is it " virtue signalling" or just a good thing?

Jane I sincerely apologise I was mixing you up with Gabriella maybe because you were tagged in her post. Please forgive me - not my best at the moment.

No worries dragonfly

I just wanted to set the record straight

GabriellaG you said a while back

Born and raised in a council house in North Liverpool near Formby

My recollection of council housing was that they were not quite the leafy suburban houses with walled gardens that headmasters of my acquaintance lived in
Rents as I recollect were also subsidised, so how might that impact “budgeting” of a headmaster’s salary?

I brought up this topic on mumsnet and of course the response was poor teachers, who can grudge them gifts and never mind if parents can’t afford. Gilly was completely right, but of course the poor teachers are on the breadline, not even getting minimum wage. Try living on genuine minimum wage and resisting the pleas from dear children to be able to take presents for teachers. The food bank idea is great and I certainly think even those who are less well off will be happy to donate, even if it means donating something they received in their last food bank parcel.

notanan2its the long holidays ..and before you say Teachers work through their holidays can I say that my best friend from school days until she died in her late forties was a teacher.She didn't lift a pen during her breaks ...ever,She went away for long holidays in the sun and ski breaks ,she openly told folk that the teacher who said she worked all through holidays was telling stories.
I do understand that teaching is different nowadays but I dont for a minute believe they spend all their holidays working ,certainly the young teachers my Great niece included don't.When you work out their wage over a normal week and number of weeks its a decent wage ..and no I didn't do it my GN did and she's more than happy with what she gets .

young teachers I know

This was meant to be juxtaposed with the previous quote

As a family of 5 we had everything we needed and 80% of what we wanted. Nothing second hand. We lived in a semi-det, 3 bed, two reception house with walled gardens front and back in a tree-lined suburban road

Of course the poster’s reminiscences may not be mutually contradictory, but in my experience in my small Scottish burgh in the 50’s and 60’s, headmasters certainly did not live in council houses.
Subsidised council housing was intended and indeed reserved for those on the lowest or no incomes, those in genuine need.

Oh dear GG, that old chestnut about working shorter hours and longer holidays. Come in at 9, leave at 3, 13 weeks holiday. Yeah, yeah, right....
Have you been a teacher? Do you speak from your own experience?
When do you think the planning and preparation for the lessons gets done?
When do you think all the classroom displays get done?
When do you think all the marking gets done?
When do you think all the reports get done?
When do you think all the assessments get done, then get put onto the system?
When do you think all the preparation for open evenings (held 3 times a year, after school for several hours), gets done?
When do you think all the booster classes get done and the preparation for them?
I could go on.
I don’t agree about Parents being expected to donate huge amounts of money for Christmas presents for teachers, and indeed I have never heard of it. It would not be condoned by the LA or equivalent, it’s against the rules, so if there is a school doing this, it needs reporting.

NotananI do not think anyone was saying that compared to minimum wage teachers got a bad deal..though it is not a fantastic one and there is a national shortage of teachers..think it is 1 in 3 leave after 3 years. Something is wrong if that is really happening.
When I began teaching in '72 it was a far less pressurised job than today. Though DH & I worked 2nd jobs to supplement income in early 70s.

Sorry think I meant to reply to paddy

Well said Mapleleaf I have been a teacher and what you say is true and the pressure has got worse in the last few years with the constant testing etc.

I too started in 1970 taking an extended break from 1973 to have babies and bring up our children
I returned in 1986 and it was a whole new ball game - no more teaching from the book, new technology to get my head round, individual lesson plans for a range of abilities, endless assessments, detailed reports, after school and holiday exam revision sessions etc etc etc
Then the pressures of league tables, GCSE and A level results and of course OFSTED

Yes the number of weeks one is contracted to be in the classroom may be less than weeks in an office but there is no flexibility- any appointments, medical or legal, house moving, weddings, honeymoons etc had to be in holiday time.
Preaching to the converted I know, but it made me very angry to have to deflect the constant flak (everyone’s an expert) in the press, from often hostile or defensive parents, from people who would not last 10 minutes in front of 30 recalcitrant teenagers - mostly taller than me, often belligerent but also warm and friendly once the relationship was established.
Not a job for the faint hearted.

I do not think teachers need to be made out to be a special case in terms of hours etc as many people have to work similar long and demanding hours but the public scrutiny is possibly greater.. both at national level and from at least 30 sets of parents on a daily basis!

The problem I found as a teacher was that it was a profession everybody knew about as they had been through the system. They all had an opinion and felt they could all do better.

Oh yes!

My time off is my time, I am not expected to continue my work from home once my working day ends. Or on my days off. Or during my annual leave.
Unfortunately a lot of firms these days are far more demanding of their employees; DS seems to have to be aware of phone calls, emails etc outside his scheduled working hours.

My DDiL has been a teacher for over 20 years and I see at close quarters how much extra, unpaid work is done. In addition, during lessons she gets many emails from other teachers or the Senior Leadership Team. She is expected to reply to them ASAP. This must be stressful and must have an impact on the lesson. Very poor practice.

I haven't read all the posts on here, so apologies if this point has been made.
Many children at the primary stage actually want to give a present to their teacher, (ignoring the child I heard arguing with his mother about giving me a gift, because 'she is 'orrible; she made me miss playtime'). They have a close relationship with their class teacher whom they see every day of the school year, and who has, for that year at least, the most influence on them outside their family.
It has less to do, I think, with the hours teachers work; most people do over and above their hours in their jobs nowadays, but few are in such close regular contact with individuals.
And if you don't want to give a gift, Don't Give One.
Stop trying , under the veil of charity, to prevent those who wish to, from doing so.

You’re so right, Jalima, the workplace has changed and become more stressful for just about everyone.

I think email and smartphones make us and work accessible 24/7. That can make it difficult for some to feel switched off from work..whatever their job. A good employer should not expect staff to access work communications during evenings and weekends... but pigs might fly too..

A close relationship is good but shouldn’t equate to gift giving

ignoring the child I heard arguing with his mother about giving me a gift, because 'she is 'orrible; she made me miss playtime'
That made me laugh eazybee

I think it's a good idea to skip the presents and give to food banks, but I'm still very unhappy with the fact that food banks are so necessary to sustain families in what is supposed to be a first world country. What is happening to us?