@Lorcán Coyle: We’ve cancelled training days and curtailed extra curricular. Teachers already do the likes of English and STEM after school for leaving cert. All exam years were catered for with work sent through email. Other years got to enjoy family time and primary students made memories they’ll never forget. This idea is an absolute load of rubbish! I can safely say that only one or two of my students would turn up, the rest would be doing sport, having a rest or recovering from Friday night.

@Hazel Williams: Ah yeah begrudge the kids time off. It’s s great for them to be under pressure all the time, stuck with thirty others for the day, the pack mentality, no family life, out in the dark, home in the dark. Yeah, feck ‘em! Let’s make their life a misery so we can get back at those teachers!

@Hazel Williams: kids don’t, never did, teachers do.

@Emachine: Irish teachers work longer hours and have larger classes than OECD average. Irish secondary schools have a much better completion rate than OECD average yet have one of the lowest funding levels in the OECD. They’re facts. Work out what they mean yourself.

@Hazel Williams: They probably don’t need the breaks at all.

@TheHeathen: yeah, yeah, it’s all about how it wouldn’t suit the kids, we getya load and clear.

Dogs looking after the sausages again!

I had to make up my days, or put in for annual leave.

@Tony Gordon: Well done Tony. I’ve made up the work I missed with most of my classes already, probably because I’m great, but really it’s because I only missed maximum two classes with each year group and cancelled my extracurricular. (Which would have seen me home late and the kids are pissed about it.)

You’re great too by the way. That’s unfortunate about the annual leave. Maybe in the future our great leader could heat the roads or bring them in or something.

@TheHeathen: That’s a load of poppycock. You are obviously a teacher. You work half the year and have a very decent salary and monster pension (unless you’re one of the younger teachers that were sold down the swanny by the teachers already in the profession). You are also pretty much unsackable even if you go completely doolally – the worst that will happen is that you’ll be set teaching PE, religion or Irish.

@Sean: Did you consider teaching as a career as you will only have to work “half the year” for a “decent salary” and the “monster pension”! Real shortage of teachers at the moment (particularly in primary schools ) so it might be worth considering.

@Sean: Yes. I’m very obviously a teacher. You comprehend real good! Can you tell me what’s poppycock? And I am one of the lower paid teachers. I don’t have a huge pension as I’m late to the profession, and having worked in the private sector I’ve taken a big pay cut. But I hated my old job. It was boring listening to tedious people like you. If it’s such a promised land why is there a huge crisis looming re. the shortage of teachers? Only six Physics teachers graduating this year! It’s absolutely ridiculous to see the begrudgery and disdain that teachers receive on here and other sites. It just shows how little education is actually valued, just a babysitting service. Good education is this country’s way forward but idiocracy is actually our future as things stand.

@TheHeathen: Try working UK Secondary Hours.

@Hazel Williams: and some are off for a week again in May and they finish up in June !!!

@TheHeathen: give it a rest, our teachers are one of the most Molly-coddled bunch in the public sector and that is saying something. Secondary schools open 187 days per year, finish before 16:00 and have a half day every week, yet they are paid for a full year full time and even have the nerve to demand payment for state exam supervision. When this is put to them they complain about having to mark papers in the evening, here’s a suggestion, stay till 18:00 5 days a week like a grown up and do the marking in those 12 hours per week, not to mention the 3 months holidays, mid term etc. Try compare teachers pay and conditions to those in the other professions public and private, you’ll find it is a very handy number they have for themselves.

@Alan Pike: Depends on the school, in Kildare for some it was Wednesday to the following Tuesday, on top of three days for Ophelia. That’s 7 or 8 days.

@TheHeathen: Please. Plenty of primary schools are closed this Friday for in house training. Perhaps you’re not, but others are.

@Emachine: Here’s a suggestion. Why can’t I do the work at home like I already do? Here’s another suggestion. Why don’t you become a teacher if it’s so fantastic? Why is there a huge shortage of teachers if it’s so great? I could also argue each of your other rubbish points but I can’t get by the giant chip on your shoulder.

@Aine O Connor: that’s teacher talk that is.

@Peter Roche:
In 1937/38 the National folklore Commission collected essays written by 60,000 children in 5,000 National Schools called The Schools Project . The children recorded stories from their parents and grandparents and neighbors, which included oral history, games and pastimes,trades and Crafts . , folktales and legends, and everything and anything about ordinary life at the time.
There would be such a stark difference between life back the and life now.
All these essay are to be found online under Duchas.ie
And no I am not a teacher but I am a Grandmother and I remember well the snow in 62/63 and 1982.

@Daffy the Bear: manufacturing businesses are working this weekend to make up for time lost last week. It is true.
Also many office based staff worked from home where possible.
The curriculum needs to be completed and if extra days are required they need to be taken.

@Ted Logan: the original point is still false.

@Ted Logan: Tuition time will be prioritized , do you want school tours/matches/sports’ day etc cancelled as well?

@Darren Norris: nope

@Euro is Dead: your doctor and solicitor weren’t paid for the days they didn’t work.

@Euro is Dead: Yes. Lots of offices are doing this.

@Darren Norris: how do you know ? Most ? Most teachers do extra circular, extra classes in the morning or the evening before or after school extra listening to all sorts of issues to do with child welfare………. and now we listen to people like you who wouldn’t know the first thing about what is involved in the job…… Oh ups you were a student in a classroom and that’s why you know it all about someone else’s profession

@P.J. Nolan: maybe u might need that second guess after all PJ

@P.J. Nolan:

Maybe if teachers got paid a professional salary which was commensurate with their qualifications and importance of their role in society they may react differently. But if you treat people badly then don’t expect them to put themselves out to help you.

PS: I am not a teacher and nor am I connected to any teachers, I just understand the importance of education

@Nick Allen: if you work out a teachers pay by the hours they work I think you’ll find they are paid very well indeed.

@Emachine:

Such a stupid comment. Not even considering the time teachers put in marking homework etc it is not about how much you earn an hour, it’s about how much you take home at the end of the month. There is no point earning 200€ an hour if you are only working 3 hours a week

@Graham:
Sarcasm seems to be going over people’s head!

P. S. Quite a few teachers in my family….

@Nick Allen: teachers have it too easy. Way too much time off.

@Scorpionvenomm: and what physically stopped you becoming a teacher? You could have went to University to become one. Now they have to pay 12k for a master’s degree for two years of free work to go into a job which are just subbing contracts and if it is a potential job they have to re-interview every year to fill ‘the schools quota’ of interviews. Teachers go home and correct hundreds of exams(Christmas exams, summer exams, pre exams, general class tests), copies etc.

@P.J. Nolan: hehe…I got it PJ. Just reciprocating

@Live at Oriel: I happen to agree with your point but I find it utterly disheartening that you had to finish your comment with the veiled threat if it happens the minister ‘will regret it deeply as it will lead to strong industrial unrest” ? Seriously ??? You wonder why so many normal decent hard working middle class people form the view that the teachers in ireland seem completely oblivious to the position of privilege they enjoy in this country. I believe we have one of the shortest school years in the European Union , pay levels are in the top 10 !! Easy to secure mortgages , security thru the deepest of recessions and I dont need to outline the extensive amount of paid time off enjoyed during the year. The country saw so many examples of great efforts and community spirit during the storms and when it comes to the teachers you have to revert to the veiled threat of ‘strong industrial unrest’. You should be ashamed.

@Johnny Mason: Really? Thinking about the children how?

@Dave Hammond: “Pay levels in the top ten?” Shortest school year? Have you been reading the Indo and falling for spin ? Can you link to these “ facts” please?

@Dave Hammond:
What an ignorant and utterly unintelligent reply to make. Are you serious? “Middle class”? – teachers are amongst the middle class themselves and also are decent hard working people! You are saying we should be ashamed , I think a comment like that suggests you look elsewhere for that shame, but it certainly isn’t for teachers. Teachers are paid a salary that covered working hours at school (not hours spent marking work, planning lessons, voluntary clubs afterschool) and this salary is spread over the summer months so you are incorrect again it would seem. Please focus on educating yourself before making such sweeping statements that have no insight or factual basis!

@Dave Hammond: Are you for real.Teachers have had 20 per cent pay cuts, increases in teacher pupil ratio, unequal pay for younger teachers, .Teachers are not recession proof .Your joking.Even two teachers married and a joint income won’t get a mortgage . We were treated with utter contempt by the last government and in particular Riairi Quinn.We were threatened if we did not accept govt pay proposals and working conditions we would b locked out of the schools even though we would not b on strike.Guidance counselling was cut to shreds.With so many children under sip much pressure a much needed support was almost destroyed .I dealt with abuse, drugs, suicide ideation, eating disorders , bullying Drugs and it goes on as a counsellor.

Gerry Malone Counsellor

@Dave Hammond: this is how they get their way. They hold a gun to the head of our childrens education in the form of industrial action and demand they get their way or our kids will suffer the consequences. For a group supposedly dedicated to the children, they are a horrendously self serving bunch.

@Emachine: Plenty of teachers work outside of school times . Tonight we have two staff members at a quiz , 6 at first confessions , 2 on a talk in healthy eating . In the next few weeks we will have the St. Patrick Day’s Parade and Peace Proms. That’s not counting the 4 staff members who have had no proper lunchtime for months to do a musical and to prepare classes for a drama festival . Then you have fundraisers like a 5 km run, Easter fair, bag packing , busking for charity.Never mind training teams for all the various sporting opportunities we afford our child , an overnight trip to Co. Meath for football competition, 4 nights away with our 6th class tour – and that’s just off the top of my head .

@Bríd Uí Mhaoluala: it is now time to bill the Dept of Education for all these extra curricular activities.

@Emachine: so I take it you are going to make up for whatever days lost in your employment!

@Micheal S. O’ Ceilleachair: Because we all know that the DES will pay, right ?
All of the above are taken for granted and not allowed to count as “ Croke Park” time , showing just how much the DES appreciates it !

@Micheal S. O’ Ceilleachair: I’m self employed, I didn’t have the luxury of taking time off. If I did I wouldn’t have been paid. If I worked for someone else and couldn’t make it in I wouldn’t have expected to be paid, but unlike me teachers and in fairness the whole public service get 3 paid days off that they feel they shouldn’t have to work back.

@Micheal S. O’ Ceilleachair: teachers are there to teach, so you volunteer to do extra curricular activities, big deal. Don’t do them if you don’t want to but if you do, don’t throw them in our face when you are asked to actually do your job. Teachers should have standard hours 9-6, 48 weeks a year like the majority of the rest of the population. It’s remarkable how in service days always seem to happen on a work day, you’re off for half the year and it can’t be organised to have these during the holidays. It boils my blood when I hear them complaining about their tough job and how they’re taken for granted, get a grip, you have it so good it’s revolting.

@Emachine: Go ahead and stand in front of a class of 30 rowdy boys/girls a lot of whom don’t want to be there especially in the later years, dealing with shouting all day if you didn’t get the ‘top streamlined class’. Then go home and spend a good chunk of your break correcting Christmas exams, summer exams, pre exams, homework, copies all the while replying to emails from students out of *free* time. Then go to the non paid staff meetings, do the non paid supervision, lunch time supervision, detention. Then go ahead and re-apply for your own job so the school can fill their ‘interview’ quoata, and all this on low pay because of cuts after spending 12k on a master’s for 2 years of free teaching with majority of teachers having to go onto social welfare for summer months. *Shocker*

@Teresa Mc Cormack: Some schools do, some don’t.