Please can you reassure em about teachers who jobshare

[clemetteattlee]

Someone just tell me that my fears are unfounded, that this works really well and they will definitely understand my DD, her abilities and needs, and that actually its a good thing (feeling a bit wobbly about it).

me not em of course [shame]

I was lucky when DD had jobshare teachers, she really liked both of them. They'd jobshared for years and had a reputation in the school for being good together, working well and communicating stuff. I never had an issue or heard of anyone that did. Don't know if I am the exception or not!
We had a Parent Teacher meeting a few weeks into the winter term where parents met both teachers together, it was reassuring as I like you had my fears about how it would pan out.
Good luck.

DS has jobshare teacher for foundation, one does Mon-Weds the other does Thurs & Fri. One is more relaxed than the other, and one more shouty, they have different discipline methods! Other than that, it has been fine.
In terms of communication, I had no problems from either, DS is AS and they have both given feedback at different times.

Ds1 about to finish his year with a jobshare.
From my POV it was brill - two teachers that were usually fresh and in a good mood. Both had different strengths and specialities and they arranged timetable to suit. (more science, history and geog with one more art, PE and drama the other)
Ds and I had a favourite. One seemed slightly sharper and better than the other. So comparing the two was the only downside.

hope it works out. They usually do

Lots more teachers are job sharing now, and I think its a good thing. Teaching is a very demanding job and I really don't know how it is possible to do it well at the same time as having a young family. I know people do it, and I really admire and respect them, but I couldn't, I know my limits! So if they are job sharing they will have a more realistic work balance and be able to do a better job, rather than being utterly drained and working in survival mode. (IMO)
Also, it benefits the children to experience being taught by different characters.
If a team teaching situation wasn't working it would be quite obvious quite quickly, and things would have to change.

Two of my DCs have had jobshares - both 2 times each, so 4 different experiences. The only one that didn't work well was where there was an awful shouty older woman coupled with a brand new shy young girl - young girl was a far better teacher but was undermined by the awfulness of the other one.

In the other cases, though, it's been brilliant. They never run out of steam, they share information well, the children adapt really quickly (and you'll often find one is preferred by some children, one by the others - there'll be the more mumsy one and the more sporty no-nonsense one, for example, and it means the whole class works well because more needs are catered for, IYSWIM). There's none of that haunted "I've been in charge of 30 four year olds for a week and can barely stand up" look you might see on a Friday afternoon. I really recommend job shares and yes, it will be fine :).

My dd has had a job share through reception this year. I was worried about it, but it's been brilliant for all the reasons mentioned above.

My DD had a jobshare through reception also. I was concerned that it would be unsettling, especially as one teacher was on maternity leave at the start of the year, but they have had amazing continuity with their classroom assistant who deserves as much credit as the teachers.

Ds had jobshare in year 1 and it was a disaster. The two teachers just did not communicate and thankfully the head teacher put an end to the job share after one term.

This year Ds has had a job share in year 5. The two teachers have been great. It has enabled my son to have French taught to a higher standard and the two teachers have organised the time table to their stengths.

I feel jobshares work well in juniors, and I can see how they can work well in reception (where its mostly play anyway) with good TAs. I think that the lack of regular TA was why the job share my son had failed in year 1.

Thanks everyone, that does put my mind at rest a little. Like the children I don't really like change! -

DS1 had job sharing teachers in year 4 and they were brilliant. DS was new to the school & I was really impressed with how well they understood him, met his needs and how much he progressed (after basically missing a year).

DS2 had job sharing teachers in Reception and there was a bit of a shaky start: teacher1 was brilliant & there were no problems, but DS2 seemed to get into trouble repeatedly with teacher2. We were surprised by the difference (nothing had changed except the teacher) and it became apparent that teacher 1 was giving him differentiated work & teacher 2 wasn't. He was getting through teacher2's tasks v quickly and then being left to his own devices & being allowed to spend an hour at a time playing on the classroom computer... I talked to teacher1 about my concerns. They started being consistent with him & from then on there were no problems. Job shares aren't inherently problematic, but I think if concerns arise it's perfectly ok to talk to the teachers.

I am repeating to myself "it will be good"

I've had five experiences of job-sharing teachers, in different year groups for my two children.

Four of them have been absolutely great - different personalities bringing different skills, good communication, very clear dividing up of the week so everyone knows where they are.

One partnership has not been so great, but they are doing maternity cover for one term only. They have such different approaches to discipline etc that my 6yo is getting a bit confused. But I think that is more to do with the very temporary nature of the partnership than anything else.

DS's teachers job share and it works well, IMO.

One of them definitely 'gets' him more than the other, but there's nothing at all wrong with the one who doesn't, IYSWIM.

It's a good way of showing how much people can differ from one another.

He's Yr1

My DDs have had job shares - and really like individual teachers there are good and bad job shares.

I think the issue as ever is communication. If there seems to be a solid structure to the week (Mr/s X teaches Mon - Weds a.m. & Mr/s Y teaches Weds a.m. - Fri) and they can explain the division of labour - e.g. Mr/s X is in charge of literacy (reading/ writing/ spelling) & Mr/s Y is in charge of Maths - other jobs are shared - then that all bodes very well.

The other thing to do is ask parents who have had the teachers before.

Personally when it works well I think the children really benefit - because both teachers seem to do 3 days a week, and always seem so enthusiastic - whereas at the end of the week/ term it is clear that teachers where it is just down to them do look worse for wear.

HTH

We've usually had brilliant ones but this year's is a disaster, sorry

I have had two experiences. The first one had a main teacher four days and a second teacher one day. dd preferred the main teacher though actually she was pretty lazy and distant simply because she had her most often. The great thing about the second teacher was that I got a different - and much more accurate - perspective on dd's needs, progress etc than from the main one.

Dd2 had two teachers in YR. Both are really superb superb teachers. They communicate brilliantly and have different strengths. I talk to one if I want to bring something in - because she is so fantastically enthusiastic about everything - but go to the other one if I want to check a friendship issue or for parents evening - because she is so warm and will do anything for my dd, who she adores. I just see them as a team now, and think anyone going into their class is lucky.

So I would have no qualms whatsoever about either dd having another jobshare. I would only worry about the quality and personality of the particular teachers.

The other good thing is that if one is off, then the other will often cover. So dd2 rarely has a supply teacher that she doesn't know.

My dd has had 2 teachers this year, one for 4 days and one for one day and it has worked out fine. I think as long as they work well together and have good teaching assistants to support them it works well.

I think it depends onthe teachers. My son has had job share throughout year one. One of the two teachers doesn't "get" him at all and I suspect finds him an annoyance, the second only started at the beginning of this term and she clearly does get him and things have improved a great deal since she started, so in his case having a job share is a lot better than if he just had the original teacher full time.

The biggest frustration is whenever you talk to a teacher about something they always seem to have to speak to the other about it first, anything you speak to one teacher abotu seems to have happenned on the other teacher's watch IYKWIM. Can't be helped but makes it a bit of a PITA trying to resolve things sometimes.