Teacher wellbeing days for shopping

[ForAMinuteThere]

Nope - this isn't a bash. I saw an article in the Fail about it and wanted to add some support for the teachers of this world.

I am a non teacher. It looks hard. One day off for shopping is a nice gesture.

I expect mixed responses but personally, I think teachers staying sane and feeling worthy can only be a good thing.

(This isn't my first post, have NC)

Ah OK, misunderstood. I guess that's when happens when the story isn't linked and I can't be bothered to go looking for it!

That's fair enough then. They can spend it however they feel works best for them!

I've no problem with it, but to say all teachers are working their fingers to the bone , till silly hours is just not true or helpful. Many many are, I know lots, but I also lived next door to one for five years who would be home at 3.30pm daily without fail and others who go away for the entirety of nearly all school holidays. Lots of people work long hard hours and asking someone who gets 20 days annual leave (which they quite possibly get very limited choice about when they can take) to use one of those days so their kids teachers can go shopping , is going to get people's backs up. Sad but true. I worry it just enhances a them and us mentalit.

You know, to those who think it's so easy to be a teacher, you get to 'finish' at 3, you get long holidays etc, why don't you get up off your lazy back sides and become a teacher then? It's sooo easy right? So why don't you become one? You get paid to do such an easy and short job, get a pension, get to work with kids all day that are so easy to manage. Lovely job right? Go apply then.

Otherwise, shut up and actually show some respect for them.

I also lived next door to one for five years who would be home at 3.30pm daily without fail

And you assumed that meant they were done for the day?

I’m regularly home early. I get my kids their dinner, put them to bed, then get out my laptop and crack on with my work. If the neighbours saw my car in the drive and thought I had an easy worklife because of it, I’d be majorly pissed off.

chocatoo

We have
pay
holidays
childcare
how hard teachers work
teacher's not understanding how hard others work
work hours
100% attendance
parents being fined for days off

Its the standard bingo card.

Pinkblanket

worry it just enhances a them and us mentalit.

but its not the teachers that are pushing this mentality, its the media, the government and those that generally hate schools and teachers.

Oh and people can say some teachers are lazy and don't work the long hours. The same happens in other professions. My dad is a nurse and sometimes works with people who sleep through the shift. You gonna call nurses lazy?

We get an afternoon shopping at my school in lieu for our time we have given for xmas and summer fairs, nativity evening performances, schools discos, parents information evenings on things such as reading, maths etc. It is given as a thank you for the additional time we give to make events happen that are outside our paid time and outside our requirements for our contracts. All staff are given an afternoon - TAs, club staff included as they give their time for free to support events throughout the year in their own time.

I don't need a day off for shopping- my school wouldn't be able to afford the cover anyway. I'd just like maybe not to have parents' evenings or mocks or data entry (7columns per class) or uni references to write or extra lessons during the month of Decemberr, so I can.online shop in the evening instead of working so fucking late.

Feeling a little brittle today after working stupid hours again.this week and stressing about how the fuck to be excited about Xmas for my kids, when I'm barely coping with the job. Xmas is a horrible time to be a teacher-especially if you have your own children.

Secondary teachers can't bank PPA. The school timetable means my PPA is slotted in when pupils have other lessons. I cant change that.
If schools choose to put a 'work from home' inset day in to their calendar, the teacher will still have a tonne of work to do, even if they choose to go shopping on that day. If the head covers a teacher, that means there is no disruption to learning and it is the schools way of motivating staff. I can see what the school are trying to do, It is a bit of a fad though, probably unsustainable in large schools. The facts remain though, teachers are entitled to sick leave - which includes leave for mental health issues. Teachers are entitled to take time off for medical appointments. Routine dental/physio type appointments are expected to be made in your own time. In truth, that is fair. There is no reason why my annual dental check up cant be done in the summer. Emergency appointments are allowed, though. Compassionate leave is also an entitlement, although what is deemed acceptable varies from school to school. Lots of schools will cover you to attend your kids nativity. Sometimes, they might ask you to find someone willing to cover you before agreeing. Surely, this is the same for people in 'regular' jobs who fo not want to use annual leave? Therefore, there is no real need for these 'wellbeing days' because they are just a fad. A way of saying 'look how we are looking after you', but in a way that isnt actually helpful. In truth, it is harder work to miss a day. I know how tricky it is when I have a course or a moderation day. Being off timetable means catching up the next day. This is a ridiculous article designed to pit the public against teachers. If you are all mad at us lazy teachers, you won't notice the huge cuts to funding causing school buildings to crumble around childrens ears. The lack of equipment or the services that are being pulled. You can blame the school for the fact that your child hasn't been assessed by an Ed Psych or has to wait 6 weeks for an 'emergency' camhs appoint. The teachers become the scapegoats when pupils fail, not the government. Finally, it doesnt help anyone when teachers claim to work 12 hour days, all weekend and 12.5 weeks of our unpaid leave. If you are working that much, something is wrong. I've been teaching for 12 years, im head of year 11 and HOD. I have very busy days/weeks when I work late into the evening. I also have weeks when I pick my kids up at 4pm and do nothing until I go into work at 7.30am the next day. (Which isnt particularly early as our kids start at 8.30, and, after Ive set up my classroom I sit and have breakfast with my colleagues.) Well done to the daily fail though, they have successfully got us all arguing about how hard teachers do or do not work. When they drop their follow up article about 'failing' schools next week, the blame can be placed on wellbeing days and not maddive underfunding.

I've been a teacher for 12 years. I've taught in several schools and have many teacher friends in different schools. I've never actually seen this actually happening in reality, only in newspapers or online! I wish!

At my school we always work a Saturday in September for Open Day to recruit new pupils. We are then given a day off in lieu which is a teacher training day. To be honest I would rather have open evenings as directed time. Plus for the last 2 years my day off is the day given so I've not gained any time back!

Flaskfan
What are stupid hours - genuine question as considering a career change. Thanks

I work full time. I have 4 weeks annual leave. I get teachers work hard. But they have 13 weeks annual leave. Why can’t they do their shopping at the weekend just like the rest of us? They still have 9 weeks more to do their shopping. Maybe start early in the 2 weeks they have off in October?

Read this, username:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-workload-survey-2016

In the DM article the HEAD TEACHER is covering the class.

The kids are taught by the most qualified person in the school. They aren't losing out.

The head is giving up some of their time to thank staff for the oodles of time that primary staff put in during this term. The children aren't disadvantaged. Just the Head.

Presumably the teachers book their time off individually and it needs planning but I think it's a great way to help morale

The first company I worked for did this. We had a bonus day holiday to be used in late November or December. We booked with team leader so it was one person at a time for minimum impact. Was fantastic.

Feenie

Thanks, are the hours consistent throughout the year? I'd imagine there are spikes (e.g. around exam time?)

I’m a teacher and I had yesterday as a day off in lieu for other training sessions I attended outside of my normal contracted hours.

DH is a teacher. He is in before 8 and rarely leaves before 5.30.

His school offers a day off during term time for all staff, covered by the leadership team. They have for years. They are meant to do something more meaningful than shopping, technically, but I guess they could use it for that.

I don't understand why anyone is against this. It doesn't effect the pupils and otherwise they get no choice of time off. And are us usually working on planning and reports during school holidays.

Things teachers can't do:
Go to the loo when they want
Eat their lunch in peace
Watch their own children's class assemblies
Tell Ofsted to leave them alone to do their job
Take a random day off just because
Drink a coffee from a nice mug instead of a horrible travel mug
Have a cheeky pub lunch

They're consistent, I'm afraid - certainly in primary, anyway.

I am convinced that teachers have lost perspective about how much harder many many other people have it

Nah. I've done a few different jobs including running my own three companies at the same time. I've done retail, office work, account management - they're all just completely incomparable.

I am off next Friday. So happy! The school is closed.
The pupils are still having their 190 days of education. I am still completing 5 days equivalent hours of CPD.

I work in secondary so the childcare thing is not so much of a problem.

Pupils also struggle this time of year. They are exhausted with mocks , the dark days and long terms. It will do staff and pupils good.

It really winds me up when people moan about attendance and staff being off when the pupils still get their 190 days just because it's not to their choosing!

It's incredible how mean-spirited some of the posts are on this thread. Why is that so many people when they hear of something positive being done for a group instead of wanting that extended to others, want it taken away? It's a 'let's drag everybody down' attitude instead of a 'let's build people up' one. Yes Amazon workers have a terrible time, but instead of thinking that teachers shouldn't get a much needed rest because Amazon workers don't, why not lobby for Amazon workers and equivalent to get better conditions too? No wonder every one I know who's been involved in teaching has quit; if these are the kinds of attitudes they face from parents then it must be incredibly demoralising.

I am convinced that teachers have lost perspective about how much harder many many other people have it

Imagine being sat working in your office at your computer trying to do a task but then you have to go and put on 4-5 performances a day to a really bad crowd who arrive at your door as high a s kites the later in the day it gets.

It's exhausting!