Classroom Lessons via Zoom

[jjx111]

AIBU to expect the teachers at my daughter’s rs primary school to offer at least some lessons via Zoom? The feedback I have been given is that that they aren’t offering it due to a) safeguarding issues, and b) it would add to the teachers workload. Well, surely if we parents consent for our child to sign in for these lessons then no safeguarding issue. Plus, at present, we parents are doing at least 60% of the teachers work for them via homeschooling. (I appreciate that they are setting work for the children, but this is part of the planning they would do anyway).

Our school are happy to use zoom for Weekly assemblies, book at bedtime and a worship assembly so they can’t argue it’s a safeguarding issue to do some type of lessons or minimal engagement directly with the class if they’re using it freely for other means.
Our school are setting a whole school topic every week which all year groups can interpret and do age based activities. Other than that it’s multiple web based apps for English and maths Etc
No year based learning so no planning, marking and I think the are on a rota to come into school once a fortnight.
On full pay

I’m trying to do my full job which has exploded due to Covid pressures on 90% pay whilst also having my kids home. Thankfully dh furloughed (with a big pay cut) otherwise the kids would be left to their own devices whilst the teachers I know freely admit they’re having a whale of a time at home (again I’ll mention the full pay).

Please stop generalising. Just because YOUR school isn't doing these things doesn't mean they aren't happening. I am doing as many live lessons as I can (MS Teams - recorded so people can see them later) around caring for my children. If nursery re-opens I will provide more. All my classes have tasks and are being marked.
However, not all students are engaging for a variety of reasons. Chasing up these students has increased my workload hugely. As has preparing for resolving this when 'normal' returns. I desperately want school back. I suspect my children's nursery will re-open before we do for a variety of reasons. We're all (well most of us) doing the best we can just like every one else. We're not your scapegoats. We're not in charge of this omnishambles. If you think the teaching unions have the power to change this government's policies you haven't been paying attention.

The pay stuff irks though.

I am a teacher on 100% pay...lucky me! Except that it is about 25% of what I was paid in my previous profession (and I am well paid for a teacher).

There are plenty of bankers and management consultants etc at home in full pay (BIG full pay) playing super busy with wall-to-wall meetings.

Except, with the economy shut down, the ‘work’ is not really productive and, in as much as their organisations are getting paid, they are merely catching the water from leaky buckets, fast emptying.

So, when someone moans about teachers, saying they are on 90% of pay, I am more interested in the absolute than the percentage.

It feels like our school should be offering more, but when I ask my Year 12s I get a surprising answer. The school has been advised not to do Zoom due to safeguarding issues - so a couple of teachers have done pre recorded lessons which my Year 12s really like - the can go at their own pace, reply any bit they didn’t understand and do the lesson when it suits them.. But it’s only been a couple of teachers - certainly not all, the majority have emailed worked out - loads of work.
When asked - my kids feel they are learning more at home - a couple of their teachers aren’t very good at teaching - so those topics are more enjoyable to study without the teacher.. They miss school because they miss their friends but they feel they are achieving and learning more on their own steam outside school. It doesn’t say a lot for the teachers.

How do you prospose my dc’s teachers hold zoom lessons with them. 4 dc, 1 laptop and 1 iPad2 (doesn’t run most of the apps or websites needed)?

There are massive variations between schools. I'm not in the UK but the problem in similar everywhere I think. Looking around my friends and family that are teachers. One friend gives on Monday the tasks for the full week and the students can ask questions if needed and then he checks the work when they return it.

One has a full on normal schedule. The live lessons (audio and visual) are a bit shorter than in school and a bit more tasks but the days are the same as normal schedule. Same friend said that she will not give tasks that requires parents to do anyhting more than normally. Apparently some of her colleagues give tasks like cleaning/cooking that will require the parent to be there.

My brother and SIL has audio lessons. He basically has half the lesson to be a "lecture" and then the other half is doing tasks relating to the subject and has some extra projects that he checks.

One friend has no live lessons but the take has to be returned through out the day so they have to work through the day.

My nephews teachers all give instructions on several different platforms and it's hard to follow. Some live lessons but not all. Nephew2's teacher gives just tasks that he gets done in an hour and a lot of them involve parental supervision. He calls my mom weekly for homework since a lot of it is to call an old person to find out how school was back in the day.

@larrygrylls I really hope you turn out to be one of my children’s teachers!

You made some interesting points on marking. So many people only assess someone’s output in what they see, which may explain why some people are so fixated on lack of feedback at the moment. I also think some people suddenly feel very responsible for the day to day schooling, even if only to make sure it gets done, so without feedback they just don’t know how their kids are doing. Any tips for parents who feel like that? And if you mark work normally why don’t you have the time for that now? Is it the additional time of prepping to teach virtually? Just interested to hear how what you spend your time on has changed as I expect there is a lot that people just don’t see to appreciate.

@larrygrylls
So true. Furlough maximum is 2500 per month. Not many teachers who are being paid that!

Many people up and down the country are at home, being paid more government money than teachers.

The argument that "I'm working hard so you should work hard too" is not how things work anywhere either. This crisis hasn't been fair to people, but simply asking everyone to work harder won't fix anything.

There are massive variations between schools. I'm not in the UK but the problem in similar everywhere I think.
I mean it's universal that there is a lot of variations between quality of education during the pandemic. My examples are not likelt to be universal.

Zoom - no. Teams - yes.

My daughter has about 1-2 hours live time with her teacher and friends daily. I agree that it helps break the monotony of just doing sheets of homework. Write to the school maybe?

How do you prospose my dc’s teachers hold zoom lessons with them. 4 dc, 1 laptop and 1 iPad2 (doesn’t run most of the apps or websites needed)? I think that’s also the advantage of pre recorded lessons - the kids don’t need a device each. They watch instructions then do the work. Not perfect but a more workable solution than Zoom.

1. I think what remote learning has highlighted is the difference in provision and it's freaking people out.

No one wants to feel their child is being disadvantaged and private schools seem to be getting a better deal* (of course this is always the case but it's not so visible to parents).

1. The issue with Zoom is that state schools have to be able to provide the same provision to everyone and until the government provides laptops/ internet connection to all children they can't. They will literally be taken to court over it. There have been law-suits in America about this.

*I don't think Zoom is the be all and end all but it would help parents feel less responsible for the child's education and therefore less stressed/ guilty.

My friend's child is at private school. She's just getting worksheets from twinkle. Some state schools are doing full days of teaching. Seems to be very dependent on on school rather than paid and unpaid

It's not part of the planning FYI, we have to replan and resource almost everything as it isn't usually suitable for home learning in it's current form.

Sorry for my language but there are about 100 fucking threads on why teachers aren't using Zoom. Read one of those and you'll see umpteen reason why. Safeguarding is one, lack of resources is another. You'd be surprised just how many teacher don't have access to the technology needed for Zoom etc.

Given that Zoom/Teams/similar have been utilised by basically all of the working world at this point, including paid for tutoring, extracurricular lessons, kids clubs, nurseries and some schools (often private), it beggars belief that a lot of schools haven’t been able to find a workable solution (while also arguing that they can’t go back).

YANBU OP.

Some individuals schools and teachers are doing an excellent job in providing education at the minute. But many aren’t and seem to think the odd worksheet and link to a widely available online resource is sufficient. It really isn’t.

I am teaching lessons via Teams, setting work, chasing up students with welfare concerns, marking work- which takes much longer on Teams, trying to find alternative resources for students without technology, updating lessons plans and resources for next year (which takes ages and I normally enjoy it - as it can be done when exam classes leave and I would normally have a bit more time to think about it) answering student questions, meeting individual students for 15 mins each week via Teams to discuss coursework (15 mins x 38), managing 4 other subject areas, attending meetings, etc etc and homeschooling my 7 and 15 year old. I get up at 5:30am and start work. Stop teacher bashing it is really really depressing to give so much and get so little back. I am considering leaving the profession for this reason only.

@sultanarama

A video giving instructions and saying "off you go" won't solve the problems at primary level much in my opinion, because it doesn't replicate the classroom well at all. The reason why class sizes matter is that teachers need to know their students and assess them throughout the lesson. So in the teaching input, asking questions is vital to see what the children understand. While the children are doing the work, the teacher gives live feedback to keep the children on track and address their individual misconceptions.

I actually do think zoom addresses many of these issues, but as you can see from other posters, it's not an ideal solution either.

Plus, at present, we parents are doing at least 60% of the teachers work for them via homeschooling

Hilarious

I am a teacher.
Yesterday I was in school. I came home at 4pm and logged into a zoom meeting. I left it running while I sorted dinner for the kids and tidied up.
My son started zoom lessons for drama but it was similar. Either his sisters kept interrupting or he lost interest and went off to play.
I'm not allowed to use zoom as a teacher, but I'm not sure it would be that effective anyway.

There are many schools using regular zoom lessons so it is obviously possible regarding safeguarding. I think it is something schools are just saying to avoid having to deliver lessons. It's a cop out.

My DSs school are doing a mixture of zoom and google classroom. They have lessons set every lesson. Most are zoom without videos on but my Y7 has tutor catch up with video twice a week but the parents have to be in the video first before they are allowed to turn on video (parents can then leave). If no parent available they stay on audio only.

I imagine that lack of laptops or devices in some households could be an issue more than safeguarding.

I don't understand how it is giving the teachers more work, they would normally be delivering face to face lessons at these times.

My school are offering live lessons via Microsoft teams- no cameras allowed for students its audio only. Camera allowed for staff but only with a plain back ground. 2 teachers per session for safeguarding.

Sorry I should have said this is senior school and the children are required to log on at normal school times. Also theirs is a (small) private school but I have close friends whose DCs are getting the same at a local state school also, in fact they were getting this from day 1 of lockdown whereas ours took till Easter hols to get it set up, it's a really small not particularly prestigious or anything.

@qweryuiop primary school is a very different challenge. Interestly talking to a Mum with kids at the local private school - she said that the Zoom lessons were too intense, that she had to tell the school that her 7 year old needed a break from them as they were having a very negative effect on her behaviour and learning. One size doesn't fit all especially with very young kids.