Could we ask MN for no more teacher bashing threads do you think?

[pinkrocker]

It's hard enough without being told we're "twiddling thumbs"
I'm really, honestly trying so hard right now. And I'm sure thousands more are as well.
I don't want to make excuses or feel sad for myself or start championing us, but can we just have a break please?
MN is full of arguments against us, angry justifications of opinions from both sides.
I understand why people are frustrated, but could we ask MN for people to take a break, please

Piece of purple
It’s definitely not hate !! I’ve not got a hate bone in my body !! Just frustrating when you hear that parents are on there knees trying to look after there child with special needs and teach there other child and teachers are learning new hobbies but won’t have a child in school,

You have heard of three teachers from a friend of a friend on this thread. So not teachers. Just three. And they are probably not true (especially the surfing one)

And as for child in school - these are government guidelines and rules - not teachers

Ok then yellowshirt do enlighten us. You’ve already shown that you don’t know about our contracts or how exam marking is organised but go ahead ... tell me about my workload. What do you do by the way?

@Glitterbug76 - you mean some teachers are learning new hobbies. For every teacher not doing anything, there are many, many more working hard.

Jimmy, I'm hoping @Yellowshirt is working on the answers to my questions about how 28 days' holiday would work. They've been ignoring me so fast.

*far

Darn auto correct!

sally yes ... awaiting with interest

I mark exams and the only time we are given out of school is for a day moderation and training to ensure marking is fair. Do you want untrained people marking the exams? The pay per paper is not massive but is welcome- why should I not be paid?I also do other paid work linked with teaching that is a nice earner for me but also enhances my practice - it seems to be a win win It seems to me that some people just want to take teaching as miserable as possible - Am not sure that will deal with the recruitment and retention crisis. .

If you looked at my social media you would think that I was living the life of riley. I cook, do crafts etc with the children every day. But that is because my working day starts at 5am so I can do a few hours before the children get up. I then take a couple of hours in the middle of the day to reply to emails and then do another few hours when the children are in bed. Like all other working parents I am working around my children.

We have been advised not to do live lessons.
Instead I am using my time to do:

• Filming video lessons for all my exam classes for most if not all of their lessons
• Giving feedback to all my students .
• providing materials for out various online platforms
• reading to enhance my subject and pedagogical knowledge
• Making new resources and improving those we have
• I am on a rota to go into school - I don't do this as much as many colleagues as I am classed as medically vulnerable
• phoning members of my tutor group on a rota every day
• emailing parents to let them know how their students are doing

@ineedaholidaynow I'm talking about GCSEs. Teachers are paid extra to mark them but moan about workloads. They are also allowed out of school to attend conferences to set up and conclude this marking.

I think @Yellowshirt has been sent on a mission to wind teachers up.

Back when MN was more popular quite a few of my more interesting students listed "trolling MN" as a hobby.

ineedaholidaynow I'm talking about GCSEs. Teachers are paid extra to mark them but moan about workloads. They are also allowed out of school to attend conferences to set up and conclude this marking.

@yellowshirt that is to train them to mark the papers consistently and fairly. Do you not want that to happen?

@Yellowshirt wrong again. This training is now done online in our own time. It used to be weekends and if you were lucky you got an hour off to catch a train.

I think education is an important topic on mn and shouldn’t be censored.

tw1nset I’m not an expert but am I right in thinking that the exam board pays the school so that you can attend and the school can get in supply?

@Yellowshirt

Please, I'm trying to listen to your views on teachers' holidays. I think it's interesting to see how teachers could be given annual leave rather than having 13 weeks' unpaid holiday a year (it ends up being more like 7 1/2 once you take away all the unpaid holiday time I spend working, but never mind).

28 days holiday, how would it work? For example, would children also be in school apart from those 28 days? If they weren't, what would teachers be doing those days the children aren't in? Could teachers take those 28 days any time they wanted, including term-time? If yes, who would cover the class those weeks the teacher is away in term-time? If no, would all teachers be forced to have the same 28 days holiday?

Yellowshirt wrong again. This training is now done online in our own time. It used to be weekends and if you were lucky you got an hour off to catch a train.

To br fair to @yellowshirt I mark for a board that does training in person and so I have a "day off" to do that. They also put me up in a hotel. One of the reasons we work with that exam board is the face to face training for marking.

purplesky sorry I see you’ve answered my question. I didn’t know this - thanks!

afew of my more interesting students listed "trolling MN" as a hobby.

@Yellowshirt GCSEs are external exams, so whoever marks them should be paid for that work. Marking them is not in the general remit of a teacher’s contract. Mocks are internal exams and marking them may be part of a teacher’s contract depending who they teach and they won’t get extra money for that. Can’t you see the difference?

And I assume all GCSE markers need to be trained and given guidance to ensure consistency across the country and exams.

@Pieceofpurplesky obviously all exam boards work differently then

tw1nset I’m not an expert but am I right in thinking that the exam board pays the school so that you can attend and the school can get in supply?

Yes that is right. they pay me for my time spent in training and they pay the school for my time. My school gains from having examiners - they actively encourage us to become examiners. In fact - and this will make @yellowshirt froth - if we have no exam classes on a day and can arrange cover with colleagues we can take a day at home to focus on marking.

@Yellowshirt

And the 28 days annual leave for teachers? How would it work?

@Tw1nset that's how it used to work for the boards I have marked - both now do online CPD and standardisation. No doubt you will be next. Nothing like sitting down to a webinar and the host's internet goes down!

• @Tw1nset that's how it used to work for the boards I have marked - both now do online CPD and standardisation. No doubt you will be next. Nothing like sitting down to a webinar and the host's internet goes down!*

I hope not, this year was due to be face to face marking. i know that it is unusual though.