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?

Oh yay. More fucking teacher bashing. Just what we need.

Well, it's been a day or two @ducksback, it's about time.

I posted similar, I'm a kw and my DS not being taught the online stuff set by his teacher for the class. I can't do it after work!! I was told I was BU!!

www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-school-closures/guidance-for-schools-about-temporarily-closing

"12.6 Are schools expected to provide education as normal to pupils who are in attendance?

We understand that these are extraordinary times. The most important thing is that children of critical workers, and vulnerable children, are supervised and properly cared for in education settings. Schools have flexibility to provide support, activities and education in the way they see fit at this time. No school will be penalised if they are unable to offer a broad and balanced curriculum during this period. The same applies for the Early Years Foundation Stage. No school will be penalised if they are unable to provide learning and development activities across all 7 areas of learning for children in their early years provision."

From the first press release about schools closing, Gavin whatever his name is said that this would not be an educational setting. It would be childcare.

We have a hub setup.
None of my yeargroup are in, but I am still happy to be on the rota.
We aren't in every day and there are different children in every day. No continuity.
They aren't my class or my yeargroup. I can go with activities in mind (difficult to do and maintain distance) but I don't know their abilities or their needs.

It's not my school/classroom so I didn't know the first time what would be there to plan to use.

We have laptops and ipads. We encourage the children to go on their work at 2 set times in a day and the rest of the time is play time/chilling out. Their friends are all at home.

And even when I'm in the hub I'm still setting my online work for my class and responding to their emails and giving feedback on their work... on those days, usually well into the evening as the days in the hub are longer than an average school day.

The OP is doing 13 hr days. When is she supposed to homeschool? It’s not the same boat as us wfh (PP made that comparison). I do think it puts her kids and those of other keyworkers at a disadvantage

People like you, OP, who moan and moan and moan...well, my resignation has gone in. I’m not the only one.

Teachers are like anyone else trying to wade through this crap.

My kids are in school 4 days (I’m a care worker) and they are given access to computers so they can do the work set for them by their teachers as they would do if they were home.

I would not expect anything more than that though.

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?

Actually whilst not teaching, I think they should be providing support to do the work that has been set remotely. Otherwise the children in school are at an even greated disadvantage.

Stop whittering for ffs we are in the middle of a pandemic.
Your post is vile.

How can a teacher explain stuff to a class of all different ages while keeping social distance from everyone in the room? And making sure the children maintain distance?

God help the teachers. It must be like walking into the plague zone every day, especially if they are having to bring their own young kids in. I doubt they are getting much by way of PPE.

Lower your expectations OP and accept we live in strange times. And really don't panic about spending your time at home relaxing and enjoying your kids. Some children will not have opened a book since the school doors closed.

Your children should have access to the work being set for all pupils. They them work through it on their own, the same as the vast majority of pupils who are at home. Contrary to the many social media posts most parents aren't teaching or trying to teach, we're wading through emails and printing worksheets. I'm currently working from home, I don't have time to teach.

But why? Does that mean they get paid a childminders salary then? I just don’t understand why a teacher doesn’t teach.

You know there are hundreds of pupils to sort at home too.

It’s not teacher bashing, I just don’t see how hard it can be if there only 4 kids in the whole school.

I work in a junior school and we’ve been doing ‘informal lessons’ - ‘fun maths and English’, a lot of Art, some science. But it’s very easy going, nothing like what it would be like for a same age class, and with children from 7-11 that’s doable. In an infant school it would be more tricky - there’s a big gap between what a reception child who has literally just started school and a year 2 child can access. Then imagine what it’s like for a primary school - you have perhaps reception children, one year 2 child, and maybe a couple of year 6 children, all kinds of combinations. In some schools you could have a reception child from a resource base with a ‘gifted’ year 6 child. You can find nice activities to do together with them but ‘teaching’ them together at the same level is not feasible.
I don’t know why this is difficult to understand?

Not every thread saying, what are teachers doing? Is bashing. Disagreement isn't hate ffs.

In our school, I think there is about 15 going at the moment, they are all supervised to do the work set by their teachers. Why would they not be?
This work has been set to stop the dc falling behind it doesn't matter if they still have to physically attend school or not they ought to be facilitated to do it.

DS is not at school but his best friend is - they are doing the same work that the 'at home' students are doing on line. The work takes a max of 2 hours to complete - the rest of the time they are doing other activities such as going to the school library, doing exercise outside or using the art room.

They are getting the exact same experience of the education with some supervised activities for the rest of the day.

I think we all have to accept that, unless we are at home all day and can motivate our kids to work a full school day, then all kids are going to be doing less work.

One local school has introduced passion project days - each year group has a day a week with no timetabled lessons and are asked to learn a new skill or spend time doing a hobby they already enjoy. One friend has a DS spending they day playing instruments and writing music and a DD doing half a day cooking and half a day practicing her dance/doing on line dance classes. I think this is a fab idea if your kids are motivated but again, teens can be hard to motivate and even harder if you're working.

NoIDontWatchLoveIsland
OP i don't think you are teacher bashing.

Its a generalisation, therefore bashing,

I don't know what it happening at the OP's children's school, I doubt that the OP does either.

No I haven’t read it. Too busy doing my own job. It’s not teacher bashing

It bloody well is!

@Howaboutanewname brave resigning from a stable job at the start of the worst recession we have ever seen. I'd rather be wading through shit to be honest.

That's a tad harsh @Howaboutanewname. OP is working 13 hour days in a very stressful environment, probably exhausted and scared. I think her question is valid.

Well, it had been a few days since the last one, right? I’d begun to wonder what the parents of Mumsnet were doing. Shouldn’t they be doing our job, teaching their own kids? I’m too busy drinking and lying in the sun during the daytime.

For my fellow teachers, anyone?

It seems to me that the kids of key workers are at a definite disadvantage as we are not able spend as much time teaching them.

Both me and DH are WFH full time. There is very little homeschooling going on here. Key workers aren't the only people who are busy.
Your children are not at a disadvantage. In fact i'd say they are at an advantage as they are getting to see/speak to other children and socialise. My DS hasn't seen another child for weeks.

I wanted to start a thread about this. So do keyworkers need to home school their children as well? Children in schools are obviously not keeping up with the curriculum so would have to spend all day in school then all evening catching up on work which is a horrifically long day for them.

Ugh no they are get the same work. Parents are working from home too and often don't have time. The ignorance is outstanding.

As well though you have to remember that this is as far away from school that they know. Ours is doing fun tasks with them and making sure that their emotional needs are being met.

Classes are grouped together so they cannot follow one curriculum and then given the same information as all the other children are at home.

Its hard lots of us are trying to fit everything in and failing to do so - they are aware I think and hopefully will get back on track once they are there

@Nickynackienoo Have you emailed your child's schools and asked them to support your children in doing the work set? They will help if you ask them to but they aren't mind readers.

I’d begun to wonder what the parents of Mumsnet were doing. Shouldn’t they be doing our job, teaching their own kids

Seems OP is working 13 hour shifts, I am guessing taking her children into an ICU at the moment in order to teach them is probably not the best idea.