Will teachers get less criticism when the children finally go back to school?

[converseandjeans]

There are often posts on MN complaining about DCs class teacher or their school. Will teachers enjoy a new found respect once this crisis is over? Will some parents suddenly realise that it's not actually that easy to keep children on task? Bearing in mind the average primary school class has 30 children in it.

Maybe for about 5 minutes.

But entitled people and cheeky fuckers are not going to change their spots. First time their precious pickle is cast as a tree in the nativity or something they'll be up in arms again.

I've never posted here before but felt compelled to do so after reading some messages on this thread. People seem to be assuming that schools should be setting work for children based on the national curriculum and what would be being taught were schools open. In actual fact, schools have been told they are closed apart from to provide care for children of key workers and vulnerable children. Therefore we are no longer educators but child care providers. Whilst we as a school are setting a minimal amount of work, we are doing so to ensure that children at home have something to occupy themselves with and to stop them feeling too isolated whilst at home. Children having to attend school will do the exact same work and then play.

Please remember that whilst these are trying times for parents and children, teachers are human too. This whole situation is unprecedented and teachers in my school are having to provide care from 7am until 6pm when they are on rota for key worker children and those classed as vulnerable.

We will not receive Easter holidays, including good Friday and Easter Monday therefore when not on rota, we will be report writing, liaising with outside agencies, checking in over the phonewith vulnerable families opting to stay at home.

In February, there was a national push to be kind to each other. Let's remember that during difficult times too. Its when kindness it most needed and appreciated.

I'm not trying to blame the teachers and I have downloaded stuff off the Internet for them but because everything is so uncertain and we don't know how long school will be off for I can't help but worry that they will fall behind. If for example I knew they were going back after Easter I wouldn't be so worried (unlikely they will) but they might not be back until September.
I keep reading about school setting work up for children and wondering if it's just their school that are struggling to do this.

I saw a thread on FB that was discussing the issue of teenagers gathering in groups and one person had the audacity to say it was down to the teachers for not conveying the severity of the Coronavirus properly!

To be honest, I can unfortunately see more.

Looking after one or two kids at home will make them think they 'did the job just as easily', whilst schools are sending out the message (literally), that what they're doing for keyworkers children is 'just childcare'.

(Having said that, I would say I have a very balanced view of teachers. Our company provides support services to schools, and I can honestly say that teachers are just as varied as any other group - there are brilliant ones, there are ok ones, there are lazy, stupid, and mean ones.)

What I would think might happen is that the majority of people who have reasonable expectations will see just how difficult some people are! The threads at the moment demonstrate how simply you can’t please everyone and a (few) people have no concept of the different needs and lives of others.

Why haven’t schools managed a perfect distance learning arrangement that suits the needs of everyone in 5 days ?!?

But, will there now be an expectation to work through the holidays and weekends?

The CFs will be expecting us to..

I’m in the same boat as @Summersunandoranges. DC’s private school were very efficient at getting the letter out telling us full fees are still due, including invoicing for next terms lunches, trips and clubs which may never happen.

In terms of work, they sent them home on Friday with some sheets, that’s it. No online provision, we can e mail the teachers but there is really no need as the work is very basic. I’m sure they are all having a lovely week off. Whilst I recover from an emergency appendectomy at the weekend, try to WFH to keep my job and home school them at the same time.

Barely two days into this, and there have been at least three threads complaining about teachers, and how they are managing work for pupils at home. One saying they set too much, one saying they set too little, and one complaining that state schools aren't doing as much as private schools.

I'm waiting to see what new way thread 4 will find to criticise beleaguered schools and teachers who are in a situation they've never had to deal with before while managing the kids they have at school, their own children they might have at home, It systems not up to the job, and all the pastoral care that they're trying to keeo a handle on for the pupils they have concerns about.

I'm seeing precious little empathy or understanding now, so I have no faith that teachers will be seen in any more positive way when it's over.

DH is a teacher and based on his experience so far, I'd say no, people aren't going to appreciate him more.

His school is closed but he's been redeployed to one which is open for the children of critical workers.
He set work for his class, enough for a week along with guidelines etc.

Yesterday he received a sarcastic, verging on abusive email from a parent who was very unhappy he hadn't given out his phone number and she couldn't contact him. She didn't understand one piece of work and that was also somehow his fault. She wanted a FaceTime lesson for her dc to help them understand and She sent a follow up email around 30mins later kicking off that he hadn't yet replied.

The thought that he didn't have to give his number, that he is still working so not able to answer emails straight away and that he is not obliged to he providing one to one FaceTime lessons clearly never crossed her mind.

IT systems. Not It.

Yep, not much work being set by my Dc’s Outstanding grammar, either, @Edwinbear. Which is in stark contrast to my own secondary, which has had numerous head teachers over the past few years and been “requires improvement” for a few years too. I can’t fault the work I’ve seen being sent out, and thre communication home to parents.

Sometimes circumstances highlight the unfairness in which schools are judged by Ofsted. I hope when all this is over that Ofsted inspection parent surveys will include a question about the support given to students during this crisis (taking into account the fact that not all kids have internet access at home)

We have had, with 2 days notice, set up systems for setting remote work that covers all bases.
We've sent home a book of work for those who may struggle to get online or who have to share electronic resources at home.
We've set a learning log style topic, with lots of choces of activities (about 40) to keep them going if we end up staying closed for longer than the few weeks the HT hopes we will be closed for.

We are setting, daily, English and maths activities online. At least 1/3rd of my class have done none of that so far.

It's a massive struggle to set work that will be differentiated enough for my class's range of abilities and it's practically impossible to 'teach' something due to the fact we are not hosting or recording any learning sessions to broadcast to the pupils.

I have a challenging class, behaviour wise. But I'm still missing being in the classroom with them and am worried about the loss of learning for the most vulnerable.

But, will there now be an expectation to work through the holidays and weekends? The CFs will be expecting us to

Yes, the precedent has been set.

What the fuck were the unions doing about this?

I have been reading some of the comments with tears trying to escape as I hold them back. I will happily come and teach anyone's children instead of sitting in a nearly empty classroom. We sent one child and their sibling home on Monday with cough and very high temp. Both were in my group and I had been sitting with them. We were another two down from my group yesterday as they were now self isolating with symptoms. I would like to be self isolating as recommended but no I will be carrying on at work.

I am coming off of mumsnet as I refuse to justify what I am doing any more.

@stayingaliceisawayoflife you shouldn't have to justify what you are doing, you are doing the best you can and that is all anybody can hope for.

Yesterday he received a sarcastic, verging on abusive email from a parent who was very unhappy he hadn't given out his phone number and she couldn't contact him.

Parents who behave like that should be barred from contacting the school - I wouldn't blame your DH if he blocked her email address and said all contact had to be by the child from their school email address (if secondary?)

But if for whatever reasons teachers can't send work to parents what will happen when children go back to school? Are teachers going to somehow cram all the missed work in to their teaching ? Surely it's better to send work home. At least then children have a choice to fall behind or not. Stressful I've no doubt. But it will be a lot more stressful if the children don't do any work while they're off.

1. Teachers have had no time to plan for and learn how to teach remotely.
2. Schools are closed. Teachers are providing childcare now for key workers.
3. Many teachers themselves are self isolating with symptoms.
4. Teachers themselves have elderly relatives, children etc like everyone else so are struggling in the same way as everyone else.

This list is in response to CurlyhairedAssassin who made the comment that parents should try and attack schools through future Ofsted survey!

Sometimes circumstances highlight the unfairness in which schools are judged by Ofsted. I hope when all this is over that Ofsted inspection parent surveys will include a question about the support given to students during this crisis (taking into account the fact that not all kids have internet access at home)

I hope they don't. Because this is an unforseen event that no school had plans for. And the circumstances in which one school is operating, will be totally different from another's.
I hope they can praise schools in a general comment somewhere, but not within the judgment areas. Because it's simply impossible to judge fairly on this.

I think anything that schools manage to set this side of the Easter holidays is pretty amazing really.

DD is y10, so might be 'priority' for secondary schools (after collating info on the y11s to go towards their results). Every single one of her teachers has either set 'work to the end of term' or is setting things lesson by lesson according to timetable.

For primary schools, it might be 'better' they take a considered approach and come up with some good quality work for after Easter than just giving out any old stuff quickly.

I doubt it. Look at the all the threads already moaning about teachers setting too much/not enough work.

I am finding it really hard to know how best to set work for my Year 1 class, many of whom don't have printers or reliable internet access. I have set tasks via our website and our online learning platform which they all have usernames for. 3 out of 30 pupils have so far accessed the work on the learning platform.

I have already done my first shift in school, trying to manage a group of pupils from Year R to Year 6.

I still have to do assessment data for all the pupils who are in my class and write reports, although who knows how relevant they will be by the time we start back in school.

This is a new situation for all of us and we are doing are best.

our best!

I don't know anything about Ofsted so I'm probably totally wrong but surely they would have to take the circumstances in to account? And don't they usually ask parents opinions anyway?
I would hope they would realise this isn't a normal situation.