To think job-sharing for teachers of kids 8 and under is selfish?

[blowingBubblesinABreeze]

My kid is in Year 2. There are 30 kids in her class. She has teachers who job-share (monday-wed morning, Wednesday afternoon to Friday).
We had a parents meeting and it was very clear to me that the teacher barely knew my child, and was just making up things to say. Other parents said the same.

Do I blame her? Yes and no. No because it is impossible to know 30 kids in a class if you are spending half the time with the kids in the class that a normal teacher does. A full-time teacher with 30 kids in the class already struggles to know all the kids in her class well. (understandably).

Yes because she has chosen to do the job share. (In the case of the teachers in my class, I know that they are both well-off). I know that this is not the case for most teachers. But again I would argue that many teachers that would choose to job share are not on the bread-line.

A teacher should know the kids in their class. That is part of their job. The kids are LITTLE, LITTLE people. They are in school for most of their waking hours. Alot of them really struggle to go into school at a young age. So to be left in the hands of a person who barely knows them is simply not fair on them.

We are prioritising the desires of teachers over the NEEDS of children. Which is where society seems to be headed as a whole. The desires of adults is our focus, neglecting the basic needs of our little people.

We have a job share in year 1 and very happy with it! I like that there’s less chance of burnout, they both bring something a bit different to the table, they are getting a refreshed teacher each day. Both our teachers know my child as much as I’d expect them too, it sounds like you have a teacher issue not a job share issue

Oh my god, OP. “Wealthy”? You clearly have no idea how much teachers get paid vs how difficult and demanding and THANKLESS the job is (not to mention how long it takes for them to train for it - a three year degree plus a year PGCE and then an NQT year).

So a teacher has to be entirely selfless and do everything they can for the children they teach and have no work/life balance themselves?

I think 30 in a class is too many. But there’s nothing teachers can do about that.

What an attitude. No wonder people leave the profession constantly.

This is 100% not a job share issue. I own a performing arts school with 236 kids. I don’t teach them I just run the business and manage the schools when they are in session. I’ve been on maternity leave this term but have been in a couple of times to visit. I know every single child’s name and could tell you at least one thing about each of them, most of them a lot more as we have students who have been with us a while. But even the newer students I could speak about. I see them once a week spread over a weekend when I am usually working. It’s not difficult to learn about 30 kids you are with 2.5 days a week for sure.

I take it you’ve moved your DC now so as to e sure the priorities are resolved? Or have you put some other priority ahead of it?

You’re being unreasonable to think that teachers shouldn’t job share. It’s a job, that’s it. However, I teach secondary and I have the kids around 4 hours a week and I know them well enough, so it’s not great if they have them for half the week and still don’t know them.

I don’t think it’s selfish. My DD’s year 1 teachers were a job share. They did a great job and knew my child very well. They did a double act at parents evening and the job share worked brilliantly. I can appreciate that not all job shares are successful, however.

There is a recruitment crisis in teaching so schools have to be flexible with their staffing situation, sometimes putting 2 part-time teachers together in a job share is the only option to fill a post. Teachers have a right to request flexible working the same as anyone else. You are being very unreasonable.

Teaching is a job... people often seem to forget this... people can choose to work part or full time.

Oh, sod off with your goady post!! I'm a job share teacher and, believe me, we know the kids very well. Schools get way more than 0.5 of a job from each of us as we both spend time unpaid in school/working together. We both have different strengths, so bring our own positives to the classroom. Some children prefer me, some prefer my job share, but ultimately no child has a full time teacher that they don't like.

Perhaps the teacher you saw wasn't great at interacting with the parents (again, we all have our strengths and weaknesses - I like to think I'm good at that but, but there are definitely other things I'm less good at).

I'm a parent too, and believe me, if I didn't teach part time, I wouldn't be teaching at all.

My DC is in year 1 and her teachers do a job share. I was concerned when I found out that would be the case but we had our first parents meeting a month or so ago and it was clear that both teachers knew DC really well. Admittedly they have a much smaller class (20-25 kids I think).

I think it can work for the right teachers. Maybe raise your concerns with them or the school as it might be that this particular job share doesn’t work for some reason that can be resolved.

Yeah, such an easy job. I'm surprised that half the population aren't queuing to become teachers..... with such reasonable parents too!!!

Can you remember what the teachers said that made you feel that they didn’t know your child?

This an issue with either your specific teachers, your child’s school ethos, or your expectations. I have worked (teacher) alongside many part time and full time members of staff, I’ve taught some classes for an hour a week, and at other times I’ve been the full time class teacher (nursery to Y6). If these teachers really do not know your child after teaching them for the whole of the autumn term, then this has little to do with them being part time. It is absolutely possible and normal to know children well enough to talk about their progress, attitude to learning and general behaviour for 5-10 minutes by the end of the first term- even if teaching less than 2.5 days.

Just to add- if schools were to agree to your suggestion and try to refuse part time contracts, I would hand in my notice the very next day, as would most if not all of my part time colleagues (the vast majority of the teachers in my workplace). Then there would potentially be a succession of temporary supply teachers who really don’t know the children and no parents evening at all.

Don't be so ridiculous and entitled!

It's not the teachers being selfish here - it's you!!

Secondary school teachers see some students a handful of times a week and still memorise their names. A job share doesn't impact a teacher's ability to get to know their students, especially if they're with them 2.5 days of the week.

It's also worth noting that very young children often behave completely differently at school to how they are at home/around their parents. It's possible that the teacher was speaking honestly about your child, but that they see a side to them that you do not.

What a lovely post! Teacher bashing again. Everyone should get a day trying to entertain and teach 30 young kids and see what they have to say then!

It’s impossible to know 30 children really well even when you teach them full time. Two teachers means your child gets the best of them both. State education is about educating the masses as cheaply as possible. The teachers are entirely within their right to be as selfish as they want to be. I’m assuming they don’t need an fulltime wage so why on earth would they not work part time ? Are you personally paying their salaries?

You do know that teachers are leaving in their droves right? What do you suggest then, that schools recruit teachers post menopause? You do know that most academies have managed them out because they are too expensive. Ahh so that leaves the ECT’s. Should they be vetted/interrogated to ensure they have no designs on having a family of their own? What happens god forbid they get pregnant? Are you for real?

We had two job share teachers at my sons primary school (small village school). Both teachers were exceptional. Your post is very generalised and is an issue with the school as opposed to teachers working job share. They deserve a work-life balance.

I disagree that we are neglecting the needs of ‘little ‘people. If anything we are spoiling the little people because we try to fix everything for them. No one is going to be happy or content or enjoying life 100% of the time. It’s just not realistic. Parents try to make their children happy all the time and all it does is cause mental heath problems in the future when they have absolutely zero resilience.

It is NOT a "really bad idea." You just had an unfortunate experience in one instance that, frankly, would have been worse if your child had just had the one teacher who happened to be the 'screamer.'

Bottom line is that parents need to get used to the idea of a range of staff teaching their kids as the nature of the job is becoming more and more untenable and recruitment at all is getting very challenging.

Two of my dc had job shares in year R. In both cases I felt it enhanced their education because the teachers complemented each other. My dc also found it good that they got a change midweek - sort of rejuvenated their energy.

I do a group of dc for an hour during the week; I've been doing it since September. I know the dc pretty well now - and they know me.

That’s nothing to do with the job share though that’s just two bad teachers ( in your opinion). The alternative would have been the screamer all week or the useless one all week which surely isn’t any better?

exactly this!

My son had job sharing teachers in reception - 3/2. It was great! They both knew the children very well, and the children didn't have exhausted, burned out teachers, but ones that actually looked forward to the days they were in.

THIS!!! As a job share teacher my children will come first every single time. I am good at my job and me and my partner work well together. If you could do my job better OP then go and train as a teacher.
You know nothing of my finances or the sacrifices we have made as a family to allow me to work PT for the sake of MY children.