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?

I have been in looking after the key worker children.

1. There are different children every day. Whilst we know who might be coming in that day, we don't know really until they arrive on the playground.
2. They are all different ages and abilities.
3. They are not necessarily very happy to be in school with teachers they don't normally have and with students they don't know or may not like so we are also trying to keep them happy and distracted with arts and crafts, sports and cooking etc.
4. We are also setting and marking work for the children at home.That means responding to emails and returning comments on everything submitted.
5. The children in school have two hours a day working on their set work and we are on hand to help and explain tasks.

I find the whole tone of your post rather unpleasant as are many similar posts about teachers. I suppose if I were so inclined I could comment on others whose job has changed such as GPs who are communicating with their patients online as much as possible whether they have covid or non covid symptoms but I wouldn't because I actually think that is the right approach at the moment and they are doing what they have been asked to do like teachers.

@YgritteSnow how do you know that this isn’t happening? What sanctions would you want applied to children who refuse to do the work in school? After school detention?

I do think OP has a point - I would just email the school and query it. It seems sensible that the kids would be supported to do the home learning work that other kids will be doing at home. Obviously it's unlikely they'll be taught a full curriculum like a normal school day but putting them in front of their work on a school computer (or printed off as appropriate) then they can answer the kids' questions as we would do at home.

That's exactly what's happening in the cluster of primary schools around here.

I imagine it's happening in lots of others too. It probably just depends on the school's staff availability.

If you want to come to Ireland OP...schools are completely shut here, the teachers are not even minding the key workers dc. They are all working from home.You are lucky to get what you are getting!!

I’m struggling with the same. Mine are in 4 days a week while I work and then I have to try and get through a whole day of work they’ve sent for them when they get home. We are all exhausted with it. I don’t understand why they can’t use the time in school to complete the activities that have been set for that day.

Teachers aren’t teaching our kids either. I’m on leave studying for some upcoming exams, DH is working very long hours to keep up with extra demand from the lockdown. We’re sent endless worksheets/links (many of which aren’t age appropriate) through a really glitchy online system plus some zoom meetings for ‘form time’ (I.e. their really boring teacher droning on about her weekend followed by a role call) all of which we are expected to supervise. I’m really annoyed, I understand that the school has to justify continuing to charge fees but saying ‘look we know that your children will fall behind but we’ll tailor the curriculum over the next year to get the back up to speed’ is far more acceptable than ‘we’re going to make you sit there and teach them without any training and very limited guidance at a time when you are likely to be the most stressed and over stretched you have been this decade’.

@CaramelEmporium Our school (DD6) has set no work, the teacher writes one letter a week and puts it on the website. Hardly knocking herself out IMO.

Well I suggest you get off social media and contact your school. Be a bit more proactive and stop moaning online

I do think people need to be able to question what's happening at their child's school without it immediately being dismissed as teacher bashing.

Lots of people are in fact working from home full time even with young kids at their feet who they're trying to entertain so it's natural to assume teachers might be expected to do the same. Obviously teachers might have restrictions we're not aware of and lots of work to do behind the scenes (especially in secondary when they're desperately trying to compile evidence etc) but that doesn't mean they can't be (politely) questioned.

I also prepare a PowerPoint with literacy and maths tasks, plus others. The zoom calls are to go through work and give them a chance to ask questions about. Luckily every child at the school has access to a device to access learning. I am very fortunate. It is designed that children can do it without my help - but they all turn up for the meetings anyway, bless them.

At our school we have now switched to supporting the "at home learning" of the DC in school for at least three lessons a day. So, they'll do the maths set by their class teacher, the english set by their class teacher and some topic work. In addition to that we're doing PE With Joe and twice a week a music lesson. The children seem much happier to be in a structured day than they were in previous weeks. Staff are on a rota, so may not know the children they have on any given day at all.

@OnlyFoolsnMothers But this way the key worker kids are disadvantaged so how it that any better?

MyTwoLeftFeet
I do think people need to be able to question what's happening at their child's school without it immediately being dismissed as teacher bashing.

Maybe they should question the school and not whine about it using generalised comments about a whole profession.

"Kids are expected to do the same work as a child at home- but at home I am explaining principles when necessary. They are refusing even to do that.*

This is such a bullshitting lie. Of course non-specialised will try their best to explain concepts with appropriate distancing in place.

Bold fail.

Sick to death of having to justify our jobs. I'm currently spending hours pouring over data for my 4 year 11 classes in order to make sure that I get the grades of over 100 kids correct. It's taking hours. That's on top of setting and marking online work for all my other classes. And I have 2 kids too.

God, it’s hard pinkblamange. The days are just relentless at the moment.

Lots of people are in fact working from home full time even with young kids at their feet who they're trying to entertain so it's natural to assume teachers might be expected to do the same.

Indeed we are. I have spent the whole morning so far marking and feeding back on work sent to me, and I will need to do so for the rest of the day, while shooting my own DCs away to get on with their work with minimal input from me. This is on top of the planning, meetings and CPD that I'm also expected to fit in.

MyTwoLeftFeet
I do think people need to be able to question what's happening at their child's school without it immediately being dismissed as teacher bashing.

Well, no-one on MN is going to know, so people should contact their child's school to find out.

Posting on threads like these making generalisations doesn't help anyone.

Yanbu

Surely they teach them something though. A kid would get bored without anything to do no? It would be easier to set them work than not.

I have only one laptop to be shared by two children.
Yep. Me too. One laptop between 2 children and myself while I attempt to sort work for my class.

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.

Yep. Including teachers. If working at home, they are meant to be teaching their classes (in whatever capacity the school has directed), responding to constant streams of emails & queries while also homeschooling their own children.

Look, it's shit. It's shit all round. But these are extraordinary circumstances and many teachers are trying to do their best in uncharted territory.

Anyway, I'm off to upload more resources as DS1 has an online assessment at 12 and will need the laptop...

I’m struggling with the same. Mine are in 4 days a week while I work and then I have to try and get through a whole day of work they’ve sent for them when they get home. We are all exhausted with it. I don’t understand why they can’t use the time in school to complete the activities that have been set for that day. At our local schools the children are doing the set work at school, exactly what the children at home are doing. It is all online and teachers can see who is working. The keyworkers children don't have work to do at home as it is all done in school, if they get help from the teachers on duty depends on the subject and teacher e.g. someone stuck on physics might not get much help from the Spanish teacher, of course they might if the Spanish teacher happens to be good at physics but there is no expectation of that. Children get messages from teachers with feedback about their work or lack of, and children can message them if they are stuck.

I've got 2 GC at different schools and this seems to be how it is working. I'm not sure what they'd be doing at school all day if there weren't getting on with the set work.

Nicky, in my council the "hub" schools within each district are providing childcare for essential workers who have been unable to secure other childcare, to enable them to work.

It is probably the most expensive childcare in the world.

All teachers taking part are volunteering to do this, at risk to their own health if they are infected by a visiting child. All teachers are also providing home education and support to their pupils daily.

I am a support assistant who has also volunteered to help and we all work on a rota system, including holiday periods, until further notice.

The children attending my hub school are from 6 schools, ranging from 3 yrs old to secondary age.

We encourage children to bring work with them to do from home, or they may be able to use a computer to access their own personal teacher's online teaching (if one is available).

We have no idea how many children (ages/stages/needs) will arrive each day, nor for how long. We have a minimum staff allocation each day, with teachers on call to attend if numbers increase.

If parents can make other arrangements for care of their children while they work, that is the best outcome. However, if that cannot happen then schools aim to provide a safe, secure, hygienic place for children to stay while parents are working.

Just because the childcare is in an education setting, do not assume that formal teaching will take place. It is just a childcare service.

Hope this clarifies things for you.