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.

[quote Sideswiped]@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.[/quote]
I’m not SMT. I think you’ve confused me with someone else.

And saying ‘aim for change’ is much, much less damaging to the teaching profession than ‘your card might be marked! Put up and shut up!’

At the end of the day the real losers are the kids. 25 minutes to eat, play, flirt, be a kid is a travesty. No wonder mental health issues have sky rocketed. We’ve all been sold the absolute bibble that ‘no time can be lost’. The learning done at social times is just as important and has been totally eroded.

This. Totally crap being a teenager at school these days. My DD's school doesn't even have enough seats for them to eat their lunch sitting down. No provision for eating properly, socialising or having a bit of down time. No respect shown to them as soon-to-be-adults. No wonder there are so many mental health problems in this age group. And, instead of paying staff to round them up, trust them/expect them to make their own way to class when the bell rings, and stand outside the classroom quietly until the teacher lets them in. It worked in my day and no reason why it shouldn't work now.

@Pumperthepumper, ok, so maybe I got that wrong.
Do you care to reply on anything else that I said?

@blueberryporridge, believe me, school staff will not be happy about this, but there is little they can do without putting themselves on the line.
Schools these days are a minefield if what is allowed and what isn't.

[quote Sideswiped]@Pumperthepumper, ok, so maybe I got that wrong.
Do you care to reply on anything else that I said?[/quote]
Which bit? I already told you I couldn’t work out what you were saying. Which bit specifically do you want my opinion on?

I don’t lose my evenings, weekends and holidays, would be why.

But like I say, you put me in my place, @RockingMyFiftiesNot

I think next time I post a job moan, I shall invent any other job other than teaching.

I honestly don’t understand why @Pumperthepumper is getting so much shit for telling people to stand up for themselves and to advocate for change.

Don’t worry @Sideswiped

@Pumperthepumper tbh you only started posting stating you were a teacher very recently which makes me think you’ve possibly only very recently qualified.

I also wouldn’t tell a Scottish teacher I knew what their job was like. It’s a different system there. I teach in England, FWIW.

@Chickenavocadobacon

Don’t worry *@Sideswiped*

@Pumperthepumper tbh you only started posting stating you were a teacher very recently which makes me think you’ve possibly only very recently qualified.

I also wouldn’t tell a Scottish teacher I knew what their job was like. It’s a different system there. I teach in England, FWIW.

No, I’ve been teaching for a while.

I’m not telling you what your job is like. I’m telling you nobody is changing it for you.

I can’t see any posts under your username apart from this thread, so as I said: it’s hard for me to judge your previous contributions.

@ShallWeTalkAboutBruno

I honestly don’t understand why *@Pumperthepumper* is getting so much shit for telling people to stand up for themselves and to advocate for change.

Thanks for this 👍

Because, @ShallWeTalkAboutBruno, she - and others - refuse to accept that even if you do point this out, nothing whatsoever will change.

True story - one of our geography teachers was on playground duty and was surrounded by year 7s saying ‘Sir! We have you for geography! He teased them a bit by saying ‘geography? I don’t teach you geography, do I? I’m sure I teach you history!’

One of the SLT heard him and reported him to his line manager for ‘not knowing which subject he was meant to be teaching.’

That was utterly fucking ridiculous and it was treated as such but that is the sort of nonsense we are up against.

@Chickenavocadobacon

Because, *@ShallWeTalkAboutBruno*, she - and others - refuse to accept that even if you do point this out, nothing whatsoever will change.

True story - one of our geography teachers was on playground duty and was surrounded by year 7s saying ‘Sir! We have you for geography! He teased them a bit by saying ‘geography? I don’t teach you geography, do I? I’m sure I teach you history!’

One of the SLT heard him and reported him to his line manager for ‘not knowing which subject he was meant to be teaching.’

That was utterly fucking ridiculous and it was treated as such but that is the sort of nonsense we are up against.

What happened after he was reported to his line manager?

No, I name changed. Always do.

You carry on changing the system then Pumper. I’m sure it’s all brilliant north of the border.

@Chickenavocadobacon I don't work in a school but often lose 5 minutes of my 30 minute break and it really winds me up. But if you think about it, it is actually 1/6 of your break, so it is quite a lot. Occasionally, I get an extra 5 minutes and that is utter bliss.

I don’t lose my evenings, weekends and holidays

Lucky you. Maybe you should think about your fellow teachers who lose all of the above before you complain about losing 5 minutes a day?

@Pumperthepumper, all of the things that I mentioned in my post? Or all you going to pretend they didn't happen? Do you really need me to post them again?
I'm referring to my post at 21:48 tonight on case you can't find it.

Pumper, that is NOT why I shared that story!

The thread is starting to smell a lot like Goad.

@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.

Which one specifically?

I don’t believe I’m undermining colleagues as I said, we need more teachers prepared to say no. I can’t see any others I’ve missed?

@Chickenavocadobacon

Pumper, that is NOT why I shared that story!

No, but still: what happened next?

Pumper, what you don’t seem to understand is that you can say no, it doesn’t mean it will be adhered to.

I could say ‘no, I’m not letting anyone in until 2 o clock’ but tbh all I would be doing is making my last lesson stressful, with kids bunching around outside and falling out and pushing and shoving.

I can raise it with SLT but all they will say is not to let them in - and see above.

Sometimes it’s worth making a stand but you can’t possibly do this for every single thing and keeping on and on at people is really unfair and it’s meant the thread has once again disintegrated into arguments.

I haven’t seen you mention a subject or key stage but I will say that primary is vastly different to secondary.

what happened next

There’s a great board for Telly Addicts and one for What We’re Reading, if a story is what you want

@Chickenavocadobacon

Pumper, what you don’t seem to understand is that you can say no, it doesn’t mean it will be adhered to.

I could say ‘no, I’m not letting anyone in until 2 o clock’ but tbh all I would be doing is making my last lesson stressful, with kids bunching around outside and falling out and pushing and shoving.

I can raise it with SLT but all they will say is not to let them in - and see above.

Sometimes it’s worth making a stand but you can’t possibly do this for every single thing and keeping on and on at people is really unfair and it’s meant the thread has once again disintegrated into arguments.

I haven’t seen you mention a subject or key stage but I will say that primary is vastly different to secondary.

Well, you can’t say that because you haven’t tried.

What happened to the Geography teacher? Was their card marked?

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

@Chickenavocadobacon, I strongly suspect that @Pumperthepumper has their own agenda here. Ignore as best you can.
I'm not particularly bothered either way if they get deleted, or I do, but I will say that their views are massively damaging to the teaching profession.
It's a shame that at a time when we as teachers should all be pulling together - but it also massively demonstrates the divide between teachers and managers. It's not a good thing for people personally involved, or for the professional as a whole.