Teachers' Strike: Is your kids' school on strike today?

IrishRose12

I'm a classroom assistant in a Primary School in N.Ireland, and I totally agree with teachers when they go out on strike.
I see first hand just exactly what work teachers put in, and the stress they are under and also how their family life suffers. In the school I work in, at least 6 of the 15 teachers and the Principle are in the school between 7.45 and 8.15
I myself am in the school from 7.45 in the morning to start breakfast club from 8am.
The teacher I work with in in school from 8am in the morning, and most nights isn't leaving until 6pm. Sometimes she's telling me that she was working at home from 9pm till sometimes 2am doing weekly/daily notes, preparing work, marking work, we have 4 different levels of ability in our classroom, with 2 special needs children in a class of 30.
The amount of things that the government expect teachers to teach the children is beyond a joke. I'd like to ask the people in suits sitting behind their desks when exactly they would like us to fit all this into the working week as it's not possible!

I myself take work home with me as I just do not have the time in the classroom to get everything done, which then affects my own homelife. From artwork, to sticking homeworks into books sometimes as there are not enough hours in the day when working in a school. I also do after schools 3 days a week until 4pm, so am not getting home until 4.30pm
I don't get paid for these extra jobs every month, but it does mean I get a small wage over the summer months and get the full 8 weeks holiday the same as the children.
Then you have teachers who are heads of departments, subject co-ordinators, Child Protection Officers, SENCO's and god knows what else there is in the secondary schools! They have to be concentrated on and followed up etc. and not during school time when you have to teach the children!

I get sick and tired of parents complaining about having to look after their children when they are off school. Well I'm sorry folks, but looking after your children is your job, that's what happens when you have them!
They complain that holidays are too long, too long for you maybe, however not for school staff. Just because the children are off doesn't mean the staff are! Here in N.I we have the usual holidays plus 10 extra days, 5 Baker days and 5 Exceptional closures.
These 10 days the teachers and sometimes support staff are in the school having meetings, training and numerous other things. They aren't off work.
In the summer the schools here finish on 30th June every year (or nearest to it) You can guarantee that for the 1st week in July there is at least half of the teachers in the school tidying up their rooms, sorting things out, clearing out, catching up on paperwork, and sometimes even preparing for their new class in September!!
Then they are all in in the last week of August for various meetings, planning etc.

What parents forget about is that teachers and other staff DESERVE those summer holidays, and any other days off we are entitled to, as that is OUR time to spend time with our families, go on holiday, get a chance to just relax and not have to worry about other people's children for a while.

So yes, I do agree with teachers going out on strike over pay etc. But then I say to myself also they should try living on the wage of a classroom assistant and see how they complain then. I'd be more than delighted to have their wages!!

I've been asked and encouraged quite a number of times to go on and study to become a teacher myself, but I'll tell you something, I wouldn't take that job on for all the money in the world! I find my current position in school difficult and stressful enough as it is!

jellyhead

I've only volunteered in a classroom but that was enough to put me off being a teacher. I'd been planning to do a PGCE after graduation but I'm not up to the job.

No teacher bashing from me, I think it's an incredibly hard job, and they deserve and need lots of holiday to refresh themselves - also I like having the long holidays with my children, who I had because I wanted to spend time with them. I'm lucky that I work term time-only, I suppose.

Teaching is such an important job - I'd hate for my precious children to have burned out, exhausted teachers. How the teacher responds to my kids is so important and my youngest's current teacher is amazing. It's a real vocation for her, and I wouldn't like to think of her taking her highly qualified self into some other graduate job with better hours and better pay.

Abbafan1972

My eldest who goes to secondary school was in today, but my youngest who is at Primary school, was off.

balletshoes

FBaby wrote: »

Both schools closed but thankfully kids note old enough to be home alone. What makes me laugh is the claim that teachers work 10 hours days. I pass my DR'S school the times a week at 7:45 and the car park and adjoining roads are deserted bur for a few cars. Same after school, DS does activities at that school twice a week at 5pm and the car park is pretty empty and that's a very good school. I think there is a bit of confusion between what might happen once a week and every working day!

i think it depends on the teacher - i'm meeting a subject Head on Friday morning at school, she's at school from 7.30am usually, until after 5pm, most school days.

Teaching is one job I truly do believe is a vocation, it takes a special sort of person who'd choose to put up with all the red tape, rowdy kids etc for a not-exceptional salary.

FBaby

balletshoes wrote: »

i think it depends on the teacher - i'm meeting a subject Head on Friday morning at school, she's at school from 7.30am usually, until after 5pm, most school days.

Teaching is one job I truly do believe is a vocation, it takes a special sort of person who'd choose to put up with all the red tape, rowdy kids etc for a not-exceptional salary.

I agree totally, but it's no different to NHS workers, police officers, and many other stressful jobs dealing with difficult people, which service is judged based on targets.

That's the thing that annoy me, not that the claim that teachers have a hard job, they do, but that they think they have it harder than others. My colleague gets to work shortly after 7am every morning and rarely leaves after 5pm. I personally manage the same workload on 8 hours a day. We work at different pace.

As said before the three teachers I am friends with (1 in primary school, two in secondary) don't do these 10 hours a day claim. They sometimes go in a bit earlier, they sometimes go a bit later, they sometimes work at home, but they are never obliged to work from 7:30 to 5pm every day plus more at home to do their job well. I suppose it depends on the person, the school, the kids etc..., but again, that is no different to other professions.

ViolaLass

jellyhead wrote: »

Teaching is such an important job - I'd hate for my precious children to have burned out, exhausted teachers.

This should be a key point. Wouldn't parents rather their kids were taught by someone who is well-rested and able to stay calm when kids are inevitably kids, has the time to plan interesting and stimulating lessons, mark their work and give them useful feedback to help them progress and understands their subject through-and-through?

If that's what you'd like for your children, and it certainly is the kind of teacher I aspire to be, then it means I need time out of the classroom in which to do it all - the marking, the planning, the reading, the training etc. Teaching is about a lot more than the time spent in front of a class.

balletshoes

FBaby wrote: »

I agree totally, but it's no different to NHS workers, police officers, and many other stressful jobs dealing with difficult people, which service is judged based on targets.

That's the thing that annoy me, not that the claim that teachers have a hard job, they do, but that they think they have it harder than others.
My colleague gets to work shortly after 7am every morning and rarely leaves after 5pm. I personally manage the same workload on 8 hours a day. We work at different pace.

As said before the three teachers I am friends with (1 in primary school, two in secondary) don't do these 10 hours a day claim. They sometimes go in a bit earlier, they sometimes go a bit later, they sometimes work at home, but they are never obliged to work from 7:30 to 5pm every day plus more at home to do their job well. I suppose it depends on the person, the school, the kids etc..., but again, that is no different to other professions.

we'll have to agree to disagree - i think teachers, especially these days, do have it harder than others.

Carfal

Seeing as most people who object to teachers striking do so on the basis of the loss of child-care, perhaps the government should pay teachers on babysitter's rates.

As an example, in the 1980s I'd earn £1.00 per child per hour - far more than I'm paid as a teacher, even before you consider that the 1980s £1.00 would now be worth over £2.30.

suejb2

This thread has gone A.W.O.L from the O.P but to clarify my comment on the amount of days my children are in school.
Autumn Term is 75 days Spring 58 days and Summer is 47 days total 190 days

nw_mum

FBaby wrote: »

I agree totally, but it's no different to NHS workers, police officers, and many other stressful jobs dealing with difficult people, which service is judged based on targets.

That's the thing that annoy me, not that the claim that teachers have a hard job, they do, but that they think they have it harder than others. My colleague gets to work shortly after 7am every morning and rarely leaves after 5pm. I personally manage the same workload on 8 hours a day. We work at different pace.

As said before the three teachers I am friends with (1 in primary school, two in secondary) don't do these 10 hours a day claim. They sometimes go in a bit earlier, they sometimes go a bit later, they sometimes work at home, but they are never obliged to work from 7:30 to 5pm every day plus more at home to do their job well. I suppose it depends on the person, the school, the kids etc..., but again, that is no different to other professions.

I totally agree with you, two family members are teachers. Why do they feel they are the only ones that go beyond contract hours of work, in this economy a lot of people do including myself 9-5 sometimes runs into 9-7, weekend paperwork and I'm not a teacher but kids need clothes. I was given three days notice of strike