Teachers - day off at the slightest sign of snow

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  • gregg1
    gregg1 Posts: 3,148
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    The headteacher is responsible for closing the school, which lets face it is usually after a flurry of phone calls from the TEACHERS who can't get into work on the same roads the rest of the working population are using to get to work ;)

    What a ridiculous statement.

    The teachers have no idea whether the school is closed or not until pretty much the same time as everyone else. They certainly have no influence on the decision. Many times my OH has been in the car attempting to get to the school when she has found out the school is closed. The decision to close a school is made with the students in mind more than the staff and whether it is safe for kids. Also, they have to consider if, once the kids get to the school, will they be able to get home again. Sorry if that throws your teacher bashing comments off course but there it is!
  • gregg1
    gregg1 Posts: 3,148
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    duchy wrote: »
    My son once brought home a worksheet for homework for spelling numbers Twenty Thirty Fourty <sigh>

    Quite honestly though your first point irritated me. In the private sector it is considered an employee's responsibility to get themselves to work and many companies would have the attitude that if transport is too difficult-get a car, move closer or leave. I do see their point. Why on earth would anyone living in a country that routinely has winters where public transport stops for snow take a job far from home when they could work closer to home (as there are schools in every town)-it makes no sense.

    I do wonder if teachers (and some other public sector employees) lost pay for days they couldn't attend due to weather if the absence rate would still be as high .

    Have you not read the thread properly? I have already said my OH and the other teachers at her school make up any days lost for bad weather! How in God's name do you expect them to teach when the school is closed, locked, not open, no kids ( take your pick).
  • gregg1
    gregg1 Posts: 3,148
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    stephen77 wrote: »
    well if you close the school. What is the point in taking there children to a closed building?

    not all the pupils will be getting a bus to school. The children with in walking distance can still walk in. They may be in a 1/2 empty class room, but this will allow teacher to give more attention to the pupils etc.

    If the school is open, some parents will drive there children in who are not at work and have cars.

    I can't speak for other schools but the majority of kids at my OH's school travel by bus/train. As I said, in our experience, parents actually DON'T drive their kids in if the roads are bad.
  • zagubov
    zagubov Posts: 17,875
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    edited 7 December 2012 at 9:17AM
    bugbyte wrote: »
    40% of millionaires are dyslexic. Do they not make a worthwhile contribution to society?

    On wealth, jobs with the highest earning potential require Maths, Science or Engineering type qualifications - and the lowest*? English.

    You really are a special one if you think command of English is the only requirement to making an outstanding teacher.


    He makes a good point. If you think a teacher has to spell correctly on a forum or he's no good, no wonder teachers don't want to live near pupils judging them.

    Do doctors always live next to their own patients who can see them going to the pub?
    There is no honour to be had in not knowing a thing that can be known - Danny Baker
  • sal1960
    sal1960 Posts: 24 Forumite
    At the school where I work we made a plan well in advance to deal with snowy times. Some of the staff live quite a long way from the school but others live nearby-those who can get in relatively easily are expected to do so and the others are asked to make a sensible and safe attempt to get in at least once during the snowy period if possible.
    This has worked well for us and we have not closed at all for several years.
    I had a class of 5 children a couple of years ago which was strange but we were there and we all did our best.
  • At my daughter's school, they have 2 days allocated to 'days off due to snow'. If it doesn't snow that year, the kids then get days off in July to compensate for the clear weather.
    And you all thought your schools were bonkers.....

    In our house, when things break, we just pretend they still work
  • Hmm71
    Hmm71 Posts: 479 Forumite
    bugbyte wrote: »
    40% of millionaires are dyslexic. Do they not make a worthwhile contribution to society?

    On wealth, jobs with the highest earning potential require Maths, Science or Engineering type qualifications - and the lowest*? English.

    You really are a special one if you think command of English is the only requirement to making an outstanding teacher.

    * of core subjects, although Media Studies is often run by the English Department.

    No, I don't think it's the only requirement but I don't think expecting any teacher to have a grasp of basic grammar is asking too much.
  • SmallL
    SmallL Posts: 944 Forumite
    Hmm71 wrote: »
    No, I don't think it's the only requirement but I don't think expecting any teacher to have a grasp of basic grammar is asking too much.

    I have much more than a 'basic grasp' on grammar.

    Just don't assume i will be a terrible teacher and belittle my career choice, im passionate about enthusing others about my subject, i think passion and commitment to quality learning is more important than how i choose to type on a forum.
    How someone types =/= how they always type.
    I doubt i would have gotten this far without a basic grasp of grammar!
  • pollypenny
    pollypenny Posts: 29,392
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    I remember driving to school through heavy snow in the 80s. - nerve-racking. Having got to school, we couldn't get up the drive, as the deep snow had not been cleared.

    We did the obvious thing and parked on the street.

    The head's phone was red-hot with complaints from parents that staff cars were clogging up the road.

    Can't win. Btw: this was a school were no one was bused in, so it never closed.
    Member #14 of SKI-ers club

    Words, words, they're all we have to go by!.

    (Pity they are mangled by this autocorrect!)
  • bugbyte_2
    bugbyte_2 Posts: 413
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    SmallL wrote: »
    I have much more than a 'basic grasp' on grammar.

    Just don't assume i will be a terrible teacher and belittle my career choice, im passionate about enthusing others about my subject, i think passion and commitment to quality learning is more important than how i choose to type on a forum.
    How someone types =/= how they always type.
    I doubt i would have gotten this far without a basic grasp of grammar!

    If I was you I wouldn't care less what others think - most threads have some kind of derailment at some point, usually by someone being rude about someone else for being thick for asking a question that was clearly answered in 2010 / not sharing their dubious world view / being rubbish at spelling / etc. Usually they then go on to make the same mistake (as in this case - used 'don't think' twice in one sentence when plainer English would have sufficed).

    Disclaimer: The above is probably full of grammatical errors and I don't care.
    Edible geranium
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