To think we should be able to work from home?

[LongAndDarkDecember]

We have an INSET day next week and although there is a meeting and a CPD session large chunks of the day will just be planning and assessment based.

AIBU to think we don’t actually need to be in school? (Am a teacher!)

Didnt you get enough time at home during the lockdowns/summer holidays?

No not really

I’d be feeling the same but I’m not a fan of INSET anyway. I guess your school might be wanting to move away from the WFH option and restore the mindset of teaching being a job you come to work to do.

It is, when we’re teaching. That’s entirely reasonable. But when we can WFH, saving petrol and commuting times and costs and so on, isn’t it sensible to do so, even if only for a day?

Would you have expected to do an INSET day from home pre covid? If yes then yanbu.

If no, yabu.

It’s not really about what I ‘expect.’ It’s about a mindset that has changed.

Most of the day, bar two meetings, will be spent working independently. Given the meetings can take place virtually and we can WFH independently, it seems sensible to do so. Nothing to do with covid, although petrol is a consideration!

Well random comment: if you must drive to work due to no public transportation many people won’t be able to find/ afford Petrol!

We are having a mixture of in-school and at-home Inset. If we’re having an inset that’s whole school all day we can stay home at it’ll be remote. If it’s an inset to work with dept then we’re in school as we can meet in small numbers.

I actually think you have a point. There is a culture of presenteeism in teaching. I think there are plenty of times/ tasks where working uninterrupted in my house is better than traipsing across the county.
However, a cpd session prob isn’t one of them.

But we’ve only got remote meetings due to Covid. Pre-pandemic we would be in school. Intrigued how you could do inset independently at home - all my resources etc are in school!

I’m not concerned about covid, particularly. It is more about sheer practicalities. It seems a shame that we aren’t moving forwards a bit more.

And there is no need for anyone to make sardonic comments about the amount of time we have ‘had off’ - I would no more have the INSET day ‘off’ than anyone else who WFH. But it does go some way towards reducing a not inconsiderable number of cars on the road in the city, even if only for that day: we have over two thousand students, so a lot of staff.

I’m intrigued as to how you couldn’t! I do almost all my planning at home. All I need is my laptop and a copy of any texts we are studying.

@Theartexhouse Assuming OP’s school is similar to mine, we weren’t set up for wfh before COVID. We had to learn to work on Teams pretty quickly and now have seen the possibilities of doing some aspects of the work (e.g. meetings, training, parents eves) remotely. Sometimes it’s more efficient, saves travel etc. Our place is largely expecting us to be back on site now though.

Maybe they want all the staff to mingle?

I wouldn’t have thought so, as most of the day will just be spent planning / marking in our classrooms.

Yanbu, what is the point of being in, unless there was a social / team building exercise element the meetings can be teams and you can get on with planning etc just as well at home

@LongAndDarkDecember

I wouldn’t have thought so, as most of the day will just be spent planning / marking in our classrooms.

Hmm.. it is odd then. Unless they want you to get your classrooms tidy.

But yeah I agree if you can work from home it seems silly making teachers go in.

I agree OP. When I was teaching I got a PPA day once a fortnight and I was allowed to stay at home. I got loads of planning done. More than if Id gone in.

I think it just hasn’t occurred to them it could be an option. It is interesting how many think I’m being unreasonable, though. I don’t know why!

@FrankieDobie

Didnt you get enough time at home during the lockdowns/summer holidays?

Sooooo not the point of the OP's OP.

But then you know that.

@LongAndDarkDecember

I think it just hasn’t occurred to them it could be an option. It is interesting how many think I’m being unreasonable, though. I don’t know why!

It's because you're a teacher. Had you left it out, some of the responses would have been different.

It’s up to your employer. If they want their staff present in person, they are entitled to request it and it’s not unreasonable. People should get over this mindset that they should be able to WFH just because they prefer it.

But do they want their staff present in person, or has it just not crossed their minds that actually, the INSET could easily be done at home?

I suspect it is the latter.

But what’s the benefit to them in you all doing it from home?

I don’t think there is a benefit but equally I don’t think there is a downside either. It honestly makes no difference.

I do think having a day where we don’t have to be up quite as early and where we can finish a bit later will be good for people flagging a bit with tiredness, which could possibly help avoid illness later. But that’s not really the point. It is one of those where it makes no difference where we are - a classroom or office or bedroom.