To be disappointed that my children’s teachers have not come into school?

[Mixedbags]

My teenagers are at secondary school in crucial years. They have said that the last 2days many teachers have not come in due to snow and the supply teachers have not been very effective. The snow fall here and within a 60mile radius (relatives and friends all over) has been close to non existent. What example does this send to our children? Snowflakes? 🤪

8 lessons in 2 days between 2 teenagers is a lot of time. If we do eventually actually have some snow around my local area then there will be more days. No, I am not certain all 8 teachers were off because of this but the kids were told it was due to inclement weather. Unfortunately, there are also some teachers like in all professions who maybe could have attended work if it was safe to do so but didn’t. How very dare I attempt to have a moan about this. It’s like saying absolutely no teacher would ever have an inappropriate relationship with a pupil. Other countries laugh at us when the country comes to a standstill. This ‘give up, can’t do’ attitude I believe is setting our children and future up for a poor outcome.

So how come nurses manage to get in. Some of my colleagues live a fair distance. We wouldn't dream of not going in.

My best mate is a teacher and walks to school which strikes me as fairly idyllic. I wondered why more people didn't do the same.

I had one job like this - just one when I first qualified, and this was years ago. I taught at the local secondary in my town about 10 minutes walk away and I used to walk there and back. Never. Ever. Again.

My social life was observed and commented on, I was followed home, we were catcalled whilst out for walks or shopping locally at the weekend, we had kids prank-calling us on the phone (hadn't thought to go ex directory at that stage). Eventually my (then) husband and I were knocked up on Easter Sunday morning by a parent with her child asking me to translate a letter he wanted to send to his French penfriend - our curtains were closed and everything, but she rantanned at the door - I thought there was a fire!

I swore I would never live and work locally again - maybe it would be different for primary (I work in primary now) but I still live a 40 minute commute away.

When it was really bad a few years ago, we were phoned and told to bring an overnight bag. People stayed at work if they couldn't get home.

Quite often it's not about the drive in to school. They may have primary aged children whose school has closed and therefore have ro stay off themselves.

I was once teaching my GCSE students in the computer suite and one of the lads said "Miss, is this your house?" There was my house on street view. He lived 4 doors down from me despite being out of catchment in a different town! He realised I walked my child past his house to school as it was around the time he set off for the bus. Fortunately he was lovely and it could have been so much worse.

Snow and ice are so localised in their impact. My neighbourhood is hilly so cops much more snow than the town centre down by the river as 1 or 2 degrees makes a big difference. Many times DH has gone to work and his car has been topped with snow to the surprise of his colleagues. His commute is 3-4 miles!

One day, I was working 10 miles away further into the hills. It stayed around freezing all day and gently snowed. Most of the routes were main roads and reasonably passable with care. DH experienced a thaw, rain, hail and a sudden freeze. Everything was covered in tough sheet ice. It took him 30 minutes to defrost his car despite moving it into the warehouse.

Ungritted housing estates can be awful in snowy conditions, yet no problem once you get to a main route. One school I worked in was halfway up a hill. Coming in from outside town and rolling down the hill was fine. The local teachers couldn't get up the hill from within town and we had to have a delayed start.

Currently no snow near me. Elsewhere in the county, roads are closed- as announced on national travel news.

Teachers really don't miss school for no good reason; setting cover work is too much of a ball ache!

YABU. The U.K. is poorly equipped for snow. Roads are very dangerous, as are icy pavements that are never cleared or even gritted in most places

I've worked as a doctor, then retrained as a secondary teacher, now I'm a lecturer. If non-essential staff keep off the roads, it makes it easier for essential staff to get into work. When I was a junior doctor, I actually lived in the hospital!

Other countries cope better often because their lifestyle is different. In Ukraine, for example, the public transport does indeed stop in heavy snow. My friends there simply walk to work because they all live locally. Hardly anyone owns a car. They all think I'm mad to live 45 minutes train ride from work. It's symptomatic of our dependence on the car - it's made living far from work possible. Not a bad thing, but it's given us the snow day!

What no teacher has to do is explain why they commute. Utterly ridiculous.

This is a discussion board ohreally. Most people have answered my query politely, without feeling the need to be rude and have given me a new perspective. Unfortunately you couldn't manage that.

Let's hope you're less dismissive when dealing with your students eh?

Well I am awaiting news of whether my school is closed. I live 30 miles from where I teach but that is where there were jobs in my specialism and I didnt want to move from where I live just for a job. It took 3 hrs to get to school last week due to black ice and major road closures. Managed to rock up at 10am after leaving my house at 7. It was dangerous but even if I had been going 5 miles I would have hit the same traffic. Regarding why some people would be off - in my school three staff were on courses yesterday and one is off ill. Not 8 teachers but we are a small secondary school and means supply had to be brought in. In a few weeks time I am going to be on jury service so I wont be in. No doubt some parent will think I am on a jolly!

Surely OP at your DCs ages, they're capable of getting on with work that needs doing and emailing teachers when they have a question.

When we had snow days during school, we just revised/got on with work and would email the teacher if there were any issues.

It’s 2 days, they are teachers not medical staff. No one will die, get over it!!

Let's hope you're less dismissive when dealing with your students eh?

Ah yes, you don’t like what I say so insult me professionally. You have no idea.

As a nurse who once near suffered a fatal accident trying to get into work when I shouldn’t have. I felt the pressure from people like you. I say YABU.

I merely said I was disappointed if some of the teachers who could have made it safely to work had not gone in.

Literally makes no sense.
You say you are disappointed.
But if something is true that you gave no idea about.

So presumably you're not disappointed?

8 lessons in 2 days between 2 teenagers is a lot of time.

But you said 8 staff from the school were off are we expected to believe all 8 out of 60 odd staff were scheduled to teach your children? How dreadfully unlucky for you

How very dare I attempt to have a moan about this. It’s like saying absolutely no teacher would ever have an inappropriate relationship with a pupil.
Other countries laugh at us when the country comes to a standstill.
This ‘give up, can’t do’ attitude I believe is setting our children and future up for a poor outcome.
So this thread has gone from:
I'm annoyed staff were off due to snow and my children had supply
Ok I don't know for sure why staff were off but my mate and I were gossiping and speculating
But the health service...
I can't believe people think I shouldn't complain about supply
If you point out that reasons for absence aren't public knowledge then that's obviously the same same as denying anyone might try it on. ... and it's basically like denying any inappropriate relationships exist in schools
Otjer countries laugh at us for how we deal with snow
The whole country has a quit and give up attitude which sets people up for failure

I've heard it all now.

Actually if someone posted that they did any job and they were upset that they had refused to go in as snow was forecast and they were worried about getting home if it snowed then I can absolutely imagine the responses would be absolutely yabu and full of vitriol

Always amused when I read these threads to find that, for some reason, teachers are considered to be above any form of criticism.

We all know that some people are a little flaky and will jump at any excuse for a day off but, according to some people on here, no teacher would ever behave like that

OP I don’t think YABU. I don’t know any other organisation that closes totally, and as quickly, at the first thought of snow as many of our schools do.

Dorsetdays

OP I don’t think YABU. I don’t know any other organisation that closes totally, and as quickly, at the first thought of snow as many of our schools do.

I don't know of any other profession where so many people parents would whine so much about schools staying open in bad weather.

How do I know, because we stayed open and had parents complain and actually come in and take their children home because they were worried about how their children were going to get home.

So this is a situation were schools won't win.

No I get you wouldn't want to live next door to kids you teach. But catchment areas aren't that massive. I can't think why anyone would need to comute 25 miles.

Perhaps housing is cheaper there, and they can't afford to live near their school, perhaps they need to be near family that they rely on for childcare, perhaps they have a partner who works 25 miles in the other direction and it's the central point, or perhaps they just like it there?

Ffs, teachers aren't public property. They can live where they like, same as the rest of us.

maddening
I agree IF the known reason was snow when there was no issue. Unless someone lived very remotely.

Always amused when I read these threads to find that, for some reason, teachers are considered to be above any form of criticism.
It's not a case of teachers being above criticism at all.
It's a case of the OP and her mate gossiping and speculating about why over half a dozen staff were off work when reasons for staff absence are not public knowledge, something which is ridiculous in any workplace.

Boney. Slightly clutching at straws there?

My statement stands, I can’t think of any business that closes totally every time snow is forecast. Shops remain open, banks remain open etc etc. How do those staff make it in to work? How do they arrange childcare for dependants?

Both of my children’s schools are closed today, we received texts by 6.30am by which time none of the teachers would have even attempted to get in so essentially they’ve just decided it’s not possible before trying? However, I’m fully expected to go into work and rightly so as, whilst travel may be slower than usual, it’s totally doable around here.

Maisy. Crikey, why all the secrecy? What’s wrong with the school explaining, in general terms, why the pupils have a replacement teacher? A simple, “they’re unwell” or “they couldn’t get in due to snow” is totally fine and would be given in any other organisation so, again, not sure why teachers are different.