Teachers and Snow Days

[Ric.ror]

Should they get paid?

I managed to get to work - my colleague would have but her little ones school was closed.

[Coobeastie]

...and if they did that you'd also get those saying that they'd known about the weather beforehand so why hadn't they done something earlier, pretty much what the councils got with the gritters last time around.

Should some departments heed the weather forecasts and others just wet their finger on the day to see what the weather is like?

[squarebear]

I just think it's madness that the country practically stops after a few inch of snow. I am expected to go to work, so why not others?

All should wet their finger and see what it's like. Obviously, those in charge of clearing the roads need to do their job and should be prepared.

[Ric.ror]

I am glad I have sparked a debate, it just seems a little unfair that when the rest of us seem to rally around and make an extra effort teachers dont seem to make any effort - not all but I dont see many doing what my friend did.

Finally I was told of a headteacher who, when he knew it was going to snow set off in the early hours of the morning to get to his school on time. He reasoned that his pupils were safer in school than they were in their own homes - it was that kind of school or rather, sadly, some had that kind of home

[Ric.ror]

One more thing - the gritters seem to have done a great job - its not perfect but they woke me up at 3am gritting my road. I know they are getting paid but A) they deserve it B) I would not get up at that time no matter what I was being paid

[squarebear]

Look well if all the gritter guys had rung in because it was a bit chilly outside!

[Quinlad]

Even by the thick, grumpy standards of AB, this thread is exceptionally thick and grumpy.

Seems to me a lot of people have worked themselves into a mard because other people are at home and they're not. The difference in the logistics of working with children are so obvious I can barely be bothered to point them out.

Cheer up, chumps!

[squarebear]

I don't mind them being at home, as long as they are not getting paid. We had awful weather in the seventies yet not one child missed school because of a bit of snow.

[B00]

SquareBear..."Expect the parents to take a day off to look after their children? "...you posted that comment in all seriousness? So the teachers are your unpaid childminders now?

Heaven forbid that you have to care for your own children occasionally!

[craft1948]

The winter of 1963/64 was one of the worst on record yet my school stayed open. I remember it well as I had to get there on crutches with my leg in plaster.........

[squarebear]

I asked what schools currently do now when they close. Do they contact each parent and expect them to take (possibly unpaid leave) in such short notice?

[B00]

If necessary yes- what would you have them do? Turf them out of the school and hope for the best?

[squarebear]

But as I said before, that isn't going to happen. We don''t live in Canada. Why would they need to send children home?

[Barmaid]

If a headteacher takes a decision to close a school (and it is the head's decision), it's hardly fair on teachers who also have bills to pay and families to feed if they are prevented from working and pay deducted as a result. They may vehemently disagree with the decision and want to work. In any event, the few teachers I know are extremely dedicated and will use the time at home to catch up on paperwork and admin (of which there are HUGE amounts - that's the reason I gave it up).

Given the crap our teachers have to put up with in schools and they are not well paid, I don't begrudge them a day not travelling when the weather is awful.

[B00]

Boiler breaks? No school busses running? Could be anything Squarebear. The point im trying to make is that it's not the schools or teachers responsibility to care for your children. They teach...and if for whatever reason they're unable to do this the sole responsibility to find alternative childcare is yours, not theirs.

[squarebear]

"what ' other professions ' have the responsibility for the care of the mass of our children ? "

None that has changed since I was at school and never had a closure. I already answered this on the first page of the thread at 13:35

[horselady]

Well said Quinlad, you can't really compare carrying responsibility for children's welfare with some other jobs. Yes, when we were kids we went off to school in all weathers and accepted it, but the world was very different then, these days some parents would sue the education authority at the drop of a hat if their child was hurt in school because of the snow/ice. My OH is out there being an RAC man helping people out of scrapes, rang earlier to say he went to a young mum with 2 little kids in the car and she was just sobbing her eyes out because she only passed her test in the summer, had no idea what driving in this could be like and her car had slid off the road and into a ditch. She "needed" to go shopping apparently!

[Coobeastie]

Personally I'm not at work today (nothing to do with the snow) and my daughter is not old enough to be effected by school closures but I took my wife in to work (NHS) a 60 mile round trip through rural area (ungritted lanes with drainage ditches at the side) as she's not used to driving in the snow and I am.

My dad used to work as a gritter, he'd do his normal day job come home have some dinner and then would be back out for another 8 hour shift clearing the roads.

The authories are prepared that's why the roads are being gritted, but that doesn't prevent the roads from freezing over again and becoming dangerous.

Don't know what you do squarebear and maybe you're at lunch maybe you're self employed but if not would your employer expect you to be surfing answerbank for over an hour?

Canada is completely different they have this weather year on year, they have snow tyres, snow chains etc. We haven't had a prolonged freezing period like this since 1981. Its like saying that if we have a freak heat wave and the roads all melt that we should be dealing with it because Dubai can cope with high temperatures.

[squarebear]

If the boiler breaks, fair enough but why wouldn't the school bus be running? It always used to when we had MUCH worse snow than the few flakes I see outside or on the news

[B00]

School busses might not be running due to the severe ice on the roads? Now i know you're next argument is gonna be "well grit the buggers then, Canada manages etc etc etc", but again ,the simple fact is that countries like Canada have the resources to tackle bad weather we don't. We'd only have those if we're prepared for another massive (probably) tax increase....you want that?