TBH:An unheard voice in education

A TEACHER WRITES:A number of weeks ago in this column a frustrated principal wrote of the difficulty of aligning school holidays between different schools. The principal pointed out that several days off are decided by the staff in each school, making it very hard to plan closures around the needs of the wider school community.

I am a teacher in a primary school and we are going through this issue at the moment. Some months ago all teaching staff were invited into the staffroom and a calendar was laid out in front of us. We were told the number of days we could take off this year and asked to agree among ourselves what days they should be. One of the teachers expressed a desire to take a week off in the middle of the third term so that she could travel with her family. Since none of the other teachers had an objection to this they waded in behind the plan.

I was very surprised at the criterion being used to make this decision. At no point in the meeting were the needs of the pupils or parents even discussed. I am new to the school and I was nervous about objecting. What I wanted to ask was: isn’t it going to be very inconvenient for parents if the school closes for a whole week barely a fortnight after the two week Easter holidays?

Wouldn’t it be easier for parents if the days were taken as part of the summer holidays when they are planning for extra childcare anyway?

I have nieces and nephews and I know how awkward it is for my sister to organise childcare during these random school closures. During main holiday periods parents are geared up for school closures and plan for them.

Employers expect some of their staff to cluster holidays around Easter or Halloween to be at home with their children. The whole country has to watch the school calendar and plan accordingly. Even RTÉ broadcasters tend to disappear in November and April. Deviations from the calendar are very difficult for everybody.

I don’t think it’s right that school closures should be determined on the strength of one or two individuals’ travel plans. These choices affect not just teachers but children, parents, the wider family and employers. I think that these decisions should be made further up the line.

At the very least, the Department of Education should have rules around how closures are operated, and schools should not be allowed to drop extended closures into the middle of the school term.

If the department is not prepared to tackle this issue, teachers like us should at least make our decisions with the entire school community in mind. Otherwise, we are just giving parents and media reasons to give out about us.

This column is designed to give a voice to those within the education system who wish to speak out anonymously. Contributions are welcome. E-mail sflynn@irishtimes.com