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.

@Chickenavocadobacon

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

So no?

Buzzzzzzzzzzz.

[quote Sideswiped]**@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.[/quote]
How are my views damaging to the teaching profession? Surely it’s much, much more damaging to say to new teachers ‘just keep your head down and put up with it because your card might be marked’. Have you heard about the retention crisis in teaching?

@Chickenavocadobacon

Buzzzzzzzzzzz.

Still no then? No card marked?

@Chickenavocadobacon

This is DEFINITELY happening to me, *@GivenchyDahhling*

@KimmyKimdoo but you know that as SLT there’s generally more flexibility about your day than a classroom teacher, and I used to be on SLT myself.

I'd definitely not make it easy for the kids to arrive at my door early. They need to be outside being noist and annoying everyone.

Ok, not really relevant but this reminded me, I'm ancient, but back in 1981 aged just 14 in first term at comprehensive we had geography after lunch. The first time we gathered outside the classroom early, all nervous, looking through window to see if we could go in..probably a bit noisy too..
The teacher came marching out of the classroom and shouted 'line up now and be quiet ' he then walked up and down and looked us all up and down , with a few 'stand up straight' , 'what's so funny, boy' and went back in the classroom... we were all scared shitless .you could hear a pin drop..he came out a few minutes later and said 'right, you do know how to line up, don't ever make that racket outside my classroom again'
He then watched as we silently filed in..and after the first lesson where he threw a boy out for not having ruler etc...he was brilliant, we had a great relationship, he just set the boundaries day 1. He actually had a great sense of humour and was quite relaxed, we discovered it was more of an act, we just didn't know that on day 1. 😀

You won't be alone in having this problem OP. Could the children be rounded up based on where they are taught - everyone in block x please go to class, everyone in block Y please got to class etc. Yoye children and others who are close to the playground would then come in last. It might be a more organised way to bring them in. I'm not a teacher btw but it's how we manage return to office after emergency drills and Works a treat

Just a bit, @Sideswiped!

Pumper, if you honestly don’t know what happens when you fall foul of SLT, I will explain to you.

It is extremely easy to get rid of a teacher who annoys you. First of all, you give them difficult classes: kids known to be a problem (and they might be ‘fine for others’ but some combinations of children are always going to be difficult) or ones with poor attendance, or very weak literacy skills although their GCSE target may be high because they were coached through their Y6 SATs.

On work scrutinies, you can select the books of children who you know have behaviour problems or poor attendance and use it as evidence the teacher is failing. Or you can even pick a spurious reason such as a sheet not being glued in or no evidence of peer marking.

Or in your observation, choose a tricky class, at a tricky time of day (Friday p5?)

Then, you have the evidence the teacher is failing. Now you need to put them on a support plan. Everything they do will be wrong of course, but this is in the guise of support.

Then six weeks later, you can mention ‘capability’ and the teacher will resign.

That, with some variation, is what happens when your card is marked.

@Chickenavocadobacon

Just a bit, *@Sideswiped*!

Pumper, if you honestly don’t know what happens when you fall foul of SLT, I will explain to you.

It is extremely easy to get rid of a teacher who annoys you. First of all, you give them difficult classes: kids known to be a problem (and they might be ‘fine for others’ but some combinations of children are always going to be difficult) or ones with poor attendance, or very weak literacy skills although their GCSE target may be high because they were coached through their Y6 SATs.

On work scrutinies, you can select the books of children who you know have behaviour problems or poor attendance and use it as evidence the teacher is failing. Or you can even pick a spurious reason such as a sheet not being glued in or no evidence of peer marking.

Or in your observation, choose a tricky class, at a tricky time of day (Friday p5?)

Then, you have the evidence the teacher is failing. Now you need to put them on a support plan. Everything they do will be wrong of course, but this is in the guise of support.

Then six weeks later, you can mention ‘capability’ and the teacher will resign.

That, with some variation, is what happens when your card is marked.

Is that what happened to the geography teacher? Because they made a joke once?

I'd definitely not make it easy for the kids to arrive at my door early. They need to be outside being noist and annoying everyone

It’s not the kids’ fault they’re arriving early though. They’re being sent in at that time.

Plus, all that does is create a pain for me as my classroom isn’t close to anybody else’s!

Oh stop it, @Pumperthepumper, you're starting to make yourself look foolish now. At least remain dignified.

It’s reminding me of year 8.

‘Can we have a fun lesson?’
‘All my lessons are fun.’
‘But can we? Can we? Can we?’

@ShallWeTalkAboutBruno, you are only looking at the surface of this, and in that case you're right, but this goes much deeper than this. Have a look at the whole thread.

@Sideswiped

Oh stop it, *@Pumperthepumper*, you're starting to make yourself look foolish now. At least remain dignified.

How do you mean? You’re very reluctant to clarify your points.

@Pumperthepumper, so you're ignoring my questions, but continuing to post. How about you address those?
You've massively tried to derail OP and I for one am not prepared to let you go unchallenged.
IMO, you are a nasty individual who has some diverse axe to grind.
I wish you well with that, but in the mean time you might want to consider the impact of what you post online.

I'd raise the issue that children need to spend the maximum amount of their allocated time outdoors being outdoors!

It'd annoy me.

[quote Sideswiped]@Pumperthepumper, so you're ignoring my questions, but continuing to post. How about you address those?
You've massively tried to derail OP and I for one am not prepared to let you go unchallenged.
IMO, you are a nasty individual who has some diverse axe to grind.
I wish you well with that, but in the mean time you might want to consider the impact of what you post online.[/quote]
I have asked you several times exactly what you want me to ask.

I have quoted your post and asked for clarification.

I have repeatedly asked you how I am damaging the teaching profession by telling teachers to refuse to blindly accept pointless rules.

What do you want?

[quote Sideswiped]@Pumperthepumper, so you're ignoring my questions, but continuing to post. How about you address those?
You've massively tried to derail OP and I for one am not prepared to let you go unchallenged.
IMO, you are a nasty individual who has some diverse axe to grind.
I wish you well with that, but in the mean time you might want to consider the impact of what you post online.[/quote]
Just so we’re clear, for the fourth time: specifically what do you want me to answer?

Pumper why has the phrase ‘your card will be marked’ resonated so deeply with you? It’s a perfectly ordinary colloquial expression you seem stuck on, can you explain why?
And can you take the OP’s original point - short lunch times being shortened further - and tell us how you would move it forward? And are you willing to share your subject/position/years teaching? I’m genuinely interested in how your views and experiences have remained so idealistic.

@Woodchiponthewall

Pumper why has the phrase ‘your card will be marked’ resonated so deeply with you? It’s a perfectly ordinary colloquial expression you seem stuck on, can you explain why? And can you take the OP’s original point - short lunch times being shortened further - and tell us how you would move it forward? And are you willing to share your subject/position/years teaching? I’m genuinely interested in how your views and experiences have remained so idealistic.

Because it’s totally meaningless. Your job is still safe if you say to management ‘I’m entitled to my lunch break and fire regulations say they shouldn’t be hanging about in the corridor’.

I’d move it forward by 1) speaking to SMT 2) sending the class down until 2 and 3) doing this until it changed.

And no, I’m not. I’ve had enough grief on this thread without people picking apart my exact position and career history!

This kind of crap always happens in teaching. No one wants to deal with loud excitable teenagers. Just send them back out until 2pm.

@Pumperthepumper, just in case you can't find it, although you are making yourself even more ridiculous now:
I'm referring to my post at 21:48 tonight on case you can't find it.
How many more times do you need it to be flagged up to you?

@FloBot7

I've never really thought about it but when I was at secondary school they used to start ringing the bell 5 minutes before the end of lunch. Most of us went when it rang then the stragglers were rounded up. We had a full hour so it had less of an impact. Must still have been annoying for the teachers.

Same for us. I can't imagine all those lessons and only 20 minutes to eat and go to the toilet

[quote Sideswiped]@Pumperthepumper, just in case you can't find it, although you are making yourself even more ridiculous now:
I'm referring to my post at 21:48 tonight on case you can't find it.
How many more times do you need it to be flagged up to you?[/quote]
I’ve already quoted it and asked for clarification. How many more times do you need to be asked?

Specifically what do you want me to answer?