To think we could just collate all the teacher/teaching related information here, and have done with it?

[SachaStark]

Just to save time, shall we just have a thread here, where our teaching colleagues can collate all the answers to the questions about teachers and schools, to save having to repeat the same stuff again and again?

1. Why aren’t the teachers working?

They are working.

1. What are the teachers doing all day?

A myriad of things. Including, but not limited to: gathering evidence to get qualification data for Year 11 and Year 13, planning lessons that can be taught remotely, creating resources, marking work, checking on vulnerable children, completing safeguarding referrals, writing school reports, in school minding key worker children, writing new schemes of work and policies for the COVID-19 world, delivering free school meals to students...

1. Why aren’t the teachers doing online video lessons?

Some are. Most (the correct decision, IMHO) are not doing this, following union guidance. This is due to unsafe platforms, such as Zoom, the inappropriateness of it for some ages/classes, and due to safeguarding reasons.

1. What safeguarding reasons could there possibly be for not doing online video lessons?

So, so many, sadly. Including, but not limited to: the vulnerability of teachers’ images or voices being used to create online memes (at best) or pornographic material (at worst) by downloading and manipulating the clips, protections of both staff and students who may be hiding from dangerous individuals known to them, the possibility that abuse may happen live online in front of other children, the possibility that some children may appear on camera either undressed or performing indecent acts...

1. Why aren’t the teachers in school actually teaching the key worker children?

We’ve been told not to teach key worker children in school, we are only child minders at present. This is due to the possibility of unfairness if we are teaching some children and not others, and also because it is impossible to plan for and execute when you are trying to maintain social distancing, and also have no idea what year groups you will have in each day.

1. What’s happening with the school curriculum?

It’s been suspended.

1. When are the schools going back?

Literally, NONE OF US KNOW. It doesn’t matter what your school has said or not said, or what your neighbour’s Aunt Gertrude has said. None of us know anything about when the schools are going back.

1. Why can’t they summer holidays be cancelled, and the kids go back to school then?

Because the teachers and students are technically working right now. The children will need their summer holidays, and the staff will need them, too.

1. But other industries have had their holidays cancelled, so why can’t teachers have theirs cancelled?

It’s more complicated than it is in other industries. Teachers aren’t paid for their holidays, and they also can’t take them as time off at a later date. The government would have to pay six weeks’ extra pay to all teachers, which I don’t reckon they’ve got the spare cash to do.

10. Why can’t teachers just work it unpaid?

Because we are not bloody saints, and we aren’t very well paid in the first place.

11. Why are the teachers still receiving a full salary?

Because they’re still working full-time, see above, points 1 and 2.

12. But why isn’t MY child’s teacher doing X, Y or Z?

We have absolutely no idea. Why don’t you contact the school in question? Maybe they are, and you haven’t seen it yet? Maybe they’re not, and they’ve actually absconded to Hawaii? Maybe they’re just drinking gin all day? Who can tell, I certainly can’t...

13. What are the daffodils on posts about teachers/teaching for?

It was decided in a thread on The Staffroom that it would be far more productive to give each other flowers on threads clearly guilty of teacher bashing, since many people’s mental health and well-being is at a real low at the moment, and many hard-working teachers are genuinely upset by these posts.

14. Is it really teacher bashing, though? I’m so bored of hearing this.

It is, because these threads generally rely on generalisations regarding an entire profession, and are simply an excuse to “have a go”, rather than doing the more productive thing and contacting their child’s school.

15. But don’t teachers think they have the hardest job in the world? They’re always moaning and being so defensive!

Literally none of us have ever said that we have the hardest job in the world. I don’t know who does. NHS staff at the moment, for sure. Other key workers still having to carry on in difficult conditions, absolutely. But we definitely are facing some very difficult tasks in our jobs right now, that we’ve had no time to prepare for, in an unprecedented situation. Exactly the same as most other lines of work are having to do. And we have to defend ourselves, because SOME posters on here do love a pile-on when it comes to teaching.

16. Would you like a glass of wine?

Fuck yes, most of the time, actually. Care to join me?

I think part of the problem is the lack of parity in what is being provided

This is true. DD's teacher has marked one piece of work. One. We have submitted a lot. Despite both being essential workers. She struggles at school (ADHD) and feedback is incredibly important. My friend's DS, same year, has had calls, feedback, letters, marked work, all sorts. He has physical disabilities but does very well at school. It's frustrating.

I am sure that every teacher is happy to go to school under the same conditions as teachers returning to school in Denmark, Germany and China.

I didn't say that. I said they expect to be working with poorly people. I also said they should have PPE

If that was all you said you intended to imply you wouldn't have bothered saying it! You said that teachers didn't sign up to be exposed implying healthcare workers did - PPE isn't 100% effective and many have died. Likewise carers didn't sign up to be exposed to infectious disease and many are working without PPE at all. Teachers aren't being required now or ever to be working with sick people. Everyone after the lockdown who has to work outside the home will be potentially exposed to the virus - this will natuarlly include teachers. We do need to ensure safety for everyone and those with the most important jobs will naturally return to work soonest (if they haven't already).

Nellodee once community levels and contact tracing is the same as in those countries then yes, absolutely.
The problem is that currently we know that many kids will be asymptomatic or have few symptoms so teachers would absolutely be expected to be working with infectious students. At close range. Without PPE which may not be 100% but better than no PPE.

I'm not going to argue further with someone who tries to twist my words into something I never intended.

Oh and actually those photos are exactly what it looks like currently when I am in school on rota supervising key worker and vulnerable children. I had 12 last time I was in

There’s lack of parity because there are so many schools outside of Lea control and schools have had to make it up as they go along after being informed about closures at the same time as everyone else. Guidance from government would have been welcome but trying to produce materials remotely at a consistent level with varying resources available to staff or students is hard and not subject to a quick fix.

Sorry nellodee, my post above looks like it was all aimed at you but it wasn't - trying to supervise my own kids and cook tea!

You’re an absolute legend SachaStark

Given we all seem to have suddenly acknowledged that actually schools have a huge pastoral role, perhaps the government could fund this properly in schools going forwards.

After all, Gove, told us schools were for education only.

I think all teachers want schools to go back as soon as it is safe to do so- however, if we go back in a way which is unsafe, then schools will very quickly closed again due to the numbers of staff that are self isolating. IMO, I don't think it would be great for kids to go back to school and then have their school close again very quickly because there are not enough well staff to teach.

Even with the small number of children we have in school at the moment, our SLT are constantly having to rearrange the rotas, because of people having to self isolate etc. If this is happening during lockdown, it will only get worse when we go back to school and lockdown is lifting a bit.

Obviously, what would solve this is proper testing- I think until that's in place, we will struggle to reliably open schools.

Can someone explain what the phrase the 'curriculum has been suspended' means?

DS is Y10, he is learning new topics so the school can try and cover everything as they will struggle to catch up.

And yes, the OP is amazing!

And I do also think there should be some standardised advice from the government, so all schools know what they "should" be doing right now.

Brilliant post!

Given we all seem to have suddenly acknowledged that actually schools have a huge pastoral role, perhaps the government could fund this properly in schools going forwards.

This would be good. I think there's also an acknowledgement that schools are cruical economically and actually worth investing in full stop.

Can someone explain what the phrase the 'curriculum has been suspended' means?

Not sure it means anything - lots of schools are continuing with the curriculum. (I have no opinion on whether that's a good or bad thing but it's definitely happening).

There is not a casual link between the rise in DV and schools closing. FFS.

The rise in DV is causally linked to lockdown.THIS is NOT teachers' faults.

The lack of social care referrals rather highlights how children fall through gaps due to school almost entirely having to plug them due to government chronic underfunding of social care. ALSO not TEACHERS' faults.

Love the OP OP.

SansaSnark Wouldn't that have been really helpful? Some proper guidance from the Government so that there was less discrepancy between schools?

It's horrible being so impotent when you read that some schools are literally providing nothing and some are doing all-singing, all-dancing online teaching. If I could make it equal for all state-school children in England I would!

We have been specifically told NOT to teach new content except to YR10 as it would disadvantage the students who are getting little support or have few resources or no time at home. Instead we are to make sure previous topics are revised and reinforced.

Fantastic post, op.

@WhyNotMe40 That's fine, I totally agree with you.

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

well, there are schools that are continuing to deliver lessons and teach new content this term with the very clear aim that in September, pupils will be more or less where they would have been in relation to their courses had this term been as normal.

This is DD's school. It's an academy though so I suppose they can do what they want. I think we are pretty lucky in comparison to some of the accounts I am reading of what is being provided. It's a lot of work though 😩

YgritteSnow
The thing is no school can get it right for everyone.

For every person complaining there's not enough work (or in Mumsnet world no work at all, absolutely nothing except for this work that has been set but I don't like it), there's someone else complaining there's too much.
For every person saying they want new content delivering, there's someone else complaining that they haven't got the time to support their child learning new material.
For every person who is happy with menu tasks to choose from, another person complains it's not directed enough.
For every person who wants a strongly academic focus, there's another who complains it is too overwhelming.
For every person who wants an open ended creative and project approach, there's another complaining they want direction and academic focus.

Etc. Etc. Etc.

The parents at my school have complained there's too much work and they don't want their kids having new content. We've had to halve what we're setting and switch to revision tasks...