Anti dementors flock together

[Waleshasgonecompletelycrazy]

Gather here anti dementors

@sudokubook they might fall over and need stitches and then might cough on a granny when they're in hospital and she might infect a nurse and then cause DEATH.

Then have different arrangements for more practical subjects such as art, DT, cooking for example. There seems to be nothing on this at all.

There isn't, and it's an absolute kicker. My dd is year 12, wants to do art at university and she can't see how she's going to be able to get any art tuition any time soon. Her other A-level subjects are sort of ticking along reasonably OK but art is totally different. Her art teachers are brilliant and really trying to find a way forward but they're getting blocked at every turn. A couple of weeks ago one of them came to pick up some of DD's work from the house so she could review it, make some comments and develop a work plan for the next few weeks. This has had to be done in total secrecy, both because it breaks the rules on social distancing and because it is, of course, not really in the spirit of offering equal provision for all.

We've been told that we need to dual teach next term (in HE) which means my 2 hour workshop with 30 students will now be 5x 10 minute pre recorded videos, 1 hour interactive online session for those shielding, 2 X 1hr face to face sessions for those who are on campus but social distancing

That seems reasonable as long as you are paid for the additional time (including additional prep).

Yeah I know mine is meant to be doing DT, music etc too. Just saw this article which says just what you are all saying here about the odd denial of this affecting children etc

We are sacrificing our very youngest generation to protect the lives of the oldest
In any other crisis, cries of “think of the children” would be coming from every corner of the political spectrum. Instead, there is silence

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/05/14/sacrificing-youngest-generation-protect-lives-oldest/

On mentioning meeting a single mother with an only child who said how lockdown was affecting her child, the writer posted online about it..got the comments below

*When I got back, I tweeted about seeing them, and asked how we as a nation have completely overlooked the impact of an extended lockdown on child development. The responses came thick and fast.

"...This woman was a bad mother - didn’t she know that she could talk to her own child? Why not just put him in front of the TV? What did parents used to do before nurseries? Anyway, children are resilient, a few months without any other child contact is not more than a “blip” in their development. Didn’t I realise that there was a pandemic on? How could I be so selfish as to think of the children when there have been over 40,000 Covid-19 deaths in the UK?*

@mascotte I genuinely dont understand why the SG cant get their fingers out and organise some podcasts or online lessons for everyone.

I'm panicking, which I haven't done until now, about the schooling situation. It is unbelievable that we have allowed it to get to this point? What can we do? Please someone tell me what to do!

I've written to my MP (who is a demontor FFS) and I've written to Gavin Williamson but fat lot of good that will do. There needs to be something in the media about the harm this is doing. There is NOTHING. I'm furious, and terrified. Our children need to get back to school. This government will have blood on their hands if they don't start doing something and soon.

@LivinLaVidaLoki

Have now been notified that I will have to work from home indefinitely as I have asthma. My asthma is well managed and triggered by allergies. There seems to be no flexibility regarding the severity or type of asthma, just "you have asthma you've to stay at home"

On the other hand, being so isolated from everyone is having a hugely detrimental effect on my mental health, but that doesn't matter because you know, Covid.

Oh for crying out loud. I've asthma too. Completely unaffected when I've had bad colds and flu. Fine when I had glandular fever and was really ill. At its worst when the bloody weather changes. Nothing anybody can do about that! I hope my new job don't implement anything ridiculous like this.

I'm not allowed to cut and paste the article sadly but it is very good

Well, I've written to my MP and to Gavin Williamson.

At the very least it's made me feel a tiny bit better about the shit show that is schools not opening.

I think I shall carry on emailing regularly, just to try and do my bit to stop being drowned out by the vocal dementors.

@willitneverend I hear you, I know you're struggling and you have my sympathies.

Getting my daughter and her education back on track would be a huge weight off my mind.

Of course, we'd still have to deal with DH's redundancy and my shortage of freelance work, but it sure would be a big help.

What a shower of shit this all really is.

@Nihiloxica

We've been told that we need to dual teach next term (in HE) which means my 2 hour workshop with 30 students will now be 5x 10 minute pre recorded videos, 1 hour interactive online session for those shielding, 2 X 1hr face to face sessions for those who are on campus but social distancing

That seems reasonable as long as you are paid for the additional time (including additional prep).

Unfortunately not. We have a workload system and we've been told we will get the same amount of hours allocated as before because there is no new content. Except it will all be new because it doesn't work virtually. They've now told us we can't view our individual projected workloads because the spreadsheet went missing

Belle

I wish I was surprised.

That is outrageous. Teachers in FE already get quite a shit deal.

Where's your union stopping this kind of exploitation?

This government will have blood on their hands if they don't start doing something and soon.

Isn't it the teaching unions that are dragging their feet and failing to cooperate? This seems to be the case from what I've read and heard.

Oh I don't know why my bold keeps failing. Sorry.

Does anyone know where the thread with the school letter is? It seemed a great template to start with and I'm going to get on contacting the Assembly Members again today.

Only 1/5 of my local AMs replied to my last email (we get 1 constituency and 4 regional Assembly Members). He is a Welsh Conservative and getting more vocal. I have told him he's gained at least one voter. I've never voted Conservative before, but Welsh Labour are the pits, Lib Dems run education (what education?) and Plaid want to give this shower more powers, so I'm struggling! Maybe I'll be UK Labour and float in Wales? Not that it really matters.

Our union seem mainly to be focused on the redundencies in our institution, which the big wigs will be justifying more with the fact they can recycle video content - why employ someone to teach up to date research when you have a video the last lecturer recorded five years ago?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/3931348-Those-concerned-about-ongoing-lack-of-education-in-Spetember-and-onwards?pg=1

It’s here, Wales

Teaching (as a profession - NOT teachers per se) seems to really suffer with OPP or 'other persons problem'.

It seems to be an endless cycle of no one (or very few) grabbing a problem by the bollocks to sort it out. It's always someone else's issue to sort out.

The ones that do stick their head up to do something are quickly slapped down by those around them.

I don't think it's any accident that academies which are run more like a private company have dealt with this situation better.

Frankly the entire situation in untenable.

I'm reading through this report about COVID/Education and Schools in Wales and this point really struck me: gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2020-06/our-latest-understanding-of-covid-19-%20respect-to-children-education.pdf

"The consequences of changes in behaviour or contacts outside of schools as a result of schools reopening can potentially have a larger effect on transmission than the effect of school openings themselves: for example, enabling more parents to return to work." Is this an admission that in keeping home they are really fettering parent's movements to keep the disease down? Wonderful for equality. I don't know where to start I'm so angry as society reopens they've effectively said that parents and children are the ones who should stay home and limit spread. It is labelled not WG Policy, but it has their logo on it.

@Allflightscancelled - I know. It needs all the cogs to start working again. We're losing loads financially and that will carry on until the schools start again, but it's the schools that bother me far more than the money.

A couple of interesting articles:

www.scotsman.com/business/scotland-faces-return-austerity-without-spending-powers-says-kate-forbes-2878503 - Kate Forbes in Scotsman. It's NHS, 3rd sector and business that's being prioritised, not education!

www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/scotland/time-to-prove-that-education-is-still-scotlands-priority-wlk8sgrfn?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1591604010 - Iain Gray raising concerns about Scottish education system.

Thanks @driving - I'm going to have a read through the stuff the WG has sent me like the report I've linked to above and see what I can hack together. My brain has been dulled by lockdown but anger often helps it wake up.

@DrearyWallAntler I think lack of guidance is the key issue, or contradictory guidance. As a lecturer I'm champing at the bit to start sorting out my content for October, because I'll have to spend each evening recording sessions from now to fit it around childcare, but there is no guidance really on how they are doing it all and I don't want to record a ton of content on whatever platform for the management to decide it should all be on teams or something else. I'd imagine it's similar with any moves made by teachers in schools.

I suppose in teaching they have had so many reforms etc over the years as well, that they are used to being told what to do in such detail and maybe that has led to feeling like that as well. A kind of leaned helplessness.

@Cattermole

Aaaaand on R4 news this morning increasing evidence that it was around and about in Wuhan late last year. So what, is this the second wave? Dementors late to the party there then.... tut tut, where were you in December, hm? Slacking on the job!

Not sure if you've seen the other thread I'm on 'Daily new infections'.

We been discussing on there that we think this was the second wave.

I'm fairly convinced it ripped through our household last December so I'm really not fussed with any more frothing about killing people going to buy non essential coffee.

How they are doing it in Qatar. Getting back to normal, whatever that is.
You don’t have to read the whole article..but children under 12 are not allowed in parks.

thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/08/06/2020/Qatar-to-ease-COVID-19-restrictions-in-four-phases

Big hugs to everyone struggling today. I’m physically feeling a bit better, the sun is out so there’s a mood lifter in itself
Still doesn’t stop everything being shit though.
Dragged myself out for an early evening run in the car yesterday, dh had cabin fever, so I put him out down the marina. Was really beautiful, but a bit cool.
The car park we use was deserted in early lockdown. Mine would literally be the only car, it wasn’t yesterday. There were about 15 others who had no doubt been sticking to da roolz
Anyway took the pretty home past the beach. Was still 😡😡😡 at seeing the swings taped up, while the effing go,d club was in full swing 😡😡😡😡😡

Here’s last nights view