FE staff - parents evening?

[paperclipsarebetterthanstaples]

Just wondering what the 'norm' is - we've been asked to do 2 parents evenings in a row later on this month. Both will be till at least 7pm - to be honest I don't want to do them. I have an hour commute, young child at home and I'm already on my knees with the workload at he minute.

I'm not against parents evenings - they can be useful but I fear that 2 in a row may kill me and it means I'll see DS for 60 minutes in TOTAL (mornings running around trying to get him ready) over those 2 days.

Are you asked to do parents evenings in FE? Would i be out of order to ask management to rethink?

[paperclipsarebetterthanstaples]

Anyone??

[Cynderella]

Not FE but occasionally in our school (state secondary) we have two evenings in the same week. It is tiring, especially if you have a full days teaching after but, personally, I think parents' evening are very important and so don't resent having to do them (twilight inset is quite different). When my children went to FE colleges, there were Parents' Evenings every term and they went on quite late. At school, our sixth formers only get two parents' evenings a year, but of course there are the other year groups, and ours finish at 9pm!

I don't think yours sound unreasonable. Ours are directed time - are yours?

[paperclipsarebetterthanstaples]

Oh gosh - i really don't think i can face them both :-( and i genuinely think it will push at least 2 of my colleagues over the edge. We've grown massively as a department this term but haven't had an equivalent staff take on, sickness is through the roof and we're managed via tens of emails daily.... I could cry at the thought of 2 late nights on top.

[paperclipsarebetterthanstaples]

Sorry - not sure what directed time is?

[Cynderella]

In secondary schools (and primary I think) teachers are paid for so many hours a year. I think it's 1265. If you're part-time, it's pro-rata. Some of those hour are teaching but others are break duty, parents' evenings, department meetings and so on. The head can direct you for those hours. At my old school, we had so many meetings, break duties etc that there weren't any left! One year, staff refused to attend the Y11 awards evening and the head had to bribe staff to stay. The following year, it became part of directed time. If it's directed time, you are obliged to stay because it's part of your contracted hours. Parents' evenings are always directed time in schools.

[verybadhairdoo]

I have to say I think this is a little OTT. Its only TWO days, not TWO months. In many other professions it is expected that you will do what's needed whenever. So if its just two days that are an issue then really, there's nothing to complain about IMO.

[paperclipsarebetterthanstaples]

Thanks cyndrella - slightly different - we're contracted 8.30 till 4.30 with x amount of contact hours.

We won't get the time back, will still have full teaching timetables (i covered 5 hours last week so no prep / subject lead time) we nearly all work at least 8-5 so lots of extra hours weekly and i probably do 10+ hours at home per week. I know I'm being moany about the 2 nights but it may well be the straw that breaks...

[Cynderella]

Might be worth checking - your contracted teaching hours are not necessarily the same as directed time unless you're paid hourly or sessionally. Parents' evening will come under those professional duties expected of a teacher but you should be paid for them, as you should for meeting etc. I work similar hours to you and spend all day Sunday and at least an hour every evening planning and marking, and that, of course, isn't paid. However, the meetings that go on until 5.30pm and the evening activities all come within the 1265 hours a year.

I don't complain about this because I love my job and I want to do it well. I also consider myself well-paid (but not overpaid). I work most holidays apart from May half term and the summer break. I do sympathise because after a Parents' Evening, I'm exhausted. It's like being on stage for three hours! Do you belong to a union? Your union rep should know how things work in your college. Unfortunately, I don't think you can do anything about this instance, but if enough of you feel the same way, it might be worth asking for consultation evenings to be in different weeks for different year groups.

[Lottiedoubtie]

We don't have 'directed time' . But to be honest twice a week til seven sounds like an extraordinarily quiet week to me!

Eg, next week I have supervision til 9pm twice, 11pm once and will work Sunday afternoon at school. This is about standard.

Obviously salary comes into play here but if you are on a 'decent' salary, I think it goes with the territory.