Why do teachers still have jobs?

[StrangeTimes]

So my husband has just lost his job from next week. He's a coach driver. My best mate has lost her job from this week, she used to work in a cinema. I have many friends now out of work and desperately trying to get jobs in supermarkets.

However teachers will not be working now for many months, so how come they're not being made redundant?

I'm not being goady I genuinely want to know. I'm glad they are still being paid, I'd hate for them to be in our position. But why?

Are other jobs "safe" like this too?

Dh's school OPEN ALL THROUGH EASTER and they're now considering weekends too

I’m on a rota to be in school some days and the rest of the time I’m still setting good quality lessons. This includes, work from textbooks (scanned and uploaded), powerpoints I have created myself and exam questions. I am also still marking pupils work and giving them feedback too. I’m a joint curriculum leader and all of my department are doing the same. In addition I’m responding to daily emails from pupils with various questions about the work etc (even on weekends). I do not work in a private school, but I’m very much here for my pupils. I’m only paid to work 3 days a week and I’m still definitely working 3 days a week worth of hours, just split up over 7 days. If anyone has a problem with how much work their children are getting you need to contact the school directly. It’s not all schools or all teachers.

I teach and have never worked so hard or so many hours.

Teachers at my kids schools are still working, either in school, or setting work online from home. They’re phoning every parent each week to check how things are. They’re stressed out and doing their best. I imagine they’ll be working even harder than normal once schools are back too.

Two teacher friends of mine doing one day at week at school .. told yesterday they are closing the school as so few key worker children are coming in. They still need to load worksheets onto the system but that's it. Full pay and job security, never moan again teachers..

I think what we can see from this thread is that workload very much varies from school to school. As I said before, if you’re unhappy about what is being set, speak to your own child’s school. Don’t tar all teachers and schools with the same brush. Not all of us are sitting doing nothing. My dh is also a teacher who will be in school at least 3 days this week, plus Easter holidays and possibly weekends. This is in addition to setting and marking work. My own child’s school are providing a full English and Maths lesson everyday with starters, main activities, plenaries, success criteria and answers. This is being uploaded daily. As well as this there is topic work, a Geography project, RE project and a computing project.

My OH is being paid 100% salary for sitting at home doing nothing, yes NOTHING. I, on the other hand am setting and marking work online for pupils (and answering emails from "those parents" ), writing reports and will be expected to volunteer at a school I don't know, with pupils I don't know.
Is it ok for doctors and dentists who earn an awful lot more than teachers, to be just seeing emergency patients or talking to them over the phone? I don't see anyone criticising them.
I have not had a good class this year, but, believe me, I would much rather be in the class with them than facing judgey criticism from the likes of some posters on here.

I acknowledge that some schools and teachers are working hard to deliver teaching in these circumstances.

However, there is a perception among a lot of parents that some teachers are not ‘working for their wage’ so to speak.

A neighbour in my street is a secondary teacher and DH has seen her going for regular long walks and bike rides during the ‘school day’.

My query is more around why the provision offered by some schools cannot be more universal, and why some teachers seem to be being paid for doing not very much.

I am happy with teachers who are working continuing to be paid as normal, but I think furlough should be looked at for those unwilling or ‘unable’ to teach from home.

I

There are lots of people being put on furlough and get paid 80% of wages for doing nothing. I'm not going to moan about this because I think we need to keep paying people to get us out onto the other side.

DH and I are some of the people who are working still (me full time, DH reduced hours) at home while supervising our kids and doing a bit of home schooling. Not everyone is just sitting on their arse all day.

If we don't keep people in their jobs, we won't be able to bounce back in September or whenever the situation improves.

WHY DO IDIOTS NOT LOOK FOR THE ANSWER BEFORE CREATING A THREAD?... ANSWER: BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT JUST AN IDIOT BUT LAZY

Lesson of the week ^^

How dare people go out for long walks and cycle rides?
I went out for s long walk this morning in between doing all the things outlined above

StormyClouds That’s bizarre. How do you Know she’s not working into the evening marking and setting work?

Are you happy being married to a man who apparently obsessively tracks the movement of his neighbours?

You do realise schools will open again?

It’s wonderful to know that although the world is chaotic and disintegrating, some things about MN remain constant

Wow some of these posts. Stormy it would be one walk a day.

Many teachers/TAs I know are on rotas consisting of being in, working from home and time off. Teachers not in are marking, setting, contacting alongside all the other normal piles of stuff. Most are being sensible and not sending their own kids in so will need to work round kids like we all are. My Dh isn’t a teacher but is working from home. He is taking his daily walk but making it up in the evening. Who wants to take their daily exercise in the dark?

As for those asking why schools are providing inconsistent provision... this is largely due to the dismantling of Local Authorities. There is no umbrella authority left to direct schools on an operational level. It has been devolved to Academy Trusts, Individual school Governing bodies and co-operatives.

If you don't like that, then vote accordingly/write to your MP.

And as for blaming the teachers for any perceived fall in workload... what would you like them to do, exactly?

No teacher wanted to close their school. Teachers teach because they...you know...enjoy teaching. The part of their job they are left with is not the bit they generally enjoy. They are trying to plan and mark and do admin tasks without the benefit of the interaction with their pupils, which is the best bit of the job.

They are - like everyone else - having to do what they are asked to do by their Head Teachers, Governors, MAT executives...etc.

Would you prefer they all quit so they weren't taking a salary while 'sitting on their arses'? Why would they do that? They want to keep working...
so they will follow their instructions, do as much as they can according to the instructions of their employers... oh...and get told they are a waste of space at the same time.

Nice.

@maudspellbody well said. I'm so sick of it being ok to bash teachers all the time. I'm a TA and would never consider training to be a teacher after watching the amount of pressure my colleagues are under. Even as a TA I get paid peanuts for what I'm expected to do.

They ARE still working FFS.

@maudspellbody beautifully put. I couldn’t agree more.

A neighbour in my street is a secondary teacher and DH has seen her going for regular long walks and bike rides during the ‘school day’.

I can't believe someone wrote this

I can just imagine the curtain twitching going on "Teacher A in the house opposite has gone for a walk at 12.30 and returned at 13.40". Now her husband has gone out at 14.00 and returned with 2 Tesco bags at 14.50".

Sorry it's dark now and I can't see what they're doing. No, you nosey git, they're probably putting work online or doing 101 other things.

Honestly, you couldn't make it up.

This "going out in the school day" has made me laugh. You know I was up at 6am each day last week setting work for the day so that I could be available to answer emails and queries at timetables times? And that ibwas marking assignments over this weekend? And that I also have a mobile phone, so can use Outlook and Google Classroom if I need to step away from my PC?

Granted a have a bit more free time at the moment as we aren't setting work for Y11 and Y13, so I've got my 10 hours a week of gained time earlier, but we really still are working. And I'm arranging the bulk of my intensive work around my own family needs at the moment, if that is ok?

Not to mention the fact I'm physically in work on Thursday and Saturday this week for childcare? After Easter I'm starting a curriculum rewrite with my fellow middle leaders to get ready for what will be a monumentally difficult September and new academic year.

Seriously, most of us are doing everything they can. As are every profession. Can people please remember that we are professionals and that most of us are good at what we do, even if we only really got the chance to use online platforms in the last week?

Op is just being goady, knowing that any education bashing threads will get lots of hits.

@mnhq - you need to put a stop to these threads

@LouMumsnet - all well and good your comment. I hope you will be firm and stop other threads like it. It is hurtful and upsetting to those teachers, TAs and support staff