Last day of term

[tazmaniandevil]

Why on earth does school have to close at 13:45 on the last day of term? What is the purpose of this? Confused!!!!

Haven't seen any other professions being slated tho @Jaxhog

Teachers might seem a tad touchy but we come in for a fair amount of teacher slagging from a variety of sources.

Let's just leave it at the fact there are many stressful occupations and teachers more than deserve their summer break.

That's a bit selective Jaxhog

Don't forget your reference to the six week holidays.

I'm in awe of people who actually want to teach. Particularly at secondary level. Some of DS's teachers actually look like they enjoy it! Weirdos . Imagining dealing with DS X 800, day in day out, brings me out in a cold sweat.

I'd love to see the days where teachers are allowed to just teach, without all the other responsibilities thrust upon them.
They seem damned if they do and damned if they don't in all kinds of situations.
My dd teachers have about 10 weeks holiday, yes they are lucky but their job is hard and even in private schools they have issues that stop them from teaching, even students not wanting to learn as well.

I think the parents who complain about teachers don't understand the role, how hard they work outside the classroom, in some situations use their own money to equip the classroom, the list is endless.
It's a shame there are so many entitled people out there who are jealous of what they think is a cushy job.

To those, you should try it. I qualified, not schools but Post Compulsory.
I really wanted to teach, but I soon became aware that was a small percentage of my role.
I managed my first year after probation year and then left the profession.
Hats of to those who teach Secondary, it must be a huge calling.

Maybe they would go crazy - but not more so than the last day before Christmas and Easter surely?

At DD's school those are half days too.

But actually yes, the last day of the academic year is a much bigger deal for many children than the last day before easter and christmas.

@BeauMirchoff. Im sorry, I wasn't talking about all teachers. I was specifically talking about our school which appears to assume that there is always a parent at home. They frequently send out invitations to workshops and events that are happening the next day at 9:30am. The invitations are phrased in such a way as to induce guilt for not attending, especially as they get the kids all excited about everyone's parents coming in the next day. I'm sure teachers with children like yourself understand that people can't leave work with very little notice like that, especially as I'm sure even with notice it would be difficult for you to attend something like that.

Again, it's not the school finishing early that is the problem itself. It's the lack of notice. By two weeks before the holidays everyone has arranged their cover and having to find a last minute half day can be very difficult.

Teaching is a difficult and important job. I have a lot of respect for teachers and couldn't do the job myself. I'm a scientist. Feel free to abuse my profession all you please

I've never worked at a school that finish early
It can be a pain for the primary schools cos you get secondary kids going in to see their old teachers when they finish early

Kids are hyped up, no work gets done anyway. Many kids are not there as are off on hols or other rrsons. It's not the end of the world to have a half day off at the end of a school year?

It's always been that way round here so nobody bats an eyelid.
What is the big problem? They are at secondary surely they can manage at home for a couple of hours?

And I know teachers who are in school during hols for training, prep work, meetings and doing work at home to prep for next term so they don't have 6 whole weeks off anyway. And tbh teaching secondary school these days I would need as much time off as I could get!

I'm a secondary teacher and in my borough I think the finish times for all the secondaries are set by the local authority (or at least in discussion with them). We all finish early and the LA staggers the finish times between 11:30 and I think about 1:15. I believe it's to prevent too many over-excited teenagers in non-uniform all descending on the town centres at the same time. I think this was arranged decades ago (it was certainly the case in the area I went to school in in the late nineties and early noughties) and I think it was partly designed to stop fights between groups from different schools. The police turn out in the town centres in quite large numbers and disperse each group of kids quickly before the next lot arrives.
We also have a staff barbecue and then head off to the pub. We should be shot.

And the window cleaners arrive

Your windows get cleaned?!?!

After we finish teaching on Thursday we shall be saying goodbye to 26 teachers who are leaving, teachers who give up huge amounts of their time (I did 13 full Saturdays straight with year 11 before their exams) to support the children of others. Teachers deserve their holidays (a large percentage of which they work in anyway) and the chance to say goodbye to staff together, many of whom are leaving the profession as the work life balence is unrealistic.

We finish at normal time. 3.20.

I work in a school and although the school shuts half day the last day of term we have to work our full working hours. The half day is used to tidy up, organise and prep for the new year

Year 9 bottom set.
Period 5
After Art
They are due to start their extended writing. On Shakespeare.
They rock up ten minutes late in the latest non uniform uniform. Girls in teeny crop tops and shorts. Boys in various trackie bottoms, very expensive trainers and either an Arsenal or Chelsea shirt. One brave lad sports a Man U shirt.

They all look like wounded puppies when told to sit in their seating plan. Five minutes of them all shuffling around ensures. Man U lad tries to charge his phone in a socket on the back wall. I take his phone off him, he swears and storms off.
They are full of haribos, pot noodles, energy drinks. A whiff of cheap lunchtime sneaky fags, mingled with Lynx and Impulse mixed with hormones and sweat fills the room. I open a window and the gust of wind welcomes in much needed fresh air. I ask them to be quiet for the register, they nod, chew gum, stick their headphones in, carry on chatting and get their latest fidget spinner out.

Man U boy and Chelsea guy start sharing evils.

I ask them to find their plans for their essay in their books. They look overwhelmed and the girls roll their eyes and decide whether to get their phones or make up out. Half of them haven't brought their books. It's my fault, they mutter.

Man U and Chelsea have a minor scuffle.

I pray for the fire alarm to go off.

Then a miracle. The air ambulance lands on the field, because it's the closest area to a nearby rta.

Spinners, phones, make up and fights are forgotten. They all rush to the window. When they realise that no fellow peer, or even better a teacher has been hurt, they scuffle back to their seats.

Then the usual begins: I 'aven't gotta pen Miss. Can I go and fill my water bottle miss? Can I go to the toilet miss? I effing 'ate effing Shakespeare miss. I 'aven't got my overlay miss. I need to go to medical miss. What's blank verse miss? Which one is 'Amlet again? What, write a whole page miss, you're 'aving a bubble! Me pen's broke. What's a quote again miss? I have to listen to music miss, it helps me concentrate.

Passes Prosecco, monster munch and popcorn round.

ensues not ensures...

I love it Cary.
I teach reception. Is there such an obsession with tissues and nose wiping in secondary? It's all my class seem to want to do. Settle them down for a story and it's all wandering to get a tissue and then spending the rest of the story folding it, chewing it, tearing it up etc.
It especially pisses my off as I buy the tissues myself.

I am preparing myself for 17 requests of 'can we have a fun lesson miss' over the next three days. My normal response is yes of course we are doing 'Fractions' or whatever topic I am teaching - and then add well I enjoy maths so its fun for me!!!

We are asked to keep students working till the very end but I can guarentee every student will still request a lesson off!

We do finish early on Friday but we are also saying good bye to 3 members of staff who have lost their job as the school can longer afford to keep them on. Our budgets have been cut so much we have had to make redundancies - the teaching will be affected as we will end up with bigger classes.

As for what we do, leavers speeches then most years I am on site till 4/5pm clearing out my classroom. Would love a deep clean to be done but if I want a clean classroom come September that is down to me as our business manager doesn't see it as a priority.

Its my job I love it I don't think its better/worse/more stressful than any other job. It has its pros and cons.

Also my school has publicised the school calendar from September with all the term dates in and we have a half day at Christmas and Summer term for the 9 years I have been there.

MSL / Noblegiraffe

You guys forgot the leavers prom that later that evening... 🙈

*leavers' prom, later that evening 🙈

Wish you could bloody edit a comment on here 🙄

Cary2012 ...that's just a normal day though, right?! Lol 😕

Almost there💪

I'm a teacher. Not RTFT. I don't know why it happens. Some schools do and some don't. Everyone's usually happy about things like this unless you change any little detail from How It's Always Been Done. The Those Parents have usually booked flights by then anyway.