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.

Agree completely @Kebab85 in my county we only had 6 trainees on the English PGCE route last year...

YABVU. I’m an EYFS teacher and have been for 10 years. I have given so much of myself to my children and their families over that time. I now have an 18 month old daughter of my own - she comes first. How selfish of you to think I should put what you deem to be your child’s potential needs over hers?! We’re lucky we can afford for me to be part time, but why shouldn’t I enjoy and cherish this time with my own daughter?!
If the teachers in your school don’t know the children by now, even on a part time basis, that’s a them problem. I work 3 days in school (and the equivalent hours of at least a full day and a half at home in my own time), and know my kids inside out.
Your entitlement is astonishing.

YABU. My DC has one teacher four days and one one day. The one day teacher is amazing, involved, caring and supportive. My DC loves her. This seems like a different issue you have going on.

When I worked as part of a job share, I got to know every child well. In addition I went in feeling more refreshed and happier so was definitely a better teacher. I am not well off but had small children so sacrificed my wage to spend time with them. Not all people who work part-time do so just because they can afford to. I think it's very judgemental to say teacher's working part-time are being selfish. It's not selfish to put your family and children before work. I also don't consider it selfish to consider your own mental health and well-being, rather just sensible. I do consider it selfish to assume someone should sacrifice their own wellbeing and family for the sake of a job, even one which involves caring for others.

YABU because it is better to have part of two teachers than none! There is a teacher shortage as so many are leaving over poor working conditions as it is.

Having said that, my son really struggled with job-share teaching because the teachers had different rules and expectations, so what was praised or punished on Monday wasn't the same as on Thursday.

There was also awkwardness both with handing off work started with one teacher to be finished with the other (who had missed the first part) and also with not handing it off but then having a 4/5-day delay until the same teacher was back to pick something up again mid-flow - neither worked well.

Please tell me this is tongue in cheek..?!

YABU. Teaching is such a draining job - I was a far better teacher when I worked part time than when I worked full time. Plus I knew every single child well, and I only saw my form for 15 minutes per day and the rest an hour a week - and I taught 400 kids a week!

Wow. Listen to yourself

Unhinged
Seriously.

YABVU Teaching is such a hard job with enormous pressure, I think it has changed so much over the years. I would far rather my kids have two well rested teachers. What are you doing at home to support your child’s learning?

I know you have realised the flaws of your argument but there are aspects of your post that are not unreasonable.

I am a job share teacher myself and have worked with younger and older children and I agree that it's not ideal to have job share teachers in the lower years. It does indeed make it more difficult to get to know them, of course it does when you are with them half the amount of time.

It's obviously unreasonable to call teachers selfish for being part time though. In the past teaching was seen as a family friendly career and now, bar the holidays, it's one of the least family friendly careers going. Teachers deserve to be there for their own children as well. Without the option to go part time, many teachers, especially mothers, would leave the profession entirely.

Where possible, I think the HT should try and minimise job sharers in the lower years. It's not always possible though and sometimes you just have to work with what you have and play to people's strengths.

This isn’t a “part-time/job-share teacher” issue, this is a “those particular teachers” issue. I work in a nursery (age 3-5) with a roll of 64 children. Many of us are part-time or jobshare as we have young children of our own. I can tell you that every one of us knows each of those 64 children well. We know their needs, their learning, their likes, their dislikes, their friends, their families! Even those of us who work part-time.

A nursery environment is very different to a classroom environment where there is such an overcrowded curriculum to fit in and much less time to get to know the children.

Agreed, I said the same for the thread

Part time teachers are usually doing so because they want to spend time with their own children. This isn't being selfish, this is because a full time teacher puts the needs of 30 other children before the needs of their own.
How do I know this? Because I'm a key stage 1 teacher. Although I know my class of 32 pretty well, I will never know them as well as their parents. That teacher has only taught them for 13.5 weeks- that is 33 days for a part time teacher. Maybe by July, they will know them better. So yes, in my opinion, you are being unfair.

Is this a joke???? You're saying a teacher cannot choose to work part-time after they have had children???? Why should it be different from any other profession?
And what do you mean about the holidays?? Teachers are not paid for the holidays. They are paid pro-rata.

Mine are in reception and year 2 both have job share teachers. Honestly it doesn't bother me in the slightest. DS in reception has two teachers who have both taught EYFS for years at the school and have taught my older DC. We've really struggled with getting DS in on mornings this year and getting him to start reading, they've both been fab at supporting us and he is now doing really well. The TA in their class moved up from pre school with them for this year so DS has someone that has known him now for nearly 2 years.

DD is in year 2 and is currently working at year 3/4 level with her reading and maths. She's had one of her teachers change during the year already but seems to be progressing well still. Again I have no issues with the job share.

Teaching isn't a job I'd enjoy. Having two teachers per class who are motivated, able to spend some time with their own young families and giving themselves a work life balance isn't an issue for me.

My reception child has 2 teachers 1 on a Wednesday the other the rest of the week my daughter year 2 has THREE. Each teacher knows my child inside out.

My children had job share teachers all through primary school. They loved the variety. I preferred if as the teachers had different interests which was good for the children. If one was sick the other one covered. If it had occurred that a child did not get on with a teacher (which can happen) at least they had a reprieve half of the week.