kips

As I usually do on a Monday after my son, aged 8,comes home from school I asked him where his weekly homework sheet was as it wasn't in his school bag.

We haven't got any because it's nearly the end of term he cried. That's a week and and a half away I remonstrated in disgust.

Not allowed to take out a library book either this week and he has started to bring home all his work, including exercise books.

And he seems to be spending a lot of time colouring in pictures in class. Very nice but not exactly challenging.

So I am not sure if the kids are being taught anything educational. Call me old-fashioned but I thought we sent our children to learn English, maths, science, geography, history, etc right up until at least the last couple of days of the school year.

On Wednesday I was handed a note from my son's school informing me: "During the last few days of the 2011 school year, the Year 3 classes will be watching Nativity, a 2009 BBC comedy" as part of end of year celebrations. Not sure how this fits into the curriculum.

I'd like to know from other parents if their kids' teachers also on "go slow" for the rest of the school year and think the teachers are being lazy.

I know if I decided to "take it easy" at work for 8 days because I was going on leave for a couple of weeks I would be sacked. Why don't the same standards apply in the public sector ?

I would be very annoyed if I was sending my son to a private school and paying for him to spend time watching TV and colouring in pictures of crocodiles and snakes.

eddie007

The "better" schools ie private have already packed up and gone home for the holidays...

Its a long term, kids are tired, staff are tired, its hot and its christmas....

Get over it

DeadVim

Yeh, there seems to be a wind-down for the last week or so here too (including no homework).

Doesn't both me, or my wife, the kid seems to be learning plenty and we are more than happy with her progress so I don't really have grounds for complaint.

I wouldn't fancy being a teacher so I'm not going to call any of them lazy, at least not at our local.

Amazulu

My 8yo son has just finished year 3 and they were working (albeit at a slower pace) and doing homework until the 2nd last day. I wouldn't have been too stressed if they had been kicking back a bit he's only 8 and they've done a lot this year.

itigo

My daughter's school stopped homework 2 weeks ago and they are a primary that likes to push their pupils. She still has readers but no more library books. It does seem early, but then I think back to the ends of term that I used to do as a teacher............

We are NOT all lazy teachers who just sit filing our nails while the kids colour in. There are a lot of logistical things happening at the end of the year. Testing needs to be done so that next year's teachers have some heads up about how their new children are doing, and where they need to go. Many of the tests are one to one......

Records need to be updated, classrooms tidied and made ready for the real deep cleaning that happens after term ends........yes, teachers do go in for a few days after school finishes.......it's easier to do that without finding x,y and z belonging to this or that child.........

Resources and records need to be sent on to the new teachers, generally this huge paper moving exercise happens the same day as new classes day. The children are mega tired, excited, hyped, shattered etc. so concentration and application are difficult to sustain. In the UK in July it was bad enough, stick Christmas in too and it must be very hard!

My daughter has had movie afternoons, colouring sessions but also told me she had a teacher one on one conference to go through a piece of writing today to make sure it was perfect before final copy (she's grade 1) so I think her teachers are doing academic in the morning then letting the kids relax a bit in the afternoon while they do the organisation side of things........

Sorry for the long post but I get annoyed with the perception that teachers sit on their arses all day. I would say that 90% of my teaching day was spent on my feet, and certainly none at my desk. We also stay at school until 6pm doing work each day. One parent didn't believe that we stayed past 3:35!!

itigo

And before anyone says anything, the teachers will also be working at home in their own time of an evening to make sure the paperwork is all as it should be.........

but as we get so much holiday, we should just suck it up as cushy public sector workers eh?

eddie007

My mother was a teacher.... You all have my DEEPEST sympathy... i know how much she gave above and beyond... Coz we missed out on her... Parents evenings, lunchduties, afterschool clubs, all the bloody paperwork, marking, end of term productions.... Preparation for the new term, new lesson plans, new kids to get a handle on....The whole kit n kaboodle used to leave her exhausted....

Funny how lay people percieve a teachers role and responsibilities..

Walk a term in their shoes is what I say....

moneypenny20

Here Grade 12 finished a month ago, grade 11 three weeks ago, 10 two weeks ago and 8 and 9 finished today. It kind of pisses me off that 8 and 9 finished course work two weeks ago and so had an 'alternative curriculum' for a fortnight. No issues with finishing assignments and homework last week, teachers need to get all marked and report cards out before the end of term but two weeks before? Not an issue for me any more, my youngest has just finished 11 and even went in after her finish date to do stuff. End of school year I don't think it's much of an issue, most students and staff are exhausted anyway, no serious learning can happen when they're knackered.

As for library staff, don't even get me started - although I will I happened to be with Tiddler when she took her books back and library bitch didn't realise I was there. Tiddler got a complete earful for taking her books back on the Wednesday when she reckoned they should have been back over a week earlier. Tiddler just shrugged but as the bitch (and she is, I used to work at the school, I know what she's like) started the same rant to the next student I felt the need to pipe up and tell her that most of the grade 11 students had exams the previous week and so needed their books until the last minute. She reckoned they should have finished with prior to the exams. I told her she was mistaken and that had Tiddler returned her books a week before her exams I'd have been seriously pissed off.

northernbird

Yep, in the 2 primary schools my children have attended it is not different. Once the reports are done the work for the year has been covered so they are on go slow and wind down. As Eddie says privates finish early, my 14 year old finished on Wednesday lunchtime.

Just the way it is.

Pennines49

Total agreement KIPS, not good enough, too laxed.

northernbird

The curriculum for the year has been covered though. Better than the ridiculous hothousing in the UK.

Amazulu

They're 8 years old, not 16 - if they've finished their work for the year then it's not a problem.

Bermudashorts

Well don't have kids but am thinking back to my own school days in UK. I didn't have any homework whatsoever until I was about 11 or 12 (i.e. secondary school). And I am sure things always slackened off at the end of term, especially at the end of the school year.

So chill out. An 8 year old isn't going to suffer because school is a bit more play than work for the last week of term.

benny the ball

Jeez, they're eight, it's the end of year...get over it.

As someone said the private schools all finished last week.

Damson

My kids Year 6 and Year 3) here in the UK might as well not have bothered going for the last week and they don't break up until next Weds. I don't have a problem with it (although a reduction in fees to reflect the fact that they are colouring in Christmas trees rather than hard and fast learning would be nice!). The only thing I do object to is that if you take your kids out of schools for the last few days of term then all hell lets loose.

I think letting them wind down for a bit is actually quite nice, especially as it's certainly not something that will happen in their lives later on.