Key worker places

[CousinLucy]

AIBU to take up a key worker space for my two primary children? Year 3 and 6.

I'm a full time secondary teacher. At least 2 live lessons every day, marking up to 120 pieces of work every day. Trying to puzzle out best ways of remote learning when lessons aren't live. Teams staff meetings 3 times a week and contacting 5 tutees every week (from tutor group).

Husband in armed forces so a key worker too. Last lockdown he was setting up morgues. This one don't know yet.

Some colleagues seem to be superior beings and can do it. Photos all over FB of homeschooling and multi-tasking.

Just feel guilty after school generic email asking if all key workers are sure they need their space. I am totally sure! But I'm paranoid it was directed at people like me who are teachers.

Don’t feel guilty. We got sent an email yesterday saying that there are too many children in school and much more than last lockdown so please reconsider whether or not you actually need to send your child. I emailed back saying we absolutely do (both key workers) and Headteacher messaged and said they would have places even if we weren’t working as they are in the vulnerable group and the email wasn’t directed at us. What I’m trying to say is the email probably isn’t directed at you individually it’s directed at the chancers. But as always happens in these situations the people that are in need that end up feeling guilty and those that are not just don’t care. If they did care they probably wouldn’t send their kids in.

Can you keep the year 6 child at home and just send the younger one in? My year 6 child gets on with a full day of live lessons with no input from me bar popping my head in to chat occasionally and check he’s on top of things.

Year 3 is harder of course. Do you really feel she/he would fare better at school in terms of learning? At our school the key worker children are all in a room together of mixed ages, just going through the work set online or joining live lessons, supervised by teaching assistants. They are not being taught differently from those at home. It is merely childcare. More fun socially if they have friends there of course but it’s not great for them to mix and play with lots of children at the moment, however much they enjoy.

The email clearly wasn’t meant for you. It was meant for the routine pisstakers!

Totally acceptable. This is exactly who the places were designed to support. Yet again the minority that take the p##s make genuine people feel awkward

YABU Lots of us have jobs that involve having important teams meeting multiple times a day as well as other work equivalent to marking AND also home schooling

Teachers were very vocal in calling for schools to close.......

Sorry, but I also think yabu. Children are supposed to be at home if they can be. They can be.
Millions of people are working from home.

@CousinLucy

Thank you so much for helping my conscience. *@pricklymole* that was my reasoning.

I think it's the only way to make sure you are teaching as best you can and also provide the best for your children. Win win!

We are both keyworkers keeping our DD home while WFH and struggling because teachers and the government have asked us to protect them and others. So sending yours in would counteract the point of the rest of us keeping ours home to protect you, would it not?

I get that it's a struggle, while on meetings and trying to work. But it's also a struggle for the rest of us working from home with kids, whether KW or not. Do your bit and keep them home otherwise you might as well go into school and let a different member of staff work from home and stay safe.

The space is there for you if you need it. We can all have the same workload and a partner doing the same role but respond differently, just like our children can. If you know you need the space/s then don’t feel guilty and take them. If you can manage without, then do so.

@Gwenhines

We are both keyworkers keeping our DD home while WFH and struggling because teachers and the government have asked us to protect them and others. So sending yours in would counteract the point of the rest of us keeping ours home to protect you, would it not?

I get that it's a struggle, while on meetings and trying to work. But it's also a struggle for the rest of us working from home with kids, whether KW or not. Do your bit and keep them home otherwise you might as well go into school and let a different member of staff work from home and stay safe.

You sound like a martyr. If someone qualifies for it and feels it is the best way to cope then they can use it. People seem to forget that key workers have had to weigh up the safety element of sending their children in and it isn't a decision to be made lightly.

@90sCliche then you've read it wrong.

Of course your dc should be in school. I am sorry that you have been made to feel that you need to question your choices with this, but you can’t be expected to do everything just because you are at home. Please don’t feel guilty.

Send them in if you feel you need to, the spaces are there.

However like other posters I don’t see what’s different about your job and millions of others. There’s lots of talk on this thread about send them in, you’re being fair to your children and your employer so your kids get the best education possible while you work - well what about all the rest of us, whose children and jobs ARE suffering because we are trying to homeschool while attending important meetings and juggle it all (some of us with children much younger than yours who really cannot work independently at all).

I’m not judging you or anyone else who sends their children into school, I think schools are the best place for children. I just think it’s a shame teachers and unions were so vocal in pushing for schools to close but now say ‘but it’s so hard to wfh and look after my children’. Yes. It is. We are all having to do the same.