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Original poster

Coping with Teacher Training days

606 replies

bacon · 19/10/2010 17:05

I'm new to education, DS1 in reception DS2 19 months old. But this is really going to get right up my nose. Teacher training days tagged onto half terms. 1st one Friday just before the weeks break.

How do mums cope? Ive got something planned - booked months and months ago and have to leave really early and now just checked diary and DS1 is home and I'm paying for DS2 to be in nursery!

Why cant they do these training days in the evenings or even Saturday morning like the rest of us? Why has education have to be so disrupted? Surely with the number of weeks off they get it wouldnt be too much to expect a few days to be put towards training?

Struth, we are self employed here, hubby never hardly gets time off, when we were farming we worked well unto the night, expected to get up at the crack of dawn, 7 days a week, working when completely exhausted and so hanging and no paid holidays!

So many families are struggling with childcare, trying to hold onto their jobs, and then this is slapped in our faces.

Surely this doesnt happen on the continent??

OP posts:
Ariesgirl · 23/10/2010 20:02

fivecandles, apologies - you misunderstood me. I was referring to the OP.

And I meant 6 hours a day not a week. I was typing too quickly in my indignation.

fivecandles · 23/10/2010 20:03

You sound like a complete idiot memoo.

Of course, my dc are my responsibility but who is supposed to look after them while I'm teaching other people's kids????

finefatmama · 23/10/2010 20:03

memoo, not sure I agree that parents needing to fit jobs around their dc is a fact. nice idea but not really a need or a necessity.

I think the government has managed to get new parents to think that school should provide childcare these days with the way kind of publicity that they are issuing around extended services. I expect that any parent whose kids are already in school is used to inset days.

As my dcs are only just approaching school age, I heard that most schools are meant to provide after school clubs, alternative curriculum and extended provision. I even got the impression that schools had the detailed specialist knowledge required to handle my very autistic child (how could they have learnt in a few days what the hospital spent years studying?). The reality has turned out to be very different and it's not the school's fault.

memoo · 23/10/2010 20:05

What I'm saying is thats not the schools problem is it? If the job doesn't fit around your childcare issue then maybe you should reconsider your job. And can't your DH take time off?

fivecandles · 23/10/2010 20:06

As it happens I do fit my hours around my children's school hours.

But teaching is not the sort of job where you can take off random days 4 or 5 days a year.

In fact, how many jobs are there where you can have 13 weeks holiday and work 9-3.30 and still take off an additional 3 or 4 days for INSET Hmm

fivecandles · 23/10/2010 20:08

'maybe you should reconsider your job'

What, as in, not have it Hmm

Dp is a teacher too. Is he not allowed a job either??

We're not allowed jobs because there are 3 or 4 days in the school year where our kids are not in school but we are and we have no one to look after them.

You are bonkers.

memoo · 23/10/2010 20:08

How do you manage to do only 9-3.30?

I work as a TA and the teachers are all there at 7 in the morning and often don't leave til 6pm.

memoo · 23/10/2010 20:10

and you are rude!

How is it bonkers to suggest you reconsider your job when you are clearly having time when you are struggling with childcare?

And for the record I don't appreciate being called bonkers!

fivecandles · 23/10/2010 20:10

Right, dp and I will give in our resignations next week and sit at home for the next 10 or so years just so that we can be there when the kids' school has INSET Hmm

fivecandles · 23/10/2010 20:12

Well, I think it's incredibly rude to suggest that I should 'reconsider' my job just because I have no one who is able to look after my kids on the 3 or 4 days when they have INSET.

And bonkers.

memoo · 23/10/2010 20:12

Don't be so hysterical! I just meant you need to reconsider your situation, maybe find a good childminder who you can call on. Who looks after your DC before/after school at the moment?

memoo · 23/10/2010 20:13

Really don't call me bonkers, you have no idea.

fivecandles · 23/10/2010 20:13

I'm part-time. But if I wasn't I'd make use of the after school club which is also available at my dcs' school.

memoo · 23/10/2010 20:14

So if your part time you don't have to do all the inset days?

fivecandles · 23/10/2010 20:15

It is bonkers to suggest that I should 'reconsider my job' purely because of the 4 days of INSET at my kids' school. And if you can't see that then you are even more bonkers. There are other threads to go on if you don't like this one. Perhaps you'll find something sensible to say on one of those.

fivecandles · 23/10/2010 20:16

No, part-time, school hours. INSET at my work doesn't affect my ability to look after my kids. Its INSET at THEIR school that does.

PussinJimmyChoos · 23/10/2010 20:16

DS had an inset day yesterday and has another one the Monday after half term. We have had plenty of notice so that we can take time off or sort child care

My sister is a teacher and it is not the cushty job people think it is. She spends a lot of time in the evenings marking papers, weekends preparing classes and in the summer, she does planning, training and has go in for the results etc

OP - get a diary perhaps???

mrz · 23/10/2010 20:17

fivecandles once again you are assuming everyone has the same needs as you it isn't the case in my area otherwise the school would provide the service.

Your views seem to reflect the previous governments that everyone no matter where they live has the same needs as people living/working in large towns and cities. And yes they asked the local community (served by 5 schools) if they wanted before and after school care provided in the CC and received the same answer. Less than 2% of our parents use before /after school care (mainly provided by childminders)
But I guess if you need these services then I must too ...

frangipan · 23/10/2010 20:18

Inset/teacher training days are part of school life, have been for for years. When I was at school (cough, left 20 years ago cough, cough) , my Mum winged it with relatives or friends and they took it in turn to have each others children. I too have to 'wing' it with various childcare options just like every other parent. Its an inconvinience sometimes, but you have to work around it and get used to it. Wink

memoo · 23/10/2010 20:18

Fivecandles, I've asked you very nicely to stop calling me bonkers. I have suffered with dreadful PND and recently ended up in hospital because of it. I've really had a dreadful time and Find being called 'bonkers' quite offensive. So once again please stop.

Ariesgirl · 23/10/2010 20:20

Somehow I knew I would see the old 9 til 3.30 and 13 weeks off a year accusation. Sounds like some of the posts you see on the Daily Mail comments board. When I was a teacher I would arrive at 8am and never leave before 6pm and I was far from the most hard working person there.

Still never let facts get in the way of a good argument.

fivecandles · 23/10/2010 20:21

My dc go to the before school club.

What you said was 'maybe you should reconsider your job' and not my childcare arrangements but childminders is not really an option for 4 days a year. We tried it once but my dcs weren't happy given that childminders are geared up for tinies and my dcs are school-aged. Plus it costs nearly a fortune for 2.

But as I keep saying it's not just me in this situation is it? It's most working parents when their dcs' school has INSET.

So if the school (by which I mean people employed by the school or the LEA at the school) could provide the childcare then that problem would be solved.

ravenAK · 23/10/2010 20:22

INSET at my dc's school also causes me headaches, & that's with dh in a flexible role which allows him to work from home quite a bit, AND a bloody good CM.

As does me having INSET on days when they've already broken up/not yet gone back.

It is indeed a PITA. Frankly, I'd rather be on holiday, as I would've been before Baker got to work.

Not sure what the answer is.

fivecandles · 23/10/2010 20:22

memoo, I'm sorry to hear about your problems but really, it's your choice to be on this thread having this argument. If you're not enjoying it you know what you can do.

memoo · 23/10/2010 20:24

Yeah but it was your choice to keep calling me that name after I asked you to stop and I will leave this thread because you're clearly not able to have a rational discussion without resorting to childish comments.