Friday afternoons

[Scoby_Beasley]

I see that the poor over worked teachers are to get a half day off (Friday?) from September by law .
Pray tell me where these will fit into the 53 weeks holiday a year the poor dears already get and are overpaid for

 

[Killemall]

If we lived in an ideal world, I would probably agree, but I think teachers in general do a good job, considering the amount of interference they get from governments who have difficulty organising their own affairs never mind a profession they seem to understand little of.

Teachers generally have to put a lot of effort in outside the normal working day, plus not only have to deal with abusive kids, but also potentially violent parents. They have few disciplinery powers left and in most cases no choice in who they can teach. Not a job I would relish at any price, how about you?

Basing your argument on school holidays is IMHO, a very blinkered approach.

 

[Scoby_Beasley]

Teachers generally have to put a lot of effort in outside the normal working day,

So pray tell me when a teacher would ever know what a normal working day would be like ?

 

[Killemall]

If you want to debate something, at least use your imagination or even intelligence rather than asking pointless questions.

 

[Scoby_Beasley]

Thats what i'm doing.

 

[Killemall]

 

[mildmanneredjanitor]

So what are the kids meant to do on Friday afternoon?

Look kids we can't teach you because we have all this work to do...

 

[masona]

I see that the poor over worked teachers are to get a half day off (Friday?) from September by law .

The rules come from the EU, blame Blair for that!!!!!! And many more stupid rules from the EU on it way.

 

[AdamW]

This does sound like a silly idea!

So pray tell me when a teacher would ever know what a normal working day would be like ?

I think a lot of teachers would reply "I know it's probably easier than my working day"

You obviously belong to the school of thought that thinks teachers show up at 8:45 and go home at 3:30 and then have long holidays, but as someone with three teachers in the family and several teaching friends, I know that it is generally an 8-5 day, plus more marking in the evenings.

I would certainly not want to have to deal with shrieking children all year round. Even if your children are well-behaved and quiet at home, how many times have your children had friends round that just DO YOUR HEAD IN! Well, those kids have a teacher too. And they shriek and shout and misbehave a LOT more when they have 30 or so of their classmates around them. If teachers were allowed to whack them, there might be less of a problem with discipline, but then the same could be said if policemen were allowed to cosh first and ask questions later. It's not going to happen.

I would sooner be working with a couple of dozen middle-aged professionals than 30 shrieking, runny-nosed, often smelly children. I'm not saying that my peers at work are any more mature than the aforementioned children, but every morning as I go to work I take comfort knowing that none of them are going to poo their pants, have a fight, cry because they miss their mum or be caught looking at the girls' knickers. And I seldom have to shout at them or give them lines.

I would love to have the same holidays as school teachers, but just as a decent salary and colleagues who don't poo their pants are perks of my job, long holidays are perks of a teacher's job.

 

[petewood]

So pray tell me when a teacher would ever know what a normal working day would be like ?

Teachers and their unions have long been pushing for more time to prep for classes and do marking as they have been spending most of their lunchbreaks and a fair part of their evenings doing just that. Teaching is one of the most important jobs we have and is certainly not one I would like to do.

 

[Scoby_Beasley]

I'm the only person working where I do that can do the job that I do. Do I bleat? No, I just do it, that's what I'm paid for

 

[AdamW]

I've just got back from a BBQ where there were two teachers in attendance (both colonials, an aussie and a canook). I told them about this and they reckon it sounds great

 

[keyplayer]

No, I just do it,

What are you, a Nike salesman ?

 

[AdamW]

I'm the only person working where I do that can do the job that I do. Do I bleat? No, I just do it, that's what I'm paid for

Fair enough. However you seem to be confused between teachers and the unions (or the union, i.e. NUT). It's like saying "Firemen are all bleating layabouts" because their union told them all "Hey, go on strike and you can earn big salaries for a part-time job!". Unions bleat.

Now, occasionally the NUT whines on about something or lock an education minister in a cupboard, however teachers and the NUT are two separate things. When teachers complain, it is about something that will be to the detriment of the children's education. For example, class size. Large classes are worse for the children.

Do I bleat? No, I just do it, that's what I'm paid for

You and 99% of the working population... Employers have this funny habit of expecting employees to do the job they are paid for, and ending the employment of those who don't. Not sure why, but hey, they do.

 

[mildmanneredjanitor]

What's with all the 'bleating'?