It's Snowing, So What!

[DangerUXD]

Most of the schools are out! What has happenned to society? I can't remember ever having a day off school due to weather. When the heating broke we had lessons in our coats! Is this some sort of health and safety effect?

[sherrardk]

Basically you are whinging because someone from your household had to (or arrange for someone else to) look after your child/children because the school was unable to open, yet you are unable to comprehend the reasons for it even though 100's of schools took the same decision. Oh, and gold badge to you for being a good boy and getting to work.

[Prudie]

Flight crew, train drivers, bus drivers, dustmen....

[sophie_1003]

JoeLuke; I already mentioned 2; the buses stopped running and the gym closed early.

[sherrardk]

Postmen didn't come today, shops and businesses closed early to let their staff get home safely, footballers not working tomorrow, buses not running, bins not collected.

[starone]

Postman delivered my letter this morning, no problem. If you are anxious about keeping your job or if you get paid by results I am sure you will do your best to attend. Teachers no doubt will still get paid whether they are there or not.

[joeluke]

When schools are closed for snow etc do teachers get paid?

[sophie_1003]

I thought so starbuck but apparently pay can be docked from teachers if they don't go to school when it's open. Don't know how much this happens in reality but I would be willing for the school to take the money equivalent to a days supply out of my pay if I couldn't make it in due to snow.

[sophie_1003]

Any business closed for snow still needs to pay it's workers; it's not the workers fault the place is closed.

[sherrardk]

Yet again, the teachers don't close the school - the decision is made by someone else. If they are deemed to be taking the piss they will be duly told and will get a warning. Sick of people going on about how cushy teachers have it, any of you were free to get a job in a school (teaching or non-teaching) and then you would have got the '13 weeks a year holiday'.

[DaisyNonna]

Doing one's best and doing the impossible are two different things.
When will Joe realise that it is not up to the individual teacher to decide whether or not a school opens?

[joeluke]

Yes I know teachers don't close the schools but they directly cause them to close when they open the curtains, see snow, fancy the day off and call in to say they won't........ooops sorry I mean can't make it in.

A couple of these and headteacher finds he is understaffed and closes school

[sherrardk]

Yes Joe, they do (because THEY don't decide when the school is closed). They also get very good sickness benefits, used to be 6 months full pay, could go back for a day and do it all over again. But that's life, they decided to be teachers, you didn't.

[sherrardk]

Some of the schools around here were closed last night before it even started snowing. The decision to close my kids schools was made before 7 this morning, most teachers wouldn't have rung in absent by then (no one to ring that early). You really are going to have to get rid of that chip of yours.

[Barmaid]

I am only in my 40s yet can remember our village being completely cut off (1987 I think it was) and had it not been for my dad in his tractor we wouldn't have had post/bread/milk for days. The village, situated as it was, made it impossible to get down the hill to get into town. Consequently, we were almost cut off.

The teachers have no choice. It is generally the Head/Management team who make that decision.

50 years ago, kids went to school far closer than they do today. Almost every village had a school - or there was one in walking distance. Now all the parochial schools have closed so transport is required. It is generally transport that is the killer rather than the heating issue.

[sherrardk]

Ps - lost of head teachers are women these days (just in case you didn't know that that was allowed).

[sophie_1003]

In my school it is really only me and another teacher who live fairly far away and can't walk in so theoretically they'd be OK if we couldn't make it. I'll let you know on Monday whether school is open or not. Incidentally our school closed today after all of the teachers were already there; don't know how I directly caused that one?

[gness]

JL won't believe it but I never had a day off through snow. When there were no children I had more than enough of my evening and week-end work to do. Can't ever recall being paid for not working. Do recall working and not getting paid though. Why? I loved it....once.... and I was good at what I did.

[joeluke]

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/ChatterBank/Question1208162.html

[jno]

but what if it was snowing Bailey's, gness?