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.

A mixed bag: my year 9’s school have been clearly working extremely hard. Very supportive staff who have responded so quickly to instant messenger / emails. Lots of virtual assemblies, support for parents, several phone calls from the head of year etc. Am really impressed.

My primary DC’s school - not so much. One phone call where BOTH teachers told me how bored they are. No work submitted or marked, emails ignored. A friend of a friend teaches in this school and says there’s been a max of ten key worker / vulnerable children in per day.

On the other hand, my aunt works as a deputy head in a primary school with a lot of children on FSMs etc. She’s been averaging 50 hours a week. She’s amazing.

So swings and roundabouts I guess....... the “bored” comment was massively infuriating as both DH and I are NHS and most definitely not one millisecond to be bored.

I would assume it reall depends on the setting and role. A primary teacher is likely to be spending less time setting work than a secondary teacher but that also depends on the subject... We haven't asked PE to set work for example but they are going into school on the rota. As SLT I am working quite a bit but not as much as I would be at school, and much more spread out at random times in order to also look after a 2 and 4 year old.

DD9's teachers have been fab. Between 3-5 tasks set at 9am and if you do the work that day it will be marked that day.

Her class teacher sets the maths and the other year 5 teacher sets literacy and they mark the whole year group for that subject.

They are on-line to answer questions and be supportive (create a team atmosphere of Google Classrooms).

@loulouljh just curious as to what evidence you have that your child’s teachers are resisting a return to work?

Seems to depend on the school.

Two close friends are teachers. The primary school head is run off her feet, lots of pastoral care on top of ensuring lessons are taught and teachers are in regular contact with children and parents.

Secondary school teacher is absolutely coasting. Days spent gardening, baking and reading. If she has a team meeting she complains how stressed she is so goes for a two hour walk afterwards - at 11am😂.

Like any profession there are workers and slackers.

DS is a teacher, mostly y10 and above but some younger groups. I'd say he has been working about 40 hours a week compared with his normal 70 hours. He worked during Easter and half term as well.
He's another who often works late at night. I'd say he felt like he had an easier time when in fact he's actually working the sort of hours normal jobs require.

My children's teachers have been awesome. They must have been working much more than usual. (Primary)
I'm in secondary - I've done my best to engage, but if pupils simply don't even 'turn up' to your online lessons - what do you do?
I've set work regularly and provided feedback for the very, very few who have engaged.
I've regularly emailed my form and made phone calls to check on their welfare.
I'm doing less than usual... but that's only because you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink.

On normal school week, I have about 3 hours of after school meetings, about an hour of photocopying (outside of my PPA) and 7.5 hours of commuting. I'm working a full day at the moment and working hard but have about 10 more hours a week than I normally would so I don't feel as stressed/busy.

@PicaK why start this thread OP (and not come back to it?)?

Why teachers specifically, to invite more cutting comments form various posters? Why not other professions who have had some staff at home on full pay and not having to even work from home like teachers?
This is getting ridiculous?

DD college teachers have been very impressive, it must be easier for teachers when the children are at the age of independent learning. I have a disabled child at home so it I had children that needed homeschooling I would be in the shit. DS2 special school has had complaints for not providing any homeschooling and speech therapy resources after the first two weeks (CBeebies printouts) especially as most children are shielding or been risked assessed as not suitable for a school place so are going to be out is school for some time to come. DS1 has not heard a thing from university since middle of March.

TA here and I’ve had FA to do...I can't figure out why you posted that

Do you think she should have kept Quiet or lied then? Pretended she was working long hours or said nothing?

My husband has worked 9-5 everyday and is often back on late to set the next days work to make sure it’s there to be shared at 9am on google classrooms. He’s high school science. He also looks after a form and has to ring parents once every 2 weeks for a chat as well as chase anyone who isn’t doing the work set. He replies to any comments or questions from the kids on the work set throughout the day, as though he’s in the classroom with them.

He’s not been on “holiday”.

Sister is a college tutor for both adults and 16 year olds. She's had a bit more free time because the adult class has been suspended, but she's had to learn and setup a whole new way of teaching for her younger pupils. She is less stressed though, due to less face to face contact with stroppy, argumentative teenagers.

I have been working, but altered hours, so I do a couple of hours from 7-9am, set the day up for all the students. At that point I go for my daily exercise so I can see if I meet folk I know they might think I am slacking, then back to the grindstone until about 5pm.
Also working all day Sunday as need all marking to be done ready for the next weeks work, obviously, and a lot of kids don’t submit until Friday.
Only been into school a few times on rota.
Am spending a horribly large amount of time atm on teams 1:1 meetings with students which I am finding exhausting.
However feedback from my tutor group certainly suggests some staff are not working as hard, comments like no feedback, or the only work food tech set was if you cook upload a photo bears out anecdotal evidence that as always some people are taking advantage and having a easy ride.

What @Oddestsock said!

Amongst my teacher friends it's a really mixed bag. Some have done next to fuck all and some have been flat out. I suppose it all depends on what their school is offering students.

DH is a teacher and after the first busy 2 weeks has only had 5-10 hours per week (and usually to the lower end of the scale). He's not yet been in school at all. I'm really grateful as it has meant I have been able to keep pretty much full-time hours in my job. The shock will come in a few weeks when he is back in and suddenly all the childcare falls to me

My sil has been on full pay and done fuck all for the last 3 months

I work in school office. No teachers have been in the rota at our school just TA’s coming in for key worker kids. The teachers are supposed to be creating the home learning packs at home which then get emailed to the office staff to print off And collate for children to collect. There is also no direct line of communication for parents to teachers so this Happens with the office staff acting as a middleman. Half the work packs are worksheets and utterly crap, I’d say 50% of the teachers in my school are working hard and have set up lines of communication with their class parents, the others are seeing this as a very long holiday and have been useless!

Why teachers specifically, to invite more cutting comments form various posters? Why not other professions who have had some staff at home on full pay and not having to even work from home like teachers?

Presumably because parents with school age children are more aware of teachers whereas very few people are in regular contact with other professions unless they have an ongoing accountancy/legal/medical/dental problem which requires frequent attention.

And what have you been doing, Whatsmyname26?

typohere maybe their school isn’t doing distance learning?

My child’s junior school teachers have set daily work tasks following the usual curriculum, and teacher videos, plus they’re available for email help. They’ve also been doing weekly livestream with the headmaster and setting regular fun tasks and competitions.

Secondary school more lax. Child uses phone app for homework so Googles most of the answers and email contact is delayed.

My neighbour is a teacher and she certainly isn’t in the garden all the time, she’s said she’s been busy, plus she’s schooling her young child as well as working from home whilst her husband has been working 6 days a week dawn til dusk with Covid related manufacturing.

Teachers are amazing. The TAs (teaching assistants, who also call themselves teachers confusingly) possibly won’t have any work over lockdown? Perhaps they’re the ones sitting in the garden. And why not. Looking after and teaching 30 kids every day must be mindblowing stress!

My sister, a teacher recently went part time. Pays gone down, hours haven’t. She volunteered to work over Easter holidays and Summer holidays.

all of them have had it easier than they would have done...

...my dc is not in school...

You could just look at all the other threads where teachers have felt that they need to justify what they are doing.