The petition, on the 38 Degrees campaign website, argues that the secretary of state must experience life in the classroom before he makes any further changes to education.
Launched by Amy Neill, a teacher herself, at the time of writing the petition had accrued 107,191 signatures.
Ms Neill said: “Before you make any further suggestions of how you think the education system can be ‘improved’, please experience what teaching actually involves.
“As teachers, we work extremely hard in increasingly difficult conditions. We would like you to teach a class of primary children for at least half-a-term in order to appreciate and respect what a challenging job we actually do.”
She continued: “It is absolutely absurd that, in this day and age, the secretary for education, who has the power to make important changes, has no grasp on the education system and what teachers do. Before Mr Gove can make any more ridiculous changes to our pay, pensions and working conditions, he needs to experience exactly what it is to be a teacher.”
Comments from among the signatories have included the following.
“A little experience preparing and delivering lessons to a form of 15-year-olds in an inner city school would do him the world of good.”
“As an ex-teacher, wife of a retired teacher, and mother of a teacher I only know too well the long hours and stress that teachers suffer. Mr Gove should try it and see. Never criticise anyone until you have walked in their shoes.”
“He needs to spend half a term teaching at primary and half a term teaching at secondary to actually appreciate the difficulty he has put most teachers in.”
You can see the petition at https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/michael-gove-to-teach-for-a-term