge than the 21-year-old just into the classroom and looking for all the world out of her depth? 

In sex education in 6th form at Linwood High in the late 1980's, we were 16 and 17-years-old and the teacher might have been 20-years-old. She looked like she wanted to die as the diagrams of the you-know-what's came out. 

As you can tell the memory is seared in my mind 40 years later. 

New isn't always best. Young doesn’t always trump older and passion and skill above all else is what should drive presence in the workplace or classroom. 

Are you good? Do you like what you do? Are you making a difference? 

If the answer is yes, then at what point would you be remotely interested in age, far less be concerned? 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
More ageism I've got for you this morning. This time
in education, unions are quote concerned as more teachers work
past retirement age. This is, in part is the trouble
with unions. Of course, One they aren't that keen on
work in the first place, and two they're bogged down
in old fashioned rules and views of the world. What
is retirement and how do you know you passed it?
They refer of course to Super and this tired old
business of thinking that when Super kex and you must

(00:21):
check out. Obviously the world has changed, is changing, just
not that quickly in union Land. Clearly at sixty four
you're loving teaching, apparently, so somehow chronologically at sixty five
that desire and love of pursuit needs to be shelld
as you wander off collecting your retirement income and presumably
filling your days with bowls and walks. Eight thousand a
teaching at the age of sixty five or over eight thousand,

(00:43):
Now that's double what it used to be ten years ago,
But then a lot's different to what it used to
be ten years ago. Beyond the numbers, as in sixty five,
does anyone ask any questions like are they doing it?
Because they have to as opposed to want to bit
of a different style would have thought most importantly for teaching,
given the unions insist on this mad cap business of
time in the classroom being the measure for income. Are

(01:05):
these oldies any good? Could they be better given their
experience and institutional knowledge than say the twenty one year
old just into the classroom and looking for all the
world out of a depth sex education form six Limwood
High early eighties. We were sixteen or seventeen year olds.
The teacher might might have been twenty. She looked like

(01:26):
she wanted to die as the diagrams of the you
know whatats came out the memory as you can tell
see it in my mind forty years later. New isn't
always best, Young doesn't always trumpolder, and passion and skill
above all else is what should drive presents in the
workplace or classroom? Are you good? Do you like what
you do? Are you making a difference of the answers? Yes?
Then at what point would you be remotely interested in age?

(01:48):
Far less be concerned for more from the mic Asking
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