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.

@IdaGlossop Teachers finish work at 3.30 though, so why wouldn't this still be possible?

No, the classes finish at 3.30. The teachers can be there for several hours afterwards.

@sueelleker As an ex-teacher of 21 years, I was definitely being sarcastic. So bloody glad I left the profession and would encourage others to do so. It's been an absolute game changer for myself and my own family.

For any self-respecting housewife, it would be impossible. Wives can't go slinging any old slapdash meal together from scraps, tins and frozen bits. If a wife makes a pie, she needs to make the pastry. Ruff puff needs rolling, folding and re-rolling. Joints of red meat, which a real man needs to keep everything in working order, need to rest before carving. Then there's the table to set, napkins to fold, glasses to wash. These essentials are not the work of five minutes. So a 3.30pm finish wouldn't do at all.

Dd had 2 teachers in primary school from year 2 onwards, no issues, they all knew every kid very well. Tbh it’s no different from high school. Dd is in year 8 now and has 4 different maths teachers. As long as your kids learning I don’t get what the problem is….

My son is a primary teacher of 20+ years' experience. A fluent speaker of four languages, a musician of professional abilities, a scientist manqué, a communicator par excellence, could have done anything, but chose to dedicate his life to children, his own included...I have retired from the classroom, but when I visit and see how hard he works, it all comes back to me. He teaches a class of gifted and talented year 8 students, and his "parents" are beside themselves with gratitude for what he has done for their kids. People like him are truly beyond rubies, but are paid a mere pittance for the thousands of hours they put in to the clubs, the outdoor ed camps, the musical productions, the sports teams, to say nothing of the preparation for the inspirational activities they do, things way beyond their paid classroom hours. We cannot afford to lose people such as these treasures, the unsung heroes of society.

Just reading this thread makes me so grateful to no longer be teaching😂

Ridiculous. I teach secondary so have 11 classes who I see for 4-5 hours a fortnight. I know all of them well!

I think YABU for applying it across the board but I did have the same experience on a job share situation at parents' evening. She sat there and basically asked if we had any questions. This was the teacher who did 2 out of 5 days. She then let my son go without checking who he was with one day - was meant to be at school football club - he ended up at the nursery in error - age 5.

But I think it could also be very positive if the teachers are engaged and like the job - it was just clear that this particular teacher was there to collect her pay cheque only.

Good grief, do people really think teachers finish work at 3.30?

@sprigatito As an ex primary teacher I was being sarcastic, but there are those that genuinely think they do.

I havent read the thread. But I am a jobsharing teacher. I have taught chikdren aged from 5 to 11 in a job sharing capacity.

I definitely know all the children in my class. Not only that, but I discuss them regularly with my partner so when we talk to parents we are giving a balanced view and describing things we have both observed, which adds depth and value
By jobsharing I am less stressed and tired when in work so can focus on the children even more than if I worked full time.
Because we share planning and assessment I am not burnt out from paperwork and can focus on teaching and the children.
If the teacher you met could not give insights into your daughter or show that she knew her, that is a problem with that specific teacher. Not a flaw with jobsharing.

Chill out. My son is now Year 13 but, honestly, you should screen shot your post and realise how it does not matter, at all, at that age.

I look back at myself, as a parent of a Reception- Year 6 kid, and wish I’d known what I know now.

Some probably do.

Sometimes I only see them once a fortnight, but I’ll still be able to speak to parents.

That's a shame as they probably end up losing lots of good, experienced teachers who just happen to be at a stage of life where they have young children.

Job shares can be great for a school as they probably would both lead a subject, a huge plus in small primaries.

But if you have an EYFS or KS1 expert then it seems mad to move them into Year 6 just because they want to be part time.

Most kids come from nursery settings where staff aren't the same every day of the week and cope fine with that. Support staff in a class might be the same all week anyway which gives consistency.

It’s 5 form entry primary, no shortage of subject leaders, most recognise it’s an outstanding school and make it work. You could argue there are too many experienced teachers. If there was more flex in the budget the head would accommodate it more i’m sure, but the class salary bill is higher for two covering together. I have sympathy for the head and questioned him on it but it’s an operational level decision and more what he’s minded to do as each case must be assessed.

Yeah, I tend to agree OP.

Not all jobs can be "shared," Really little ones are better off with the same main teacher, particularly when it's such a large class.

There are teaching roles where sharing works fine, but others where they don't.

The issue isn't the job sharing.

The issue is that these two teachers apparently don't sit down together to share insights into the children.

30 children per class is a ridiculously large class. This is a massive problem that would have a negative impact even with one teacher.

I've had job sharing teachers in all but one of my youngest son's classes and it hasn't caused much of a problem. It tends to work better if one of the teachers works.8 or.7 so she/he is the 'main teacher' and the other assists. Even split is a little more challenging.

I’m usually very good spotting when someone is being sarcastic but I’m not sure on this one if you are or not.

Where I live in another country, all primary teachers job share and it works really well. Instead, the parents here are dismayed if the teacher has to change after a year - they keep the same two teachers for five years. In the UK changing every year is not seen as a problem. It's just cultural norms. None of this is a real problem. I teach English in various schools. I know the students even if I only see them once a week for an hour. Believe me, four hours every day in a classroom, you know those children.

Maybe there is nothing memorable about your kid. Having 2 teachers will do them no harm whatsoever. Plenty of perepetetic teachers popping in and out anyway. They'll probably cope better than you will.

You have no idea why they want or need to job share and it’s none of your business. They may have a hidden disability, a child or family member at home with needs, anything really. Its maybe YOU who needs to stop being so ME ME ME.