I did warn the long post...
When I first started teaching in the early 1990s it was still a tough gig but there really was a mutual comaraderie and consensus (mostly) with all of us, including parents, together. A quick call, sorry but Gary has been disruptive the past few weeks, can we get to the bottom of it together rather than escalation to formal reports (though we did have to write incidents of course) but we all knew this. Response was almost always supportive and students knew they did have to be more respectful and they were and apologised. Of course those who couldn't regulate themselves and needed extra support, we acknowledged this and went above and beyond to get help.
This was the time of schools, smaller, we all knew students' names because they were in our classes or extra activities. If we didn't know a name, quick ask of other staff and seconds later we found out. IME it really was like a big family who cared for each other.
Yes, I grew up in the 1970s and 1980s so know about and have experienced inappropriate behaviour from teachers and had been trained about so many issues ehich weren't called 'Safeguarding' but the same ideology.
Back to the point 👉...these small local secondary schools were closed down (I won't go into the politics of suddenly becoming 'incompetent' after decades of success) to create one new massive new build to incorporate students who used to walk to needing a bus, parents dropping off.
Once in school, a fish bowl of one way only in long, stuffy corridors and stairs for our DC to get to next lesson. Barely time to decompress from previous lesson to be met with 'bell task'. Yes, we do really need to stood outside of our classrooms to hand out pieces of paper for this. It's so difficult not having your own classroom, which we used to have, to not enough to spare so we have we wheel a trolley of books, resources, up flights of stairs because the lift means to ask for a key which you have to interrupt the library (not on the same floor) for, then run to give it back before the lift doors close. Then at the designated classroom, to be expected to hand out bell tasks, wheel your trolley in, give out books, login and hope the remote is there and not been hidden (yes staff do steal them) to freeze starter task while you login to online register and call all names out. Meanwhile of course dealing with the usual 'Miss, I don't have my book a pen, a chair, he's kicking me, she's stolen my pencil, it stinks in here, I'm cold, I'm hot etc. '
The new build has fantastic technology with every corridor needing a swipe from staff to get to the next corridor. While I do appreciate the safety aspect of it, when on supply and trapped between 2 doors, having to bang to get someone to notice, I do fear for my life in a fire risk situation.
So, on to the structure of the day now...
As a parent, the earliest I could drop DC off at nursery then primary breakfast club at 8am, then a 25 mins drive, I was there before 8.30am. Fortunately, before it became an academy, I was able to do this as tutor time was 9am and I had of course planned and prepared, photocopied resources beforehand, all ready for the next day and beyond. Staff meetings were twice a week, 8.45am.
So, the academy takeovers 😳 True life experience. All of a sudden business took over education. Small schools who were thriving suddenly became inadequate, brilliant HTs and older members of staff disappeared with NDAs. The big conglomerate academies replaced them, along with young staff trained by the management of them.
I dare to say this now because I'm out of it, on my own accord, but feel very passionate about how this has been allowed to happen. I've observed ECTs who are under this regiment and he was a former student. I couldn't hold back and said how awful it seems so robotic now; prescribed powerpoints, no time for individual input and, though he was equally as scared to speak about it, he said Miss you're right, we're robots now who daren't do anything different 😢
Yes this has been background leading up to the main point that an academy day is ruthless.
15 mins for morning break has always been the case, quick replenish after one/two hours, toilet. There is no need to queue up in the canteen, snack in your bag, you've got your water already kids. Same for us, gobble something, few sips of coffee, loo, back to entry demands. When we're on duty we don't get a break, look for the nearest loo, drink our coffee standing up in tje corridor then go back to teach.
Lunch however is far too squashed! Half an hour is ridiculous 🙄 all in order to start and finish early and trap students inside, the same with staff, it's inhumane! The rotas of different years having lunch just to finish earlier. It really was far better when we had an hour (not sexist, it happened) boys playing football, girls walking about, fresh air and time.
Unfortunately, due to misuse and reckless behaviour from some students, most academies see the need for a shorter, more intensive school day structure to prevent the opportunity for this. However, this restriction to 'let go' means even more disruption in lessons.
So I say 'inhumane' as new built acamedies seem like cages for all of us. As staff we don't have an office as a curriculum leaders, so have to juggle meetings/detentions/interventions/extra tuition all in the same room.
Students have to rush from one room to the next, one way, same prescribed format, so boring! Then their breaks are so short, queuing, toilets locked at an exact time when they've barely had enough time to eat.
As an ex teacher, already knowing it was abhorrent, being on supply I'm able to take a step back and observe the whole thing. I see your DC coming in desperate to go to the toilet and, also as a FT teacher, I knew and would let them go always. Rules have to be followed as supply, but same again, you can tell when a student is genuine.
To add yet again, it's unfortunate that a few spoil it for others, make a shoe of about to wet themselves, make a mockery.
Sad that schools are now run as businesses, oh the parking with reservations for 'CEO' and other corporate labels is immediately visible for us plebs. The struggle to get a parking space and you need to go elsewhere, but the aligning road has a permit sign because the neighbourhood doesn't like parking on their road, so thankfully you have a supermarket nearby which allows extra hours so you wheel your trolley, have your backpack and deciding whether you can walk or need to jog. Then you see the always empty spots of CEO and the other titles.
I know this has been an incredibly long post, thank you to those of you have read my vent! So much more to say but basically we teachers are just cogs in the academy machine but do our job because we chose this caring and educational profession. We care about your DC and agree with so many things you're saying.