School as child care

[Differentforgirls]

From another thread.

A poster said that state schools are there for helping parents to work. Therefore teachers are childminders. Teachers!

I think schools are there to educate our children and, though the staff go above and beyond these days, that is their primary function.

AIBU?

Because you are not making any sense. So you didn't view school as childcare so presumably in the holidays they were fine being cared for in the same way they were at school. You went off to work and left your reception age DC to fend for themselves as they did at school.

My mum was a teacher for over 30 years & definitely used schools as childcare. We were in school and she could therefore go to work.

You’re being U.
Who is caring for the child while they are at school for six hours?

By the same token, are you saying children are not educated by their parents at all - only cared for?

And you can deliver a child’s lessons in a day under two hours. If schools were there only to teach, children would be home by 11am.

If you don’t like children and don’t like caring for them, please don’t become a teacher.

No I didn’t. We both took annual leave.

Why? What was the difference between then and when they were in school?

I have children. One is a teacher.

Crikey! Which jobs give you annual leave that covers all school holidays. This sounds AMAZING (or totally made up!).

What? 🤣

I’m sure more flexibility is possible in lots of ‘important’ jobs. Companies just have no incentive to do it because their workforce just accept it. Probably because it’s a patriarchal structure that totally ignores the reality of working mums and the fact they can’t be in two places at once. Men never had to worry about this historicallyand that is still clear in plenty of working environments.

Yes, schools provide wrap around care but this usually isn’t led by teachers and there are questions about how positive it is for young children to be in school for such long days. This isn’t me trying to attack working parents but emphasising that schools should prioritise the needs of children and shape their teaching and provision on child development theory. Adults should push for more realistic working environments if the only option for so many families is both parents working.

The only reason for school to start full time at age 4 is childcare, there is no measurable benefit from such structured schooling at that age.

It's not even compulsory in England until after 5. The fact that so few parents wait is because most need the childcare, they can't afford not to work those hours.

In fact that having children who are barely out of toddler age in school is putting a strain on the school system.

You’re not responding to my points. May be, you didn't get the education your parents hoped for when you were under the care of your primary teaches.

I took 3 weeks, my husband took three weeks. We both got 6.5 weeks plus 10 public holidays.

Well if you could explain to us all how A&Es can be staffed with people only working school hours, I'm sure we'd all be really interested to hear your thoughts.

I think it's just the wording, some people for whatever reason get grumpy being called childcare, personally I think whatever form of childcare you all do it's amazing. World couldn't happen without you.

Childcare was the difference.

As a retired parent of adult children, who is not a former teacher, what prompted you to start this thread OP? Genuinely curious.

And 2 weeks at Easter and Christmas and 3 half term weeks?

👏👏

I did. Hence being able to retire at 60.

Yes. I think the issue here is OP sees childcare as something not worthy and low status.

Education isn’t child care.

Read the OP.

Can you define what childcare is then please OP?

Can’t you add?

She has totally failed to put forward an alternative reason for her upset at teachers providing ‘childcare’ as she sees it so I can’t only conclude she feels the role of childcare providers to be beneath that of teachers. Not sure teachers view it like that.