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.

@Jellycatspyjamas

You're not going to get online lessons. It's not a magic bullet anyway. There are very good reasons why they're not being universally offered but you're not prepared to listen to them.

And yet the plan in Scotland in August is a mix of school based and online lessons 🤷‍♀️

You're not going to get live lessons from schools that aren't set up for them. There you go. Fixed.

Can you explain how DC are to be provided with the required technology! Who is going to provide internet, computers, printers for children? We live in a wealthy area - the kids have all needed computers and internet to complete school work for quite a few years now. Local charities have provided computers for educational needs. Our school are still not doing much in the way of teaching.

Well actually no it’s not fixed. I’ve carried my children’s education for 3 months and will continue to carry 3/5 of it for the foreseeable future on the basis of blended learning. I fully accept teachers have had to adapt the way they work at very short notice, but so have I. I’m now looking at resigning from my job because I can’t sustain home education and work, no effort has been made to support my children’s additional needs and the provision for key workers isn’t suitable (by the head teachers own admission). I’m supportive of my kids school, I have a good relationship with their teachers and the senior leadership team but “blended learning” needs to include some form of active online teaching come August - that’s what we’ve been told the plan is and I expect that to be in place, particularly given teachers have been called back to school and have the whole of June to plan and prepare.

I’m absolutely furious that I’m having to give up my career, that I’ve worked my arse off for, because education provision is still going to be sketchy come the new term and beyond.

I know teachers work hard, I know some have continued to work hard through lockdown and I know some haven’t. Come August I fully expect the local authority to meet its commitment to blended learning instead of leaving parents to work it out for themselves. Fixed it.

100% with you there, Jellycat.

I am in exactly the same position.

Trying to hold out until the end of term and over the summer hols, but will be considering quitting my job if things don’t change by September.

So many industries have had to adapt and change through this crisis.

So many calls for volunteer help and charitable donations in lots of key areas.

Why have our children been forgotten in all this?

Not worthy of a change in industry practice. Not worthy of mass media pleas for donations of equipment.

Support via the state, charity or volunteers has gone everywhere except to education.

I've carried my children's education
Well who else is going to do it in a pandemic when the curriculum is suspended?
I'm sure you will all appreciate teachers and schools when we are finally open full time won'tcha?

Support via the state, charity or volunteers has gone everywhere except to education.

Absolutely, couldn’t agree more. Minimal support for those who are defined as key workers - which in practice has been a tiny proportion of kids, no support with childcare outside of that bracket and a reliance on employers to be flexible. My employer has literally bent over backwards to support me, my husbands employer has been an utter cunt, my anxiety levels trying to keep it all covered have been through the roof and the only place I can relieve any pressure is to stop working.

In the meantime my kids education has suffered, assessments that my DD needs to support her learning and development have been delayed indefinitely. I guess it’s what happens when our leadership have no concept of what it is to parent a child.

I'm sure you will all appreciate teachers and schools when we are finally open full time won'tcha?

Yeah, you can bog right off with this

It definitely the time we need a Secretary of Education with vision, energy and influence but it looks like the teachers are following his lead - kicking back and enjoying the summer! It's time everyone got back to work! The expectations on schools are are pitifully low, our kids deserve better.

@Jellycatspyjamas

I'm sure you will all appreciate teachers and schools when we are finally open full time won'tcha?

Oh do fuck off, I appreciate schools and teachers, I appreciate the effort needed to try and change the way you work in the midst of a pandemic, I’ve had to do it myself. I don’t think it’s too much to expect them to have got their shit together a full 5 months after lockdown began - which is how long it’ll be before my kids are even back at school part time.

There’s now a body of evidence from countries whose kids have returned to school part time and have now gone full time. I’d hope our respective governments would use that modelling instead of making it up as they go along.

How rude. It's not 5 months. Glad you're placing the blame appropriately.

@YardleyX

I'm sure you will all appreciate teachers and schools when we are finally open full time won'tcha?

Yeah, you can bog right off with this

So you won't appreciate teachers and schools? Or you'll just find something else to whine about?

I think you’ll find I’ve blamed the government and local authority - who do you think I should be blaming?

Yes I’ve had it very easy. Multiple trips to the beach, napping every day, sometimes exerting myself to bake the odd cake.

I’m being sarcastic of course! I could explain what I have actually been doing but I don’t need to justify myself to strangers on MN. My headteacher is happy with my work.

I will say that the DfE is absolutely useless. I reckon some of the staff there had an easy 11 weeks as they certainly were not spending lockdown preparing for wider opening. I’m still to see any guidance from them regarding September...

Any my kids finished school on 20th March, they will return on 11th August. 5 months less 9 days.

It’s all on the local authorities this. The Teaching Staff I know have been quite happy to go back in. They can’t just open up without being given the ok by the head.

Thank you Sev72

Teachers usually work 8-10 hour days, extra at weekends sometimes and in school holidays.

They are generally contracted for 6 hours a day.

So yes they've probably had it easy compared to what they usually work.

But they haven't had it easy. All the teachers I know have been still providing work, Marking work, contacting families, planning, writing reports etc.
Also they have been rota working in school and also during school holidays. They have been home schooling their own children too or taking them to school whilst they are in work (remembering no wrap around care).

I don't know any teacher who doesn't want schools to open for an easy ride. They are terrified of how they will bridge the gap for these past few months.

But I love how no one minds those furloughed for 80% pay and no work but the idea a teacher gets 100% pay for anything less than 100% work seems horrifying!

Good point there.
In term time i'm at school for 8 and leave at 6. Then I have a cup of tea at home, something to eat then I do another 2 - 3 hours at home. So I suppose, compared to that I'm having it really easy.
Still not sunning myself all day though...

They are generally contracted for 6 hours a day.

Teachers are contracted for a 30 hour week? That’ll be news to any teacher I know.

I think it's 6.5 hours a day. That's what it says on my payslip.

@Danglingmod

I think it's 6.5 hours a day. That's what it says on my payslip.

And whatever other hours you need to put in in order to discharge your duties. Ours is a pretty open ended contract!

Yes, of course. But that's what our payslips say!!

Can we please stop with the generalising? Yes, some schools have been crap. Some schools have done better. Some have done well.
Lumping all teachers and schools together as one is in unhelpful and absolute galling for those of us still working long hours to do our best for all the kids we teach.
So your kids’ schools have been shit. Maybe those of your friends’ kids have been too. But the nature of the provision by schools in this pandemic is characterised by one thing alone-zero uniformity.
So excuse me if I’m losing patience here. Take your justifiable beef up with your own kids’ schools and not out on an entire profession.

I don’t care what teachers do or don’t do, I do feel utterly gaslighted when I’m told all teachers are working long days providing good quality education against all odds.

I fully lay the blame at the feet of the U.K. and Scottish governments and local authorities who frankly should be much more up to speed and much clearer about what we can expect in terms of support for home education - or should be much more up front about the fact that they’ve suspended our children’s education for the duration and not made any pretence of offering an educational offering which at best is sketchy and in many cars non-existent. At least then parents wouldn’t be tying themselves in knots trying to keep all the balls in the air.

And I fully hold the Scottish government responsible for the shit show proposed for August, offering 40% educational provision a full two months after many European countries have returned full time.