To ask the teacher to change the live call time

[namechangestory]

DD is in reception and is attending school as we are both key workers (I WFH, DH goes out to work). There is only 3 others from his class and most of his friends are staying at home.

The class teacher is running a zoom call every day so the class can all see each other and listen to a story. The problem is it clashes with pick-up time so DD cannot join and she misses out on seeing her friends who all see each other on the video call every day.

AIBU to ask the teacher to change the time slightly so DD can attend? Push back by half an hour so we are home?

I think you may be overestimating the social interaction in the call. My reception child doesn’t get any live interaction, but having seen my year 5’s daily chat session, half of it is taken by the teacher doing the register, and the rest is her going through the day’s tasks and answering questions. The kids are on mute most of the time and only interact with the teacher not each other (it would be chaos if they did anything else!)
The ones in school do attend but sat in a group in a classroom with a TA and I imagine it is pretty boring for them.

I think the purpose of the calls is to a large extent safeguarding so the teacher can see and hear that the children at home are ok.

@Fembot123

Lots of harsh replies on here but a lot of people seem to think KW across the board are getting some sort of magical rainbow ride of joy at the moment. I don’t think you should ask the teacher to change the time as it’s unfair but I do understand how seeing just two other kids that aren’t her/his friends could confuse and upset a 5 year old, some KW are in a bubble of one despite the widely held opinion on MN that every school is packed to the fecking rafters with kids 😂 Could you organise a zoom as parents for the kids to see each other at the weekend?

I can’t quote your other reply to me where you said ‘and I say this as a parent with a child in school etc’ I’m not saying KW children are having the best time ever, for those genuine KW children it’s a tough time for them due to the stress on their parents. I’ve been asked to do zooms and I wouldn’t be including Children in school as my focus for that time is ones at home, plus i wouldn’t be able to monitor the other children in school properly if hosting the zoom.

@1AngelicFruitCake They should in areas where the uptake is too much, a blanket 2 KW rule would mean I’d have to give my job up.

@ThePricklySheep who else do you think is doing it then? Unless she has a TA in.

Can't she watch it on an iPad on the drive home?

To add to the above as well, seeing children in school can be a bit confusing, I heard one of DS’s class ask if they were allowed to go to school after seeing the children sat in school on the call, and for younger ones it would be even harder to understand why some children were in school when they weren’t

If she's 5 there may not have been enough contact between parents to facilitate zoom calls. My DD is in her first year and I have no contact details for other parents in her class - because I've been social distancing at drop off and pick up. She has a few friends she mentions but I don't actually have email/phone details for the parents to set up a zoom call!

[quote Fembot123]@1AngelicFruitCake They should in areas where the uptake is too much, a blanket 2 KW rule would mean I’d have to give my job up.[/quote]
I’m not suggesting a 2 KW rule but some sort of transparency (no idea what) so if you’re a KW but partner isn’t working, one parent on Mat leave are just two examples I’ve seen where children are still sent in. People then give reasons why their cases are special but the risk just increases for staff and meanwhile some parents are juggling lots at home trying to do the right thing!

Definitely ask! I'm a teacher who has just moved our story time for a similar reason.

Maybe could you pick DC up 15 minutes early?

Sorry I didn’t mean you in particular had suggested that but so many other people on so many of these threads have 😊 I agree with you, if there are schools with 75% of the cohort in then that just can’t be right.

Reading between the lines. Your de is getting next to personal teaching all day, basically a private lesson with just two others. Children at home are getting nothing, just stressed parents trying to wfh (like you are) AND homeschool their dc. The teacher is kindly tagging on to her full day right at the end a small chance for the other 90% of the class to get a tiny bit of attention. If that is right, then fuck me backwards, Yabu. And don't email the school, they might laugh at your email like posters up thread have said, or they might cry.

The fact that your child is getting a small amount of interaction with other kids is still 100% more interaction than a lot of other kids are getting op, mine included.

You seem to want the best of both worlds. You want your kid at school and you want them to have the one small thing that's for the kids stuck at home.
If you really want this zoom call, instead of sending your child to school, keep them at home and your child will be eligible to take part.
It seems very obvious that the call is timed to give the at home kids some attention. It's a really rubbish and lonely way to learn, luckily your child isn't having to do this.

Yes YWB massively U.

If your child misses their friends arrange WhatsApp calls or zoom meetings at the weekends.

@arethereanyleftatall - you're spot on. if I had an email about this at school, the way I'm feeling at the moment, I would most likely burst into tears and then be really, really pissed off.

The zoom call isn't a social call for your DD & her friends to chat surely.

Your de is getting next to personal teaching all day, basically a private lesson with just two others.

😂😂 yeah, I don't think that's very likely.

@arethereanyleftatall

Reading between the lines. Your de is getting next to personal teaching all day, basically a private lesson with just two others. Children at home are getting nothing, just stressed parents trying to wfh (like you are) AND homeschool their dc. The teacher is kindly tagging on to her full day right at the end a small chance for the other 90% of the class to get a tiny bit of attention. If that is right, then fuck me backwards, Yabu. And don't email the school, they might laugh at your email like posters up thread have said, or they might cry.

This

I don’t think OP is coming back

If you WFH you can keep your child at home with you - the same as everybody else! I say this as a Key Worker myself. I teach full time AND keep my children at home. They only go on to school on the days I have to work IN school.

@FutureDuchessofHastings
You're all awesome

@sadpapercourtesan

So is the teacher working the school day, and then doing a Zoom call afterwards to include all the children who are stuck at home?

If that is the case, then you are being unreasonable. You're asking her to make her working day longer just to accommodate your daughter who has a school place.

You know teachers don't finish at 3pm, right? It won't be extending her work day.

In fact I wonder how she is managing to do it at 3 if that is pick up. Isn't she seeing the children out?

I don't think it's unreasonable just to ask if it could be done during the school day. It could be done instead of the class mat time at the beginning of the day, after lunch or at the end of the day. It would help keep a sense of the whole class and the teacher would get to end her class time earlier.

@namechangestory there is no harm in asking. I would. Much nicer for all the children to join in. If it was my class I would try and make it work and if not explain the reason why. It's not a bad question so long as you say you will understand if it won't work.

@Bouledeneige and all the others
Do you not think that there's probably a reason the teachers have chosen 3pm? That it's been discussed and for whatever reason, they've chosen 3pm. I am sure they are well aware that means those in school will miss it. I would assume they are doing the best they can for all pupils and leave them to it.