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)

The world has gone mad. Since when did shopping enhance wellbeing?

And they have Saturday and Sunday off. And there's plenty of online shopping to be had.

If someone suggested I take a day off to shop, I'd laugh. Or pretend it was a good idea and use it for something better. Like lying in bed and eating crisps.

We had this Christmas shopping afternoon at our school where all the kids watched a movie together in the hall, and I think it was a few TAs supervising and the main teachers went to do their Christmas shopping. I don’t begrudge that, it’s a very good school and the movie was a treat for the kids too. It’s Christmas why not cut people a bit of slack. I just hope the TAs got their time off as well another time to make it fair

ForAMinuteThere, in Kent were this initiative is implemented, Parents are fined £65 a day, according to the Parents who are complaining about this.

As long as there is real consistency with the Teaching and the TA's, Cleaners etc don't consider it unfair, then it's up to the Head, I suppose.

I think it does feed into the idea that Teachers work harder and are underpaid, when compared to whole groups to other Social Care/Education workers, which just isn't true.

The vast majority of teachers start at 8:15-8:30 and leave by 3:30 to 4pm. This occurs across that particular city, so is not just limited to a specific school.

The dfe's own survey found that most teachers work an average of 55 hours a week - more for primary. You are talking out of your arse.

Elina - I absolutely hate shopping so it wouldn't help my wellbeing at all. A duvet/Netflix/chocolate day I could really get behind

Looking at it from an outside perspective (non-Uk based teacher), the English education system seems to need all the help it can get when it comes to teacher retention. Personally I don't see the harm in having this shopping day, but it's just a sticking plaster. The real issues have already been mentioned in the thread (marking, paperwork, displays, pay, ridiculous data, ofsted) and they need to be looked at by the Government.

What do people not understand????

We have 5 INSET days.

These days are for teachers only, on top of the number of days children are required by law to be in school.

If the INSET training is done after school, over a few weeks, instead of on the official INSET day, 'overtime' is accrued and we take the 'time in lieu' owed to us as a day off

Is that too hard to understand?

Where I used to work, before Christmas you could 'save up' your PPA time (10% of teaching timetable) and get a whole afternoon to use however you wished. The idea was that you could go Christmas shopping though didn't have to, but your time wasn't directed towards Planning Preparation or Assessment if you didn't want it to be.

The shopping itself doesn't enhance wellbeing - it's the freedom to do whatever you want in the run up to Christmas that does. Some people would use that time to shop. And I'm sure the teachers earned this by banking their own PPA time.

@sonlypuppyfat saying you understand the world of work because members of your family work is about as flawed as saying you know about the demands on teachers because your children attend school.

You simply don't know what you're talking about. You've lived in your bubble outside the employment arena for too long for your opinion to be relevant.

sooty, think sonlypuppyfat is an absolute GF, but I don’t think you have to be employed as a teacher or otherwise to have a viewpoint here.

The vast majority of teachers start at 8:15-8:30 and leave by 3:30 to 4pm. This occurs across that particular city, so is not just limited to a specific school.

so full of BS

I dont know why people are complaining on here after all if there werent any teachers who would the parents get to babysit their children all day 😋

continuallychargingmyphone

sonly is well known for her anti teacher views. So no-one has ever stopped her from posting her views, its just that after a while those that know her stop replying to her and point out what she is to others.

continually she can have a viewpoint but she simply doesn't have any ability to base it on fact and she refuses to acknowledge that.

You say on one hand that you have to work hideously long hours but you are able to make time for twilight sessions to build up a day off!

People who work outside education often work 12+ hour days and are expected to work away from home too...and with only 20 days holiday.
I understand that teaching is demanding but I am convinced that teachers have lost perspective about how much harder many many other people have it.

WhiteDust

Is that too hard to understand?

Yes, I believe that it is for some people.

But in this case -from the fail- it seems that it isn't an inset day but a day where the head covers the staff that want/need a day off to go get their children's presents without their children being around.

no-one misses school, no-one misses lessons, no-one has to find extra childcare.

It an atypical daily fail non story to wind up anti teacher hysteria.

Don't worry in a few years teacher recruitment will have dropped so low that all lessons will be taught by TAs.

One of the reasons I left after nearly 15 yrs was the constant teacher bashing. The level of contempt for what I did in the media, on here, from acquaintances. It wasn't the teenagers.

chocatoo
I understand that teaching is demanding but I am convinced that teachers have lost perspective about how much harder many many other people have it.

Almost at teacher bingo, one more to complete the card.

I think I read that the head is covering their lessons himself, it's a personal gesture of thanks. Children won't suffer nor will the school close and inconvenience parents.

The shopping itself doesn't enhance wellbeing - it's the freedom to do whatever you want in the run up to Christmas that does

Then call it a wellbeing day...

ElainaElephant

They are calling it a "wellbeing day" guess who isn't.

chocatoo the thing with telling teachers to suck it up as others have it hard too, is not going to help the retention crisis. Teachers are leaving this 'cushy' job in droves. We despair that parents would rather moan about INSET days than the fact many teachers aren't qualified/are agency staff/ TAs or cover thrown into the role!
Jesus wept why does no one care about the education of their kids

BoneyBack I know ‘bingo’ comments usually relate to posts that contain several key words of criticism but I think your comment is a bit ridiculous given the debate.

Most teachers live with someone who works in a different job so are well aware of what hours are required in other professions. Every single person in my 8 strong department have worked in other jobs beside teaching.