NOT TEACHER BASHING but do why do teachers have to do hours of planning every day?

[mostwonderfultime]

If the syllabus is the same every year which it is, do you not just use planning from previous years?
I'm sure I'm being naive but just read this on another thread.

@FrippEnos

cardibach

All teachers teach the same number of lessons, so have the same number of books to mark.

In theory you are correct but as a practical subject, I mark less much less in KS3 (practical lessons instant feedback for those ready to jump on my post) than they would in English or Maths (I also teach math so interesting marking load).

Yet in KS4 my marking load ramps up. Not only due to NEA but also due to making sure that the theory knowledge is deep enough. etc. etc.

I think we are agreeing really. A teacher’s overall workload is the same regardless of phase or subject.

@TabbyMumz

There will be a curriculum subject taught every days. History/geography, art, PSHE, RE, D&T, etc

So there are always at least 3 lessons per day.

@hashtagbollocks

You really don’t understand unionism or collectivism, do you? yes I do. Do you understand freedom of decision to work? (whether in a union or not)

You totally have freedom to work or to withdraw your labour but if you are a union member you should resign your membership if you’re not prepared to support the action they have called. If you don’t agree with the direction of the union, become more involved and change it. A union isn’t done separate organisation thrust upon workers, it is the workers.

[quote Beebie2]@TabbyMumz

There will be a curriculum subject taught every days. History/geography, art, PSHE, RE, D&T, etc

So there are always at least 3 lessons per day.[/quote]

Yes - and quite often these are the ones most prep-heavy. Resourcing a good art lesson or a history lesson involving artefacts is time consuming. It's not all about work in books. It's the whole picture.

Done=some

TabbyMumz

Have you asked your school why they don't ensure they children produce as much work as is clearly expected elsewhere? Our maths and English subject leads get very antsy if there aren't 5 pieces of work per week- they check!

Thank you Carrie I thought I was going mad there for a second. It's the basics of union membership. If you want to be an individual then don't join a union.

If you want to join a union so they work for you, but don't support your colleagues when they - collectively - want to take a stand on an issue. - then you're pretty selfish, really.

@maudspellbody

“ Yes - and quite often these are the ones most prep-heavy. Resourcing a good art lesson or a history lesson involving artefacts is time consuming. It's not all about work in books. It's the whole picture.”

Absolutely agree.

@hashtagbollocks

So then you resign your union membership as they clearly don’t represent your views and you don’t get to have the benefits of their collective bargaining or the legal protection - your choice eh? the unions are there to also represent you in cases such as unfair dismissal. Are you saying that if you don't agree with a particular reason to strike you should give up all union rights rather than saying , you know what, I don't agree with the strike so I'll sit this one out thanks. I'm being transported back to the 70's. ONE OUT ALL OUT!!!! Thought we'd grown up a bit since then

No, @hashtagbollocks they aren’t just there to represent you I. Eg unfair dismissal. They are there to stand up for your rights to reasonable working practices. To reasonable pay and hours. One out all out is the only way it works It’s not about being ‘grown up’. Grow ups do support each other, anyway, surely? And if you are not prepared to support your union, yes, you should give up the rights they provide. You can pay for insurance and legal representation in other ways.

More settled experienced teachers will admit that's not the case.

I’m a very settled and experienced and I disagree completely.

I generally do a piece of literacy, maths and topic each day which needs to be marked as per the school’s marking policy. This doesn’t allow for marking that takes 30 seconds.

Not all of this work will be put out at parents evening.

HTH.

surely being a member of a union is akin to being a member of a political party?
You agree fundamentally with their ethos but there will always be aspects of the organisation that you disagree with?
It doesn't mean you resign your membership as the benefits still outweigh the negatives of what you don't agree with

@hashtagbollocks

Even so, for every hour teaching I need 1 or 2 hours for planning, preparation and marking during most of the year and at some points like the end of term much more than that I think you need to rethink your work efficiency planning

Do you ever have to make a presentation for work? How long do you spend planning it? Do you have to mark the responses of those who are in the presentation? Justify their progress in terms of the subject matter of the presentation? Speak to their parents about it? Their managers?

"I'm not sure why you've invested so much energy into attempting to persuade people that the job of a teacher is easy, and why this is so important to you,especially since you evidently know little about it other than what you've seen as a parent looking in, and since you evidently have no training in this area."
This where people misunderstand. I'm not "invested so much into it", just joining in a thread, saying what I think. I enjoy taking part, so post a fair amount, especially when people ask questions. Then theres always one who starts with the "why are you so invested"?! Well, because I want to be. And Im taking part, just like everyone else. I'm enjoying chatting about it. It doesnt affect me anymore, my kids are out of primary. And yes I have got my own experiences, as a parent, but also as my job too. I know a lot about what teachers do and dont do and what is expected of them. You do always get those ones who make out they are working till midnight, then you get the more experienced ones who actually tell it how it is.

TabbyMumz

Not trying to catch anybody out, just wish some would be a bit more truthful instead of putting out the hours and hours worth of work a night and working till midnight rubbish. More settled experienced teachers will admit that's not the case.

If you want the truth. and ignoring the weird shit that is going down through covid and internally in my school.

My normal year 11 in what is an "easy" subject.

I will be advising/guiding on 50 to 60 individual Technology projects.
Even those that are the same have to be differentiated.

I will have to
Make sure that 50 - 60 pupils are on or above target.
this means that I have to mark and feedback to those students after/before each lesson.
I will have to monitor
What they want to do.
What materials they want Including fittings
Going by this years NEA.
I will need to know who wants to do what.
If they are capable of doing it. and help them if they can't
I will have to research possible solutions based on what they want to do
Research programming for those that want it.
Have a good supply of random materials and electronics in place.
Understand how each project my work.
Understand how all of the mechanisms work on a rolling basis as oit could change each week.
Know roughly how much each will cost so that it won't upset the parents.
make sure that we have either the capability to do the project or know someone that we can outsource cheaply to.
Try and figure out were each project is going so that I can preempt weird buying solutions.

And that is in an "easy" subject for one year. every year, and that is the stuff that I can think of now and not all the rest of it.

And that was longer than I thought.

So, what is your job?

cardibach
No, i don't do any of that stuff any more but many years ago I did and would spend as little time as possible on the bollox . certainly not twice as long as the presentation was going to last as that would make no sense work efficiency wise.
And yes, I had to justify peoples' progress etc. I think you'll find most people with a job have to

Hashtag it also depends on how engaging and inspiring you want the lesson to be.

I am a teacher of the deaf, so my lessons were all visual and experiential. They had to hit all of the objectives expected plus some. The level of thought required to get the language learning in and make the lessons accessible and exciting took time.

Bashing a few worksheets out does not a good lesson make. Most teachers would prefer to take the time and make it more meaningful.

Hence - good teacher spend a lot of time on planning.

I am still working since 8am. That ok with you op?
Still have 10 assessments to mark.
What a goady thread.

@hashtagbollocks

surely being a member of a union is akin to being a member of a political party? You agree fundamentally with their ethos but there will always be aspects of the organisation that you disagree with? It doesn't mean you resign your membership as the benefits still outweigh the negatives of what you don't agree with

Only so much as if you’re a member of a political party you vote for them, if you’re not prepared to vote for them then you shouldn’t be a member.

And to be clear, I have never said the job of a teacher is easy, just calling out the "I work till midnight marking" and work much harder than everybody else rubbish. (For primary).

And yet you still haven't said what it is you do!

I'm hoping Tabby is going to say they're a headteacher :-)

And still no sign of the OP?

How very predictable odd.

I'm not going to waste my time even reading this thread properly, let alone formulate any sort of defence of my profession.

But isn't it strange how much everyone seems to hate and despise teachers, yet desperately needs them at the moment to ignore any Covid risks and take their kids off their hands for them.

In addition to the "simple" differentiation for each individual learner's capability which takes masses of planning time mentioned up thread. There's also the challenge that some parents don't get them (the child) in on time, or let them have a day off because they don't organise themselves at home, or the child has a chronic illness and attendance is low. Everytime these students miss a session the teacher is managing the main cohort and catching up all the stragglers. In a large mixed infants class the teacher might have to rejig the learning plan 3 or 4 times in a week during sniffle season. If the teacher gets sick enough to miss they are still usually doing a ton of work to guide the supply and then catch up after. No wonder my teacher friends & family are exhausted.

FrippEnos...for the hundredth time, I'm talking primary. That means I'm not talking secondary. I'm in absolute awe of what goes on in Secondary.