Teachers I need solidarity before I leave the profession

[Soniastrumpet1984]

I love teaching. I have done it for 22 years.
I am sick of parents moaning. Today has put the tin hat on it.
Here's my situation (this is not exact but an approximation as close to similar as I can get it without putting actual details.)
Let's say I've been teaching French bakery recipes to my cooking club. A local French bakery has offered to host 5 students( in its tiny kitchen) on Saturday morning at 7.30am before they open so they can watch the pastry chef making the items. This is a total favour and just a nice thing they do not have to do. They did this as on my way to work, I was chatting whilst waiting to get my coffee. I as a teacher have agreed to give up my Saturday morning to take them. Every child in cookery club was offered the experience, by email with their parent copied in. It was NOT first come first served, they were clearly told if there's more than 5, we will draw out of a hat. There were more than 5 interested , so I wrote them all on pieces of paper and trotted next door to a different teacher, who came and drew 5 names out. Now I have Two parental complaints demanding to see photos of the slips and why didn't I video the draw and provide evidence. I know it's Friday and I'm tired but fuck I want to leave.

One parent out of 40 emailed to thank me post foreign residential. Her child has special needs and we didn’t think she’d make it onto the coach but gentle persuasion got her on and she told her mum she was having ’the time of her life’ during the trip, which is fantastic. But only one parent!

I think you'd have been better off not doing it. 5 kids get to go and they could end up being the kids who already get advantages in life so it's not like you're trying to level the playing field. If you can't see how this isn't fair or even necessary then yeah teaching isn't for you.

It's not their fault your friend died though. If you can't do your job because of it then take time off

This has reminded me that, before my school’s lower school residential, we always share the menus with parents and ask them to pack snacks or alternatives for their children if won’t like what is on offer. There’s also always a meat free choice, allergies and religious choices are always catered for, it’s always fresh and homecooked, 3 courses, always a salad bar and bread basket like you COULD NOT HAVE MORE CHOICE.
Cue parental complaints when we get back cos a child didn’t like ANY OF THE food on offer. Every single bloody time!

Do teachers think that working parents receive thank you mails all the time doing our jobs? I don't...

(We always get teachers a Thank You gift and card at the end of year. Last year one out of three thanked us!)

I think the point is that residential/trips/clubs are NOT part of the job - they’re run voluntarily so would be nice to be acknowledged for the unpaid time that goes into running these events.

Yeah I get one appraisal a year and sometimes get positive feedback during the rest of the year bur I don't mind if I don't get it

They chose to do it

And they can, and increasingly are choosing not to do it because of shitty parents.

And then parents moan that there aren't any school trips.

I qualified in 1997 and left last Summer. I miss some of the kids but that's about it. Too much of the 'all behaviour is communication' brigade and SLT and my line manager requiring me to 'validate' the feelings of entitled students and parents. I'm pretty resilient and developed a thick skin over time but I felt utterly broken by the end and wish I'd left sooner.

And other people work for free at their jobs. It's not only teachers.

Fair enough. I wouldn't go away on a residential trip unpaid with a load of kids.

Good point. I'm expected to work extra hours if required with no overtime

Why do you need to though? Just do the lessons. That's why they're at school

No one is saying that other professions don't do unpaid overtime.

It's all relative though. Someone doing a few hours a couple of times a year and someone doing 20 hours a week unpaid overtime are both doing 'unpaid overtime' as part of their jobs.

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2024/feb/23/daylight-robbery-two-in-five-uk-teachers-work-26-hours-for-free-each-week

@Philandbill

They do think it is a jolly. I've been asked if I had a nice holiday!

Maybe parents do genuinely think it’s a jolly?

Yeah. I mean why else would anyone do it.

@porridgebath

Good point. I'm expected to work extra hours if required with no overtime

A trip or residential is a bit different. You're in loco parentis & if needed stay up half the night. It’s a lot of faff before going with paperwork & then you are on duty 24/7. I enjoy it as I think students get a lot from it - but it's not really just regular overtime.

There we go then, you enjoy it

I run residentials as I know the children get a huge amount from it, especially for young children after the very restricted Covid era. It's incredibly hard work and stressful. I enjoy aspects of it. Those aspects decrease year on year so I would imagine in a few years I won't bother doing them.

I haven’t run a trip since we got back from the theatre one night at 11pm and we stood for a couple of hours with a student whilst waiting for their parent to collect them as they’d fallen asleep and their phone was on silent. No apologies. My GCSE classes always ask if we can go and watch the modern play we study, I post a link to theatre tickets on our class Team and suggest their parents take them.

It is possible to enjoy your job but still expect to be paid for it and treated with respect.

Except kids learn better from teachers they know and who have taken the time to build rapport with them.

Do kids learn as well when there's a replacement going through the material? Generally, no.

What other job has someone in loco parents for a week? I imagine parents thank their babysitter more than they do the teachers after a school trip.

Edited to add: I'd be curious if you'd thank a firefighter who rescued you from a burning building or your doctor for curing a terrible disease. I mean, using your logic, that's their job and they're getting paid so why do they need any thanks?

Whilst the mother sounds a complete pain, it’s incredibly unkind to write the kid’s whole life off like this.