Teachers and teaching tasks

[Shalimarsdream]

I’ve taught for nearly 7 years in post compulsory settings.

More recently in a college, small discrete team. Two teachers, 1 manager and 3 others whose roles are varying behaviour/pastoral/attendance.

We’ve started having weekly team meetings and they keep making comments about me having a ‘turn’ at doing the minutes.

Now I’m an experienced administrator and did used to do that for an actual job but as a teacher now, I do not think it’s reasonable to be asked.

I don’t feel like I can say no assertively without maybe sounding aggressive. Explaining it in terms of my role will just annoy them but I feel like my manager should be doing this.

Ive tried ignoring it and saying if it’s not T&L it should t really fall to me to do.

I'm in the union, my manager isn’t pushing me directly to do this but has commented on it, but now colleagues are maki g petty comments in the office about it. Basically saying it’s favouritism.

WWYD?

I'd take my turn at writing the minutes.
Is the other teacher doing them?

Why though? Why would you lose your work time to a task that isn’t your job?

No. He doesn’t. I doubt he’s been asked.

We always used to take turns with the minutes in most education teams I have worked in.

Ok different if a man has not been asked. Your phrase take a turn suggested everyone did them

But still stands, now I'm on SLT the Deputy Head writes the minutes while the Head chairs the meeting. I'm not sure whose job it would be, it seems ridiculous to ask admin staff to stay/do overtime for every meeting. It's not like you can't write minutes and participate at the same time.

No-one else teaches though that does the minutes.

Within the wider college I doubt that this is accepted practice for lecturers and it’s the whole reason we have unions.

Yeah he teaches so he will swerve this completely.

As a fellow teacher- my answer would depend on how time consuming they are. I’d do brief notes to share for a reminder without any fuss. Formal records that took time to write up-no, unless I was given time.
I guess it depends how the general vibe is and the give and take you get. I’ve minuted an FGB as a favour for example in return for a late start

Why would I? Because when working as part of a team of 6, I would consider taking minutes in meetings to be covered by the 'any other tasks seemed appropriate' clause in my contract. And because it wouldn't be worth creating ill will amongst the team.

However, now you have said the other teacher doesn't do it and isn't asked, then I wouldn't. I assumed from your OP that you were the only one not taking a turn.
I'd probably say I will if he does.

I’d bring it out in the open next time they hint. Saying something along the lines of “why are we suggesting I do it but we’ve never suggested [man] does it?”.

But I can’t see why you, and he, won’t take a turn to do it.

1. Record the meeting on your phone.
2. Use a speech to text dictation service (a v basic and cheap way of doing this is to dictate an email to yourself on your phone - you may need a second phone for this)
3. Swear at how bad the transcription is
4. Delete all you need except the action points.

Job done! (You may be able to use Chatgpt for stage 4)

The fact that SLT are doing that is a whole other post though.

This post is about protecting teaching roles and the skill set of the profession itself.

Not further demonstrating that it doesn’t or shouldn’t matter if teachers write minutes (or are asked to do anything at all) because well, SLT do it.

I know people do DO it, but I also know I have a good reason to object to it. Without being confrontational I’m just asking how I might do that.

Its not even a formal meeting tbh, just monitoring ongoing weekly things as you do.

While I appreciate this isn't answering the question you have asked, one of the important things I learnt before I became a CEO is the following.

'S/he who takes the minutes holds the power'.

It's true! Embrace the opportunity!

I won’t be given time. It will just be absorbed from my P&P time.

That aside, I do feel it is importantly to have these distinctions in place.

this—it is one of the few tasks ai excels at

It is causing ill will, you are quite right and it will cause more if I don’t quite get my response right.

I think I love you 🤣

I’ve been that person though. In numerous woefully underpaid and unrespected roles unfortunately. I’ve done all the embracing I need to but appreciate the sentiment!

Governing bodies, Schools SLT Meetings, PA…it’s not that I can’t do it. I just feel it shouldn’t be within my purview as a teacher.

I’m a teacher, for our DMs we all have a turn at doing the minutes. Would never question it.

Are you in a school?

Yes.

I'm a senior NHS HCP and we all take turns at doing the minutes for department meetings

We take turns in taking minutes in teacher department meetings. I don’t think any school has admin staff for every department meeting!
I don’t understand why you can’t write them in the meeting - it shouldn’t take extra time
if that’s a reasonable adjustment for something to reduce cognitive load and enable you to participate that might be relevant

But it does and should take extra time for minute taking, that’s why they have clerks for FGB and PAs. Or a whole team of admin staff in schools and of course not every department has admin staff.

But I take your point, I can just type them up as I go on the laptop and say that’s all the time I can give it in terms of admin. That might be a compromise. It’s a Friday afternoon thing anyway.

They aren’t massively formal it’s just a way of us having continuity as a team.

In terms of reducing cognitive load for teachers, I think it is important that there are boundaries around this and task that are delegated to staff. Ordering IT, data entry, we all do it to some degree or other.

Some of you might do them at varying levels, it absolutely does not mean that you should. There a lot of toxic management and teaching practices out there and I do not want to fall foul of them in the long term by not being aware of what it is appropriate to say no to.

Thanks everyone. Some food for thought, i’ll touch base with my rep.