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.

It’s not just about being well educated and confident though, it’s about other demands on your time in terms of work and caring duties, the degree to which your kids can adapt to change (in my case, not very because they both have difficulty with change and transition), working with children with additional support needs, while also doing all the other things involved in running a house while entertaining your child 24/7. If all it took was a good education and confidence, I’d be laughing.

So not all teachers are lazy and crap eg moi! I agree - but the lazy, crap teachers have gone from teaching the curriculum to doing nothing. I can't teach my kids - they are Year 12 and doing subjects I didn't do to A level. It is becoming increasingly difficult for them to manage their own work - they don't understand part of the course and their teacher is not required to teach it or respond to their emails - it's beyond frustrating, especially while I see how much effort some teachers (especially in the private sector) are putting in. It's time the Gov started focusing on prioritising the delivery of quality distanced learning/teaching

It’s just shit, in a country were previous social mobility has led to children with non academic parents already disadvantaged, middle class children occupying grammar schools and scholarships and now we could end up with a months of part time schooling with no generalised standards. It’s obvious who are going to suffer and admitting that the system is going to fail some is not criticising all of the profession. My sons special school are not providing worksheets because it may spread the virus on the same newsletter doing the toilet paper challenge and eating dominoes pizzas.

@GazeboParty

Year 12? In that case they need a PLC (personalised learning checklist) for their subject. They should have one in their class/subject starting pack or it should be on their on-line learning platform. As a matter of urgency they should be working through those.

Plus they need to be starting looking at their UCAS options. Does their school use unifrog or something of that ilk? Otherwise they can just do some searches on UCAS to get a feel of potential university options.

Are they doing an EPQ? If not no matter. They should be doing some extra reading around the subject they might want to do. When they started their courses did they get a book/film/documentary list?

what subjects are they stuck with?

Love the generalisations on here, always as classy as ever. I think teaching is the only profession everyone hates because they're jealous of the holidays. I love my holidays, I get to do fuck all and this lockdown thing is exactly the same. I get to sit at home on full pay whilst doing nothing. Winner!

Meanwhile, back in the real world - I am working my backside off in as I always have, I have meetings most days, I have a qualification that I'm expected to do, I'm phoning my tutor group on a weekly basis, I'm setting differentiated work, I'm putting work in different formats for the needs of my students and I'm marking it all. I'm logging students who are concerning me, I'm logging students who aren't working, logging students who are. I'm planning work to plug the gaps that have been created whilst we've been off, I'm going in to supervise key worker children. I'm going back for set days for Y10 from next week.

And most of all I'm worrying about all of my students - I'm worrying that my messages to them are too harsh, I'm worrying that they're too soft, I'm worrying that the work I'm setting isn't enough, I'm worrying that parents are criticising me for not doing live lessons, I'm worrying that school will ask me to do live lessons. I'm worrying for the well-being of my students, I'm worrying about what their future will look like.

I don't care what people think about my rate of work or what I'm paid, but when people start on about how teachers are lazy and they don't care, well that really upsets me. I care, my colleagues care. No one came into this for the money or the holidays!

I bet my neighbours think I do nothing too, I take my own DC out for walks every day and we play in the garden a lot. They don't see me marking work at 11pm most nights or starting work at 6am just to fit it all in. I can't believe that a profession has had to defend themselves so much during this virus!

And yeah, what about the dentists? And various other services who still have furloughed staff even though they have the demand for work. I mean even the bank is only open 10-3 and that's an essential service!

Our teacher has had a 5 minute call with each kid in the class. So that's 3 hours. And must spend 30 minutes or so each week sending round some work sheets. Not sure what else they've done the last 3 months, but it sure isn't teaching their class...

I don't begrudge teachers at all. I have colleagues furloughed and I don't begrudge them either. But I do wish the school's management would organise some actual teaching at some point!

Year 12 students not receiving an education from their schools is going to destroy lives.

There is no way that anybody can argue with that.

It’s an absolute fucking travesty.

Geography and biology - no PLC for each subject. We managed to have a look around a University in the Autumn - Ucas is up and running but kids feel cast adrift and I am try my holy best to tread the fine line between keeping them motivated, not putting too much pressure on them but enough that they don't underperform, can't ask too much because that would be prying...trying to keep the peace and be their temporary friend, the school just send lists and lists of work to do - for them it's just days of endless homework with no support, teaching or feedback...and it's getting harder and harder to maintain the pretense that this is all ok.

It is a fucking travesty @YardleyX!

Have you been given an explanation as to why? I’m inclined to think it is more to do with the school than the individual teachers?

@GazeboParty there are PLCs for those subjects. Easy to find online they just need to ensure it is for the right specification.

Tutor2u has some great free Geography resources including a weekly quiz. Plus the news topic alongside some good revision clips.

Sometimes just working through lists is wearing. The video clips can be very useful as well as the revision presentations.

As far as uni course research do they want to specialise in a particular type of geography or biology. There are so many options. One approach is to nail down the area of the country they would like to go and investigate choices there. Or nail down the subject first. it could be that they do not want to do anything related to geog or bio.

Teachers will be expected to write their subject references in the next few weeks. ( which reminds me that I have to crack on with that)

@ScubaSteven I do not envy your holidays I can't bloody wait to holiday during term times when the kid leave school and pay a normal amount for a holiday.
And can I just say I am not judging my neighbour who works in a private primary school and has 2 small children to manage while she works full time from home - she is exhausted.
I'm also not judging the teachers that clearly are working hard and helping my Year 12 kids, answering emails, giving feedback on work completed - no one does Zoom, we don't even expect that - giving encouragement and cheering them on - we see you and we think you are brilliant.
I am judging the teachers who are not bothering their arse and the HT who is defending their right to do nothing, it's unacceptable and it's not just our misfortune - no one locally is happy about the education provision.

@YardleyX @ScubaSteven Some Year 12s are getting a lot of input.

I have spoken to a number of admission tutors who clearly also are as much in the dark as we are. The upshot is where there is an expectation of maths content then there is a probability of more maths booster classes being run than normal.

@StaffAssociationRepresentative They are stressed about not knowing what they want to study at Uni - their confidence is slipping they have estimated grades of AAA and AAB - so not struggling you'd think- but the structure of learning in school is vital...mental health is slipping and they are not as resilient as they need to be. The problem is that they do not want their parents interfering with their learning - (none of their friends do) their Uni choices etc - we have to be careful not to over interfere because we aren't supposed to, which is why we need teachers to do it for us at this stage.

d) IT’S NOT TEACHING. It may be possible to lecture online. It’s not possible to do proper teaching.

VashtaNerada is correct. Online teaching is not the same as being in the room. I don't know a single teacher who thinks otherwise. The online stuff is making the best out of a bad situation.

Well someone wants to tell the Scottish government that because I’m being told 60% of my children’s lessons will take place online from August - which I would expect to include some form of teaching.

The issue is that because so many teachers have been and are doing very little, even the few who are working hard are hatred with the same brush
I honestly don't know where you get off with these comments Frenchseal. The "few" working hard - from your extensive knowledge of every teacher in the UK I suppose. You have certainly been working hard at criticising teachers.

Oh no the few that are working hard get a thank you, you are making a huge difference to my kids email from me.

VashtaNerada is correct. Online teaching is not the same as being in the room. I don't know a single teacher who thinks otherwise. The online stuff is making the best out of a bad situation.
Of course it’s not, I’d much rather my children had access to teacher led education but as an alternative it’s surely better than the three worksheets and a list of spellings being provided to many primary age children at the moment.

And it’s forming the backbone of a whole nations education programme come August so I’m hoping there’s some evidence of it being effective.

Secondary - I feel like I'm working way more, (should be part time 80%), online lessons, marking photos of work, which takes way longer than actually marking work and the download time etc, feedbacking online. Phoning families weekly to support them with; dealing with bereavement, stroppy teenagers, chasing assignments (I hate this bit). Assisting student after student to log into the same systems they have been using for months, but now are losing passwords every day. Going into school one day a week, planning those lessons to engage and enthuse students who are used to being at home, all whilst social distancing. CPD sessions on trauma, bereavement, stress, online teaching, social distance teaching. Planning and setting 12 classes of lessons a week online, differentiated according to prior attainment. Planning for 2021. Data input of assessment scores. Writing final evaluations for student teachers. Writing references for student teachers. Emails from students and parents at any time day or night although my fault for putting emails and teams on my phone. I'm sure more. I'm also home schooling my two ks2 age children (one SEND), but not well, as they have to work round me. My sister is also a teacher, she's working as hard as me. Everyone in my school is working as hard as me. Everyone I know in primary also. But I do know of teachers in other schools, who seem to be on holiday! I guess it depends on the school. It does bother me that teachers are getting labelled as lazy. Not one teacher I know has refused to go back in.

@mugelbbub Sounds like you are doing an amazing job, I wish we had more teachers like you!

Ah so you're an expert on our contracts FrenchSeal?
I suppose it was inevitable.
I would be willing to provide catch up classes in the Summer.
I would, of course, expect to be paid for it.

Frenchseal you do get awfully het up over teachers' working lives.
I mean, I do too, but that's because I am one - I'm not sure what your motivation is.
Being in Scotland, we have very specific school "holiday days" and "closure" days so I'm quite clear that I am paid for some, but not all, of my holidays

[quote FrenchSeal]@myothercarisal

You are paid to work a certain number of hours under directed time and as many additional hours on top as required. It is. Teachers are not like Tesco employees who are paid by the hour.

I think summer woot could be justified under either part of the contract- you could make the argument that teachers have not been working their full hours of directed time for the last 12 weeks- that could be made up in the summer. Alternatively, the government could say that working during the summer is essential to the fulfilment of the role, so the hours wouldn't even come into it. [/quote]
You clearly don't understand how teacher's contracts work and as I'm not on the clock I won't be trying to educate you.
Quite simply, no teacher will be expected to work over the Summer for free. It just won't happen. I'm sure you could lobby for it if you were that way inclined but it's a total non starter.