Furious and don't know what to do.

[mrsmilesmatheson]

Is it reasonable for my headteacher to ask me to mark books back to September for a colleague who hasn't been doing his marking?

I am being given no time to do this.

The class is one that I teach but these were lessons taught by my colleague on days I don't work.

I have been told that I must make the books look as if they have been marked thoroughly for every single lesson and that I must get the children to respond to the marking.

I have been flagging up for over a year that this colleague does not do his fair share of teaching the course and I have been promised support from the head and head of department to support this colleague.

I've now basically been handed all the work he hasn't done and told to get it up to scratch I case ofsted come. This could be imminent as we are RI.

Half term basically ruined then, for me

[mrsmilesmatheson]

Can they really ask me to do this? If it isn't reasonable what can I do?

The head is a well known bully who is out to save his own arse.

[desertgirl]

do you have a union or anything who can advise?

[mrsmilesmatheson]

I have a union, don't really want to go down that route as I've seen what has happened to others who have,

I'm really just looking got opinions and others experiences.

[GettingFiggyWithIt]

I would have thought it was unreasonable and a union rep could take it up...however, you mention it was a class you teach so I have to ask how it was organised by you and colleague as a shared class. Did you agree to have separate books for the lessons you both teach? In which case you have marked yours and colleague can do one? Or did you agree to consolidate/do different role/diff part of syllabus?
Is any of your work in these books and how was it marked/assessed? Have you been aware of the books not being marked and brought it up? Is colleague nqt higher than you or mainscale-whyis he she not doing the marking?

[desertgirl]

don't know, not a teacher, but it sounds very unreasonable to me. In my job, would still have to do it no matter how unreasonable and how much it impacts free time, but I thought generally teachers were better protected than that.

anyway hope someone more helpful will be along soon (why are you up so early? I'm at least in a different time zone!)

[GettingFiggyWithIt]

I have backmarked for a colleague btw when I took over a class two thirds of the year in...I had a protected free to do this and it needed doing as I was having to write end of year reports and enter grades for a class I did not know whose books had been ignored from the September. When colleague gave me an average continous assessment grade during handover i asked him what they were based on...when he said books iasked him how he would know given they were blank. That went well. Can feel your pain.

[GettingFiggyWithIt]

Oh and a colleague once backmarked my books for a term...the problem being her mentee had taken my class for a term and just not bothered...I had marked them up to the point of handover and had told her what my expectations were re books and record keeping. She didn't do them. I gave her a deadline. Found her mentor/my colleague marking them for her and she'd buggered off home! That was a fast track candidate, fuck me, probably a senior manager by now

[mrsmilesmatheson]

I am up so early because I am absolutely furious and in floods of tears about this. I cannot sleep.

In answer to your questions gettingfiggy (great username!) This is a shared class with shared books. Every single piece of work in the books that was done on my days is marked thoroughly. Some of my feedback has not been responded to (only a few bits though) because the response should have happened on my colleagues days. I am more than happy to rectify this. The thing I am an unhappy about is taking on yet more of my colleagues workload because he simply is very lazy and selfish.

I have been aware of the books not being marked since middle of last academic year. SMT have also been aware. I have been promised on numerous occasions that the colleague would not get away with this and would be made to do his job. Just 2 weeks ago the deputy promised me he would tackle it. SMT have told me they feel I am more than pulling my weight at work and that they are really pleased with my efforts.

The colleague is not an NQT but is less experienced than me. He says he doesn't have time to mark the books and doesn't see the benefit of doing it. Basically is refusing to do a basic part of his job and now I am expected to do it for him in my own time.

The colleague has been moved to another area so is no longer sharing this course with me. Too little, too late.

[GettingFiggyWithIt]

Oh that is bang out of order.

[mrsmilesmatheson]

Trouble is, the offers of support and offers to tackle it have all been verbal. I have no proof that the conversations took place.

[GettingFiggyWithIt]

Do you have any written communiques from Oct/Nov that address this?
Assume you are secondary?
Why is HOD not doing it, why you? Actually why the fuck not him who is getting away with it?
Can only assume all his books are like that? Are they all bei g divied up then?

[Imisscheese]

Don't do it. That's a ridiculous thing to expect you to do. Do you have copies of emails where you have raised your concerns? If I were you I would send an email saying you can't do it over half term.

If they really want it done they can take you off timetable when you get back. Although I still don't see why you should do it then if you don't want to. Definitely not in your own time.

[GettingFiggyWithIt]

You have been royally stitched up then.

[GettingFiggyWithIt]

So..
You have 35 books needing detailed marking in your specialism but not your own lessons/hw set.
You no longer share with this guy. So your name on the class/books/rest of year...who has taken over his lessons?
Areyou part time being paid as such but working full time/being treated as such or just a shitty timetable split?
Do they know his attitude is this shitty?

[hijk]

Do not do it. Contact your union. There are other jobs! I've been in this position, and have stupidly done it. To what end? I totally burnt myself out. Did the students benefit, or even care if the marking was done or not? not one whit. Did it impact on my health and family life? Yes hugely.

[mrsmilesmatheson]

Yes secondary. Humanities.

I am paid 0.5, and work part time, yes.

SMT are very well aware of the colleagues attitude.

I am going to have a long hard think. Will email SMT asking them to confirm exactly what they are asking me to do and by when and then seek union advice. Thanks everyone. Feel much calmer now and am going to eat toast and drink coffee with the cat

[mrsmilesmatheson]

oh and it's more than 35 books because they have to be marked back to September and it's actually more than one class. More like 100. If it was 35 I wouldn't be quite so pissed off lol.

[GettingFiggyWithIt]

It is disgusting to be honest because I think the fact you are part time is being used against you. You have more time than them to do it obviously
If you had not reported colleague. If he was an NQT you were meant to be guiding. If you had marked none of your own work. Then..possibly, slightly, maybe, just then there might have been a case for you doing the lion's share. Just because you were co-teaching, maybe he thought you were marking the course etc BUT it would still have been dodgy.
But if SMT know he is not marking and he has told you he won't despite having seen your feedback to the kids then it becomes wholly unreasonable to me.

[GettingFiggyWithIt]

Sharing classes for me always meant the following:
If three lessons, as an example, whoever taught 2/3 was responsible for parents eve and report writing.
Whoever taught 1/3 usually did work consolidating colleague's lessons including testing. If they were really nice i.e me they might mark more tests to compensate colleague for p/e, reports. Or tests might be split between colleagues.
Books...either one colleague had front and second colleague back of book, or both colleagues would use separate books or shared books (have done all three) but usually each would mark own OR given timetable restrictions might agree to marking all the books alternate weeks OR agree to mark different units each OR colleague might do the odd extra for one with more teaching if it balanced the p/e, reports and sims sheets etc in a give and take way.
Shared teacher book between colleagues back and forth in pigeon holes with what was taught, what was set and what follow on would be.
Or 1/3 colleague might agree their lessons would always be doing skill X or topic Y or whatever first colleague delegated. Alternatively the 1/3 colleague might always do the intro lesson to the topic. But system in place Sept. I can only assume communications with this guy were always poor then? Why is he not having to mark his work up to leaving?

[echt]

By asking you to "make it look" as if the books were marked when they should have been, and to "get" the children to respond to it is an act of deception. If you are discovered, and any of the children and or parents could let this one slip, it is you who will have behaved dishonestly and would be liable for a disciplinary.

You must go to your union. It's more than the workload, which would be unacceptable as it is, it's dishonest.

Going the email route is the way. If you talk with one these oxygen thieves, confirm it by email.

[icklekid]

They will have asked because they think you will say yes and know they are in trouble. I think I would have responded by saying I had plans all half term so wouldn't be able to do it then. If they really need it doing they either need to pay you to do it on your days not at work or remove classes therefore giving you time. If they don't want either of these options then they will have to find someone else to mark. If head starts bullying then go to union- I'm not sure I could work under someone like that but I know pt jobs aren't the easiest to get. ..

[MaraThonbar]

It's totally unreasonable and entirely meaningless in terms of pupil progress, which should be the only reason why we mark.

SLT need to issue every child with a new book to start after half term, and if ofsted notice then it's your HOF's responsibility to explain why he hasn't held a member of staff to account.

[TheSolitaryWanderer]

There is no point to getting children to respond to marking that's 5 months late, and your head is a vile, arse-covering waste of space.
SMT have ben awars for months, so I think that they ought to use one of their coffe-cake-and-biscuit days to mark the books as a team, and work out WTF they were doing when such bad practice was allowed to continue, unchecked for so long.
Or if the wanker who should have done it is still within grasp, he should do it.
No way should you be made to hide someone else's incompetence, it's certainly not for the benefit of the children.
Now I'm cross too!