To not want schools to give up summer holidays

[littleblackdress04]

Just read in papers that it’s been proposed that kids go back to school in July/ August

I think this is a rubbish idea - if it’s going to be that long then just let them have a ‘normal’ summer and go back in September.

Kids have been cooped up because of this- I’d want to take mine to the hills, go camping & let them have some freedom. Then start school in September. This isn’t a holiday for them - it’s a horrible stressful period of being cooped up & not being able to live their normal lives.

While school gives a structure and is important, so are proper periods of holiday.

I’m really against the idea but aibu? Be interested to hear other thoughts. I’ve not been particularly worried about the kids education- they will catch up in time and it will be fine

Thank you FrippEnnos, I definitely don't think that teachers are more/less special than anyone else and of course, Sinuse, in the "real world" people may only have 20 days leave each year. School staff, however, have to take their leave in the holidays. If there are no holidays they get no leave. In the "real world" there are also lots of jobs that don't require people to work at home in the evenings on top of their working day, attend evening meetings and take children on residential trips away for example.

Surely you can see that a workforce who will have been working (in sometimes very challenging circumstances) without leave for eight months (if we stay open in the summer) is not OK?

Selfish to who - teachers?

The brave new world may not revolve around your massive holiday, sorry.

@Namechangedforthisreply7

Alright. I don't need a holiday. I'll happily work in the summer as long as I get paid for those 6 weeks.
However, it won't happen. There's no money for that.

Buttered - the thing is, it’s difficult to believe that they are all working so hard when the result is a few worksheets and bugger all else.

@LaProfesora sorry I realised the post I read was @FrippEnos replying to you which did read as a criticism of furloughed workers "sat at home doing nothing" whilst criticising teachers.

I think one of the reasons the summer is long is because that is when exam marking happens, obviously not this year, but most of those who mark exams are teachers. I think it's an administrative quirk. Plus, as has already been pointed out we don't actually get paid for a set number of hours per year of directed work time.
If anyone wants our holidays there's currently a shortage of teachers.

Buttered - the thing is, it’s difficult to believe that they are all working so hard when the result is a few worksheets and bugger all else.

You’re embarrassing yourself with your ignorance.

A few worksheets? Why are you so bitter about teachers? If you want their job and their holidays why didn’t you become one?

And the brave new world might not revolve around holidays but it certainly won’t revolve around your childcare needs. Nor should it.

Once again: schools are schools and not childcare businesses.

Since teachers aren’t paid for the holidays how do you propose you force them to work? Would you work unpaid?

Schools are not childcare, when will people realise this.

I neither want their job nor need it. I am speaking from my own experience of what my kids/my family’s kids and my friends’ kids are getting the country over. Primary level. Secondary sounds more on it, but primary provision for lock down is piss poor so far. If it looked like they were trying I’d be more sympathetic but I (as a non teacher) could have prepped my kids stuff in less than an hour.

I don’t want childcare. I want education while we are locked down. I want primary teachers to make more of an effort to teach, educate, inspire, rather than doing the bare minimum and then moaning about not getting 1 or 2 of your 13 weeks of holiday (and I repeat, everyone here is being paid and/or getting holiday in lieu in the weeks after easter)

Most teachers I know do actually need the 6 week holiday because they work so hard (and actually work quite a lot of it too). Most Teachers do an outstanding job. We're in this together and shouldn't be putting against each other. I get it's stressful but long hours, insufficient holidays and the length of the summer break and difficulty of sorting childcare aren't the teachers fault. A debate worth having but maybe this lockdown will show us that working from home and shorter working days for most people are achievable and that we maybe actually should be thinking about lifestyle changes and working less rather than schools and holiday clubs having to pick up the slack.

Great idea red wine - who’s going to pay our bills while we all reduce our hours.

Ffs.

I realise teachers work hard. I just don’t think it’s equates to the same definition of ‘work hard’ in the private sector. The difference is palpable.

If it looked like they were trying I’d be more sympathetic but I (as a non teacher) could have prepped my kids stuff in less than an hour.

Really? You could set work sheets that cover the curriculum and suit the needs of a class of 30 kids in a hour? That’s impressive.

My kids’ teachers are doing a great job.

I just don’t think it’s equates to the same definition of ‘work hard’ in the private sector.

How would you know?

God. How many of the posters who are moaning about the 6 weeks holiday being too long ever raised this to their parents and teachers as a child? I presume most people enjoyed them as a child? Yet now as adults you complain that they are too long. As a parent and a teacher I know myself and daughter are both still teaching/ learning whilst at home. I do not want her to be in school over August nor myself.

Namechangedforthisreply7
I realise teachers work hard. I just don’t think it’s equates to the same definition of ‘work hard’ in the private sector. The difference is palpable.

How would you know what the difference is or if its palpable?

The truth is that you don't and comparing one profession to another is like comparing apples to oranges.

I have said it before and I’ll say it again. I am willing to give up say 2 weeks of my UNPAID break to supervise a team of non-school staff volunteers giving up their own annual leave time to work unpaid providing childcare over the summer in my school. I’m sure the other school staff at my school would happily join me in this. Compromises and sacrifices. All in this together! And I’m expecting my SCITT to have its pick of new entrants to the profession after that! Excellent!

@Namechangedforthisreply7 the primary teachers are undoubtedly working more hours in school because they'll have more children in as a %of their normal school roll. Our secondary has about 2% of our normal number so few teachers needed on site at any time. Primary teachers work incredibly long hours normally, it may be they're better prepared after Easter. It must be incredibly difficult to put together meaningful distance learning resources for primary children and remember we had very little notice, we didn't find out until the Thursday before lockdown which children we were expected to have in on the Monday. Some teachers will be shielding, others will be sick (I spent the first week of lockdown in bed, I'm still exhausted). Like in all other areas some teachers will cope better than others. No one goes into teaching unless they love the kids, I can't believe there are teachers not doing whatever they can.

I do. My work brings me into direct contact with the profession. They don’t work the kind of long hours that the private sector routinely do (Also did no extra pay. And normal holidays).

I’ve never been a teacher basher. But the response to this virus at primary level is crap. My worksheets are off free internet resources. No thought at alk. No differentiation. No marking. No contact. Around the country everyone i know is saying the same.

If you want to demand your six weeks do some bloody work now!

Why would cases rise in the Autumn? Unless the aim is to have kids in school to infect everyone?

It’s not going to happen. If people are allowed out and about by then I would think people will be actively encouraged to go on their holidays and get the economy going again. The government aren’t going to want to fork out more money to pay teachers/bail out travel & tourism companies/insurance etc.

Namechangedforthisreply7
I do. My work brings me into direct contact with the profession. They don’t work the kind of long hours that the private sector routinely do (Also did no extra pay. And normal holidays).

All of the private sector? You are generalising again.

I’ve never been a teacher basher.

wouldn't know, I don't take names.

But the response to this virus at primary level is crap. My worksheets are off free internet resources. No thought at alk. No differentiation. No marking. No contact. Around the country everyone i know is saying the same.

I wouldn't know about primary, but again it is wrong to generalise.

If you want to demand your six weeks do some bloody work now!

Again, most teachers will be working, you know all that behind the scenes stuff that you don't know or think about.

If you want to demand your six weeks do some bloody work now!

Aye, that’s it, they’re all sat on their arses

The fact that primary teachers are more likely to be needed in caring for key workers kids (less able to stay home and in need of more looking after) is obviously nothing to do with it...

No wonder teachers were leaving in droves with the attitude some people have. It’ll be even worse after this

but primary provision for lock down is piss poor so far.

As one of the teaching staff putting our Primary Provision your experience is not the case for all schools, by any means. My own school is putting out work every day - back to 'term time' tomorrow for us so it will also have teacher-led screen recordings for the more academic subjects too. As well as links, worksheets, craft ideas, science videos done by staff, stories read by staff and more which we've been doing during the 'holidays' too. Plus the setting up of various web based apps and games we haven't used before but our now free - its not a case of just sending the link, they all need setting up with pupil details, appropriate levels selected etc.
We are also monitoring use, replying to pupil responses to home learning and to parent emails and queries - all happening every day including holidays, weekends, bank holiday and evenings.

I just don’t think it’s equates to the same definition of ‘work hard’ in the private sector.

I am going the same hours as DH Monday to Friday, and more over the weekends. DH is a highly paid solicitors who is working in an 'essential' legal area.

Have you worked in a school? Have you done the role of a teacher or even a TA? Do you know some of the people who do this job closely? If not, how do you know the difference?

And if teaching is so easy and laid back, and not proper hard work - why is there a retention crisis in the sector?

If flights resume - we will be away half of July and all of August 🤷🏻‍♀️