Give teachers a ‘mark from home’ day, says NEU boss Daniel Kebede

It would be a logistical nightmare I expect. A full day of just marking would have driven me bonkers. Regular times each day for marking and planning suited me better. I did exam marking for sqa (Scotland) and whole day marking at the weekend was necessary but onerous

It would mean employing more teachers. It won’t happen.

escaped

Am I reading this right from abroad?

Surely it's not a day a week?
What about the children then!

"What about the children?" escaped

While this country sees teachers as child-minders, and child-minders often with poor facilities and challenging pupils, state education will suffer.

My DD taught A level students. She was supposed to have a few hours during the week when she wasn't teaching to mark and prepare but this was swallowed up by extra tuition for those who needed help and some who didn't turn up for lessons.
It meant that hours in the evenings and weekends had to be used for prep and marking.
I don't think having a day for this during a school week is feasible but the timetable should allow for some time during the week for teachers to do some other work.

Where are you reading this? If you are abroad why should it be an issue- do you have GC in the UK?

I haven't heard a squeek about it here...

I have taught for over 30 years, the workload especially the paperwork is ridiculous. All of you who call teachers lazy need a few weeks marking until the early hours and not having a Sunday to relax.

Is every country like this, post-Covid?
Is the UK the only country where working from home is now a worker's right?
In my youngest GD's Primary school her teacher has an afternoon for marking etc and they work under the guidance of the classroom assistant on work set by the teacher.

I wouldn’t have wanted a whole day, but would have appreciated being able to go early and settle down uninterrupted at home for my non-contact/marking time

Away from my boss just fitting in a meeting, a colleague just wanting a word, a parent just needing to see me, a child just needing some extra attention and, worst of all, a class that needed covering because there was no supply teacher - all things I was expected to do because I was free 🙄😬

Am sure that marking and lesson prep takes up a lot of time, but surely teachers can do this as school ends at around 3.15 so they could either stay in class and do it when the children have gone or go home to do it.

Oreo

Am sure that marking and lesson prep takes up a lot of time, but surely teachers can do this as school ends at around 3.15 so they could either stay in class and do it when the children have gone or go home to do it.

My DD taught what should have been 30 but was actually 60 students from 9 till 4. At 4pm there was often a meeting or a student asked for some help so she rarely got home till before 6pm.
She was always exhausted and needed a meal and short rest before carrying on with work.

Where, in a private company, would your day be chairing and giving a presentation to meeting after meeting, with no work time to prepare or follow up?

Yet this is exactly what teachers are expected to do.

There’s an awful lot of work meetings after the students have gone Oreo. At least three a week and often four. Fridays was the only day free of them.

I take note of what you say, when did you do marking and prep?
Lunch time or early morning or later in the evening?

Possibly all done at the weekend?

Evenings for me.

I couldn’t have slept 🛌 if the next day wasnt all ready to go! 😊

Lathyrus3

There’s an awful lot of work meetings after the students have gone Oreo. At least three a week and often four. Fridays was the only day free of them.

Correct, not to mention the extra curricular activities teachers are expected to run.

I taught for over 30 years. I spent most evenings and Sundays preparing lessons and assessing children’s work.

To think that a teacher’s working day ends as soon as the children go home is shortsighted beyond belief.

Saturday I kept free. Sunday was planning and prep for the week.

Do you think a day off for marking is a viable concept for teachers Lathyrus3 ?Could schools cope?

You have to hand in detailed plans on Monday, learning intentions, activities, expected outcomes, provision for additional needs. It used to take ages to write it all out. Very frustrating when I had it n my head anyway,but you have to provide the evidence.

And then afterwards you have to write out an evaluation and detail any changes and progression.

Honestly spent hours and hours writing out stuff for other people! Heads of dept, Headteachers, and of course Ofsted.

It didn’t improve the quality of my teaching🤔

Lathyrus3

Saturday I kept free. Sunday was planning and prep for the week.

Same!

I always kept Saturday free - except, of course, when you got the Ofsted phone call on Friday saying the inspectors would arrive at school at 8am on Monday morning🙈

DaisyAnneReturns

escaped

Am I reading this right from abroad?

Surely it's not a day a week?
What about the children then!

"What about the children?" escaped

While this country sees teachers as child-minders, and child-minders often with poor facilities and challenging pupils, state education will suffer.

I am increasingly inclined to agree DaisyAnneReturns

Sorry, you asked while I was grumbling 😬

I wouldn’t have wanted a whole day away. It would have made me feel out of touch. Just leaving early at the end of the day would have suited me better.

But then I wouldn’t have been there for the meetings🙄

Actually it just needs for teachers to be trusted to know their students and to do the job and not have to produce reams and reams of paperwork.

It was like that when I first taught. Just st a weekly plan f what I was going to do handed in to my Head on Monday.

The children seemed to learn justas well or actually even better, because my time was devoted to thinkng about them and what they needed.

Paperwork seems to be a curse, getting more and more to take over the time given to the actual job.The police say much the same and even nursery teachers and helpers have more hoops to jump through.

The government is responsible for the extra load put on teachers, police and others. My DD and her DH have left teaching now along with many others. They have both found much easier alternative work.