Miserable Bastards - ds been ill and now back - been bollocked for not chasing homework off mates and doing in absence

I'm glad a few people understand where I'm coming from.

And actually it's from a jealous parental perspective rather than a teacher's point of view, as I see the amount of time that is wasted in classrooms; and the impact this has on the children (like my ds1) who want to work.

Often when I read Piffle's posts about her ds1's grammar school I am insanely jealous. We don't have anything like that round here, even if you pay for it.

Well I am a secondary school teacher and I think it's ridiculous. The child has been ill FFS!

If it was essential homework, then I would like it to be completed when he had time. If it wasn't essential (and by this I mean if he was able to carry on lessons without it) then I wouldn't expect him to do it. But to put him in detention for it!!!

Kids are human too and I think some people forget this.

Personally, I am more interested in persistent hwk dodgers, than some poor kid who missed one through illness!

Fembear - it depends what kind of teacher you are. I have a scheme of work that sets out the topics I will cover in a term, and in what order, and what tasks I will do in connection with that topic but no, I don't know weeks in advance what I will be doing in Period 2 on Thursday 22nd March. I couldn't teach with those kind of limitations on me. What if we want to explore a topic further because the kids have really enjoyed it? Or I need to go over something again because the class have struggled with it more than I expected? So yes, I plan, but not to the extent that I can't adapt to respond to the students' interests or needs. That would make me a very poor teacher indeed - to plough on regardless, no matter what!

But it depends what you do as a job. I don't have time between arriving back in school after an absence and facing my first class to 'put in the extra hours' so they have to be done while I'm still off sick. But, having said that, I wouldn't expect any child to come back from an absence and have work ready to hand in - I would give them an extension on any deadlines to allow them to catch up. It seems ridiculous to expect anything other than that.

I don't understand, Slayerette. Are you saying that all planning is done at the last minute? Didn't you plan for your lessons at least a few weeks in advance so the info is ready and waiting for the Sub teacher.
"Planning" lesson-by-lesson is not, by my definition, planning!

I would laugh in my boss's face if he asked me to work at home whilst sick. I fully expect to put in extra hours and catch up when I'm back, but I would kick up a MAJOR stink if DD's school gave her detention for not working whilst actually sick.

'I assume all the teachers work at home when they are ill too.'

Soapbox, to defend teachers a little (puts head above parapet) - we are expected to work while sick in that we still have to plan and set our lessons for the cover teacher to take and we still have to return to work with our marking and preparation up to date. If I am off sick I still have to go into my classes when I go back with my lessons, handouts, etc ready to go. I can't just turn up and say well, I've been ill so I'm not going to do anything with you today.

DD1's school is also pretty full-on in terms of homework expectations, and there is a clear understanding that it's the child's responsibility to find out what work was set and catch up on it.

BUT they seem to be reasonably humane about it in practice -- if individual pieces of homework/classwork are missing, they get a written instruction from the teacher in the exercise book stating which bits of work are outstanding and when it needs to be done by. Presumably if that deadline were missed, then the detention side of things kicks in. Which seems fair enough. And notes from parents do seem to be taken seriously if there are genuine issues.

I agree with roisin in principle, but think it's important for the school to be seen to be acting reasonably. Really draconian cracking down is more likely to make otherwise conscientious children resentful, which is not a good outcome.

Roisin yours is a 100% teacher-perspective view though isn't it? Not 'what is best for this child' but 'what is best for my classroom management.'

I don't agree that if a bright child misses some lessons that they will fail to understand everything that comes after. Not after just 3 days. If it is so essential that they are there for every lesson then maybe the pace is a bit too fast? What about those kids who can't get a concept in one lesson and build on it in the next, etc?

Roisin: can you explain why,if teachers get so wound up about missed time in lessons, do Schools timetable music lessons during school hours? Why don't they arrange them for before / after / lunchtimes?

piffle that is ridiculous.

It is also ridiculous that teachers are having to run such a tight ship that kids HAVE to do every single bit of homework in order for them to stay ahead.

Ds1 was off recently for 3 days and no one mentioned homework or catching up to me or him.

Oh and all the bollox about not being able to access the lesson!

How the hell did we all manage in the days before compulsory homework whilst on sick leave?

If people's work called them up and insisted they work at home while they were off sick, they'd be in front of an industrial tribunal for constructive dismissal. Why should a child be any different. I assume all the teachers work at home when they are ill too

But if you kept them off for another day Roisin, that would be another day's work to catch up, so you'd need to keep them off for another day and so on and so on... they'd never go back at that rate!

It is up to Piffle as a parent to decide whether her child is:
i) too sick to go to school
ii) too sick to do homework while he is too sick to go to school
iii) well enough to return to school.

She wrote a note explaining the situation, and saying that he would catch up when he went back to school. Hardly the sign of a parent who doesn't care.

I would be absolutely livid and would make my feelings well known - and he most certainly would not be turning up for detention!

At the end of the day it is a school not a juvenile detention centre!

So you would keep them off lessons until they have caught up everything?

I still don't agree. If you have a class of 30 children, a very tight lesson plan and the work for the lesson is based on the previous lesson and the previous homework, then it is impossible for someone who has been absent for several days to access the lesson. And in attempting to enable them to partially access the lesson the teacher's time is taken away from the rest of the class.

I cannot tell you how much time is wasted in classes by children saying "I don't know what this is miss because I wasn't here last lesson ... I haven't done that draft ... I don't have a copy of that handout ... I haven't researched that item ... I haven't printed out the pictures I need ..." Your school is clearly trying to address this problem very firmly, and I'm sure in regular classes your son is benefitting from this approach. I would be backing up the school for this not criticising them.

If my son was too ill to even begin a little of the catch-up work the day before, then I would assume he was not yet fit for a full day at school anyway.

Now, now. If you're not careful you will be being accused of being parents who don't support the teaching staff

Sometimes I wonder who teachers think they are? Schools are run like mini dictatorships.

Piffle said in the note:

I told them to tell teach that ds was too ill to complete work but would catch up as as soon as he returned.

Just that he hasn't actually had a chance to catch up yet. Have you spoken to the school yet Piffle, and what was their reasoning?

Of course he should catch up.
Now.
Not while he was ill.

Imagine the fuss if we expected every adult to keep up to date with all of their work whilst off sick. I have no idea why we treat children in this horrible way.

That's ridiculous!
Roisin, surely the point is that he only went back today, so while of course it is a good policy to expect the child to catch up as soon as is reasonably possible, this is not reasonably possible.
And will be very counterproductive as it will make you less inclined to send them back promptly knowing they are in for a b*llocking for something that is not their fault.

If the DS was too ill to go to school or work though, wouldn't it be risking a relapse or total exhaustion to have 3 days of homework to catch up on as well as the new homework?

Missing homework/work because of a competition is a bit different from being in bed in pain.

well it sounds almost as though they expected him to take an extra day off school to catch up on homework which makes little or no sense

I disagree with you actually Piffle. Children miss school for various reasons - competitions, trips, as well as illness - and I think a basic policy that they are expected to independently find out about work and catch up is a fantastic one: for the school and for the children - their education. Otherwise it is very hard work when the children are back in the class, as the teacher is unable to teach the rest of the class until they have gone through it all with the absentee.

I realise it's not an easy situation, but I certainly wouldn't go in all guns blazing.