To be fed up of having 5 minutes of my lunch lost every day?

[Chickenavocadobacon]

This isn’t a massive big deal or anything but I’m wondering if others think it’s worth raising.

I’m a teacher in a secondary school. We have 30 minutes for lunch.

The duty staff start rounding the kids up quite early and sending them in - so those of us who teach on the ground floor have kids coming in early. I had kids at my door today at 1:52 (lesson starts at 2.)

I know I could make them wait outside but that is noisy and disruptive and they just keep asking when they can come in so not exactly relaxing.

AIBU to be a bit fed up? We have hardly any time for lunch as it is.

I feel your pain. In my school the kids are allowed in the corridors at lunchtime and their behaviour can be terrible. I try and go for a walk now and leave the school site, otherwise I find myself constantly on duty dealing with poor behaviour, and I can never get away from the noise! Many lunchtimes though I end up having to send emails or photocopy, which annoys me as in many other jobs that would be part of your working day!

@Chickenavocadobacon

Pumper, it isn’t actually intended as a personal attack. If you can’t see that your posting style gets peoples backs up and causes arguments and bad feeling - well, sorry, but it does. And it’s almost always on school threads. It’s pretty toxic tbh.

Fine to say ‘I think you should raise it with SLT.’ But when you repeatedly post the same thing over and over, it just turns the threads into tedious arguments.

You’ve twice said ‘the pumper show’. Plus the dig about ‘this is what she does’. Of course it’s a personal attack.

And you haven’t mentioned it to your SMT. So that’s your decision, but it’s the obvious starting point. Have you checked the fire regulations?

I'm pastoral. We do lunch duty. We eat whilst doing lunch duty - our lunch is paid for (up to a whole £2.50 a day) to make up for us working over lunch.

We don't get a lunch break. Before lunch is meetings/manning seclusion/walking corridors. After lunch is the same plus managing behavioural issues that happened at lunch. No time for a break.

Thank you, you too.

@RockingMyFiftiesNot

That wasn't my intention, I'm sorry, but I'd give anything to lose only 5 minutes of my lunch each day

Rocking, I do know there are some shit jobs out there but getting one is hardly going to help me and more to the point it won’t help you either.

I have no idea what you do but I will tell you that I have written to my MP complaining about the fact home carers in my area were expected to do unpaid travel time between calls, which amounted to hours of unpaid work a week. That doesn’t mean I can’t be annoyed at losing five minutes of the only break I get all day.

Well here’s what I’d do if I didn’t feel like it could be addressed.

Note on the door at every lunchtime
“Lesson starts at 2pm.
Please wait quietly”

AirPods / earphones in
Turn my chair just slightly away from the direction of the door
Do not engage

If kids do open the door I’d just do what I do when my toddler gets out of bed
“Lesson starts at 2” and close the door

They’ll get the hint after a few times of being made to wait

Noise cancelling earphones even better

You’re entitled to a lunch break ffs

@Chickenavocadobacon

Report it then Pumper

If you don’t want it to be the Pumper show, stop posting the same thing over and over. Point made. Move on. Friday night

Right, so a personal attack after all.

Sadly, @Ohpulltheotherone I wouldn’t be able to do that.

I’m perfectly willing to concede this may be my issue but there’s no way I’d be able to sit and relax, with or without headphones, with kids crowding around and banging on the door. I can’t ignore my own toddler, either!

@KimmyKimdoo you’re on the SLT you have the power and the right to ensure everyone gets the breaks they are legally and morally entitled too. “It’s just five minutes it’s not a big deal” out if only half an hour is a large proportion of that time and this kind of attitude from SLT is why you won’t see me for dust back in teaching. It’s all take take take

Ok @Pumperthepumper, since you asked...
'I don’t see anything wrong with what @KimmyKimdoo has said. They’ve said if you’re not happy, either put up with it or speak to SMT about it. Nobody is going to do it for you.' I see plenty wrong with that. From the second you raise it personally rather than via your union rep, your card is marked.
'All @KimmyKimdoo said was ‘speak to any’. Let’s wait and see if the OP has done that.' Does that discount their account (as much as I disagree with the general point of their posts) ?
'But have you spoke(n) (sic) to senior management?' That assumes that the poster is comfortable to do that. Many teachers (especially in MATs are not). I am a teacher. I think that’s what the OP meant about the school threads.
'Why would you get the cold shoulder from management about raising something that affects your job? You don’t have to fake happiness with every decision made, speak to them.' I'm loving this and wondering where you work. This would not be made welcome in any scenario that I have ever worked in.
'Ok. A much better solution is to have people pat you on the shoulder and say you’re doing your best. But you’re not, and you know that.' If you're trying to claim that you are trying to support fellow teachers, this is not the way to go about it.
'But the facts are, as teachers, if we want our working conditions to improve, we need to get better at making our voices heard. If you’re unwilling to do that, that’s your decision. But nobody is doing it for you.' That's hardly supporting your colleagues, only undermining them.
Is that enough of a conclusion for you? Because that's what you posted.

@Sideswiped

Ok *@Pumperthepumper*, since you asked... 'I don’t see anything wrong with what *@KimmyKimdoo* has said. They’ve said if you’re not happy, either put up with it or speak to SMT about it. Nobody is going to do it for you.' I see plenty wrong with that. From the second you raise it personally rather than via your union rep, your card is marked. 'All **@KimmyKimdoo** said was ‘speak to any’. Let’s wait and see if the OP has done that.' Does that discount their account (as much as I disagree with the general point of their posts) ? 'But have you spoke(n) (sic) to senior management?' That assumes that the poster is comfortable to do that. Many teachers (especially in MATs are not). I am a teacher. I think that’s what the OP meant about the school threads. 'Why would you get the cold shoulder from management about raising something that affects your job? You don’t have to fake happiness with every decision made, speak to them.' I'm loving this and wondering where you work. This would not be made welcome in any scenario that I have ever worked in. 'Ok. A much better solution is to have people pat you on the shoulder and say you’re doing your best. But you’re not, and you know that.' If you're trying to claim that you are trying to support fellow teachers, this is not the way to go about it. 'But the facts are, as teachers, if we want our working conditions to improve, we need to get better at making our voices heard. If you’re unwilling to do that, that’s your decision. But nobody is doing it for you.' That's hardly supporting your colleagues, only undermining them. Is that enough of a conclusion for you? Because that's what you posted.

What does ‘your card is marked’ mean though? Marked in what way?

I’m finding it a bit difficult to read that post, but I can’t see what I’ve said that’s so controversial. If you want to see a change, you need to make a change happen.

Your card is marked = managed out.

You know exactly what it means. You demonstrated it perfectly with your snide ‘good luck with your career’ to comment to me.

@Chickenavocadobacon

Your card is marked = managed out.

To where?

@Woodchiponthewall

You know exactly what it means. You demonstrated it perfectly with your snide ‘good luck with your career’ to comment to me.

Good luck with your career if you’re going to meekly accept anything given to you under the vague threat of your ‘card being marked’.

@Pumperthepumper, if you don't understand what 'your card is marked' means you have been around teaching far less longer than I have - if you are unable to Google it, I can provide you with a link (although it worries me that you are SLT in a school, but are incapable of doing that for yourself).
As for the rest of it, you have launched thinly veiled attacks on other posters instead of showing understanding of what it's like to be 'the average teacher'. Maybe you should try to ask out what being a bog-standard teacher is like rather than comparing it to your 'high levels' of experience.

@Pumperthepumper, there is no way you are a teacher. I think I’m more inclined to believe Boris didn’t know about the party, tbh.

[quote Sideswiped]@Pumperthepumper, if you don't understand what 'your card is marked' means you have been around teaching far less longer than I have - if you are unable to Google it, I can provide you with a link (although it worries me that you are SLT in a school, but are incapable of doing that for yourself).
As for the rest of it, you have launched thinly veiled attacks on other posters instead of showing understanding of what it's like to be 'the average teacher'. Maybe you should try to ask out what being a bog-standard teacher is like rather than comparing it to your 'high levels' of experience.[/quote]
You’re talking in riddles still. What exactly is it you’re so scared of you won’t even raise a simple concern about your contract terms with your management?

'To ask about'

Lolz!

[quote Chickenavocadobacon]@Pumperthepumper, there is no way you are a teacher. I think I’m more inclined to believe Boris didn’t know about the party, tbh.[/quote]
Because I think teachers deserve better than having to put up with whatever makes their day miserable?

@Pumperthepumper, so I get that I can't explain it to you...
In which case you are typical of those who hide in their offices and rarely go out to see what the real world is for a teacher now.
I sincerely hope you don't damage too many good teacher's careers with your high-flown (and totally mis-guided) ideals.

Rocking, I do know there are some shit jobs out there but getting one is hardly going to help me and more to the point it won’t help you either.
I have no idea what you do but I will tell you that I have written to my MP complaining about the fact home carers in my area were expected to do unpaid travel time between calls, which amounted to hours of unpaid work a week. That doesn’t mean I can’t be annoyed at losing five minutes of the only break I get all day.

I don't have a shit job. I work way beyond my contracted hours, like most professionals, but don't complain because that's the way it is.
My many teacher friends tell me they work 12-14 hour days, minimum, plus weekends, and the school holidays don't count for anything because they work most of them. That is of course neither right nor fair but listening to what they say, and knowing how I and other colleagues work, I find it strange that you are complaining about losing 5 mins off your lunch, rather than losing your evenings, your weekends, and your holidays?

And I'm very sorry to you, @Chickenavocadobacon, that I've derailed your thread, but this is something that I couldn't let go unchallenged.