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.

I don’t know any other professional who would be expected to work through their holiday time @FrenchSeal, especially when it’s as prescriptive as teachers holidays are. I also know my kids need some time with me at home without the pressures to homeschooling so I’d strong just resist them returning to school early, because frankly we need a break from it all.

I've answered YABU. Whole family full of teachers.

Some teachers, like dh, whose is on the SLT have never been busier. And it is so unfair on them to generalise.

But I know other teachers, including others at his school, who have had much less than normal to do. And some primary teachers I know have had literally nothing.

So it's very variable, but I voted AIBU because it was all or nothing.

@FrenchSeal

And no other profession received 13 weeks off a year *@Jellycatspyjamas*. In fact. My brother returned to work from furlough today and he has been told that all summer holidays have been cancelled and the company are unlikely to allow any holiday at all for the rest of this year in order to make up the time lost. Teachers should be no different.

That's not how it works. Sorry about your brother's situation. It's why I don't work in the private sector. Teachers are different though.

Some teachers have worked harder than ever. It would be grossly unfair on them to have to work through the summer hols, if not illegal because they can't choose their holidays later in the year.

Doctors on the frontline had leave cancelled and were persuaded by their employers that they could ‘carry over’ leave for two years. Employers now backtracking.

Teachers are not a special case. They certainly were not intubating covid patients at 3am after a 60 hour week in full PPE. I’m really tired now of listening to how hard it’s been for them, they have no idea how their experience of this pandemic compares to other public employees.

It’s just time to give it a rest.

No Countess we weren't intubating patients as we're not doctors. I don't think any teacher has compared themselves to doctors either. I agree it is time to give it a rest. Don't suppose you will though, will you?

Doctors on the frontline had leave cancelled and were persuaded by their employers that they could ‘carry over’ leave for two years. Employers now backtracking

An excellent reason for not working the holidays.

Teachers are not a special case

Yes they are, they have a contract.

They certainly were not intubating covid patients at 3am after a 60 hour week in full PPE. I’m really tired now of listening to how hard it’s been for them, they have no idea how their experience of this pandemic compares to other public employees

And doctors weren't setting up online lessons. Dopey comparison. Orange. Apples. Piss poor thinking.

It’s just time to give it a rest

If only you would.

Ok, I am in the strange position of being a teacher who is on maternity leave throughout all of this craziness so I am kind of half in, half out of the situation. I also have primary aged children. Three of my closest friends are teachers (they all work at different schools from me and each other) and I am also in regular contact with quite a few others who are at the school I work at. I love these people, they are dear friends and all of them are skilful, caring professionals but this has honestly been an extended holiday for them. They are very open about this and I can see it for myself. Yes, they set work and those in secondary mark what is sent back to them (not those in primary) but it only takes a small number of hours and they have had a lot of time to chill, do jobs around the house, watch Netflix, go for walks and chat with me. One of my friends is SLT and she is excellent at her job but she really has not had that much to do and has decorated her house. Some have been in with key workers but only a day or so a fortnight and even then they have been able to get on with other stuff while supervising the small number of students in. They have expressed guilt about having things so easy but it has been the way that things seem to have generally been set up regarding expectations of what they should be providing. I suppose there is a sense that they have to work so hard under normal circumstances that maybe it's not so bad that they kind of "lucked out". With my own kids I can see quite clearly that the teachers at their school have been given similar expectations. Tasks set on a Sunday night that would take me about 30-45 mins to write myself and no personal contact at all since lockdown. No work to be handed in and nothing to be marked. I know these are great teachers but as a parent I am experiencing the disappointment expressed by many here, even though I suppose I am fortunate in that I am confident teaching them myself (not that they want me to). It is hard to defend when the world has been turned upside down for so many workplaces and I see my husband, brother, sister, other friends fighting to keep their jobs and receiving paycuts. The amount of work that some of the teachers on here are doing is exemplary and I can completely understand their frustration at being so criticised. In normal times, I am frustrated too when people do not seem to fully understand the incredible workload. However, the teachers I know have really not have much to do during lockdown. Hand on heart, I cannot say whether I would have done much more if I hadn't been on ML. I like to think I would but it's difficult to say when it seems the expectation was that schools were mostly "closed for business".

Close friend is primary teacher. Went off when schools closed and not been back. Partner is medical professional so they have to go to work and someone (friend) has to stay home for kids. Could have option if sending kids to their own school as keyworkers kids but chose not to. Openly says they've had nothing to do except recently a bit of planning for next September.

Thank you to everyone for being so honest on here. It feels like the poll split of half / half is about right having read the comments. It also feels consistent with our experience. I’m an ex teacher and there’s a big gap, as you’d find with many workers to be honest. Some are doing an amazing job and working so hard to give the kids what they need, others bar just sending out a few worksheets (that they’ve used for the last few years anyway) and marking what they get back. Not doing much more

Our teacher has had a 5 minute call with each kid in the class. So that's 3 hours. The calls take so much longer than that! You have no idea how many parents don’t pick up, or do pick up and ask you to call back later but when you do call back later they don’t pick up then either. Or the parents who jump on the phone and want a half hour chat. Or the children who need more than five minutes. Honestly, the calls home have been lovely but have taken me much, much longer than I ever expected!

@FrenchSeal

And no other profession received 13 weeks off a year *@Jellycatspyjamas*. In fact. My brother returned to work from furlough today and he has been told that all summer holidays have been cancelled and the company are unlikely to allow any holiday at all for the rest of this year in order to make up the time lost. Teachers should be no different.

Your brother whilst on holiday would have done no work so you could argue he's had his holiday already.

At the moment I'm doing about 40 hours work a week. Yes it's less than normal (normally somewhere between 50-60) but I've already worked through 3 weeks of holiday without getting paid. Actually this time of year because y11 and 13 have left I normally only do about 40 hours, so it's not much different to normal. If exams next year are pushed back to July then there won't be any reduction next year so any extra will be made up then.

I'm not doing another 6 weeks for free. (Actually, I probably will if we're doing blended learning in Sep as we'll have to do an awful lot of preparation in the summer but at least that'll be from home). I'm paid to teach 190 days of teaching. I'll have done that.

In my past life, for a similar salary to teaching, I did 48 weeks of 40 hours. The equivalent for teaching is 40 weeks of 48 hours. It's just giant flexitime, except not that flexible.

You can't punish all teachers because some haven't done any work. It's like a massive whole class detention - do you believe in those?

I once knew a solicitor who made a massive mess up on a house transaction which cost the clients 10s of thousands. The individual solicitor was responsible for the mess up and had to make financial compensation. By similar logic to yours, should all solicitors have been penalised/taken a pay cut / sacked for being incompetent?

I don't know anyone who has compared being a teacher with a dr, I think it's right that the difficult role a teacher has at the minute is acknowledged- of course it's difficult! But clearly, because teachers haven't been furloughed they are being slammed.

It really isn't the teachers' faults if they don't have much to do, the government were very clear that furlough means no work whatsoever except for training. Teachers needed to do at least some work hence why they are still classed as working regardless of how many hours they're doing in comparison to their usual hours. Considering all the extra hours they do without pay I don't think anyone has the right to berate them for it. The circumstance calls for them to work fewer hours in most cases, but of course they're called lazy.

What about other professions where work has slowed but people are still being paid their wage? We don't berate them, we show compassion because they're have families and bills to pay. We talk about struggling businesses and how we should support everyone's situation. But not if you're a teacher - the fact that you can't teach a group of kids in a classroom and work in the school building for 50 hours a week and then come home and work more means that you should be called lazy and held accountable for it.

Makes no sense at all.

Teacher, If I'm honest, and I need and respect our TAs in an sen school, a lot of our TAs have had a much more relaxing time as they've been on rotas. We have so many there have only been so many jobs to share out.

Teachers haven't. Trying to work from home and home school with children there too has been challenging just like everyone else, and many have worked the same hours as before if not more as we were given a lot of tasks plus the school
work. A couple of single teachers has less than usual but it only meant they didn't have to work at weekends, which we all normally do.

I know of secondary teachers who've done much less than normal. I'm primary Sen.

Not many though. I know of another who's done more as she's pastoral care and all her pupils are spread over very rural areas. Her kids are parked in front to screens most of the time.

It really isn't the teachers' faults if they don't have much to do They could mark and give feedback on work set - that would be a start but they are not expected to, They could answer emails, teach via loom, pick up the phone to explain a part of a problem topic to a student but this it too much to expect we are told - even at A level! Not expected to set work every week - apparently the kids should just set their own and no emailing the teachers to ask them to set work, that’s unreasonable too! Not easy for kids to work for 11 weeks and stay motivated with self learning A levels without feedback and encouragement but it seems these are too much for our teachers to be expected to do..
I don’t really care about furloughed people not working - they have nothing to do - but teachers have plenty to do - some have just decided not to do it.

some have just decided not to do it. bollocks. Evidence?

I don’t really care about furloughed people not working - they have nothing to do - but teachers have plenty to do - some have just decided not to do it

If people believe individual teachers aren't doing the work expected by the school, then they need to complain.

They could answer emails, teach via loom, pick up the phone to explain a part of a problem topic to a student but this it too much to expect we are told - even at A level!

Who has said this? Who is this we?

EchT - we have been given a Guide to learning through COVID, full of instructions on not to bother teachers, it is clear what the expectations are, - I have complained, but was given the same guff from their Guide to learning through COVID
And evidence? -it’s our experience - or did you wilfully not pick up on that. Where’s the evidence saying teachers are working hard?

Wrote to the MP too but he’s a bloody useless Careerist who refuses to take a stand against the Gov.
IMO There are clearly schools and teachers who are working their socks off during this crisis but this is not across the board, I would love someone to find out for sure what’s going on In schools in the U.K. and get us some evidence so that provision could be improved.

I hope all of these people whining because some teacher have had less to do are still about to comment when school are back to normal and teacher are working rediculous hours in term time.

Seriously - are all you guys moaning THIS interested in what hours teachers work normally or just when you think they might be slacking.

A lot of people working from home have been doing less hours than usual...because they may have to manage their jobs around childcare and/or because they might not be told what work to do while they are at home.

These are unusual time for gods sake......it’s not like they had the choice to continue teacher their usual classes??!!! Urgh

Did you just try and generate a teacher bashing thread thinly veiled under the guise of not being one.

Lovely. Because Mumsnet doesn’t have enough of those.

have been given a Guide to learning through COVID, full of instructions on not to bother teachers, it is clear what the expectations are, - I have complained, but was given the same guff from their Guide to learning through COVID

Just finding it hard to believe teachers have been told not to explain things to A level students. The phone I get, as we've been told never to have an individual conversation with any student unless a parent or other students is there.

How about you cut and paste what they have been told to do.

My DH is a teacher and he did Zoom sessions for the first two weeks of lockdown and was then furloughed. So yes, he’s had it very easy.