Teachers and the current status quo

[Lifeisabeach09]

Maybe a teacher bashing thread or not, I can't decide.

My experience of this current lockdown is that my DD's teachers are streaming live or pre-recorded sessions from their homes. Support staff and teacher rotation are dealing with the kids in school. Learning is the same-school or home, it's streaming on Ipads, so the children are being treated fairly.

Surely, not have to deal with 30 unruly kids, not having to discipline, and being able to pre-record lessons or even livestream from home has made life easier (lovelier??) for some teachers. Obviously, each school is different and teachers situations are different (own kids, etc).

Any teachers enjoying the new status quo or AIBU?

Oh yeah and then an hour and a half staff meeting, obvs over Teams just to finish off the day

@Lifeisabeach09

Maybe a teacher bashing thread or not, I can't decide.

My experience of this current lockdown is that my DD's teachers are streaming live or pre-recorded sessions from their homes. Support staff and teacher rotation are dealing with the kids in school. Learning is the same-school or home, it's streaming on Ipads, so the children are being treated fairly.

Surely, not have to deal with 30 unruly kids, not having to discipline, and being able to pre-record lessons or even livestream from home has made life easier (lovelier??) for some teachers. Obviously, each school is different and teachers situations are different (own kids, etc).

Any teachers enjoying the new status quo or AIBU?

This has to be a joke - right? I did not get into teaching to talk into a void for 5 hours a day, pushing myself to be over positive to a group of 18 year olds who have no idea how their future is about to be determined. It’s exhausting, demoralising and utterly souls destroying. Add homeschooling an 8 and a 6 year old then I would say it’s pushed me to breaking point. So, no. The answer is no.

I could not be more glad that I retired from teaching before Covid. I see my DD and SIL working all hours trying to juggle the learning of both the school-based and home-based children in their classes. They are working seven days a week, learning the technology on the hoof, and having to teach the kids the technology as well as, and simultaneously with, the subject of their lessons. And of course supporting their TAs when they are not in school themselves.

They are absolutely exhausted. And worried sick about some of their pupils who aren't coping.

Yabvu.

They have to teach the lesson, keep an eye on the group text chat, hope the students who they are not in the same room as do actually understand what they are learning (go back to group chat to check any answers they've asked for, to remind students to text appropriately etc.

Then they have to ensure their higher/lower ability students are getting work which is differentiated enough (if we are lucky).

It's not as easy as sitting at the kitchen table with an ever present supply of tea and biscuits as you think.

It’s a massive ballache for all the reasons outlined above. It’s really hard to switch off and you are constantly “on”. Making sure you load work that is accessible and challenging for the right kids, posting it in as many places as possible for those with technical issues, chasing those who aren’t engaging, keeping activities fun and engaging. It’s a lot. We are learning very quickly on the job. When the WiFi is at full strength and there are no IT issues it can be great, but that’s a rare occurrence.

It’s rewarding when the kids and parents thank you and let you know they’re happy with the lessons provided.

It’s pretty shitty to go online and see that no matter what we do, those that believe we are a bunch of lazy, work-shy layabouts with too many holidays are still out in force. Am really hoping some of them turn to the holiday-filled gravy-train that is teaching post-lockdown; there’ll be plenty of vacancies!

@Port1aCastis

I always wonder how teacher's cope with their own children when Parents want them online for hours

I am in school all day so any help my children need happens when I get home. I try and stop replying to emails from parents by seven so I can focus on spending time with my own. Thankfully they are secondary so can be home alone during the day.

No it hasn’t. Teaching is a bit like theatre. It’s live and organic and relies on reading the room and engaging with students, being in school isn’t just about lessons either it’s myriad interactions with students and staff. I don’t know anyone who I work with who finds it anything but a tedious grind, I can’t wait to go back. OP , like so many in Mumsnet you don’t really have any idea about what teaching really involves.

[quote Evvyjb]@Lifeisabeach09 how on earth can you not see that by asking "Has lockdown made your job lovelier than normal?" And directing it towards teachers you have reinforced all of the awful things that have been directed towards teachers in the last few months??

You work in care - there is absolutely NO way that I would allow anyone to denigrate you as another critical worker, let alone open up speculation in terms of how your job might be "lovelier".

Seriously? Can you not see this?[/quote]
Poor choice of words on my part. But I truly don't see any denigration because IF a teacher are having was having a 'lovelier' time (again, poor word choice), I would not see this as a bad thing. On the contrary, if there is anything positive that can come out of this pandemic, then great.

This thread highlights that most teachers are having a really shit time but a very small few see some positives (lack of commute, being able to go to the toilet), which is what I was getting at really.

being able to pre-record lessons or even livestream from home has made life easier

You clearly have no idea and no respect for the work teachers do.

YABU and just fuck off with the teacher bashing.

@Musmerian

No it hasn’t. Teaching is a bit like theatre. It’s live and organic and relies on reading the room and engaging with students, being in school isn’t just about lessons either it’s myriad interactions with students and staff. I don’t know anyone who I work with who finds it anything but a tedious grind, I can’t wait to go back. OP , like so many in Mumsnet you don’t really have any idea about what teaching really involves.

No, I don't. Hence the thread.

YABU. All staff must be onsite every day in my primary school and my face to face teaching group is currently 20 children.

Several children who have come back in my teaching group are those with special needs who need a lot of extra planning, 1:1 support and intervention as well as children who are struggling in general with learning at home (the school encourages as many children in as possible if they are not engaging in home learning.)

The behaviour of some of the children in school has been challenging as they are cross that they have to be in school whilst their friends are at home.

On top of this the children at home also need to be taught, detailed logs kept about their engagement and follow up phone calls made and the class plans need to be completely adapted so they are suitable for remote learning.

It is no picnic and much harder than just having the whole class in. I don’t think the risk of potential Covid transmission has really been reduced as we’ve got to carry on teaching in the same way we always have pre Covid. It is frustrating but I guess at least it is helping front line workers to work and children to keep learning.

@QueenoftheAir

being able to pre-record lessons or even livestream from home has made life easier

You clearly have no idea and no respect for the work teachers do.

YABU and just fuck off with the teacher bashing.

No need to get hysterical.

I think there definitely some upsides. A lot of my colleagues have remarked on the luxury of being able to go to the toilet when we like and those with long commutes are obviously not having to do that for now. Overall working from home for teachers is harder though. I think there’s often a misconception that the hard bit of teaching is getting 30 kids to behave. It really isn’t. I’m not saying that there’s no effort in behaviour management at all, but it’s a bit like driving a car. When you first start it all requires lots of concentration and deliberate actions. After a few years you stop even noticing what you are doing and it just becomes automatic. I don’t even think about the things I do most of the time in class to keep kids on task and working. Remote learning is like going back to doing driving lessons from scratch and having to think about everything you do and re-think all of the ways that you normally do things. It’s not easier. You also sound a bit naive if you think that the majority of secondary parents seeing it as their role to keep their students engaged and on-task. That’s not how most see it and I agree. Schools are having to come up with systems to monitor and chase up engagement. We can’t leave it to parents... they have their own jobs.

Most of us aren’t even working from home? Schools are packed with children.

@HappyTimeTunnelDinosaur

YABU, but you know that really.

I do now!

Silver lining for teacher for sure. Primary school teacher on rotation, working from home every 3 weeks and I get to put the washing on / clean. I need to be available to respond to emails during the day and make sure the live lessons / pre recorded lessons go out but actually it’s not as stressful as the workload normally

This thread highlights that most teachers are having a really shit time but a very small few see some positives (lack of commute, being able to go to the toilet), which is what I was getting at really.

What exactly was it that you were getting at really? That not commuting to work is nice?

Why just teachers though-can you explain? Why not just start a general thread about whether people are having a lovelier time working from home?

I’m not saying that there’s no effort in behaviour management at all, but it’s a bit like driving a car. When you first start it all requires lots of concentration and deliberate actions. After a few years you stop even noticing what you are doing and it just becomes automatic. I don’t even think about the things I do most of the time in class to keep kids on task and working. Remote learning is like going back to doing driving lessons from scratch and having to think about everything you do and re-think all of the ways that you normally do things

That is such a good explanation.

Yes, you definitely started this thread purely to find out whether teachers enjoy being able to go for a wee in their own houses.

I've seen live streamed lessons where mum actually interrupts the teacher. Dreadful.

I think teaching online is hard, you can't really engage a young audience easily and see how everyone is doing. It is harder to mark and feedback. It is not, frankly, what you signed up to do. I'm not a teacher but I'm very impressed by the teaching I've seen online, it's definitely NOT a soft option.

Have you sat in one of the online lesson? I think teachers are doing an amazing job . They spend a lot of the lesson telling kids to make sure their on mute (so that 30 kids aren't chatting at the same time), then if they ask a child a question they have to wait for them to unmute themselves. Then there's powerpoints that half the class can see and half the class can't. Then work will be set that some children/parents will find others won't so it has to be explained 3/4 more times. The workload and the stress must of doubled over night

I'm not a teacher but I work in a primary school and I know quite a few teachers socially too.

Not one of them likes the current set up, it doesn't work for anyone really, and they're all itching too get back in the classroom properly.

STOP FEEDING IT.
The OP's post at around 9.28pm says it all.

@Frozenintime

Secondary school. Year 10. Live lessons not happening each time. For example, science is 2 times a week. Live lesson is once a week, 30 mins max, when it was a 2 hour double lesson in school. What's happening ??

What's happening is that live teaching full time is neither recommended or mandated. I wish I had kept count of every time I've typed that since January.

I normally have a commute of 2.5 hours (total) but that time entirely vanishes on the extra marking (I mostly teach sixth form and a lot of the work is single page photos of multi page essays). Plus students are bored and worried so producing more work.

I don't mind Teams teaching that much - it's not a patch on the real thing but better than nothing.

I think though most teachers like children and like bouncing ideas off other adults and I really miss that.

Plus my voice, wrists, eyes and back hurt.

Regarding behaviour, the child who is a pain in class will be a pain on Teams. The method of delivery doesn't fundamentally change someone's personality, organisational skills or punctuality.