Interested to know what others think about this article on BBC?

[boundarysponge]

My weekly juggling act - being a teacher to other children and a mum to my own https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yvvr5z2pro

I think teachers get it pretty tough as there isn't any flexibility in term time.

I think it's disappointing there's not more solidarity amongst working parents - this thread is just a snarky race to the bottom.

When I read it I think 'yes, I hear you, what needs to change for all of us' not 'fuck you, my life's shit too so suck it up'.

I really don’t have a chip on my shoulder. There is a teacher shortage in some parts of the UK. In some areas there are very few vacancies because it’s a well paid, good job. I really don’t hate teachers, I’m saying it isn’t a unique situation and other people are agreeing (largely)

I would’ve had a lot more sympathy if it was about some of the real struggles in teaching , rather than I work full time (and my husband is shit) as a teacher so I’m struggling . It wouldn’t be any better if she was a doctor, police officer, lawyer , nurse or whatever.

Actually that was mean, i feel bad.
I acknowledge teachers do a bloody hard job.

The flexibility is very much school dependent. Plenty of teachers get time off for weddings, funerals, big events etc.

@newornotnewI don’t entirely agree. The reason for the retention crisis isn’t just because mums want teaching jobs to be flexible so they can work part time (for less pay).

It is so much more than that. It’s lack of SLT support, lack of parental support for teachers, SEN, Ofsted, curricular churn, government directives, paperwork, and box ticking. It’s underfunding and crowded classrooms. It’s poor discipline and kids carrying knives and watching phones in class. And so on and so on.

The problem is teaching isn’t the job it used to be. It’s become a source of burn out for all but the most self disciplined and resilient. So terrible that the only way to cope is to go part time.

What this teacher needs isn’t a part time job. She needs a teaching job that is not a living nightmare.

If and when my job in finance becomes crap, I can go and try something different . The problem is: most teaching jobs have become equally awful. The only escape is to leave altogether.

“"You sort of swap one job for another one really," she says. "I need to do the meal planning, washing, ironing. That's another mum-wife job that I do at the weekend to make sure the weeks run smoothly."

It’s essentially an article about women who have useless partners, really.

What's unique about it is: a stressed teacher directly affects your kid, a vacancy directly affects your kid, rapid turnover directly affects your kid, lower quality applicants directly affect your kid.

The point of the article is: we need more teachers, teaching needs to be more sustainable, it needs to be a better career.

Even where there aren't shortages, there are excellent teachers leaving for better pay and more flexibility as soon as they have a family.

Of course I do!

There are so many incredible, hardworking women in a range of roles who work evenings and weekends on top of a usual working day. I appreciate carers, nurses and all sorts of women in industry/ business.

Sadly, I think your cousins prove the point; they probably both knew the answer to attending the wedding would be ‘no’ from their respective schools, so they had to be dishonest and pull a sicky. This is the reality of an inflexible job.

Its not as there's always planning etc for next day which wouldn't be every day in many other roles

I didn't say it was ONLY that and agree it isn't ONLY that but that's a part of it - the job is tough enough when you have no family pressure.

I think this is going to be the only reply I post on this thread because these threads always go the exact same way.

I'm a primary school teacher and have been for 20+ years.

I read articles like this and find them intensely irritating.

Yes, in many cases, it is the experience of most working mothers. These articles are just deliberately written in such a way as to encourage and elicit anger and hostility towards teachers.

Retention in teaching is currently a huge problem and this isn’t because highly qualified, highly skilled and highly experienced professionals have suddenly become lazy and workshy.

That is not the reason so many teachers are taking 5 figure salary drops and giving up 12 weeks of school holidays a year to escape the profession.

Over 41k teachers permanently left mainstream state education last year. Some of those will have gone into private or special education. The majority left the profession ccompletely. The reasons are not a secret.

But, I agree, the way the issues are framed in these articles make teachers sound like pathetic whingers.

But that's the BBC for you.

There are lots of jobs that worked do full time whilst jogging a hike like and children. I guess the role of teacher is slightly different in the fact that you perhaps feel guilty about seeing other people's children way more than your own each week

I identify with her. Teaching is exhausting and relentless. No coffee break, no lunch, hardly time to use the toilet. It seeps into your evenings and weekends. You are under scrutiny constantly (and not positively). Children (and parents) can behave in ways that actually break you over time.

It’s not like other jobs. There are good reasons that there is a recruitment and retention crisis.

But agree with pps about the husband. Where is his role in this? If he is the type that just gets himself ready for his important job and leaves the rest to her then I have no sympathy. She should divorce him and at least she’d get a break every other weekend.

@newornotnew yes fair point. I think we agree the article is poor. It isn’t going to generate sympathy or understanding because other women outside teaching will just say “well my life is like that too, and I don’t get the summer off.”

I would absolutely love to see an article like this about dad-teachers. Do they experience the same amount of stress as the women on a day to day basis?

I don’t actually know anyone for whom that is the case! It’s very job dependent I guess, but everyone I know works evenings and weekends to catch uo

I do think there needs to be more public discussion about why teaching is so much tougher than it used to be - it isn't just 'bad parenting' - it is also cuts to every single public service, increased poverty and a reduction in every type of support staff.

Sounds a lot like my life except I don't have a husband or school holidays off.

Very much so, as teachers/schools are expected to step in and plug the gap for every single service that has been cut/underfunded. And it’s never good enough , because it’s an impossible and Sisyphean task.

Also, there is zero flexibility. I’ve missed funerals, weddings and sports days. You can’t take days off

Depends on the school because you certainly can on mine.

This is the life of a normal working mother although as pp said why doesn’t her DH do school pick ups and drop offs?

If anyone out there thinks this sounds easy, go ahead and apply

I alway think this is such an odd thing to say. If it’s so awful, why not leave? Why argue that other people should change their careers before assuming things are easy, when you’re the one assuming that other jobs are easier - if it sounds easy, why don’t you apply for one of those jobs? Presumably because either you think the bad bits of teaching worth it for the good bits, and/or because you know that changing careers (and going back to the start salary-wise) isn’t quite as simple as “just apply!”.

I completely agree.

Yeah anyone who describes housework stuff as “mum-wife” jobs is someone I struggle to take seriously tbh.

Sorry but I’m probably going against the grain but I see it as another whinging working mum. It’s the child I feel for. Out the house at 7.30 and not back until 6pm.