Having kids in nursery all summer whilst you’re off

[Willwejustbehotforevernow]

Just seen a friends post about being happy to be off for the whole summer (teacher) because now she can pick her kids from nursery (they’re in full time whilst she works)
Would you still put your kids in full time nursery if you worked full time and then had summer off-6 weeks, where you could be with them?

Maybe she doesn't love her kids as much as you do and is a Bad Mother.

Off the top of my head I can think of a number of other reasons for making this choice:

• she has to work, either prep for next year, or additional work such as exam marking (or is struggling to pay the Bill's and has got a short term job stacking shelves)
• she is installing a new kitchen/ having renovations done and it is going to be a dangerous and/or restrictive environment for children
• she is having surgery and needs to recuperate/ is struggling with her mental health and needs to recuperate
• she is exhausted and needs a break from prioritising her children 24/7 for years while also working full time
• her children don't cope well with change or prefer the social side of nursery to being at home
• she can't provide the range of fun activities that the nursery does
• she is prioritising a seriously ill/dying parent and knows her children are safe and happy at nursery

It is no-one else's business, and is not like sending them to boarding school/ doesn't prove she is a Bad Mother.

Oh I’ve done this when I was a uni student and DD was at nursery. I didn’t send her every day but I kept her in a few days a week

Of course it takes work outside directed time. But it does not make someone lazy because they don't give up two weeks of their holiday. It makes them a martyr.

What exactly about the fact you can't move class when people are learning in it seems to difficult to understand?

It does not take two weeks to move classrooms.

No one said it does.
It's one task of many that need to be done in the holiday.
KS2 class teachers find out their classes in term six. That means all tasks related to the new class at the very earliest can be started in the last few weeks of term.
Provision maps
Seating plans
Curriculum planning
Resources
Displays

And yes, moving class takes an average of four days, two for them to move out. Two for you to move in.

These don’t sound like weeks of work realistically. Maybe you’re not planning your time well enough? At my friend’s school it’s all basically done in two days - although their displays are done by the children.

To be honest saying teachers need to work all summer ‘sorting topics’ and ‘doing seating plans’ has the same energy as when I see threads on here about needing loads of time off for ‘life admin’ like ‘buying birthday cards’ and ‘sorting airport parking.’ Making big work of small jobs.

The bulk of the time is planning for the new year and subject leadership.
You are in the minority. Most teachers on this thread have said they work in the holidays.

If my experience was unique I might think you had a point but I have literally never met a teacher that doesn't work part of their holidays.
Well, a few international secondary teachers. But they were shit.

Okay, it's actually irrelevant whether teachers work during the holidays or not. I have worked around 6 hours a day every day this holiday so far BUT even if I had done no work, and even if I didn't do a drop of work all holiday, it wouldn't make a difference. Parents should feel free to put their children into nursery if they want to, regardless of whether or not they're working, without judgement. This is an incredibly judgy thread and I'm actually a little disgusted by some of the judgemental comments and views here. I really hope no parents have read some of these comments and felt guilty as a result - there is nothing to feel guilty about, but it seems to be the OP's intention!

You are so judging! Your sitting here talking/writing about your friend and what she does with HER children. Not your children? Not your concern - unless signs of neglect and or abuse are present - BUD OUT! It's NOT your business nor your place to judge her. You have NO real idea what her life is like. You assume it's not about money but you have NO idea if that's a fact. You assume she doesn't want to have her children home with her but you have NO proof and NO idea what her reasons for nursery school ( even during her 6 weeks off work) are. She could be shopping, or cleaning her home, spending some much needed one on one time with her partner, or even just relaxing and resting from both work and being a full time parent. Either way what she is doing and why is NOT your concern. What you or other parents would or wouldn't do in this situation DOES NOT MATTER. I feel bad for her tbh. If I found out you were on some public forum practically talking sh-t about me and how I parent/raise my children, I would end the 'friendship'. No real friend would be here waiting out super judgy posts about people they actually care about.

I wouldn't judge another mother for doing whatever works best for her, as long as her child is happy, fed, safe and loved.

Because she should perhaps you know, want to spend some time with her kids?

I think it’s a shame that she doesn’t actually want to grab that opportunity. I know I did, like you op.

Because she should perhaps you know, want to spend some time with her kids?

Shes spending time with her kids. Just because she's not spending every waking minute with them all summer doesn't mean she's not seeing her children. Honestly you'd think she was leaving them to fend for themselves the way some of these replies are written. It's nursery not bloody borstal.

Also once again no comment on the father who also apparently has the whole summer off and allegedly isn't spending time with his children. It's always the mums who get the guilt trip.

ZephyrPenguin I totally agree with you!

I think it’s a shame that she doesn’t actually want to grab that opportunity. I know I did, like you op.
Hooray! You’re the better parent! Other mums are doing it wrong.

@Beees I was answering the question in the op. Apologies if it came off as judgy, I do what works for me but couldn't care less what others do as long as the children are looked after and happy!

She probably still has to pay for them to hold the place so why not.

I'm a TA and off all summer and honestly would send ny kids somewhere if I could afford it!

My oldest is at summer scheme for 2 weeks but I still have the youngest.

Working in a school and having young children can wear you out, all my days off are days off for them too so its not unreasonable at all for someone yo want some time to themselves!!

Primary classroom for 30 kids. Lots of boards to back, toys to sort and clean, resources to make etc.... it really does take that amount of time- I've also moved classrooms a lot over the last decade and have to start from scratch. Perhaps not if you teach upper KS2 or secondary but loads of you are a reception/year 1 teacher!

No one is saying that teachers do no work in the holidays. But many are saying you are making a mountain out of a molehill of the job that you do. Stop reinventing the wheel. Share resources with your colleagues. Stop treating each topic or subject as though it's never been taught before and use what you have and tweak it as and when you need to.
In another post, teachers who don't work as much as you in the holidays were described as lazy. In this post, they're shit. Quite frankly I find your attitude insulting to those who manage to get their work done, and do a good job of it in a decent amount of time.
If you genuinely need to take that much time then you're either very inexperienced or you cannot plan your time or use available resources effectively. You do the reputation of the teaching profession no favours and you will burn out.
OP I'm sorry if this has hijacked your thread. If anyone wants to put their kids in daycare that they have paid for, that's no business of anyone else so leave them to it.

I feel bad for her tbh. If I found out you were on some public forum practically talking sh-t about me and how I parent/raise my children, I would end the 'friendship'. No real friend would be here waiting out super judgy posts about people they actually care about.

Yep!

And I find your attitude that anyone who had to take any time to prepare over the holidays as dismissive and in keeping with the teacher bashing sentiment behind ops post. No wonder you are apologising to her.
Ofsted now look at teacher workload as a focus, plenty of research linking it to retainment and retraining issues. I don't know how you could possibly miss this as it's in tes magazines, training etc.
But yeah, it's probably just me and every other colleague I've had for the ridiculously long time I've been in education. What an anomaly.
Quite frankly I'm bored of you now. Perhaps if you wanted a more nuanced response you shouldn't have broad brushed anyone who has to work in the holidays as doing it wrong.
Although congrats, if whqt you say is true my respect for secondary has gone down.

I will say it again, I did not say that other teachers did not work in the holidays. Nowhere have I said that at all. I'm saying the jobs do not need to take as much time as you say.

I would be the first to defend anyone teacher bashing. My teacher friends and family are all currently on holiday. Personally, I thought it was a well deserved holiday but apparently they must be shit and lazy by your standards.

Perhaps I'm getting you mixed up with another poster.
It's the wide eyed disingenuou, oh how on earth do people manage to have work to do in the hols, I have six weeks off if you don't you must be doing something wrong etc. That got my back up.
Fact is most teachers have to work some of the holidays. There are more teachers on this thread alone showing that is more typical than managing everything in term time.
Perhaps you have the unique position of a school and subject curriculum that doesn't constantly change, classes whose needs don't change much. Whatever. I don't know.
The point is you are lucky and people who work in the holidays are not making work for themselves it's because it has to be done.
Anyway, that's my last thought on the matter. Will be thinking of you when magically helping to move clas with willpower alone.----