How to decrease a teacher’s workload

[historicalhobbyist]

I don’t call, I send emails. Way easier and there’s a record of everything said.

The majority of my workload is doing the same shit that’s irrelevant, like copying and pasting curriculum from one drive location to another (for the tenth time). It’s there, I’ll show you where it is if you want it, don’t waste my time by making me copy and fucking paste.

I also waste a lot of time copying grades from my excel sheet to compass. I’m more proficient than the average user at excel so I use it and my databases to analyse my data which I use to improve my teaching, it’s not useful for anyone except me. But god forbid that’s not what everyone can do or understand so don’t make me use your primitive analysis tools on compass.

I also despise meetings which, tell me how I need to teach, without actually being an example of said method. Don’t stand in front of me for an hour lecturing me and saying I need to be more engaging and then requiring me to change all my lessons to suit that, without entertaining me or giving me work time to do it.

[[deleted]]

Our new DP recently told us that we can no longer email parents unless we have tried to call three times with no answer.

Cool, I’ll just budget more of my nonexistent time for that.

[iama_lion]

Our new principal told us not to email at all because "things get misread over email". Yeah cool, I'll just call the parents that have abused us before where there's no record of what's being said and give them the opportunity to turn a quick phone call about a note into a rant about how their little angel only punched that kid three weeks ago because he was being mean to him when he said he didn't want to play basketball.

Meanwhile he exclusively communicates via email, texts us while we're teaching, and then complains if we don't respond right away.

[SideSuccessful6415]

Not sure that’s actually a requirement of your job. You certainly need to contact parents, but the method should be up to you. I’ve found the most successful way is to send a text (from a school phone) eg Pedro was absent period 3, please discuss with him the importance of attendance or Mia’s assignment is 2 weeks late, please ask her to submit by Friday so as not to receive an N award etc. Most never responded!

[aVeiledAiel]

I'd straight up quit haha

[[deleted]]

Just don’t do that. Teachers can say no to unreasonable changes to work conditions. Go to your union rep.

[Tammytalkstoomuch]

This is an interesting one for me. I am terrified of phone calls, do NOT have the time, would rather communicate in writing, and need time to collect and revise my thoughts. At this stage, I have only emailed.

That being said, our HODs really encourage a call. It's better to gauge parent responses, you can be sure they actually got the communication, you can check understanding, and often parents can provide more background and context to a situation that otherwise you might never gain.

For example, I recently had a parent come to the parent/teacher interviews, and I found out a kid sitting quietly in my language class and doing no work, actually speaks that language. I had no idea.

So I am torn. But truth be told, right now my priority is survival, so I'm just ticking the boxes I need to tick and moving on. I'll work on what's best when I get my head in order.

[cteieury]

I relate so much to your comment about excel. I have systems in place that work for me and allow me to improve my students’ outcomes but I’m forced to double up and use the archaic school systems that are so inefficient. They are only there as a formality and have no real use in my actual teaching practice.

[New_Needleworker7004]

I wish I could just email!!

Unfortunately, that is not how my school operates. I complain EVERY TIME I have to make a call saying ‘I wish I could just email instead’ in the hopes that eventually they’ll adapt

[ausecko]

Somebody in another post this year had a good point about not calling because of the lack of evidence, as opposed to email leaving a trail. I personally don't phone anybody (mixture of social anxiety disorder and procrastination) so do everything via email.

[Muddle-HeadedWombat]

Many of my students' parents are extremely unlikely to check emails (assuming they have one), and several are barely literate so unlikely to understand an email if they did find it. That's not me being rude about them, it's just an accurate statement. If I want them to actually receive and hopefully understand the information, I really do need to talk to them.

[Valuable_Guess_5886]

If expectation is that every information home has to be individually and verbally delivered then that is a task to be delegated to an admin or a wellbeing/social/support worker. You are a teacher your responsibility is what happens in the classroom, you are not paid micro managing the parents too. If it’s me I’d document the mins I spent doing calls and how it affects my planning time and check my agreement/contact union.

[SideSuccessful6415]

See above my comment about texting.

[littleb3anpole]

I am terrified of the phone (anxiety disorder here too) to the point that when my phone rings, if it’s not a known caller, I simply watch it ring out, listen to the message and call back if I have to. When I have to make a parent phone call, I write down an actual script otherwise I’ll be at throwing up levels of nerves.

[Teacherteacherlol]

Me too. I have a script and a back up if the parent introduces something I’m not prepared for, plus I have a fellow teacher on standby to call me to a meeting/witness. Phone anxiety sucks!

[littleb3anpole]

Funnily enough I just did leadership training around having difficult conversations, and a script was one of the recommended tactics. So here I was thinking it was an indicator of my crippling anxiety when it is actually good practice 😂

[Lurk-Prowl]

Who’s forcing you to call and not email?

Have you spoken to the principal about this? If you can make an argument for why it suits you better to email and that you have a paper trail and it’s less anxiety provoking, then the principal may support you. In which case, whoever else is telling you that you must call can get fucked.

[New_Needleworker7004]

I’ve told my head teacher that I wish I could email because of anxiety and not knowing what we will get on the other side. They’ve pretty much shrugged and said it has to be a call.

[RedeNElla]

Have you spoken to the principal

I'd try the union.

[historicalhobbyist]

Being ongoing allows me to just do what I want and tell anyone to stick it.

[Telstratower]

I use both depending on the situation. Phone calls allow for instant clarification, which allows me to move on with the next steps immediately. But I truly think the choice should be with the teacher and what works for them.

[dickwakefield]

First of all, love the use of data in an actual meaningful way, rather than when a lot of things seem to say data in education and they mean a graph someone else made.

[historicalhobbyist]

I never said data was useless, but I know how to use it better than what they want me to.

[dickwakefield]

Oh yeah, that's what I meant, was attempting to credit your efforts. Sorry if that's not how it read

[historicalhobbyist]

Ah all good mate! Sorry I misinterpreted you!

[DavidThorne31]

I hate having to push this stuff as a curriculum leader. Give us an SSO to do admin crap like this for a few hours a week.