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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be annoyed about teacher strikes days

132 replies

Strikedays · 03/04/2023 12:06

Dates of strikes:
2nd March - Thursday
15th March - Wednesday
16th March - Thursday

Proposed dates:
27th April - Thursday
2nd May - Tuesday

Am I BU to be annoyed that 3/5 of the strike days land on a Thursday?

Why couldn’t they be on different days each time?

I fully support teacher strikes.
The amount of work they do out of teaching hours is massive and if you added up all of the hours they do they’re on a very crap wage.
They also have to deal with crap from students, parents, Ofstead and often other staff members.
It is very stressful, lonely and one of the few jobs where you have to stress about having done work before you get to work.

But it is really annoying me that most of the strike days have landed on a Thursday.

This must make it very difficult to find childcare if Thursday is the one day you don’t have anyone to look after them.

My own DD is in year 10 and I don’t need childcare but she has a lesson once a week on a Thursday which she needs for her GCSEs.
Missing 3 lessons is equivalent to missing half a terms amount of lessons.
This is massively impacting her but it must also be stressful for the teacher too.

YABU - it doesn’t matter that they keep landing on a Thursday.
YANBU - it does matter and they should make sure it lands on different days.

OP posts:
MeMyBooksAndMyCats · 03/04/2023 13:21

I agree teachers need to be paid more but they are beginning to loose my support.

My son who is behind education wise, his school decides who to shut to and who to allow to come in and surprise surprise it's always him whose effected which he struggles with the change of routine.

It needs sorting and pronto.

Original poster
Strikedays · 03/04/2023 13:22

LividNC · 03/04/2023 12:59

Oh, and EVERY class I teach is an exam class. And they’re currently sitting practical exams which I spent circa six hours rearranging after the last lot of strike days were introduced. And since I can’t pull time out of my arse, yes lots of them were rearranged into “unpaid” lunch “hour”.

This is exactly what I mean though.

I support the strikes but having them on the same days means more work for list teachers and a massive disadvantage for certain students.

Having the strikes on different days will still send the message without impacting the teachers or students.

OP posts:
Newname221 · 03/04/2023 13:23

coffeerevelsrule · 03/04/2023 13:18

Which GCSE is your school attempting to cover in one lesson per fortnight?! That seems a recipe for disaster to me regardless of srikes.

I'm annoyed as for the second time it is hitting an A level class I have twice in one day - 2 out of their 5 lessons per fortnight with me. They have 4 lessons per fortnight with another teacher, who is also NEU and will also have them once on that Thursday. It's shit, but what else can we do? The 'offer' was a total insult.

I thought I caught MAry Bousted saying this morning that they were asking members to protect Y11 and Y13 classes on the strike days. Does anyone know what this will mean in practice?

They absolutely should not cover exam years. No non striking worker should cover the work of a striking worker. The unions here categorically told their staff not to do it.

Here is Scotland, by the way.

LividNC · 03/04/2023 13:24

Strikedays · 03/04/2023 13:22

This is exactly what I mean though.

I support the strikes but having them on the same days means more work for list teachers and a massive disadvantage for certain students.

Having the strikes on different days will still send the message without impacting the teachers or students.

Show quote history

No, you aren’t listening.

IT IS MEANT TO BE DISRUPTIVE.

fitzwilliamdarcy · 03/04/2023 13:25

Maybe someone should ballot the parents and ask them to vote on what days would be the most convenient for them for the teachers to strike over conditions in schools.
We wouldn’t want the parents being inconvenienced by the disaster that’s unfolding in education, surely, that’s the teachers’ responsibility.

Christ alive.

dottiedodah · 03/04/2023 13:26

I voted YABU as whatever day they went on Strike it would put someone out! They dont do it for fun after all.In the news today, it said Teachers were at their lowest ebb for years. Low pay ,more changes to Education by Govt ,Crowd control of class and worse the parents to deal with! I am not a Teacher ,but have RL and friends who are ,and I feel for them

Original poster
Strikedays · 03/04/2023 13:27

LividNC · 03/04/2023 13:24

No, you aren’t listening.

IT IS MEANT TO BE DISRUPTIVE.

Show quote history

Yes I understand that it is meant to be disruptive.

But it will be disruptive regardless of what day it is on (maybe not Monday or Friday as much).

The day doesn’t mean anything to the government or DfE but it has a massive impact on students and teachers if it is landing on the same day all of the time.

So why put students at a further disadvantage by having it on the same days instead of alternating the days?

OP posts:
LividNC · 03/04/2023 13:29

I mean, it isn’t. It’s been Thursday on 3/5 and as some of the first posters pointed out, some of those have been different for different regions.

Honestly, you’re focusing your anger at entirely the wrong thing.

Original poster
Strikedays · 03/04/2023 13:30

dottiedodah · 03/04/2023 13:26

I voted YABU as whatever day they went on Strike it would put someone out! They dont do it for fun after all.In the news today, it said Teachers were at their lowest ebb for years. Low pay ,more changes to Education by Govt ,Crowd control of class and worse the parents to deal with! I am not a Teacher ,but have RL and friends who are ,and I feel for them

A PP said they teach an A-level class twice on that day.

If you lose 3 days of just that day that’s 6 lessons lost.
That’s almost impossible to catch up on.

Whilst a different A-level class is going to be 6 lessons ahead.

Alternating the days will mean all students lose only 1 or 2 classes, instead of certain students being massively disadvantaged.

OP posts:
Changechangechanging · 03/04/2023 13:32

It needs sorting and pronto

Absolutely. Have you let your MP know how you feel or is it just teachers you’re having a go at?

WGACA · 03/04/2023 13:33

You should be annoyed about the standard of your children’s education. However bad you think things are in schools they’re so much worse!

Itstarts · 03/04/2023 13:33

MeMyBooksAndMyCats · 03/04/2023 13:21

I agree teachers need to be paid more but they are beginning to loose my support.

My son who is behind education wise, his school decides who to shut to and who to allow to come in and surprise surprise it's always him whose effected which he struggles with the change of routine.

It needs sorting and pronto.

Well yes...that's why teacher's are striking.

Gooseysgirl · 03/04/2023 13:34

WGACA · 03/04/2023 13:33

You should be annoyed about the standard of your children’s education. However bad you think things are in schools they’re so much worse!

Exactly this 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Original poster
Strikedays · 03/04/2023 13:35

LividNC · 03/04/2023 13:29

I mean, it isn’t. It’s been Thursday on 3/5 and as some of the first posters pointed out, some of those have been different for different regions.

Honestly, you’re focusing your anger at entirely the wrong thing.

But if a student in your class missed 3 lessons then that is a lot of content missed.

That is also not including any illness (student or staff) or trips planned which would further impact the lessons.

OP posts:
Perfect28 · 03/04/2023 13:36

Sorry to ask the obvious but why not hold strikes on Monday or Friday?

Anniessong · 03/04/2023 13:36

MeMyBooksAndMyCats · 03/04/2023 13:21

I agree teachers need to be paid more but they are beginning to loose my support.

My son who is behind education wise, his school decides who to shut to and who to allow to come in and surprise surprise it's always him whose effected which he struggles with the change of routine.

It needs sorting and pronto.

If teachers accept any deal that is not fully funded it is the worst outcome for all children. It will result in significantly further squeezing of already stretched budgets. There will be cuts in provision and staffing which are already inadequate. Surely it should be the government that should be losing your support? They are steering us into an education crisis to go with the NHS, social care, Brexit, cost of living etc

noblegiraffe · 03/04/2023 13:40

Strikedays · 03/04/2023 13:35

But if a student in your class missed 3 lessons then that is a lot of content missed.

That is also not including any illness (student or staff) or trips planned which would further impact the lessons.

Show quote history

You're telling teachers who do the job the impact of them not doing the job. Teachers know the impact of not doing the job better than you and yet have still voted for strike action.

How bad must things be for that to be the outcome?

SpringHasSprung23 · 03/04/2023 13:40

noblegiraffe · 03/04/2023 12:20

If it falls on different days then it's disruptive for students, parents and teachers.

Perhaps we should strike at the weekends so that nobody is disrupted?

Show quote history

@noblegiraffe

or the holidays! You get enough of them!!

😂🤣

@Strikedays no matter how it's arranged it's going to be disruptive, which is kind of the point!

Original poster
Strikedays · 03/04/2023 13:40

Changechangechanging · 03/04/2023 13:32

It needs sorting and pronto

Absolutely. Have you let your MP know how you feel or is it just teachers you’re having a go at?

Where have I had a go at teachers?

I’ve not said anything negative about teachers and I’ve supported them by saying that this disadvantages them too.

I’ve said I fully support the strikes and think they should go ahead but on different days so the students aren’t going to miss massive amounts of certain lessons.

OP posts:
Pubesofsoberness · 03/04/2023 13:40

Mine are younger so it doesn't really matter which days they strike

I do wish they'd stop setting bloody work to be done at home though

I wfh luckily but I can't do my job and a full days worth of school work at the same time

user1748339345 · 03/04/2023 13:41

Stop moaning on Mumsnet, that's not going to achieve anything.

Email your MP and ask what they're doing to ensure that your/our children's education and teachers' pay will be properly funded.

Newname221 · 03/04/2023 13:41

Pubesofsoberness · 03/04/2023 13:40

Mine are younger so it doesn't really matter which days they strike

I do wish they'd stop setting bloody work to be done at home though

I wfh luckily but I can't do my job and a full days worth of school work at the same time

They absolutely should not be setting work, that defeats the purpose of a strike. They should be completely withdrawing labour.

Original poster
Strikedays · 03/04/2023 13:45

I do wish they'd stop setting bloody work to be done at home though

They shouldn’t be setting work that’s the whole point of a strike.

We were specifically told not to set any work as it’s not home learning like lockdown.

It’s up to you as a parent but I wouldn’t be doing the work set.

OP posts:
Pubesofsoberness · 03/04/2023 13:47

Newname221 · 03/04/2023 13:41

They absolutely should not be setting work, that defeats the purpose of a strike. They should be completely withdrawing labour.

Show quote history

I know but they fo. It just causes my youngest who's autistic massive anxiety. He doesn't work well from home.

I made the decision last time that we weren't doing it and the school haven't said anything about it but still

Newname221 · 03/04/2023 13:49

Strikedays · 03/04/2023 13:45

I do wish they'd stop setting bloody work to be done at home though

They shouldn’t be setting work that’s the whole point of a strike.

We were specifically told not to set any work as it’s not home learning like lockdown.

It’s up to you as a parent but I wouldn’t be doing the work set.

Wait, are you a teacher?

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