Did any teachers have it easy over last 11 weeks?

[PicaK]

I nearly lost my shit yesterday with someone who insisted most teachers have had an easy life and not doing a proper day's work during Covid.
I'm not a teacher but many friends are and I don't know any who haven't had a full workload. It's absolutely not the message that's coming across on social media either. Most teachers saying they've done more work.
But then I wondered if my snapshot was accurate.
Does anyone personally know any teacher who has coasted/had an easy ride? (I am not talking about your kids' teachers who you have opinions about but friends or family where you have more insight.)
I'm hoping it's a no tbh and I feel justified for feeling so put out.
Aibu
Yes - yeah the teachers I know have had it easy
No - you're right all the ones I know have worked as much if not more.

Tempnamechange

I can only speak for the people I know:

Dh is a solicitor. He's on full pay and working from home. We sit at the same table and work the same kind of hours online, though this afternoon he's been playing golf as part of his work time. He did last week too.

Brother is working at home on full pay. He's got quite a lot in and is working full time. A little bit more flexibility of the hours than when in work itself.

Sister is furloughed. Receives 80% salary but no work. Has been told she has to keep her booked annual leave (though they are trying to argue they don't have to pay her 100% when she does) during this time. She's a solicitor and her firm wouldn't allow people to work from home. She has a young child so needed to be furloughed as couldn't work in. Her Dh/my bil is some form of engineer I think though more managerial role. He was furloughed for 3 or 4 weeks and now back working, though production is reduced and is doing a little less work whilst there at present.

BIL is a surveyor. He's on full pay working from home. He has a lot of flexibility in his hours. So long as he meets his targets no one cares how or when really. His work is less busy but may increase now guiding companies have returned.

That's just a small number from immediate family, but friends are varied massively too - from full time work on full pay, to furloughed on the minimum pay. Some are busier than normal. Some are doing less work but full pay. Some have lots to do and some not so much. Some are enjoying furlough (and feel secure enough financially to deal with it) and some are hating every second.

Glummy- if they've been furloughed then of course they've done 'naff all.' They're not allowed to do any of their normal work whilst furloughed. They can be expected to do some training courses I believe, but not school related work.

My workload has been immense, getting gradually more and more immense.

I should be on gained time by now (was due to get loads this year) and cracking in with all my jobs to prep for next year (I’m HOD of a core subject). But not even thought about that list!

Give me my ‘regular’ job any day!

I have made the most of peeing when I want though and making tea as I fancy!

I'm a teacher in a school, I'm working about the same hours as usual, sometimes more as work that I already have created needs to be adapted for online learning and differentiation. I am benefitting from not having to commute 2 hours 30 mins each day which has reduced my stress and burnout massively!

In the summer term I lose my year 13 students anyway but I've now got year 11 students who will transition to a level in September so that prep time has been replaced where it wouldn't usually.

I think it all depends on the school, the age taught, subject if above primary etc. One thing to remember too is that there is lots of stuff going on behind the scenes that as a student or a parent you might not know about and see/feel the benefit of, There are blanket policies too which teachers have no control over which is always good to bear in mind.

The honest posts are great

@Pomegranatepompom

The honest posts are great

Maybe they're all honest

some teachers are doing a lot
some teachers are doing naff all

most are probably in between

In 'normal' times it's exactly the same. I had a 'real' job before I was a teacher and it was exactly the same - some people came in, did extra hours and worked really hard when they were there. Others came in on the dot, spent 20 minutes making a cup of tea and having breakfast, took longer break and lunch they were supposed to and spent ages surfing through their phone when they thought no-one was looking. It's a spectrum like any job.

It must be so galling for teachers who have worked through this crisis to see colleagues on social media having a better time now. The staff room will be a seething hot zone when things are more normal.

GS school started off well but have slid off as the weeks went by to the relief of a lot of parents who found it impossible to stand over a child with tasks when toddlers and babies were milling around.

A lot of the difference will be down to teaching different ages or subjects. I teach secondary maths. I don't expect my primary colleagues to be doing the same as me (they might be, they might not be, the point is I don't know), I also don't expect to currently have the same workload as my colleagues who teach PE, or RE, or any other subject!

Just the same as when we are at school our jobs are different (I never have fixtures or shows in the evenings, they don't have as much marking, they write more reports as they have more classes that they see less often, etc). So during school closures our jobs are different. I can't imagine many of the kids at my school would engage with fully planned written work for PE, but they are engaging with the challenges the PE department are setting. They quite openly day there's not much to do, although what they are doing is very much publicised. The more academic subjects have a pretty full schedule of recorded/resourced/planned lessons with work submitted for marking. We're working almost as hard as we would be at school, just quietly getting on with things and enjoying the extra time gained by not having to commute or do revision sessions at the minute. Some teachers may well be working harder than ever because adapting lessons for remote learning takes time!

It's entirely possible for all the teachers on this thread to be honest. It's unpleasant for anyone to imply they aren't.

My sons (year 4)school and his teacher have all been amazing !!! Can’t praise them enough

I’m a TA in a secondary school, I’ve had work to do and know the teachers at the school where I work have had a massive workload

I'm a TA in a primary school.
My teacher colleagues have been working really hard - preparing our online work, copying packs for families that don't have computer access, delivering packs and FSMs, working with our Keyworker children, following up on our vulnerable children etc. They have worked over the holidays and are dealing with children at all times of the day.
As a TA I have been in on a rota working with the keyworker children as well as planning, printing, delivering and marking the work my 1 to 1 children need. I think I've probably spent more time planning and prepping than I normally do because it's harder to find stuff that can be done at home. At school if the work isn't exactly right I can adjust it as we go.
I'm now prepping to run a bubble 3 days a week - teaching and marking.

However my DB is a teacher, hasn't been in school once because their school is using TAs to cover keyworker children and teachers a couple of lessons a day via zoom or something like that. He's a secondary HOD with an exam year heavy timetable. He's wanted to be in and doing and has driven his poor wife mad being 'tigger like' around the house.

It all depends on circumstances and the expectations of their school.
For example - it might appear to some that I have not been 'working' except on the days I go in but then no one sees me sitting on driveways marking work that has been left out for me.

I’m a secondary teacher and head of department. I have been working every single week day and going into school unpaid during the holidays. I’m not going to lie and say I have done as much as usual as a lot of my usual daily tasks are pointless paperwork that isn’t required at the moment. However I sit at my desk between 9-5 each day so that I can respond straight away to any queries whilst simultaneously setting work for 9 classes, marking what’s coming back to me, keeping track of who is sending work and contacting those who aren’t. This is alongside my commitments to sorting the GCSE grades, managing and monitoring my team, going into school on various days for the key worker pupils and planning the curriculum for next year.

In normal times, I usually work for around 10 hours each weekend and am in school on weekdays from 7.30am -5.30 pm with a 20 minute break. (Way over the 32.5 hours it says I’m paid for on my wage slip). Since lockdown I’ve done the odd hour or two at the weekend but nothing like usual. So I would say in doing between 37-40hours a week, depending on the extra things I’ve needed to do. So am I working hard? I would say so. Am I working as hard as usual? Clearly not! However, despite this, I would still prefer to be in school as usual doing my longer hours as I find being at a desk all day with no proper equipment very draining and very uncomfortable, perhaps more so because I am pregnant! 😆. I will admit that I am loving being able to get up at 8am instead of 6am as my main ‘symptom’ of pregnancy is tiredness!

Sis does a series of zoom lessons and goes in once a week for class. She’s more prepped ahead for lessons now than she’s ever been. Says it’s like a weight has been lifted for her and she feels relaxed and calm and is enjoying teaching again. So she’s working but nowhere near the level of stress that comes with her job usually.
Plus she has time to go for a run each morning and eat properly which helps with her mental health.

I would say that there is a wide range of input coming from our school - so it can't be down to one subject or dept as my two kids take the same subject with different teachers.
Some teacher are great and some are not so great and it must be very frustrating for the great teachers to feel they are being lumped in with the not so great but it ain't so - we all know the great teachers, we see you, you make a difference - but equally the not so great teachers are frustrating as hell.

@abouttimemum

Totally agree with your last bit about having the time to look after more. My husband is delighted that my pregnancy has fallen at this time as in his word “I’m looking after myself”. He hates the fact that I often arrive home at 6pm having not ephedra the time to eat since 8am...I think he was quite worried about this when we were planning for baby! I also think being able to go to the toilet when I need to and not hold it for two hours is pure delight 🤣🤣🤣

We’ve had one call in ten weeks (no shit), work that cannot be used independently (maths problems with no real answers), a no feedback policy (so not to pressure parents, allegedly). Very few in school as a handful of key workers. TAs doing nothing. Teachers are invisible. Across all year groups.

It’s an outrage.Unions using thus as a battering ram against a Tory government isn’t constructive for anyone. It smacks of safe jobs doing as little as possible in a race to the bottom.

I am moving my children to private where they will at least be taught. It’s horrific, as we don’t believe in it, but I can’t see Any other way to ensure they have an education from someone other than me.

Change exactly the same. Yet still the parents WhatsApp group gushes about our “amazing” teachers and the stress they must be under. Dh and I 🙄 and I sit on my hands...

No gushing Here MsSwift. Bar the off exception, everyone is up in arms. It’s like they don’t actually care? We are here doing two jobs so they can sit in their gardens and get a suntan?

I’m a college tutor so I’ve probably had it easier than most as all exams were cancelled so my job became a little pointless. I’m 8 months pregnant home schooling my three primary aged DC and also have a toddler roaming around though so it hasn’t been a holiday!

@Beawillalwaysbetopdogni I meant I find them amusing. I wasn’t being negative.

My sister is a full time secondary teacher (head of dept) in a none core subject. She's openly told me she hasn't had much to do and all of it from home. She's got a baby & 4 year old at home and has had plenty of time for them.

Them doing the toilet roll challenge was a low spot 🙄. They are following the heads instruction their only remit was childcare for key workers and support vulnerable families. Educating has dropped off the list. Agree it’s shocking.

[quote Pomegranatepompom]@Beawillalwaysbetopdogni I meant I find them amusing. I wasn’t being negative.[/quote]
Sorry, difficult to read tone on the internet

It is at the moment !

Our school is small, which is lovely most of the time but equally doesn't leave room for complaint. Raise a query about anything and you are 'against' everyone. So as a member of staff and a parent, it's been very hard. I see the stress the management are under, but the actual teaching staff are doing very little for the kids. As a parent I feel they have done the bare minimum...lots of gushy videos and Facebook posts for the public to fawn over but very little solid work, no marking, no feedback etc etc. Certainly no Google classroom meets, and a lot of pushback against the question of marking etc. One week in school out of three, with a dozen key worker children.

So no, we haven't had it hard. (Aside from the head and business manager who have worked their socks off.)

If I could afford it I would have them in an online school. As it is, we can't. We just have to take solace in the fact that the rest of the classes are in the same boat and as such they'll have to redo everything. And just keep our fingers crossed for next yrs SATs for our yr 5 daughter. 🙄