To wonder why teachers are not teaching my child?

[Nickynackienoo]

I am a nurse redeployed to itu. Doing 13 hour days and stressed up to the eyeballs at the moment. My children (12 and 8) go to school on my work days and on my days off i keep them at home with me according to the government guidance. As far as I can tell, the teachers at school are just childminding and not teaching anything. How is it that they can have just 4 kids in the school and not manage to get them to do at least some work? How can I possibly do the job of a teacher on my days off? They have send so many links via email that I can’t make sense of, it’s so overly complicated. Surely as key workers they should be doing the job they are being paid to do? I must be missing something, can someone fill me in?

*the children.

Thanks for working in the itu, however being a key worker doesn't suddenly mean you have the right to start slagging others using ill informed information.

This

The surveys which show teachers' workload has reduced are doing so to illustrate that pointless meetings, parents evenings and other stuff has reduced and that teachers are able to manage lessons, and plan, within the confines of a school working day. The hours have reduced from a previously untenable and unsustainable situation.

But working differently , whilst manning one's own DCs a lot of the time (an , in my case, wrangling my DH), combined with trying to help a range of children and families from a distance is a new level of stress : not more for all, but really different. And hearing that being questioned over and over again is upsetting

I also don't understand the constant assertion the OP's 12 year old is not getting what he should. It really sounds like he is being given the facilities to do his work.

NoIDontWatchLoveIsland

Stating that the 4 teachers that you know have a reduction in workload is fine.

Saying that all teacher have a reduction in workload is not.

Can you send your kids in on the days you’re not working

And put staff and other children at risk. It’s supposed to be a last resort where absolutely no other option. They should have just shut them completely, may have stopped people complaining about it.

There is a vast inconsistency in the way schools are approaching this. My DS in in Year 2 and his school are downloading a maths pack off TWINKL once a week. His teacher is doing no marking or planning. She could well, however, be prepping resources for next academic year.

I am a teacher at an Independent Secondary School. I am currently working about 60 hours a week. This is more than I would normally do, as I have been teaching for a while and have a catalogue of resources to use. I am having to create and adapt resources so that they can be submitted to me electronically. Marking workload has also increased as work that would be self-assessed in class is now being marked.
We are sticking to our normal timetable. I am producing recorded lessons and electronic worksheets, and operating virtual chat in MS Teams. It is exhausting. I miss the classroom.
My son whizzes through the TWINKL booklet and then sits with me in my office. (My husband is out at work). I am his only human contact during the week and he is increasingly teary and needy and bored.....and it is heartbreaking.

There is no fairness in this situation, and we should stop expecting there to be. Some children (like my son) will be disadvantaged by this crisis. Others (like the secondary children I teach) will be at an advantage.

Life is not fair. This situation is not fair. We all have to do the best we can.

NoIDontWatchLoveIsland

It's generalisations. There absolutely are terrible teachers and amazing ones and ones that just do their job as best they can.

But I wouldn't post a thread making generalisations about retail staff, just because I'd had an off experience in a shop that day. Or say all doctors are uncaring just because I had a GP appointment and they seemed uninterested in my concerns.

@DollysDrawers read the follow up. I just wanted to show this thread what the responses are if anyone minimises the risks and worries of an NHS member of staff and highlights the worries of non NHS staff. Responses aren't good so it shouldn't be ok the other way around. It shouldn't be ok to say parents are sitting at home with plenty of time to educate their kids then also saying because they work 13 hours a a day, they should not be responsible for any home education. It's narrow minded and like NHS staff are the only one's that matter.

I'm all for reforming the NHS and fair pay etc but I'm not for devaluing everyone else and making out like you're only worth services and support if you work for the NHS

I note that some teachers are on mumsnet during school hours. I don’t think that happened before lockdown? Without stating the obvious, that doesn’t help the cause.

I’m currently breastfeeding my toddler to put him down for a nap. Just fed my two youngest some lunch, and nagged an older one to shower. I don’t usually do any of that in my working day, either!

Which is why I was up til midnight preparing resources to send out to my students.

I note that some teachers are on mumsnet during school hours

F**k off. I’ve just started a thread about how I’m feeling I genuinely can’t go on any more and MN might just get me through the day or the week

It does seem badly thought out if children in school can't at least spend their time doing the work set by their school under the supervision of the teacher looking after them. I wouldn't expect them to set work as it may not be an age group or topic they know. So for that point I agree OP. But your point about key workers children being disadvantaged I cant agree on. Presumably as a nurse you have days off which dont involveyou answering work emails and attending meetings. Most of us will be doing that all the time as well as supervising children.

My two children are at different schools. One sets work online and the other does a mix of online and live lessons. They both have their merits and if you have a child who gets on with it then it doesnt matter which in my experience. My eldest does hers all online and manages it all.my youngest has SEN and needs alot of help.

I cant criticise the teachers , I think they've done a great job of setting up the online learning and even if some of them are working less hours (as said up thread) I am sure they gave up a lot of the Easter holiday to have it all ready and tbh arent most of us having to work less? I feel constantly torn between work and home schooling and I am sure I am producing less work.

It's one thing to plan a lesson you're going to give in person and then quite another to convert that to online where you have to explain every point and cover all eventualities.

This is such a nasty thread. I'm not sure if it was intended to pitch people up against each other but that's certainly what's happened. It's like virtual fucking dog baiting.

Thank you to the above posters who have managed to express my thoughts more eloquently than I ever could in my stress addled state. 😁

@canicelebrate

I’m glad you’ve found something that helps. Don’t take any of this bullshit to heart. It’s just stressed people displacing their unhappiness elsewhere. Teachers always seem to be an easy target.

Which posters and which thoughts OP ?!

I note that some teachers are on mumsnet during school hours
I'm part-time. Is that OK with you?

Thank you to the above posters who have managed to express my thoughts more eloquently than I ever could in my stress addled state. 😁

What a disgusting and dismissive attitude you have towards other people’s mental health. I do hope youre not a nurse i ever have to encounter as you sound like Youre in the wrong job.

I know my kids teachers are doing an excellent job. My sons school is also being exceptional.
My daughters....less so. But if I was to moan about it on here it would be about the school not the teachers, they are not one and the same.
Can't we complain about schools without the insinuation being I'm saying teachers are shite?
Can't we say we wish this was different?
My kids love school, I love their teachers! I can't say it enough.
But on a parenting forum its going to be a topic of discussion. Why does it have to get personal.
In fact a response to the OP from a teacher could be: in the school I work, 12 year olds are being supported to do their work when in school for key workers childcare. I'd take it up with the head.

You know, helpful advice given your knowledge of the way things work.

Instead of oh good another teacher bashing thread

its not the case that lots of people are happily at home all day with nothing to do but teach their children. Most people are still working and just trying to encourage their children to follow the set work in exactly the same way as the teachers/‘childminders’ at school. No children are being taught at the moment, it just isn’t possible. Yours are not missing out on their education any more than anyone else. It’s a difficult situation but it’s not the teachers fault.

I'm on my lunch break. Although my hours have become fairly elastic.

In other words, why can't we support each other more? Its shit at the moment!!

Thank you to the above posters who have managed to express my thoughts more eloquently than I ever could in my stress addled state.

Where did that happen? I’m afraid I missed it.

You posted that you are unable to teach your own children on your days off, yet question what a teacher is actually doing whilst minding 4 children. Seems unfair to me. As pointed out above, teachers are busy planning lessons for homeschooling and busy with various other tasks. Also, you may be working long days but many of your nurse colleagues aren’t and the school, can’t be expected to distinguish between hard working nurses and those that are so bored they are prattling about on tic tok for something to do. Or do they deserve the preferential treatment you seem to be expecting too? Can’t believe one key worker is coming on here moaning about other key workers, who are putting themselves at risk solely so that you can continue going to work in this pandemic.

ABSOFUCKINLUTELY! Pay me a child minders salary at this moment in time! Please...I mean it!! I'd be thrilled! I'm working in school 3 days a week at the moment (as opposed to my usual 5). I'm not in today...but I'm teaching remotely, which is seriously stressing me out and gives me severe migraines, as I'm online for 7 hours+ a day, delivering video lessons to 5, 6 and 7 year olds! Anyway...I digress...the 3 days that I'm in school 'child minding' (🤬) I am in sole charge of 14 children between the ages of 4 and 11 (with one TA to support me in the morning). So I reckon at child minder rates I'd be earning £700 a day x 3 = £2100 a week. I'd pay my TA minimum wage, say 6 hour work for those 3 days plus a bit extra, as a favour, so I'd bung her £100, leaving me £2k for 3 days work 🤷‍♀️👍. I don't earn that in a month!!!

And then of course there's the 13 hours each day I'm working on the 2 days I'm NOT 'childminding' IN school...you know, when I'm teaching online 🤷‍♀️ (and I'm very conscious that every school is managing things differently, and that many of you will be having different experiences from your children's schools, from lots of support and work sent home, to very little, but my school is being very proactive and we are doing a lot for our families).

So yeah...I'd be happy 'childminding' your kids OP 🌈

Please respect the situation we all find ourselves in right now 👍