Are teachers taking the p!ss?

poodles · 26-07-2010 08:01PM #1

Primary school teachers are able to do a course during the summer which enables them to take an extra 3 days (atleast) personal annual leave. Have they not enough days off a year paid as it is?

Surely if these courses are worth putting on for our teachers then it's a good idea to make them compulsory during mid terms or the like?

Some of the online courses over on http://www.cpdcollege.com/site/summercourses.htm seem a bit 'simple'.

"EPV day is extra personal vacation, although they're usually called course days. If a teacher does a week's inservice course during the summer holidays s/he is entitled to 3 days off during the school year. If they do a 2 week course, they get 4 days and a 3 week course gives 5 days. No sub cover is provided for these days and so the children are usually divided up through the other classes."

26-07-2010 08:04PM

I got as far as "Hello" before closing that link.

And you're right, it's a pisstake that they get 3 more days when the kids are actually there to be taught.

starbelgrade · 26-07-2010 08:04PM

Do you not have something better to do, like homework?

poodles · 26-07-2010 08:05PM

starbelgrade wrote: »

Do you not have something better to do, like homework?

Do you go around looking for thanks with your sh!t jokes on these boards all day?

Mr Benevolent · 26-07-2010 08:08PM

poodles wrote: »

Primary school teachers are able to do a course during the summer which enables them to take an extra 3 days (atleast) personal annual leave. Have they not enough days off a year paid as it is?

Surely if these courses are worth putting on for our teachers then it's a good idea to make them compulsory during mid terms or the like?

Some of the online courses over on http://www.cpdcollege.com/site/summercourses.htm seem a bit 'simple'.

"EPV day is extra personal vacation, although they're usually called course days. If a teacher does a week's inservice course during the summer holidays s/he is entitled to 3 days off during the school year. If they do a 2 week course, they get 4 days and a 3 week course gives 5 days. No sub cover is provided for these days and so the children are usually divided up through the other classes."

Ah go complain about something more important, will ya? What year are you in anyway?

starbelgrade · 26-07-2010 08:08PM

poodles wrote: »

Do you go around looking for thanks with your sh!t jokes on these boards all day?

Not all day. Just evenings mostly.

MrStuffins · 26-07-2010 08:08PM

OP, You have a problem with teachers having time off right?

When teachers have their time off during the school breaks, what would you suggest they do? How would you improve it?

super_furry · 26-07-2010 08:09PM

Anyone that can stand up in front of a group of 30 screaming ****s, teaching them when they don't want to learn, deserves all the time off they can get.

poodles · 26-07-2010 08:10PM

MrStuffins wrote: »

OP, You have a problem with teachers having time off right?

When teachers have their time off during the school breaks, what would you suggest they do? How would you improve it?

They could do some of those courses no?

Pace2008 · 26-07-2010 08:10PM

poodles wrote: »

Rabble rabble rabble.

Rabble rabble rabble.

poodles · 26-07-2010 08:11PM

Pace2008 wrote: »

Rabble rabble rabble.

.....rabble?

I_AmThe_Walrus · 26-07-2010 08:12PM

Of course teachers are "taking the piss".

They feed our children folklore tales of no benefit to their academic endeavors or human development, like Mother Goose, the Tooth Fairy, Jolly Green Giant, Flying Spaghetti Monster and Jesus.

Whats more is, the teachings of a language of no use whatsoever in the modern cosmopolitan world is viewed as a significant area of the education curriculum.

Lastly, our education system needs to be turned on it's head. That god awful fear of 'better past the Leaving our God will forsake you' attitude towards, what is, little more than a farce is destroying our childrens self-esteem and creating "classes" in society which roughly takes one week at best.

Why not have the Leaving Certificate over several months? It would be far more practical and beneficial with attendance records counting for a percentage of your overall grade.

What a useless system it is...

astra2000 · 26-07-2010 08:12PM

Yep it is a p**s take but you cant blame the teachers they do the course they are entitled to whatever their employer(our government) decides they get. I think all these courses should take place outside term time and should be compulsary with no other time off for doing them, likewise I think paying secondary school teachers extra for supervising and correcting state exams is ludicrous!!! this should be part of their job. Dont get me wrong I believe they have a very stressful and important job (as plenty of people in other occupations do to) and I value the job they do very much but I do believe that 5/6 weeks during the summer is ample holidays!

Coriolanus · 26-07-2010 08:13PM

I don't see the problem. Last time I checked they weren't able to claim overtime for correcting stuff out of ours etc.

DebDynamite · 26-07-2010 08:14PM

MrStuffins wrote: »

OP, You have a problem with teachers having time off right?

When teachers have their time off during the school breaks, what would you suggest they do? How would you improve it?

I would suggest they run summer camps to help working parents out.

Summer holidays should ideally be only 6 weeks as it is in Britain. The reason they were 3/2 months long was to allow country children help out on the farm during the summer months. They're far too long and inconvenient for parents in this day and age.

Pace2008 · 26-07-2010 08:14PM

I_AmThe_Walrus wrote: »

Of course teachers are "taking the piss".

They feed our children folklore tales of no benefit to their academic endeavors or human development, like Mother Goose, the Tooth Fairy, Jolly Green Giant, Flying Spaghetti Monster and Jesus.

Whats more is, the teachings of a language of no use whatsoever in the modern cosmopolitan world is viewed as a significant area of the education curriculum.

Lastly, our education system needs to be turned on it's head. That god awful fear of 'better past the Leaving our God will forsake you' attitude towards, what is, little more than a farce is destroying our childrens self-esteem and creating "classes" in society which roughly takes one week at best.

Why not have the Leaving Certificate over several months? It would be far more practical and beneficial with attendance records counting for a percentage of your overall grade.

What a useless system it is...

The teachers do not determine the curriculum, they adhere to it as is required by their contract.

Cypher_sounds · 26-07-2010 08:15PM

Let teachers do what they want in the summer, oh wow they going on a course to further their own education...i say fair play to them...and your just jealous :pac:

poodles · 26-07-2010 08:17PM

Nevore wrote: »

I don't see the problem. Last time I checked they weren't able to claim overtime for correcting stuff out of ours etc.

Well a secondary school teacher won't work straight 9 to 4:30 every day.
They have 'free peroids'.

By your logic - teachers shouldn't get paid for the hours that they have 'free' during the day. Incidently, this is usually when they do their 'overtime' correction stuff.

And from what I remember of my secondary school days teachers had very little of this correcting stuff...maybe at summer time and christmas time exams...boo hoo.

Coriolanus · 26-07-2010 08:19PM

poodles wrote: »

Well a secondary school teacher won't work straight 9 to 4:30 every day.
They have 'free peroids'.

By your logic - teachers shouldn't get paid for the hours that they have 'free' during the day. Incidently, this is usually when they do their 'overtime' correction stuff.

And from what I remember of my secondary school days teachers had very little of this correcting stuff...maybe at summer time and christmas time exams...boo hoo.

No, I'd agree with that. They shouldn't be paid for free periods unless they're doing admin or paperwork.

How many hours on average would they be teaching anyway?

poodles · 26-07-2010 08:21PM

Cypher_sounds wrote: »

Let teachers do what they want in the summer, oh wow they going on a course to further their own education...i say fair play to them...and your just jealous :pac:

Lol - further their education?

Click on the link in the OP and see what these courses entail...

'Know your laptop' or 'CREATING POWERPOINT LESSONS FOR THE CLASSROOM'

Surely these are things that teachers should know how to do...
I remember teachers when I was in secondary school (i'm 25 now) that couldn't even operate a tape player for Aurals practice..

poodles · 26-07-2010 08:22PM

Nevore wrote: »

No, I'd agree with that. They shouldn't be paid for free periods unless they're doing admin or paperwork.

How many hours on average would they be teaching anyway?

My dad was a secondary school teacher and he'd usually have 2-3 periods a day 'free'

think there was 7 periods (40 mins each) in my school per day...

chatjunkie · 26-07-2010 08:22PM

poodles wrote: »

Primary school teachers are able to do a course during the summer which enables them to take an extra 3 days (atleast) personal annual leave. Have they not enough days off a year paid as it is?

Surely if these courses are worth putting on for our teachers then it's a good idea to make them compulsory during mid terms or the like?

Some of the online courses over on http://www.cpdcollege.com/site/summercourses.htm seem a bit 'simple'.

"EPV day is extra personal vacation, although they're usually called course days. If a teacher does a week's inservice course during the summer holidays s/he is entitled to 3 days off during the school year. If they do a 2 week course, they get 4 days and a 3 week course gives 5 days. No sub cover is provided for these days and so the children are usually divided up through the other classes."

Dear OP, I am a primary school teacher and I want to point out that last year for example I ended up using two of my course days for funerals, one being an 83 year old next door neighbour to my home house. If I find not have a course day I could not have gone and the man meant a lot to my family and I. YEs, sub cover is not provided but we teachers set work for ous children, prepare it with them beforehand and correct it after. Plus we pay for these courses out of our own pockets. ANd another point I glue had to miss two very good friends weddings in the last year also because they were on Fridays and I had used my course days for funerals!!!!!

starbelgrade · 26-07-2010 08:24PM

chatjunkie wrote: »

Dear OP, I am a primary school teacher and I want to point out that last year for example I ended up using two of my course days for funerals, one being an 83 year old next door neighbour to my home house. If I find not have a course day I could not have gone and the man meant a lot to my family and I. YEs, sub cover is not provided but we teachers set work for ous children, prepare it with them beforehand and correct it after. Plus we pay for these courses out of our own pockets. ANd another point I glue had to miss two very good friends weddings in the last year also because they were on Fridays and I had used my course days for funerals!!!!!

I sincerely hope that you don't teach English.

Ollchailin · 26-07-2010 08:24PM

Ah for God's sake, you'd swear by the OP that this was news (ok, clearly it is to him/her, but if they're that anti-teacher you'd think they'd have this info already).

My mother has been teaching for over 35 years & for as long as I remember she did a course every summer for a week to get her course days. Now of course what the OP doesn't mention is that the majority of these courses have to be paid for out of the individual teacher's pocket (and ok, they don't cost a fortune, but still).

Also, most other people who go on courses to learn new skills/ update themselves do so during their own working hours. Teachers can't do that and need to do it during their time off. People would be complaining if teachers didn't take these courses to learn new things. There's no pleasing some people.

Oh, and also: rabble rabble rabble big bad useless teachers rabble rabble rabble (just for balance like)

poodles · 26-07-2010 08:26PM

chatjunkie wrote: »

Dear OP, I am a primary school teacher and I want to point out that last year for example I ended up using two of my course days for funerals, one being an 83 year old next door neighbour to my home house. If I find not have a course day I could not have gone and the man meant a lot to my family and I. YEs, sub cover is not provided but we teachers set work for ous children, prepare it with them beforehand and correct it after. Plus we pay for these courses out of our own pockets. ANd another point I glue had to miss two very good friends weddings in the last year also because they were on Fridays and I had used my course days for funerals!!!!!

Thanks for replying, but I think you'll find that many working in this day and age won't get a day off for the funeral of a neighbour. Usualy strictly family funerals only.

The courses don't cost a whole lot now do they? You'd swear it was a raw deal - some of these online courses cost €25 to which u get the equivalent of 3 days pay?

Ollchailin · 26-07-2010 08:27PM

poodles wrote: »

Lol - further their education?

Click on the link in the OP and see what these courses entail...

'Know your laptop' or 'CREATING POWERPOINT LESSONS FOR THE CLASSROOM'

Surely these are things that teachers should know how to do...
I remember teachers when I was in secondary school (i'm 25 now) that couldn't even operate a tape player for Aurals practice..

I can guarantee you that there are loads of teachers out there who can't use powerpoint. Certainly most teachers over 40 probably never did it in college. So surely these courses are a good idea to teach people how to use them.

Trampas · 26-07-2010 08:27PM

they pay for the courses out of their own money also

up for anything · 26-07-2010 08:28PM

chatjunkie wrote: »

ANd another point I glue had to miss two very good friends weddings in the last year also because they were on Fridays and I had used my course days for funerals!!!!!

Boo hoo.

In France, secondary school teachers have to continue working for another four or five weeks running state Summer camps. I have a friend whose children attend a sailing Summer camp every year. 8am to 6pm, five days a week for €40. Compare that to the private gougers in this country where you can pay up to €90 for a Summer camp that lasts five mornings in the week if you are lucky.

poodles · 26-07-2010 08:31PM

Ollchailin wrote: »

Ah for God's sake, you'd swear by the OP that this was news (ok, clearly it is to him/her, but if they're that anti-teacher you'd think they'd have this info already).

My mother has been teaching for over 35 years & for as long as I remember she did a course every summer for a week to get her course days. Now of course what the OP doesn't mention is that the majority of these courses have to be paid for out of the individual teacher's pocket (and ok, they don't cost a fortune, but still).

Also, most other people who go on courses to learn new skills/ update themselves do so during their own working hours. Teachers can't do that and need to do it during their time off. People would be complaining if teachers didn't take these courses to learn new things. There's no pleasing some people.

Oh, and also: rabble rabble rabble big bad useless teachers rabble rabble rabble (just for balance like)

Sorry - I forgot to mention that a whole €25 is the price a teacher can pay to get 3 free days off work paid...

A lot of other people you speak of do Night Courses and not during their working hours. Teacher's could do mandatory courses during mid terms.

And no it's not news to me - both my parents were teachers - one primarty and the other secondary.

Times have changed over the past few years. Cut backs need to be made and I think theres plenty scope in the teacher area.

poodles · 26-07-2010 08:34PM

Ollchailin wrote: »

I can guarantee you that there are loads of teachers out there who can't use powerpoint. Certainly most teachers over 40 probably never did it in college. So surely these courses are a good idea to teach people how to use them.

I agree.
And I guarantee that there of loads of teachers that simply can't teach or hold a classes attention either.

Exactly so, these courses could be done during the weeks of already paid leave that teachers have through a school calandar (easter, christmas, halloween etc.)

bigbadbear · 26-07-2010 08:34PM

I think primary and secondary are two different kettles of fish really.

The professionalism of primary teachers is leagues ahead. There's so much background stuff and preparation and their whole day is a psychology game.

Are teachers taking the p!ss?

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