UK: Teachers should not spend evenings responding to emails from pushy parents

[Independent voter]

Teachers should not be spending their evenings and weekends responding to emails from pushy parents, the Education Secretary will say today.

Damian Hinds is to urge teacher to shun the “huge volume” of emails they receive from mothers and fathers outside of the school day, adding that technology should be making their lives easier rather than adding to their workload.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/educatio...-emails-pushy/

Is this really that big of a problem? What would parents say to teachers? "Did little Mickey enjoy his lunch?"

I know in the US there's often an attempt to get parents more involved in their child's education.

[ellieg]

I imagine it's more that parents are telling teachers that they need to raise the child grades. That theres no way he scored that low and the teacher is just punishing the child for no reason. And they NEED to provide extra credit or whatever.

[Puupi]

How about not share your email to parents?

[dunhildas]

During working hours, I will commit myself to doing the job to the best of my ability, the second that minute hits the hour? Get the hell away from me, find someone else whose paid to give a darn.

[Aqua]

Is this really that big of a problem? What would parents say to teachers? "Did little Mickey enjoy his lunch?"

I know in the US there's often an attempt to get parents more involved in their child's education.

It's entirely clear you have not the perspective of a rabid over achieving parent nor a teacher then. As someone who went through half their life in the private UK education system...goddamn I am so sorry to those that have to teach nowadays.

That's what the school administration should be for, teachers should not have personal email addresses publicised so that parents can dogpile them.

[Castration]

Is this really that big of a problem? What would parents say to teachers? "Did little Mickey enjoy his lunch?"

I know in the US there's often an attempt to get parents more involved in their child's education.

my wife is a teacher here up in Canada, and the teachers email is published for all parents to see and to contact for whatever they like (school related) and she is actually supposed to read/respond every day on her own time which is bullshit.

her response to all emails "come see me after school to discuss....." simple and then the parent cannot turn around and post what my wife said on social media (whether it's good or bad)... cuz believe me... they do and they bash the teacher no matter what.

[Castration]

People never seem to want to acknowledge how much unpaid work teachers do in their personal time.

+1000 up-votes for you my man

My wife stays until 5pm every day to mark and prep for the next day... and this is for a grade 2 class... sometimes I even help mark homework after dinner while the kids sleep.

[Lochton]

Is this really that big of a problem? What would parents say to teachers? "Did little Mickey enjoy his lunch?"

I know in the US there's often an attempt to get parents more involved in their child's education.

Considering some teachers has a lot of children they have to watch over, meaning double the trouble of chances of parents being pushy about expectations and more. You have parents blaming the teacher if their kid can't understand why they are told off - or some even write and complain about too much home work etc.

Curling parenting/satelite parenting tends to be a major problem.

Do like the French, make it against the rules work outside your hours.

[Adapter]

+1000 up-votes for you my man

My wife stays until 5pm every day to mark and prep for the next day... and this is for a grade 2 class... sometimes I even help mark homework after dinner while the kids sleep.

Is working till 5pm considered very long?

[Castration]

Is working till 5pm considered very long?

it is when you remember they deal with 25 little shits (mostly) from 8am-3pm, not to mention multiple kids with learning disabilities and on the spectrum...

I'd be the worst teacher if I had to do that.

[Adapter]

It is when you're expected to work from home for a low wage.

I mean this is without getting into the emotional investment many teachers make

I see.
Over here 5pm is the norm for everyone, and "long hours" is 7 or 8pm.
Goes for everybody, police, firefighters, surgeons etc.

[Boricha]

How about not share your email to parents?

Maybe it's different in the UK, but in the US every teacher has a profile that displays their work email on the website of the school. You don't have the option of hiding it.

OT: My aunt had to deal with that a lot when she taught elementary school. Now she works in school admin, so I imagine it's better.

[UnluckyAmateur]

Is this really that big of a problem? What would parents say to teachers? "Did little Mickey enjoy his lunch?"

I know in the US there's often an attempt to get parents more involved in their child's education.

All for it as an education major.

[Adapter]

So finishing at 5 but then you go home and do more work is the norm?

Not sure what you mean, I was talking to the poster who wrote 5pm.

[Adapter]

The poster responded, not sure why you feel the need to answer my question to him lol.

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it is when you remember they deal with 25 little shits (mostly) from 8am-3pm, not to mention multiple kids with learning disabilities and on the spectrum...

I'd be the worst teacher if I had to do that.

I'm not saying teachers have it easy, but long? Perhaps its a difference between countries/regions.
They also get about 3-4 months paid vacation every year...

[Nynax]

I see.
Over here 5pm is the norm for everyone, and "long hours" is 7 or 8pm.
Goes for everybody, police, firefighters, surgeons etc.

Have to comment when the work day starts too. If you clock in at 5am and don't leave until 5pm, that is a pretty shitty 12hr shift (it's an example, not saying teachers do this).

But then, if you're day starts at 7-8am, you don't leave school until 5pm, and then from 6pm to 7-8pm you are grading papers....what is that? oh, a 12 hr work day (with meal breaks).

[micwini]

In other words: Teachers need to do something to prevent those emails from being sent. Surely there is a reason why these emails are sent. Speaking from own experience: Most emails that I need to sent to teachers is because I have a simple question about something that should be on the eletronic environment but isn't. Most schools have documents for courses, that explains what needs to be done, what the schedule is for colleges, the chapters of books that go with them and what the fuck to do for assignments. Unfortunately, those often raise more questions than answers. Teachers make those themselves, which means they are the only ones to blame for these emails outside of work hours.

TL;DR: Teachers themselves are the cause for these emails. They really need to improve on communication and especially develop the foresight to put answers to FAQ online, for example.

[Minikin]

Is this really that big of a problem? What would parents say to teachers? "Did little Mickey enjoy his lunch?"

I know in the US there's often an attempt to get parents more involved in their child's education.

it depends. my wife is a teacher. some parents are very pushy. to the point of trying to enforce their own cirriculum. some go along with the some. and some dont give a shit to the point that the kid is just left to itself.

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my wife is a teacher here up in Canada, and the teachers email is published for all parents to see and to contact for whatever they like (school related) and she is actually supposed to read/respond every day on her own time which is bullshit.

her response to all emails "come see me after school to discuss....." simple and then the parent cannot turn around and post what my wife said on social media (whether it's good or bad)... cuz believe me... they do and they bash the teacher no matter what.

yeap i can relate to that, my wife teaches french here. loads of unpaid work after work dealing with some crazies.

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In other words: Teachers need to do something to prevent those emails from being sent. Surely there is a reason why these emails are sent. Speaking from own experience: Most emails that I need to sent to teachers is because I have a simple question about something that should be on the eletronic environment but isn't. Most schools have documents for courses, that explains what needs to be done, what the schedule is for colleges, the chapters of books that go with them and what the fuck to do for assignments. Unfortunately, those often raise more questions than answers. Teachers make those themselves, which means they are the only ones to blame for these emails outside of work hours.

TL;DR: Teachers themselves are the cause for these emails. They really need to improve on communication and especially develop the foresight to put answers to FAQ online, for example.

nada.

some of these parents literally challenge the board's ciricullum because junior is struggling. while the majority of kids are just fine.

[micwini]

it depends. my wife is a teacher. some parents are very pushy. to the point of trying to enforce their own cirriculum. some go along with the some. and some dont give a shit to the point that the kid is just left to itself.

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yeap i can relate to that, my wife teaches french here. loads of unpaid work after work dealing with some crazies.

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nada.

some of these parents literally challenge the board's ciricullum because junior is struggling. while the majority of kids are just fine.

sending a mail about changing the curiculum? Ok that's retarded, I agree with that one.

[Adapter]

Have to comment when the work day starts too. If you clock in at 5am and don't leave until 5pm, that is a pretty shitty 12hr shift (it's an example, not saying teachers do this).

But then, if you're day starts at 7-8am, you don't leave school until 5pm, and then from 6pm to 7-8pm you are grading papers....what is that? oh, a 12 hr work day (with meal breaks).

Poster I asked said 8am-3pm.