Lots of teachers do this if they move classes. This includes buying resources for the kids for the term, marking, setting up my program and prepping the classroom. I rarely go on holidays with my family because my school work consumes so much time and effort. Teachers gotta stick together. Image: iStock Source:Whimn. Probably about one quarter of the holidays I spend doing work and three quarters is spent feeling guilty that I'm not doing it.
I do more extra work on the weekends during the term than holidays. It's like go go go during the term then I'm burnt out for two weeks. When I am working in the holidays, I'm doing more prep stuff, a lot of department paperwork, student support referrals, a lot of planning for next term, classroom set-up and excursion organisation. Teachers often spend time working out of official hours after the school day has ended and before school has started.
State schools in England predominantly have three terms with: two week breaks at Christmas and Easter, six weeks off in summer and one week half-term holidays in February and October. The National Union of Teachers defended teachers having a six week break in the summer, and have previously rejected proposals to reduce the amount of time off during the summer holiday.
MORE : Teacher who said being gay was a sin sues uni who kicked him off course. Poppy Logo. FB house promo. How much time is actually spent teaching? In fact, concerns that teachers are not getting enough of a break even during such periods were raised in Parliament in August This time comprises at least two days in March, two weeks in June, two days in September and three weeks during the year-end break. At the same time, the Ministry allows individual schools flexibility with teacher deployment during school holidays in order to meet their specific needs.
For instance, it is common practice for schools to conduct remedial or enrichment classes for specific groups of students. In some schools, teachers may offer small group remediation for students in order to address learning gaps identified during lessons and tests.
Teachers have experienced more challenging demands since the coronavirus hit our shores. During the mid-year school break in May , then Education Minister Ong Ye Kung announced that schools would be inviting students in the graduating cohorts to return for coaching and consultations with their teachers.
Ong mentioned that this support was customary for graduating students during the mid-year break, but had taken on added urgency because of the anxiety brought about by school closures earlier in the year. Furthermore, some students taking subjects with coursework or practical components — in the sciences, design and technology, and food and consumer education for example - needed to use school facilities and equipment in order to make up for lost time.
Besides academic lessons, some teachers are busy during school holiday periods with co-curricular activities. Some activities like camps or leadership courses are less easily conducted during term time when there is a high tempo of teaching and formal curriculum.
Holiday periods in fact provide students preparing for competitions a chance to step up training under the guidance of teachers and external coaches. For instance, the resumption of the National School Games this year after a brief hiatus in meant that sports teams can make use of the March or June breaks for more intensive training.
Pre-coronavirus, school holidays were also a prime time for schools to organise overseas learning experiences. These trips, which centred around such matters as cultural exchanges, adventure learning or service learning, provided students a chance to develop key Character and Citizenship Education skills and competencies such as leadership.
Quite naturally, some teachers would find their school breaks occupied with these trips. Another form of work that occupies some teachers during school breaks is lesson preparation. Amid a dynamic environment in which schools continue to introduce a variety of teaching methodologies such as differentiated instruction, many teachers need that brief let-up from the relentless press of the school day.
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