gavintc said:
OK, I am being a little bit controversial in my replies and pushing it a little. The weather has been quite exceptional over the last few weeks. But, I still am a bit surprised at the speed that schools close at whiff of a snowflake and I stand by my comment that teacher training days should be done in the holidays.
I accept that teaching is a challenge and I know that I could not do it. I would not have patience to cope with the 10% of the pupils who are the least enjoyable to teach. So, underneath I do have a respect for the profession.
OK, fair enough, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.
However, Full time teachers work at the school or college through out the holidays. Just because the kids don't go in doesn't mean the teachers don't either. They are sorting out all the paperwork that comes from end of year exams, tests, assessments and projects to satisfy the external examiners. Then they are learning the new course subjects and assessment requirements and changing, adapting and making up new teaching methods and resources to suit. They are also under going continuous training and retraining.
They only get two weeks off in the summer and they are told when that will be and there is no choice. It is the same time that all the holidays are expensive and all the other teachers and families are trying to get a holiday.
Half terms and the like are spent doing training, preparing for subject changes, class changes, exams, etc. Late August and early September is spent re equiping class rooms so that all the students have lockers, drawers, resources, pictures on walls, hand outs, and so on.
Evenings are spent marking and checking the day's work and preparing the lessons for the next day based on progress so far. Sometimes that includes making up resources, work packs, more hand outs, models, videos, PP presentations, quizes, educational games.
It really is a full time job that starts at around 8am and goes on to about 11pm and often includes weekends too.
Part timers have to do the same but they don't get paid for the holiday weeks or for the additional training days nor do they get paid for admin time.
In addition, part timers have to be prepared for the first class in September but are often not told what that class is or that they even have a class until the day before. Quiet often there is no certainty that there is even a job after each term as that depends on how the class resuffles works out.
Despite all that, teachers really do want to teach. If they only wanted an income then there are much easier ways to get one. Sadly many teachers are leaving teaching in England due to the poor discipline of many of the younger kids.
It is one reason why I won't teach 16 and under anymore. I am fed up with racist and sexist abuse, violence, drugs, the lack of interest, being called a 'peeedoo!' whenever I am required to collect photographic evidence of their project work, having my phone or my laptop nicked, having fake facebook profiles made in my name...
The list goes on.
Like Mossy, I am not after sympathy. I am just stating how it is. Few people stop to consider what other jobs are really like behind the 'corporate face' of the company or organisation.
