Longer school days to make up for lost learning

[StitchInLime]

Source: Various newspapers, give it a Google (admittedly with a right wing lean)

Apparently one of the options being considered, nothing set in stone of course but for the purposes of discussion...

AIBU to feel both joy and sadness at the prospect of this (joy for me so I can claw back work hours, joy for children so they can claw back some school time but sadness for my teacher friends and all teachers who will need to add more hours to already heavy workload).

All the talk about teachers working 60 hour weeks never takes into account that they have longer holidays than virtually any other profession on the planet.

I suspect a lot of people would be quite happy to work more hours if they were being offered 12 or 13 weeks' holiday a year.

For lower pay? Doubt it. Otherwise why doesn’t everyone become a teacher? not biting that majority of those weeks are unpaid

Many teachers already have paid work during the time they aren't contracted to be in school. I did, for years. So it would need to be a good offer to get past that

Come the summer and restrictions easing, you can arrange for your children to mix with others all summer. I'm sure your nanny can coordinate that for you.

[quote HercwasanEnemyofEducation]@yomommasmomma I'm still waiting for any response from you regarding teachers who are already working your extended hours permanently? What will they do?

They are quitting in droves in maths. Can't get decent maths staff round here at all.[/quote]
For a short period of time in order to help children catch up, they should work more hours.

If anyone should help children catch up, it's their parents surely?!

Teachers can provide this easily during the holidays

No, they can't, because I worked in this time before I had children, and now I have 4 of my own that are expensive to find childcare for. That wasn't really thought through.

"Does anyone actually buy this manipulative twaddle?!"

Well, clearly some people do.

You're missing the point THERE ARE NO MORE FUCKING HOURS!!!!! CAN YOU NOT READ.

I don't want my children being educated alone anymore, they need the social interaction that comes with being educated as part of a group.

Did you miss where I said holiday clubs/camps that have other children in them too? If it’s socialisation that you want, that is the best option-not sitting at desks indoors listening to a teacher talk.
I think you are missing lots and lots of posters agreeing with you that socialisation is incredibly important for children and should be the main focus as soon as it is possible.

@CallmeAngelina
I dont even think they do, they're just having a weak and flimsy attempt at manipulation

@HercwasanEnemyofEducation

Come the summer and restrictions easing, you can arrange for your children to mix with others all summer. I'm sure your nanny can coordinate that for you.

I don't have a Nanny, I choose not to. During the summer if restrictions allow we will be socialising more but the children need time with their teachers and class mates to be taught and catch up. I am not just talking about my children, there are children in difficult and deprived circumstances who need this desperately.

For a short period of time in order to help children catch up, they should work more hours.

No, they shouldn't. There are lots of ways you can pay for your children to catch up if that's what they need, as many pp have told you. The rest of us are good, thanks.

All the talk about teachers working 60 hour weeks never takes into account that they have longer holidays than virtually any other profession on the planet

The holidays are awesome (I not yet had a single holiday I haven’t worked during, that’s not exclusive to teachers obviously).

The hours are long, the job is extremely (extremely) stressful and the pay is not great. But yes the holidays are very good.

My day
6am up, breakfast, sort kids
730am get to school
730-830 plan
830-3 teach
3-430 admin at school, planning, parents, marking etc
430-7 home, sort out tea, kids, bedtime, Bath
7-10 login and more work
10-6 sleep

Where's the extra hours?

@HercwasanEnemyofEducation

You're missing the point THERE ARE NO MORE FUCKING HOURS!!!!! CAN YOU NOT READ.

There are always more hours, stay up later, wake up earlier, sacrifice more. For a short time it can be done. It's all a choice.

They receive an annual salary for the work carried out
They don't. hth.

This is hilarious! It's like a fantasy world. You may wish there were these little teacher slaves available to you at your beck and call but back in the real world this is never going to happen. Dry your eyes.

[quote FizzyPepsi]@WombatChocolate

Whether teachers are technically 'paid' for holidays is neither here nor there. They receive an annual salary for the work carried out. No different to anyone else- except no one else has access to 13 weeks' holiday.

I think 50 or 60 hours a week of work is perfectly reasonable considering 1) teachers are on holiday for 25% of the year and 2) they are by and large very well paid (the average teacher is on more than £40,000).

Staff across all sectors have had to adapt and many are just grateful they still have jobs unlike millions of newly unemployed. Teachers should be no different.[/quote]
Totally agree but best I don't mention holidays!!

Whether teachers are technically 'paid' for holidays is neither here nor there.

Unfortunately there is the matter of legal contracts for employment which gets in the way. It's also not worth me working in summer after childcare costs are deducted. Pay for what you want.

Yes, but I don't want a stranger in my house at the moment. We need face time face teaching and support from their teachers, not more zoom!

You say it like it's the teachers are at fault for not providing it! We're in a pandemic!

My OH can't wait to get back into class to teach. He misses his class and he's worried about them, especially ones with existing safeguarding issues at home. He's already working round the clock to make sure they stay up to speed on their learning, but he hasn't had a proper break since Sept because of all the Govt u-turns and he works evenings and weekends on planning and admin that can translate online, because it's very different to teaching face to face. When he goes back to the classroom, his workload will increase even more with staff meetings etc.

But you and PP clearly don't care about the well being and mental health of teachers already near breaking point. Someone even suggested earlier they should be sacked if they refuse to stay behind for extra lessons each day to facilitate this ill-thought out Govt idea (because of course the DfE won't have consulted heads or the unions or anyone who is actually involved in running schools, they never do). It's not that my OH doesn't want to do his civic duty as another posted suggested to help the kids, he's just got nothing left in the tank to give.

I can’t understand how this is in the best interests of the students ? Kids have been stressed and upset by changes , so let’s introduce more changes and take away their free time when they can relax and have unqualified volunteers attempt to teach ?! I thought home schooling had taught us all that teaching isn’t as easy as it looks. Not a chance I’d make mine do this.

Surely it’s like businesses expecting people to work in their holidays to make up for lost productivity. ?!

And kids have missed out ? So what ? Exams are keys to open the next door. It’s just the grades and you can craft stories now around this - so even if you get a B snd you think it would have been an A, you can blame it on the CAGs, on covid etc. And every employer and uni will see the year 2020 or 2021 on their CV and know ! No one’s going To forget what happened ...

I just don’t understand the panic that they’ve missed out ? So what ! Don’t punish them for it.

"For a short period of time in order to help children catch up, they should work more hours."

Er, thanks, but no thanks! Not happening. I've given many many years of my life to my teaching career. Put it ahead of my own children too often.
Am I prepared to work even more than the 13+ hour days I'm currently doing on my part-time contract to make up for the lack of input some parents have put into their own kids' education? For no financial reward?
Er, no. Sorry, but no. The tank is empty.

It's all a choice

Excellent. I choose not to.