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?

But in what way have I slagged off your son? I simply asked if you think him being a teacher and therefore all teachers means they are too good to be considered childcare? It's the only possible point I can think you're making

In what way am I frothing? Your reactions are very odd

It’s not wrong to view it as both. Please read my OP again.

I said, and this thread has proven me right, that too many parents see schools as childcare, whereas the onus should be on education.

The ones who do are transparent in this thread because all they are posting about is their work, not the fact that school is primarily about teaching children to read and write etc.

There was actually a post that said something along the lines of “why teach them maths if they’re not going to work anyway?”

I’m not offended btw. I just think it’s bewildering that parents view child care as more important than education.

If school was purely about education it wouldn’t need to mirror the average working week of Mon-Fri, and almost 9-5.

This. My country (EU) has those functions separated. School day for primary school is 8-12:30. That's teaching time with a few breaks.

Wraparound is available 7-8 am and 12:30 to 5 pm, that covers lunch supervision, homework time, playground, free play...

It also means sports and clubs (which are very popular here, and many are quite affordable) can run through the afternoon, some offer wraparound pickup, some children walk on their own when close enough. That leaves weekends as family time, no need to block Saturdays for football (in our area clubs provide the childcare aspect, so parents are not required there)

Well, after-school club is childcare, isn’t it?

No criticism, my Gdcs all love it.

Short day?

The wrap around care is for parents who work the actual school hours are to teach the children. I am very lucky because DS can come home and watch TV whilst I finish working and he does two days of after school club because he wants to.

Not everyone works 9-5. You know that.

Op of course school is about education kids aren’t sent so a parent can work there sent to learn and it’s disrespectful to teachers to say it’s childcare . I bet the ones who say it’s childcare couldn’t walk into a classroom and educate the kids because there not qualified. I can take care of a child but I couldn’t teach them core subjects. The government don’t say hey parents if your not going out to work look after your kids yourselves it’s compulsory to go to school. Some parents just take it for granted to have time to themselves or to work.

If you see this thread as proving you right I think you should expand your understanding and see the wider responses. Dont just acknowledge thise who agree with you.

Some people agrees with you some do not.

You appear unable to at all entertain any differing opinion and are rude or attempt to be dismissive in how you respond to people whose opinions differ to yours.

Thank you 😊

Again - school’s primary function is education - but the days, hours and format has evolved the way it has to fit into a capitalist society that needs the majority of parents working during the prime working week hours.

That doesn’t shade the actual teachers and the job they do - they do their best within the system as it currently stands.

But it also doesn’t mean that the school system isn’t also acting as convenient childcare.

The poster I replied to has been insulting me for pretty much every hour since I started the thread while saying they are can’t look after their own children because they “work” too hard.

My children are now in secondary school but in their primary years I saw 7.30-9 and 3.30-5 as their childcare (the wrap around) and 9-3.30 as the time they were educated in regards to the National Curriculum.

It is childcare in the sense that it enables parents to work and the children are out of the house, being cared for , for 6/7 hours a day.
Sure, their primary focus is to educate children , but we can’t completely ignore this “side effect “. Or pretend that it is not essential. Otherwise there wouldn’t have been any keyworker groups during COVID, would there?

Insisting otherwise, is like adding tomatoes in your fruit salad because they’re a fruit.

Actually, you could have written my OP. Thank you x. Your children are lucky to have you.

So is this poster not having a child and letting other people bring them up as you said about working parents a few pages back then OP?

Nobody is denying that the primary function of school is education.

But it is also childcare that enables parents to go to work. That's not disrespectful, that's just a fact. If my kids weren't at school I couldn't work, and that's the same for thousands of parents up and down the country - parents who, like me, do vital roles and contribute a huge amount to the economy.

It’s crazy how a small minority of people on this thread can’t grasp that 2 things can be true at once:

1. School and teachers are for educating children
2. Having a child in school 9am-3pm is really useful if you need to work.

Mad anyone thinks that point 2 devalues point 1.

Even madder when a lot of school staff rely on that principle so they are able themselves to be at work and educate other people’s children!!

It's due to children needing care whilst they are being educated. Unfortunately we don't get to pick the teachers, whereby we do with all other forms of childcare.

But teachers are not like childcare you get in a nursery setting it’s not something anyone can do is it. you forget teachers are parents themselves it’s not like anyone can teach 30 plus kids and secondary schools aren’t needing childminders are they. School is for teaching. parents being able to work is a bonus. If it was just childcare you could take the kids away when it suits parents not the government.

Childcare isn’t just nursery settings. Childcare is being responsible for the safety and welfare of minors when there parents aren’t there.

Is it the thought of people comparing teachers to nursery workers what is working everyone up?

The school system as it is mainly benefits the ‘system’ - you get an educated workforce, you get the next generational workforce used to be in a M-F 9-5 pattern, you get the current workforce into work by removing their childcare responsibilities for the main part of the day.

Ohhh are preschools and nurseries attached to schools, education or childcare ? @Differentforgirls

Both my sons were 4 years old when they started school. If the teachers and support staff weren't providing care for them, who was?

No, it's not the same as nursery, but it's still childcare as well as education.