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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:
mrz · 23/10/2010 20:44

Parents work but not all can afford to pay for childcare

pozzled · 23/10/2010 20:45

And those that do work find childcare- it doesn't have to be through the school.

clam · 23/10/2010 20:47

"Yes and maybe it would be nice if she could respect my point of view too?"
I don't recall her insulting you, though.

Anyway, this isn't my argument. I'm not arguing against wraparound care. I just got the hump at the OP's arsey suggestion that I should use my weekends for INSET (when we've already had it taken from holidays - which was fair enough in my book) just because it inconveniences her.

JoBettany · 23/10/2010 20:48

fivecandles, perhaps its not what you're posting that people disagree with, it's the unpleasant tone you're using.

fivecandles · 23/10/2010 20:49

Schools don't provide them for free. Parents are charged for them.

pozzled · 23/10/2010 20:49

Sorry I meant those that do use childcare don't always access it through school.

clam I am very much in agreement.

fivecandles · 23/10/2010 20:49

I found her comments very insulting clam. It's all about point of view isn't it?

pozzled · 23/10/2010 20:50

fivecandles schools generally still subsidise childcare provision, it often does not pay for itself.

wheresmytractor · 23/10/2010 20:50

teachers need some time to train and plan, the inset day will help your childs teacher do a better job and therefore help your child. School is about education not child care.

Sorry but its something to just get used too!

fivecandles · 23/10/2010 20:52

'And those that do work find childcare- it doesn't have to be through the school.'

Nobody is talking about compulsory chilcare through school.

It's very difficult to organise childcare for just 4 days a year though.

It would be a lot easier for a lot of people if this was organised through the school.

Why not??

Again, why not if there is a need?

clam · 23/10/2010 20:53

So, you tell her you disagree. Not that she's bonkers.

Feenie · 23/10/2010 20:53

"I found her comments very insulting clam. It's all about point of view isn't it?"

Not really - she explained exactly why your particular name calling upset her, and that would be enough for most people. I find your lack of empathy and understanding very strange, fivecandles.

clam · 23/10/2010 20:54

fivecandles, do you have no friends that you could call on for 4 days a year?

No? How odd.

fivecandles · 23/10/2010 20:55

The thing is that my friends work too.

The ones that live near enough are teachers too.

fivecandles · 23/10/2010 20:56

Feenie, look back through the thread. She has called me 'pathetic' and 'hysterical' as well as suggesting that I should give up my job.

Personally, I think 'bonkers' by which I was referring more to the latter suggestion than to herself is fairly mild by comparison.

fivecandles · 23/10/2010 20:58

I could come up with hundreds of reasons why I found what she said particularly upsetting but at the end of the day we're here by choice aren't we? If you don't want to be here go elsewhere.

clam · 23/10/2010 20:59

Even when DH and I and both DCs were at 4 different schools, I don't think we ever had to cover more than a couple a year. More often than not they coincided.

fivecandles · 23/10/2010 21:03

Clam, as I have said, I am not complaining about INSET days purely because of my own experience.

I am saying they present incredible problems for working parents (who are not teachers) who have to deal with them on top of 13 weeks holiday and school hours.

So why can't we do something about it? Why do schools not offer childcare in the same way that most do for holidays and befoe and after school?

fivecandles · 23/10/2010 21:04

Why is it that parents who complain are seen as 'whingeing' or being 'pathetic' instead of there being a recognition that it is a genuine problem which is resolvable fairly easily?

RustyBear · 23/10/2010 21:12

But where would the staff come from? I doubt if there are many CRB checked staff willing to work just four days in the year - what would they be doing the rest of the time?

pozzled · 23/10/2010 21:15

I don't agree with you that it is resolvable 'fairly easily'. I think more places could offer childcare, but finding the facilities, staff and administration does not strike me as 'easy'.

Feenie · 23/10/2010 21:18

"Why is it that parents who complain are seen as 'whingeing' or being 'pathetic' instead of there being a recognition that it is a genuine problem which is resolvable fairly easily?"

All in the delivery, I guess. If the op had said 'Gosh, these training days are difficult, aren't they - how do people cope?' then I suspect the answers would have been very different.

fivecandles · 23/10/2010 21:21

Obstacles, obstacles, obstacles.

Most schools either have holiday clubs and/or before after school clubs or there are shared schemes between schools right? so the people who currently staff those could also staff the childcare provision on INSET days. Or the local council who currently offer playschemes could do it.

What is your problem ladies?

There are people queuing up for jobs at the moment.

And there are working parents who would be so grateful for such a provison.

As I say, some people just like to be negative and see problems when there aren't any.

With this sort of attitude I'm really surprised anything ever gets done.

Every time someone suggests something in your hosue or at work do you immediately suggest 5 reasons why it's not a good idea?

fivecandles · 23/10/2010 21:24

She said 'how do mums cope?' and 'So many families are struggling with childcare, trying to hold onto their jobs, and then this is slapped in our faces.'

I don't see anything wrong with this at all.

And she is talking about problems for working parents not just her personal issues.

Ok she got it wrong with the Saturday thing.

fivecandles · 23/10/2010 21:27

I do think some people are just naturally selfish and struggle to see the bigger picture. It's the British mentality that if someone complains about something they're attacked for complaining rather than anyone look at how their complaint might be part of bigger economic and social problems that could be overcome.

Think, depressingly, it's a female thing as well that instintictively women often attack each other when tehy should be supporting.