Jon Platt Term Time Holidays

[Reidy's Bottle Of Grecian]

You say teachers get so many holidays but most of the time work has to be done over these breaks such as marking and planning etc. It's a myth that teachers just put their feet up during all this time off. It's far from it in fact.

well folk that have to work weird shift patterns lose some of their time at home due to the physical strain it puts on their body... as well as when they aren't at work isn't in 'normal hours' & weekends have to be put in by retail staff as well as many now in many different vocations.

Most people will have between 4-6 weeks paid leave a year not 13-14. Of course that isn't including people on zero hour contracts, or agency staff etc.

13-14 is grossly underestimated.


A fella I did a job for gave me book he'd written called It Never Rains in Italy, we were going to Lake Garda & he informed me that they were both teachers & spent every summer hols there, car packed to depart asap & getting home the weekend before they went back and even on 1 occasion going to school in a fully packed car to leave on the bell.
The 1st chapter is all about making sure everything was done to get off right away & get the maximum time away.

 

[jaycee]

Primary, year 5 I teach. So I have to teach them all subjects. It's hard work but I love it, wouldn't change it for anything else.

My nephew taught the same age group but ended up leavi g teaching now works as a manager in Asda,loved the job but got fed up with other things

 

[chrismpw]

Let's pull out the 'sickie' records as well if we are going to go on about being unable to take a day off cos I'll tell you what there's plenty of times that my kids say their teacher wasn't in that day.
They might not have floating days to book off but it appears to me that it's not a problem when they ring in.

So the assumption is all teachers are sicknotes? I've been fortunate enough with my health to miss only 2 days in 28 years.
Most sickness is down to stress and exhaustion - with medical backup. Oh - apart from those wimmin teachers with young kids who get sick - they're off every other day. i end up covering their lesson ffs.

 

[chrismpw]

It's still roughly 13/14 weeks a year, you're not marking/planning for 10 of them (which is what you'd need to be to equal the average holiday allowance of most of us)

I've counted it twice, using my fingers - it's 12.

 

[ianefc]

I've counted it twice, using my fingers - it's 12.

What was the weather like in Norwich today?

I had it as 6 for summer 2 for Easter and 2 for Christmas, equaling 10 plus 3/4 weeks for half term.

 

[chrismpw]

You're not going to convince me mate.

I will continue to take my children out of school, due to not being able to get time off during Easter/Summer.

I could die tomorrow and if I do I'll know I've taken my daughter on 4 great holidays. Soon to be 5.

I couldn't give a toss about anything outside of that.

Just to add reason to that, the alternative is that we just don't do holidays during my children's younger years.

#nothappening

I think you're bang on right. So you should - people are way too precious about school and the effect it has on education. Even though i've been doing it for years I've had very little effect on any students who don't inherit a good attitude from their parents. parents have by far the biggest impact on their kid's success.

Don't forget it is the government and Ofsted who make a fuss about attendance figures - the schools are just the messengers, taking the flack.

 

[chrismpw]

What was the weather like in Norwich today?

I had it as 6 for summer 2 for Easter and 2 for Christmas, equaling 10 plus 3/4 weeks for half term.

Read what I said earlier - it's not been 6 in the summer for 30 years! This is what TD days are - the 6th week.

 

[chrismpw]

So the factory worker, the policeman etc
The Engineer that has to make components to 0.001" or 0.01mm consistently on shifts with a boss that treats them like a rag out of the bin
the poor sod on a zero hour contract for minimum wage & all those that live their working life with the threat of being made redundant constantly hanging over their heads

do they not have to deal with stress in the workplace ?

1 other thing that gets me is giving kids homework to do over the holidays, and my lad got a LOT of it when we were going away for a week, when he mentioned that we were going away & he wouldnt be able to do it he was told that he could just do the detention for not completing it then ... I made sure that wasn't happening straight away.

You seem to think I am putting other jobs down - I'm not. I have known many teachers who have come from engineering, the police, merchant banking (when they've realised they want to do something worthwhile) and many other fields - .... and then gone again because they can't stand it.

As I said - I gave up years ago trying to explain it to people because they simply would not understand unless they tried it themselves. Many people who could qualify would never do that as they wouldn't take the pay cut. It would be interesting to study the attitudes toward school reflected on these and other forums - those who hate school now probably, for good reason, hated school as a kid. I meet parents who hated school, still do and pass that on to their own kids - being too ignrant to realise the damage they do.

Homework? Bear in mind that I've consistently found it a pain in the ar$e to administer and mark, it is educationally questionable and I consequently spend a lot of time in lessons fixing the damage done when kids learn the wrong stuff at home - if they do it at all. VERY FEW teachers want to bother with it but we are nagged, incessantly, by parents who want something to keep their kids quiet in the evening when the free child minding service is over.

Still - I'm glad to hear a few of the attitudes on this thread. It tells me I've made the right decision to quit. Despite spending my entire career working to better society, society, politicians, parents (though thankfully few) really don't give a flying f~ck about my and my colleagues efforts - so I've had enough.

If kids missing days in school is such a big deal then why do teachers go on strike during term time?

Why do people strike? Why do doctors strike? Why did the miners strike? To stop being exploited. It takes bravery and you lose money doing it - don't think it's a day off PLUS - as I said elsewhere - it's a government policy to tax parents who keep their kids off - nothing to do with schools or teachers - we just take the flack. Open your eyes people!

 

[The Cowboy]

On what grounds? Which parts?

State or stay silent in your opinion.

All of it. My favourite bit was you having a go at people having kids, the very reason your job exists.

 

[chrismpw]

All of it. My favourite bit was you having a go at people having kids, the very reason your job exists.

That bit was light hearted - a joke, mate.

 

[Seanjd]

All jobs have their ups and downs. I think there are lots on here implying teaching is a bit of a doss because of the holidays. If you think holidays are everything, I would urge you to try a career change.

Although teaching can be great, there are loads of down sides. Okay, I'll admit, holidays are good. Of course they are. They are generally needed, though, for the children as much as for staff. Don't forget that most teachers (that I know, anyway, myself included) are getting to work for between 7am and 7.30am and leaving at close to 6pm, some much later.

Teaching is a very inflexible job, btw. No booking that day off to go fly to Barcelona with the rest of your family, or going to Glastonbury for the long weekend. Or that Everton away European fixture.

In regards to taking kids out during school time, I don't see the problem. As long as it isn't during 'important' times (important used loosely as I disagree with formal testing). Id give each family a week to use at any point in the year apart from exam season to use for holidays. I'm sure that most kids who go on a family holiday during school time are experiencing a more valuable experience than being in school half the time anyway. Not because teaching is uninspired but because spending quality time with your family is invaluable and term time holidays are too expensive.

 

[jal123]

All jobs have their ups and downs. I think there are lots on here implying teaching is a bit of a doss because of the holidays. If you think holidays are everything, I would urge you to try a career change.

Although teaching can be great, there are loads of down sides. Okay, I'll admit, holidays are good. Of course they are. They are generally needed, though, for the children as much as for staff. Don't forget that most teachers (that I know, anyway, myself included) are getting to work for between 7am and 7.30am and leaving at close to 6pm, some much later.

Teaching is a very inflexible job, btw. No booking that day off to go fly to Barcelona with the rest of your family, or going to Glastonbury for the long weekend. Or that Everton away European fixture.

In regards to taking kids out during school time, I don't see the problem. As long as it isn't during 'important' times (important used loosely as I disagree with formal testing). Id give each family a week to use at any point in the year apart from exam season to use for holidays. I'm sure that most kids who go on a family holiday during school time are experiencing a more valuable experience than being in school half the time anyway. Not because teaching is uninspired but because spending quality time with your family is invaluable and term time holidays are too expensive.

Good post, well balanced.

 

[Seanjd]

This isn't a rant .... just putting a point of view to rectify a few points mentioned by others in this thread as it's a subject close to my heart.

I've spent nearly 30 years being pathetically grateful for the summer break. It isn't just a big a break break, as many people think. All the teachers I know spend at least half of it de-stressing and becoming human again. Then you get a fortnight to go away with your family as a normal human, then you spend the last week re-stressing getting ready for the term ahead. What's more there is zero flexibility to have a break when there's a cheap holiday on offer, when the weather's good or have a day off to watch a test match, or go to the world cup etc.

Also - the school holiday is an opportunity for children to explore things other than academic progress - make new friends and do different things. All I remember from my childhood happened in the holidays. Sure I learned stuiff in school, but couldn't rememebr any experiences other than facts rammed down my head. Further, it is an absolute necessity for the mental health of those working in such an intense environment to have a lengthy break. I've seen more teachers suffer from nervous and mental breakdowns than I care to remember - it is always a horrible, horrible event and can destroy their own families. There are those that say that "well they chose the profession" - but the trouble is by the time you realise the demands of it, you are mortgaged up to the hilt.

Furthermore - those who complain about having to have to look after their OWN children at home for a few weeks, should have seriously considered that before going ahead and having a few minutes wriggle pleasure in the sack!

Long ago I gave up justifying the apparent long holidays to those envious eyes as it serves no purpose to do so - talk of how they're needed is meaningless until you've experienced the job first hand. All I'll say is that society gets a very good deal from its schools. It employs some of the most highly trained professionals in the country and pays them around half what you'd pay a plumber, or a garage engineer for an hour. The profession is always under attack from the media and politicians and the implication is that we constantly need telling how to do the job. the reality is that many, many parents look on schools as a free childminding service at its beck and call. Despite the propaganda the govt keep spewing out, there is a recruitment and retention crisis right now - teachers are leaving in their droves. I'm paid less than I was 6 years ago - even before you take into account inflation, for the same work and I'm quitting this summer - 5 years too soon to draw a pension.

Very well said. Sad to hear that you are retiring early, but enjoy it.

 

[the sniderman]

be nicer to each other.

 

[The Cowboy]

That bit was light hearted - a joke, mate.

Ok, fair enough. Tripe was a strong word, I take that back.

Don't you think that the big summer holiday creates an annual slump that you have to raise yourself out of? I always remember as a kid the joy of finishing for summer, and the despair of starting again in September. Perhaps scrapping the long summer break and turning all half terms into two weeks would standardise the school year a bit more and create an 11 year continuous learning period for kids, making them more receptive to learning rather than the pretty much wasted first few weeks of the Autumn term as kids gradually get up to speed just in time for the Christmas holidays!