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).

@cantkeepawayforever

yomomma,

Yes, there are children who I would sacrifice extra time for, who I would - and do - work extra hours unpaid. They form a significant chunk of my workload.

They are by no means even close to fine every day, regardless of Covid, and were 'not fine' long before parents like you thought that they were a useful Trojan horse through which to get what you want.

Unfortunately, no, the fact that I would - and and always have, unseen all these years by such as you - help those children does not mean that I will extend that benefit to yours. Yours I will teach, with all the skill I have, in the school day but they will not keep me up at night nor have me working for 2 extra hours every day. Sorry

What have my children done?

Those saying they don't want this are being selfish and more worried about having a few lie ins over the summer to be honest!

Oh fuck right off.

Because some use a day of their 25 days PER YEAR annual leave to attend!

I know. Which teachers can’t do. Hence your statement was not true. Seriously.

@yomommasmomma Thank you for being so honest. It's just very sad for children who are living in terrible circumstances and getting very behind that their teachers won't do extra to help them.

I'm interested to hear what extra paid or voluntary work do you do during your school holidays to help the fight for these children in terrible circumstances that you suddenly feel so sorry for? Or perhaps that you are looking into doing this year during your holiday time?

I'm shocked someone earning over 100k doesnt send their kids to private school! You tight fucker!

It's just very sad for children who are living in terrible circumstances and getting very behind that their teachers won't do extra to help them

You do realise parents are responsible for any children they choose to have

Surely teachers went in to it to help children and because they love doing so, so I would think there would be more appetite to push themselves a bit more to support the children further

Teachers don't live in cupboards in their classrooms. They are real people with real lives. We are parents, siblings, children, carers, spouses. We have the same stresses and demands on our time as anyone else.

Sure, I can push myself - but in doing so in school, I would need to stop the voluntary guiding I do, stop being a member of my children's school PTA and give up being chair of a local children's project/charity. I would also need to stop the tutoring I do which is also helping children who need that extra push. And frankly one to one tutoring is the one thing that keeps me in school with the current behaviour and demands placed upon us. Let's call is professional respite.

A few years ago, I was at total breaking point with a parent with dementia and the sole carer of 3 children. I can't imagine how I would have coped now, in the pandemic, with the added stresses of my mum and her needs. I can see a colleague of mine in the same situation currently and I don't know how she is still standing. I am pretty close to going under myself and things have improved for me enormously. So all this 'pushing ourselves' would come at what cost to the mental health of many teachers in the current climate. So I ask you, why is every other bugger's mental health currently important but ours isn't?

Dunno why people feel the need to defend themselves to someone clearly having a jolly old time pissing them off.

@noblegiraffe

Dunno why people feel the need to defend themselves to someone clearly having a jolly old time pissing them off.

I know, but we need a couple more clangers to keep us smiling before the thread gets peppered with holes. This is the first night I've got on to Mumsnet since term started!

Its mutual amusement I think!

@noblegiraffe

Dunno why people feel the need to defend themselves to someone clearly having a jolly old time pissing them off.

I know, I know, I'm kicking myself for rising to it!

@yomommasmomma
I, like majority of teachers I know, already work extra unpaid hours to get my job done.
If extra is still required then it's an issue with the system not mine, or my colleague's work ethic. As has already been suggested on here, if the government was serious about helping close the achievement gap for vulnerable students they would be launching a new education budget of vast sums to pay for smaller class sizes in every state school: this would have a real impact on narrowing the achievement gap. Direct your disappointment and sadness about the situation in the direction of those who have the power to make a real difference- across the nation and for years to come. I assume you're already lobbying your MP, raising awareness in the community about these issues, starting petitions on gov.uk etc?

Look, here's the thing.

If you extend the school day with voluntary sessions the only kids who will go to those sessions will be the ones that don't really need to- the ones who've been working really hard at home and as such aren't behind. The kind of kids we would want to be targeting with this sort of intervention will not stay on unless it is compulsory, and even then it'll be bloody difficult persuading them. A compulsory change in hours can't just be made overnight as it will present all sorts of logistical challenges for both parents and teachers.

Please don't assume that all kids are 'losing' learning during this time- out of our school of 1000 93% are attending all their online lessons and submitting good quality work. We are in regular contact with parents of the ones that aren't. Extending the school day once they're back may sound great as a flashy sound bite but the reality would be far more complex.

Kicking myself here too!! Gave me some lockdown entertainment.

@gypsywater

I'm shocked someone earning over 100k doesnt send their kids to private school! You tight fucker!

Have I said that?

@MrsHerculePoirot I would love to know too. How many unpaid days a year does @yomommasmomma take off work to help support charities and institutions whose aims are to support vulnerable children in all aspects of life? Time to put your money where your mouth is...

@yomommasmomma

I am currently home schooling my children and working very long hours around that. My children are fine but there are many children in this country now who are by no means even close to fine and desperately need more time with their teachers.

Well, if there are, that is a failure in parenting, and a failure in parents to take responsibility to educate their children.

And before anyone "suggests" it I am already volunteering and would be happy to do so to support the catch up effort in anyway I can.
More platitudes.

What have my children done?

Your children have a warm bed, clothes, food, a parent who is well paid and engaged. They have a safe roof above their heads. They have toys, and I suspect that you as their parent talk to them and read to them. They are not physically or emotionally abused or neglected. They are not being radicalised. They are not young carers, and are not responsible for their siblings, parent or elderly relatives. They do not have complex and severe SEN. They do not have eating disorders. they do not live with those who suffer from substance addiction. They do not come from marginalised groups within our society, such as Roma Travellers.

Please excuse me if I work my additional hours for those children who DO face this additional challenges.

noblegiraffe is completely right. No other profession falls over itself to justify how hard they work to some dick wanting to wind us up!
Teachers are paid for around 32 hours a week and aren't paid in the holidays. The majority do more but that's up to them. Non teachers have no idea about teaching. Some can't even cope with teaching their own 2 or 3 kids. Some haven't given a shit about the cuts to education, the ridiculous changes to the curriculum or any of the vulnerable kids ever before! I expect more! Maybe be inspired by Captain Tom and get raising money for your local schools.

It's just very sad for children who are living in terrible circumstances and getting very behind that their teachers won't do extra to help them

ODFOD. Seriously. Who the fuck are you to judge us? What are YOU doing to help children in 'terrible circumstances'? Are you fundraising? Delivering food vouchers? Making donations to food banks? Volunteering for childline? Or like every other mumsnetter with a 'schools should be open' war cry, are these vulnerable children just a means by which you try to beat down the people who have done nothing but care for these children their whole professional lives?

As for 'won't do extra to help them', every single teacher I know in both secondary and primary goes above and beyond every single day. Dealing with sobbing children during our break and lunch times, washing clothes, buying breakfasts, giving bus fares, doing catch up classes after school, seeking out additional support where situations are specialised and we are unable to do anything other than listen, making CAHMs referrals, sending taxis for children or picking them up ourselves, buying uniform, making sure they are able to go on trips without having to pay.

On top of that, people like myself are members of our children's school's PTAs or board of governors, I am a chair of a local project that provides holiday provision for SEN children and those at risk (costing me hours and hours of my personal time fundraising), and I am also active in guiding.

My job is a bloody job. I get paid to do it. I don't pretend to do it for the love of the children or anything else. It's just what I chose and I do it to the best of my abilities. I do not consider it a vocation - I have worked in other sectors as well. I can tell you that I am sick to death of the people on this website - and more still in real life - who have fuck all understanding of our jobs, the conditions we work in and what we actually do because so many parents refuse to take any responsibility whatsoever of their children. I am probably a neglectful parent because of how much time I spend sorting out other children. But STILL there is no way on earth I will be doing catch up classes or anything else. BECAUSE I, LIKE EVERYONE I WORK WITH, IS DOING WAY, WAY BEYOND THE JOB DESCRIPTION ALREADY.

I think what's getting so many parents' backs up is that teachers and unions have been determined to keep schools closed and will do everything they can to keep them shut indefinitely.

Utter bollocks. The concern teachers and unions have had is that schools are SAFE to be open during the pandemic and if they're not, which was the case in December when cases spread like wildfire, they should revert to online learning. And they were right – schools haven't been safe from the spread of Covid!

[quote Makingnumber2]**@MrsHerculePoirot* I would love to know too. How many unpaid days a year does @yomommasmomma* take off work to help support charities and institutions whose aims are to support vulnerable children in all aspects of life? Time to put your money where your mouth is...[/quote]
I actively support several charities and our local school both financially and on a voluntary basis.

@yomommasmomma are you really suggesting that teachers should be sacrificing their own family for their job? It may be only temporary but my children are only young temporarily. They are short changed enough with the hours I already put in. You are asking teachers to make sacrifices, what sacrifices are you making?

Schools, teachers and TAs go over and above for the vulnerable children in their care. I'm a TA I buy resources out of my own money for them. I print work out for them at home. I spend weekends and evenings worrying about them. I have at times cried for them. Schools feed them. As a school we have paid for after school clubs for them. You are flaming in the wrong direction!!! Schools, teachers and TAs do so much more than you know already. If teachers don't want to do more that's fine their consciences are clear.