AIBU to think that not being allowed to sit down whilst teaching is insane!

[Supermummy88]

Good evening all,

I’m a head of department in a secondary school where the work load has become horrendous. We have a new senior assistant head and he has made some awful changes and has increased work load by about 50%. Last week he made a complaint that he saw a number of teachers sitting down during lessons and that it’s not acceptable and that we should not be sitting down at all during any stage of the lesson apart from doing the register. I physically can’t stand for hours, but he doesn’t seem to care and thinks that teachers are not doing their job properly unless they are consistently circulating the classroom. I’m very close to giving up teaching completely and finding another career and I feel this has given me more of a reason to just leave.

What do you all think about this?

Sounds absolutely ridiculous. One of the best teachers I had at secondary school barely left her chair.

Yeah this was the deal in my last school, teach from the front, stood up for questioning/instructions etc and then circulating the rest of the time, I’ve been out for four years and probably won’t return

Depends on your subject. BUT I would say that if the students are busy writing/inputting on computers or solving problems, they can be very much 'put off' by the teachers looking over their shoulder. Sometimes I think Sen Management are sooooo keen to make their mark/impact, that they forget the actual reality of how to get the best out of students.

Totally stupid. What about when you're live marking under the visualiser? Or helping a student in the front row? I think the mark of strong behaviour management is a teacher who can control the room from her chair. Not everything has to be all singing/all dancing to be effective. Not to mention the practical issues for those with hidden disabilities or other issues - I spent most of my third trimester doing sitting down teaching because I was so tired and physically uncomfortable.

In world at a school like that. It's bollocks. I didn't last long. Especially when the subject directors and SLT sat down all the time.

I can see presence is needed. But do I have stand for two hours in front to 4 6th formers?

The only thing you can do is leave - teaching enables numerous Power crazed lunatics who delude them selves with quack pot theories and applaud their own brilliance whilst denounce everyone else as incompetent

Union advice?

Absolutely ridiculous. I teach P2 which does require me to be on my feet most of the day but I still need my desk to collect and jot down the kids dinner money, to hear readers, to mark and make notes when the kids go home etc. Even just somewhere to put my stuff. Plus physically some teachers will be unable to stand for long periods of time. Your head sounds awful. Terrible for staff morale & well being.

I like to circulate while the children are working but I teach KS1. I also sit while giving input and as often as I can during the day! I have health issues and when I stand for long period I get awful back and foot pain.

Apart from this, how dare they try and dictate how you teach.

A primary school I worked at actually removed the teachers chairs and desks from the classrooms!

Ignore it, what are they going to do, sack you?

Theres no one to replace you

Same at my school. No sitting down allowed.

What? Why?

Where are the teachers supposed to work before or after the children are in the classroom?

I hardly ever sit down when I’m teaching but that’s just me. I do think you need to circulate a bit to ensure everyone is on task and see what they are doing to give live feedback. Pupils make more progress if they can act on feedback there and then and it also cuts down on your marking if u can do it with them.

However there are certain lessons eg an assessment or maybe if they are answering questions using a book or maybe using internet for research I might get 5 mins to sit down but generally even then I am circulating a lot.

I was once offered a job at a school where the teachers only had podiums allocated to them at the front of the classroom. No desk and no chair. Suffice to say I got out of there as quickly as possible! I'll tell you what I tell all teachers - just plan your exit and leave. There is a whole world of opportunities after teaching.

I imagine a union would have a field day with that op. Discrimination on health grounds, pregnancy? etc... are you in one? I'd put it in writing why this would not be possible for you on health grounds and get your union involved if they push back.

I easily do 10k steps a day just at work but like having the option to sit. Reading my class a story at the end of the day would feel weird standing up, for example.

Just no. I teach smaller groups and used to teach a lot of small A level groups. We absolutely sit round a big table together.

I couldn't stand for more than 5-10mins. Teachings hard enough without making you do it standing all day.

They had to sit on the children's chairs at the children's tables.

I pretty much am standing my up all of my lessons (secondary maths) but that I just me. Some of my colleagues sit much more than me. One thing I love about my school is that different people have different ways of doing things and that is fine.

My favorite teacher in secondary school taught while sitting on his desk. He had an excellent command of the room despite being quite the oddball.

This is discriminatory. People vary in how long they can stand for comfortably. I had several vein operations about 4-5 years ago and can easily stand for most of a two hour double now, but was struggling before the ops.

A good school doesn't dictate how teachers teach lessons. I mean, sure, have some general guidelines, but blanket pronouncements are so unhelpful!

Definitely get union advice. If you're not in one, I've found Edapt good.

I used to sit on the children's chairs all the time when I was in my 20s. I never sat at my desk. Now I'm much older I struggle to get down that low and it hurts my back after working for 20 mins with a group. I would really struggle and my TA who is 10 years older than me would find it impossible.

This is ableist and stupid. So nobody with a disability can work in your school? He's a nob.

Union advice needed.

When I was teaching KS1 in my late twenties and early thirties, I barely sat down during the school day - unless I was working at a table with a group.
I was as thin as a reed, but permanently exhausted!

Really not sure if I could take the pace of that now, in my late forties.

It's the same at my secondary school, staff are told to be constantly circulating