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)

Add on just 2 hours overtime each week
Haha!
I'd love it if that's all I did.

I don't actually mind my hours now (it's more than contracted but reasonable for a professional job that requires a certain amount of extra) but I've worked in some places that were ridiculous.

Personally, I don't think one head choosing to do something kind warrants the usual judgement over teacher pay and conditions.

The story is simple - manager chose to do something kind for staff.

I don't complain that some of my friends get long working lunches (but more lunch than work) in nice restraunts. Their boss has chosen to something nice. Why would I complain? Being bitter about other people receiving kindness seems a negative way to live.

I do, too, on the whole. But I like shopping , which rather skews my view on this one.

But , yes, I do not want to spend an afternoon listening to whale music or be sent to yoga.

However, money off voice coaching or osteopathy or some such would be a genuinely good thing to support local businesses and protect teacher mental and physical health.

Teachers work around 60 hours a week for 39 weeks. If you spread those hours over 48 weeks, which is what most other professionals work, that's nearly 49 hours a week. That doesn't include all the work teachers do in their unpaid holidays. How many professionals with postgrad degrees work 49 hour weeks and get paid £30k?

Sorry ,that was in part to seneca

Now, I know what you mean about academic freedom, I utter a wistful sigh and a wry , embittered laugh.

I do not want to spend an afternoon listening to whale music or be sent to yoga
God no, just awful. Give me a day's shopping any time

Add on just 2 hours overtime each week
Don't be fucking ridiculous.

I think one of the worst things about teaching must be the lack of flexibility with leave. When I’ve had 9-5 jobs I’ve always taken a days a/l at the end of nov for shopping and one the week before the schools break up for wrapping and baking etc. it’s not completely necessary but it is nice. Dcs primary school has an inset next week and I’m assume it it will be a time transferred to after school meetings type thing and the staff will be off on the actual day. It is inconvenient to parents I guess but not more so than an inset at any other time.

I understand the issue around not being able to take leave when you want. But consider all of us in the NHS and other jobs that have to work bank holidays, Christmas, easter etc. My boss is off so i'm doing an extra weekend before Christmas. My sister is a teacher, has never worked over the holidays, and will moan shes tired when we finally arrive after i finish work.

As a care home manager I used to make sure my deputy and I covered an afternoon's work for each member of staff, starting in November ,and give them the afternoon off to go shopping or have a rest pre Christmas (that they didn't have to take leave or lose pay for obvs). It was very much appreciated by the team even though it was only a few hours. They had to work Christmas and all the other bank holidays between them-so it seemed the least I could do.
Care staff really do get paid a pittance and work all the hours at unsociable times and without long holidays to break it up. If it's going to help with teacher retention then it can't be a bad thing. Wether I think they deserve it more than any other group of workers do is something else entirely...that said it shouldn't be a race to the bottom i guess.

Teachers work around 60 hours a week for 39 weeks*

I know many teachers that work far harder than me and even I work more hours than this. However so does my husband who is not a teacher.

Well done you

Well done you

Not sure I deserve a well done for doing less than most teachers!

@Susiesue61 but teachers aren't saying that you don't deserve a break too. Tiredness isn't competitive.

My sister works in NHS and often works on Xmas day. She never thought I somehow wasn't as tired, or as hard working.

As I said, it isn't a race to the bottom.

Tw I work for a caring organisation (hospice) which treats its patients well and us, it's nursing staff, like utter utter shit. Like your husband I'm not a teacher but married to one and I do way, way over my contracted hours as do my colleagues.
But I don't begrudge teachers any kindness or perk which their heads choose to give them at their discretion. They bloody deserve it.

know many teachers that work far harder than me and even I work more hours than this. However so does my husband who is not a teacher.

I don’t really get why that is relevant to a post discussing a head teacher in a school somewhere giving his staff a wellbeing day.

But I don't begrudge teachers any kindness or perk which their heads choose to give them at their discretion
This.
As I said, it isn't a race to the bottom.
This.

I can't believe how many people begrudge others experiencing kindness.

I really don't understand what anyone hopes to achieve with the teacher bashing? Are you hoping that they all leave? That your children are taught by TAs or, as I have heard happening, 90 odd kids crammed into the school and taught by a teacher at the front wearing a head mic, lecture style?

A school local to us, the borough flagship school and always has been, sent out a letter to all parents last year asking if anyone knew of any English teachers because they had advertised for months with no success. If a highly regarded scholl like that can't attract staff then I fear for RI or schools in special measures.

Are you hoping that they all leave?

^^ This, with massive bells on.

Why are some people so dense? As I said, I am paid for 1265 hours. I set a limit of 50 hours per week that I won't go beyond, even though this isn't enough. This totals 1950 hours, so 685 unpaid. That equates to more than 18 standard 37.5 hour weeks. If I were paid to do this my salary would be very good thank you, but as it is it's pretty crap for for what I do.

To the teachers getting a 'free' shopping day, I hope you very much enjoy it.

I think an individual head trying to do something nice is fine; I just would not like to see ideas like this promulgated as a way to address morale issues, which lie much deeper and ultimately rest with the underlying assumption, that however much we say we value teachers and want excellent education systems, we (society as represented by voters, elected officials, the public, whomever,) don't really exhibit the political will to make transformative improvements.

You are NOT paid to work 1265 hours. That number is the Directed Time hours.

That has NOTHING to with your total hours worked. To say anything above that is unpaid overtime is wrong.

I said that earlier... and was ignored.

The whole of Hertfordshire has the day off tomorrow. Have done for donkey's years. They are called Occasional Days. They are popular with everyone tbh.

Our schools are doing this, but SLT are giving everyone half a day and covering all staff. I'm covering for some of our office staff and they don't have any idea u til Monday when we tell them. It only costs us our time management but it will mean the world to them!

If you value your staff you can show it in ways that don't cost money.

If you value your staff you can show it in ways that don't cost money

I mean this an entirely un-snarky way, but what gestures show appreciation?

TeeJay1970
Strictly speaking there is a line in contracts about other reasonable hours to exercise duties.

Ultimately the question comes down to whether people consider working sometimes 20-30 hours a week more than directed time counts as reasonable. I would say not.

It also comes down to whether you feel all the additional meetings happening outside of directed time are reasonable.

Some work and small catch up meetings outside of directed time is reasonable.
Some expectations schools have of work outside of directed time are very unreasonable and is basically unpaid overtime

Unless of course you're going to argue that teachers (who don't get paid overtime) should continue to work endless hours going well beyond what is reasonable.

It always goes like this.

1. Someone has a pop at teachers working conditions, saying it's easy, staff are lazy, other jobs work hard etx
2. A teacher points out that it's nowhere close to end at 3pm and have lots of holidays because this is the reality of teaching
3. People turn up doing the predictable but you don't work that hard, you don't do unpaid overtime, you have all these holidays

Basically any teacher pointing out the reality of their workload in response to inaccurate claims from non teachers gets the same old MN response. (And I say that as a teacher who is generally happy with my workload and think it's reasonable for my post)

You are NOT paid to work 1265 hours. That number is the Directed Time hours.
That has NOTHING to with your total hours worked. To say anything above that is unpaid overtime is wrong.

1265 contracted hours.
What are the additional hours worked if not overtime?
Should teachers make themselves available for work 24/7?

3.People turn up doing the predictable but you don't work that hard, you don't do unpaid overtime, you have all these holidays

Plus, the ‘bloody teachers always moaning that they work harder than everyone else’

Sometimes followed by, ‘My DH-who is a banker, works much long hours than you.’

So?!