Coping with Teacher Training days

[bacon]

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??

'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. '

No I am not. Where is your area again???

Bye then.

How unpleasant fivecandles. It was not memoo's choice to be called bonkers. I believe that was your choice.

Oh come on, fivecandles. Memoo ought to be able to express a differing opinion from yours without being called offensive names. She's asked you to stop - for valid reasons. Fair enough.

Unpleasant and rude.

fivecandles yes you are. I told you our parents were asked and didn't want the service but because you do everyone must!!

Aries, I'm not sure if you're addressing that comment at me but if you are I'd just like to repeat that I AM A TEACHER. I do work 8-3 pm and I do have 13 weeks holiday a year. Therefore pretty much the only days that I struggle with childcare is on INSET days.

No, what I said is that you cannot possibly know how many parents would not even consider the school because it does not offer before or after school care or holiday club.

It cannot be the case that in your area there are no working parents.

Where is your area again?

Ha-ha, Bacon - you do make me laugh!

I've worked as an infant school teacher and I've worked in an office environment. In one of those jobs I could slack off a little bit from time to time (you know - search the web for cheap hols, go and make myself a cup of tea, take the long way round to the loos...all while looking like I was working). In this same job I could book the odd day off for a long weekend, take my annual holiday when I pleased (before the dc started school, admittedly), work flexible hours to fit around other committments. When I booked leave, I did not spend any of it on work-related activities. I never had to work on Sundays. The nature of this particular job (and I know others are different) meant that I never worked past 7 (usually not past 5.30). One of my colleagues used to tell me that the job was really stressful and I used to laugh and say, 'Er...really it's not!' If I was having a bad day and made a mistake, I'd have to do an awful lot of apologising and putting things right, but I never once feared an angry 'customer' would hit me (again, not the same in all jobs, I know) or feared that I'd ruined someone's early experience of life and learning. I never stayed up nearly all night on paperwork. The people I worked with did not sneeze on me, cough in my face or walk round with great gobbets of snot hanging out of their nose.

Guess which job that was? Honestly, INSET days are a bugger when it comes to booking childcare and you have my sympathy there, but really... if the job doesn't look as hard as it is, then your dc's teachers are just really good at it. Cut them some slack. Be nice.

"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"

That I believe is what you said. If you are a teacher, and managing to work those hours then you are breaking your statutory requirement.

I don't really understand why there is so much controversy on here.

Yes, INSET days can be difficult for some working parents, including teachers who are parents.

However, they are there for a reason and DO NOT affect the overall amount of children's holiday anyway. They are also announced well in advance.

Yes, it would be nice if there was greater provision for childcare- but to be fair this has improved a huge amount recently with breakfast clubs etc, I wouldn't be surprised if provision for INSET days were to start soon.

In the meantime, it is down to the parent, and I'm sorry but there are always some alternatives. If there are no family nearby, what about friends? If a parent can't find a friend willing to do a day's childcare for them every now and again then I truly feel sorry for them. (And teachers are in a great position for this as they can easily return the favour in their holidays). Or there are childminders who will do the occasional day. If there are really no other options, well you can try to take the child into work with you. Or take a day of unpaid leave.

Or are you working from 8am now?

Oh, I didn't read the whole thread and did not realise it had changed into something else. Sorry.

As a teacher also, I have learned to keep quiet about any struggles with childcare cover for 5 days a year of INSET, in case my friends with 13+ weeks to cover cross me off their Christmas card list.

fivecandles we are a village school and yes we do know the people in the community we serve and where they send their children ...to our school

Well everbody has things they find offensive don't they?

Personally I wouldn't mind if somebody called me bonkers but I do mind when somebody suggests I should give up my job because of the 4 days INSET that my dcs' school has each year. Ho hum, horses for courses. Nobody has to stay here who deosn't want to be here.

Ok, mrz, you live in a village where nobody needs before school club or after school club or holiday club and where you personally know that this is the case for every single parent in the village.

Fine. But please acknowledge this is unusual.

Interestingly I live in a village too. One of the reasons why I did not choose the school which is nearest me is because it does not offer a before school club. I didn't tell them this. I just chose another school which is some distance away from the village.

fivecandles, maybe you wouldn't object to being called bonkers, but memoo has told you that she does. So it would be nice if you could respect that.

fivecandles as I said every family in the village was asked if they would use the service it was available and the answer was no they believed there was ample provision without the school providing it.

and for your information that is where I teach not where I live.

Where I live has less need for such services

But I think the point I'm trying to make here clam is that if it's hard for us what is it like for those parents who only get 3 weeks holiday a year???

Why don't we think about other people when we're arguing our case??

Because I can't see any disadvantages in ensuring there is childcare provided at a school when there is INSET and yet lots of people are arguing against it.

Why is that again?

Because I can only think it's out of some horrible 'I'm alright Jack' attitude which is really quite unpleasant.

Well, if I can manage you should be able to rather than this is a problem isn't it what can WE do about it?

and as I have said it may be unusual in your area but not in mine

Yes and maybe it would be nice if she could respect my point of view too?

But maybe if you just want people to be nice to you it's not the best idea to make controversial and self-righteous posts????

Not just in my area mrz, in the country as a whole.

Most parents work.

fivecandles do you have any idea about the cost to the school budget to provide such services?
especially if no one chooses to access them