AIBU to give a massive shout out to teachers

[Ihatefish]

This week I’ve been so amazed by how very hard the teachers at my son’s school have been working, they’ve had to deal with teaching classes where 50% of the pupils have turned up, making sure home schooling is available and working, answering questions from pupils and staff, making sure all the kids are happy whether in school or at home. They had no notice yet have done an amazing job. As a parent at home juggling work and homeschooling I really appreciate the enormous effort they are making in v difficult circumstances-so a big big thank you from a grateful parent to all the teachers on here -you’re amazing

@tempnamechange98765

Meh. Teachers who are not in hubs right now have it easier.

In the autumn term, I took my hat off to all teachers. I wrote my DS' reception teacher a letter to say thank you so much for making it all seem so normal, so safe. I cannot imagine how hard they must've worked: getting 30 kids to wash their hands throughout the day, all the new SD regs to deal with, bubbles etc.

Now? My DS is having half an hour "live" with the teacher and then a few simple tasks or similar set each day online. I don't expect loads more as he's in reception - in school I'm sure the bulk of his day is playing outside/playing in groups etc. But it's not difficult and teachers who aren't in hubs and just doing the odd live/setting work online aren't working anywhere near as hard as they had to in school as they're not managing a classroom. It's the parents who are having to manage the kids, get them to focus on the work etc.

Is your ds’s teacher only teaching him live for half an hour each day, or is she doing them in groups, so she has 4-5 half hour sessions every day? Who do you think is planning those simple tasks, and is she giving feedback on them? She will also be having meetings with her team (other KS teachers) and probably with the head each week, maybe a whole school meeting too. Providing additional sessions or resources for any pupils with ALN. She’ll be attending meetings with social workers, attendance officers..anything else that pops up.. Not to mention logging progress data.

👆🏻That’s what my week has looked like. All those things have been incredibly time-consuming.

Just because you only see half an hour each day, doesn’t mean that’s all that happens.

@tempnamechange98765
That must be interesting.
How many schools have you been involved with?

@tempnamechange98765

I'm not talking about IT staff in schools! I mean all the IT staff throughout the country who've moved all businesses to virtual this last year! Not going to say what I do as it might be outing but honestly, our IT department have moved mountains!

If IT staff, who are actually trained and paid to do this stuff, are heroes, the teachers, who are neither, must be superheroes.

@hopingforabrighterfuture2021 definitely not the case here (in Wales so education is devolved). I have a few primary teacher friends who are at home. I also have plenty of friends who are in hubs/schools though, it does seem different this time. But still plenty are at home!

I don't have any criticism of what DS' teacher is providing because I'm also WFH 32 hours a week so can't exactly manage a packed timetable given he needs full supervision/encouragement to even engage anyway. But assuming his teacher is at home, setting the tasks and doing the daily 30 mins live sessions, her job right now is certainly easier.

Teachers carry on like they're the only ones who have to work hard and put themselves in a situation where they might catch covid. They are paid better than most people who work hard, paid better than most who have to take these risks, they get more holidays, they really are of touch with the average worker.

If IT staff, who are actually trained and paid to do this stuff, are heroes, the teachers, who are neither, must be superheroes.

Well said 👏👏

@tempnamechange98765 have you tried turning it off and on again?

@WiseOwlRelaxing totally agree.

Add tone deaf to that too.

Not all teachers I know. NATIK

I love the concept that live lessons are easier! It's so so much harder - without the best element of the kids being there.

It's one live a day, for whoever can join.

There's no children with a statement in DS' class. I'm not saying there aren't any with undiagnosed SN (I suspect my own DS is neurodiverse) but there's no additional support for anyone. What is on google classroom is what's available.

I'm sure the feedback of commenting "well done DS" takes all of 30 seconds per child.

I'm not saying teachers aren't working at all. But like the rest of the working population, it's less pressure to work from home!

God people can be such dicks!

I agree completely OP. I used to be a teacher and I can only imagine the pressure and extra workload they are having to deal with at the moment. I have nothing but respect for the work they're doing at the moment. The amount of teacher bashing I see on here and other social media makes me so sad. Some people really do have no idea.

[quote GintyMcGinty]@WiseOwlRelaxing totally agree.

Add tone deaf to that too. [/quote]
And they have more job security as well. They can be sick. They will receive sick pay. They will have a job to go back to even if they do get long covid.

I agree, my DC school have been amazing

The live lessons for my DS are 100% easier!!! This is why teachers get a hard time because they come out with bull shit like this.

My DS' teacher has all the class on mute. She does her bit whether that's a little game, reads a story. They have a sing song at the end. Who's job is it to keep my DS focused, engaged and actually looking/listening to her? Mine. Who's job is it in school? The teacher. And I know she does a much better job than me and she is skilled to do it with 30 x 4-5 year olds in person.

But online? Forget it. My DS was having a tantrum during the live (on mute) today.

@misskatamari

God people can be such dicks!

I agree completely OP. I used to be a teacher and I can only imagine the pressure and extra workload they are having to deal with at the moment. I have nothing but respect for the work they're doing at the moment. The amount of teacher bashing I see on here and other social media makes me so sad. Some people really do have no idea.

Yep. I actually genuinely feel like smacking the silly t* on this thread.

Thanks again OP. Teachers appreciate when people aren't absolute CK wombles.

@misskatamari it's not teacher bashing! It's more like pro-lower paid workers without job security, good salary, holiday, sick pay entitlement, pensions....

For me, It's a genuine confusion. Why do teachers think they're the only ones at risk, the only ones working hard?

It does show an inability to read the room.

Because no one, especially teachers are bashing the low level roles.
DH has been absolutely appalled the way supermarket staff have been treated, as have I.
It doesn't mean it doesn't smart when he's working 8am-8pm most days and people say he has it easy.
It's not an effing competition.
Life really sucks for a lot of people for a lot of reasons at the moment. Don't pile misery on misery.

So disappointed with the teachers at my daughter's school. They haven't been doing zoom calls, not marking the children's work, no engagement at all, it's terrible.

And I'm not ''teacher bashing''. It's not being a ck womble to be aware of the fact that we're all at risk. We're all working hard. Some of us are remunerated better than others. I would not have the nerve to complain if I were a teacher, knowing that the person who served me my sandwich in Spar had encountered 50 times as many people that day and who would, if they got sick, not be entitled to more than 3 week's sick pay if they were LUCKY.

@WiseOwlRelaxing

And where on earth has anyone said that.
Start a thread saying how wonderful dentists have been during lockdown, or painters and decorators or anyone else you care to mention. No one is stopping you praising them to the skies. But this thread was started by a parent to thank the teachers she has come across, what's wrong with that?

it's less pressure to work from home!

Speak for yourself. Complete opposite for me.

A lovely to read thread OP. Have a great weekend too. Teachers, support staff and parents alike have done a stellar job in a very challenging week. And the kids deserve some credit too

What? I'm saying what I've observed.

This isn't a thread about dentists. They have the sense not to complain.

And most teachers will have the brains not to complain in public. They know on one level they have it good.

I'm not anti -teachers @spanieleyes so I don't need to start any new thread. I'm anti-teachers-who-lack-all-self-awareness-and-complain-that-they-have-it-bad.

HTH

@tempnamechange98765

It's one live a day, for whoever can join.

There's no children with a statement in DS' class. I'm not saying there aren't any with undiagnosed SN (I suspect my own DS is neurodiverse) but there's no additional support for anyone. What is on google classroom is what's available.

I'm sure the feedback of commenting "well done DS" takes all of 30 seconds per child.

I'm not saying teachers aren't working at all. But like the rest of the working population, it's less pressure to work from home!

Were all in school 🤷🏼‍♀️ and e can socially distance better as fewer children

Big shout out from me.

Schools were told they were staying open on the Sunday, and also Monday morning. By Monday night they were closing apart from for vulnerable and critical worker children. And schools find out the same time as everyone else. Schools would then have to work which children would be in. Then work out which teachers could be in. In small schools teachers will be teaching the children in class together with those remotely.
They need to sort out technology for pupils (with those promised laptops from the Government that never materialised). The Government then got round that problem by suddenly announcing that any pupils that didn't have technology could go into school.
They said they were closing schools to reduce transmission of the virus. In order to do that you need to be able to social distance children in school. By extending the list of critical workers the number of children in school mean it is impossible to social distance.