To just make a point about how hard teachers work.

[Poppadumpony]

Just inspired by comments on another thread.

I know I am not being unreasonable but I just want to say it!

Teachers keep 30 children with diverse needs safe, happy, occupied and learning from 9-3pm.

Teachers typically plan and prepare for 5 lessons a day. This involves finding, adapting or creating the resources for each lesson. (Average KS2 lesson might need: introductory powerpoint, items for practical demonstration, 3x sets of worksheets and a game). This prep all happens after 3pm.

Teachers need to mark and provide feedback on all the work that said 30 diverse children produce during the 6 hours they are in school (30x5= 150) every day. This also happens after 3pm.

Teachers attend staff meetings, discuss children with parents and create educational displays in the classroom. This happens after 3pm.

At any one time, a teacher is also likely to be doing one of the following: planning a class trip, preparing an assembly, preparing a school concert, running a club, writing a scheme of work. This all happens after 3pm.

Teachers work incredibly long, hard hours. Yes, they get the holidays. Yes other professions do overtime.

I am just pointing out that really only a third of a teacher’s work happens between 9-3 (high-energy work) and there is a huge amount of additional work to be done every single day, in preperation for the next. The pace is phenomenal, and there is zero flexibility in terms of hours.

Teaching is a very hard job. It’s why I left after 6 years, I just couldn’t hack it. I’ve done a PhD so I am not afraid of hard work.

Teaching is not for the faint hearted.
Those who manage to do it well and achieve a family life at the same time should be running this country, and I’m not even joking.

Yes teachers work hard, but grossly over exaggerating is damaging to teachers as all people will remember is the exaggeration.

Teachers need to mark and provide feedback on all the work that said 30 diverse children produce during the 6 hours they are in school (30x5= 150) every day. This also happens after 3pm.

ds gets one piece of Maths, English, Science etc class/homework a week that gets handed in for marking and gets it back the following week (sometimes longer), they don't even go through one homework jotter per subject per year.

Really, how many teachers are marking 150 pieces of work every day? Maybe 150 pieces a week is more realistic (still a lot of work, but more realistic to quote).

It’s definitely very hard. Trying to remember everything you need to do in a lesson and also differentiating appropriately AND having high expectations for all AND using formative assessment AND managing behaviour AND making time to wash hands whilst making sure everyone produces a high quality piece of work and meets the learning intention isn’t easy. (Probably is for some teachers).

I mark around 90 books a night, it takes hours at the moment because it’s very early in my career.

I don’t think OP was saying it’s the hardest job, it certainly isn’t, but I do think there’s a misconception that our work begins at 9 and ends at 3.

I am so bored of reading how hard teachers work. I don't doubt that you do. But so do many other people in different jobs. Why is it only ever teachers that feel the need to come and tell everybody?

@WeAllHaveWings I mark four English lessons, five maths, three topic, one grammar, one reading comprehension, one mental maths, and one creative writing per week. I think that’s it. Then there’s also things like PSHE that get a quick tick.
That is, in total over 400 pieces of work. 🙃 two are a “short mark” which is an individual positive comment without a point for development, topic marking is a tick and a superlative so that doesn’t take long.

But yeah. 150 pieces of work a week doesn’t even touch it.

I don't understand why teachers are the only profession who constantly want people to stop and lift them on their shoulders so we can all listen to how hard they have it. You never hear any other profession expecting the same - when was the last time you saw a firefighter, a retail manager, an engineer, an accountant, a prison guard or anyone starting a thread like this?

I think they've got it pretty cushy.

I am a teacher. I love my job. I do not work any harder than anyone else, I have good job security, decent pay, and good holidays (aside from the lack of flexibility - this is not a complaint but a fact.)

However, I think the reason that these threads pop up from time to time is that there are SO many negative threads about teachers on Mumsnet. Multiple threads a week about how crap DCs teachers are (they may be, not the point). Whereas the threads complaining about the local butcher, the solicitor, the nurse, the cashier in the supermarket are much less frequent. Understandable with it being Mumsnet, but it makes people defensive. Mostly it’s not teachers saying how hard they work, more justifying what they do when they are met, yet again, with the tiresome “9-3, 12 weeks holiday” response.

I think the thing is that most other professions don’t typically get told very often how much they doss around.

Heay they do work hard. I'd fucking hate to be a teacher. I'd rather work on a shop which I also hated. But they do get decent pay, pension, good holidays and very good job security. Plenty of people work that hard without that. Also most teachers work long hours in term time but I wonder how that works out across the year? For example my partner who isn't a teacher works 8 to 7 most days. So if teachers are doing this but only term time are they really working so many more hours than other people? I really don't think it should be a race to the bottom and think we should all have the things teachers have like pensions and decent holidays.

Why do you make the point they do things after 3? Most working adults do things after 3. They are no different to a lot of working adults, but they get bags and bags of holidays on top. I dont doubt what they do is hard, especially in their first few years teaching, but so is everyone elses job.

Yes, they do, but so do many other professions. If teachers are unhappy they could always look at making the leap to the corporate world, with all its job insecurity, rubbish pensions and 28 days' holiday a year if you're lucky. No one is forced into the teaching profession at gunpoint.

I have so many many teacher friends and family including ones in senior positions, which is probably why I roll my eyes at these threads.

You all do know this is just another way of putting up a teacher bashing thread...

@WeAllHaveWings But I didn’t exaggerate. Sure P.E, Art, Music etc often don’t need as in depth marking as English, so a teacher might not have 150 EVERY day, but then I also didn’t mention setting and marking homework, maintaining reading records or preparing individualised work for children with highly specific needs. It’s really not an exaggeration. That’s the point. People don’t believe what teachers do.

There is an issue in this country when we can't recuit teachers or keep them in the profession. There comes a point when platitudes and coloured in rainbows etc fails to sustain doctors, nurses and teachers and they simply leave thr profession or move abroad. Even if you can afford private education and healthcare it's a problem because you still need to live in an educated country if you want a decent standard of living.

Yes, it's really hard - it's why there is a recruitment and retention crisis in Education and why 1/3 of NQTs aren't even lasting 5 years.

However, we have had these threads a million times before!

In all professions some people work hard, and some don't. I used to be a teacher at a secondary school and most of the male teachers did no work at all except stand at the front of the classroom.

We all work hard.

Yes, they do, but so do many other professions. If teachers are unhappy they could always look at making the leap to the corporate world,

@Pelleas You haven't thought this through have you? Lots of teachers do make that leap (or a leap to a different country or non corporate proffesion). So now there aren't enough teachers with relevant qualifications, especially in STEM subjects and languages. The problem you somehow missed is that some of us actually want our kids taught. This leaves us with a bit of an issue doesn't it?

@KurriKawari

I don't understand why teachers are the only profession who constantly want people to stop and lift them on their shoulders so we can all listen to how hard they have it. You never hear any other profession expecting the same - when was the last time you saw a firefighter, a retail manager, an engineer, an accountant, a prison guard or anyone starting a thread like this?

OP isn't a teacher. It's perfectly clear. Or did you just want an excuse to have a go at teachers?

I think that's probably it.

By all means start threads about how hard solicitors or hairdressers or whatever work and what your jobs involve, if you want to. I’d actually be really interested in reading that!

Yes, it's frustrating that some people think we work 9am-3pm only with a full 13 weeks holiday, but I think the majority realise there's more to it than that.

I think I get a good wage for what I do (UPS3 teacher) and I know the job security is worth its weight in gold right now. I don't take it for granted.

@pippitysqueakity

You all do know this is just another way of putting up a teacher bashing thread...

And all the usual sad suspects crawl out of the woodwork.

I really hope they home school and not trust their DCs to those nasty lazy teachers.

The teacher hatred on MN is really bizarre.

@Lucindainthesky

I am so bored of reading how hard teachers work. I don't doubt that you do. But so do many other people in different jobs. Why is it only ever teachers that feel the need to come and tell everybody?

OP is not a teacher.