aibu not to do everything the school wants during homelearning?

[Hshdg]

So my childs school are providing an excellent online learning experience in fact its a bit too good. There are four registrations per day. Mostly live lessons unless a teacher is on a course and all work must be completed and handed in on time. So far we have complied with this. However they thrown in a curve ball. They now want us to measure on an app our daily exercise. We go for a walk in our local area as and when it suits us, time and weather permitting. I don't see why we should have to prove how many steps we have done.

No. They can’t stipulate that you have to leave the house during lockdown, or for how long, or track your exercise habits. Tell them to jog on.

[quote Janus]@Woolff I’m really interested in your post - are you a teacher?? Would they/teachers really judge you if you don’t do one piece of work? I have 4 at home and we don’t do everything set, one day I won’t do say RE for my 9 year old because we’ve spent a long time doing the maths, English, spellings etc. Would his teacher really judge me if we don’t do RE?[/quote]
I wouldn't say it about the odd piece of work, and there are kids in my classes whose parents have made contact and explained their kids are struggling, so have been advised to focus on certain things only. But guided by the Head of year liaising with subject teachers as to what's most essential, not their kids' whims or to least inconveniece other adults.

(In primary, I guess the one class teacher might agree with you that the RE work can take a back seat when having difficulties. But I doubt our secondary RE staff would be happy about their subject being put to the bottom of the pile without good reason. They've planned it and are responsible for helping all their class to progress to a specific point. )

We've all read a lot about what we should be providing during lockdown from people who aren't actually qualified to decide, but have a preference - even our esteemed Education Secretary decreed that live lessons were best, just as Ofsted said the quality of teaching itself mattered more than the mode.

Schools will be doing their best and individual teachers are trying to cater for all of the kids they teach.

Some parents will want more online, less online, no screens at all, a paper pack, longer breaks, shorter lessons, fewer lessons, completely acedemic, life skills geared towards interests, more hands on, no fiddly projects...

But that's because parents are trying too and it's hard. I get it, and accept it, and of course nothing we set is more essential than kids and their families being well.

I just think someone has thought of this idea to get kids moving and to be a bit different. For a parent to say outright they can't be bothered wouldn't be well appreciated at my school.

Schools are under pressure from OFSTED to make the fullest provision. And they'll look for proof of engagement because as we all know, lack of engagement is always the fault of the teacher.

I'm not having pop at the OP, for their hesitation in doing the work, by the way, though I was a bit at the provision being "too good".

Thank you @Woolff, I have one in secondary too and she is doing absolutely all classes. They junior school have no ‘live lessons’, we have pre recorded lessons for maths, English spellings and one topic a day like RE, art etc. I don’t always do the topic if we’ve done a lot in the day but I do try. I would hope the school would see we are trying and not judge me.

@Hshdg

Sorry that was a typo it's my middle one in college. Ironically he's studying sport. He's a talented footballer and athlete but can't get out of bed at the moment, but he's 17 and huge so I can't force him. Although on the rare occasion he will join us his mood lifts a bit.

It's literally his course. It's completely relevant to it and him in terms of his ability to maintain and improve the standard of his practical work, the range, relevance and real world applications of his theoretical work. Including giving him an understanding of how easy it is to get out of the habit and what it feels like to start again after losing much of his gains in strength and fitness. It would be incredibly useful to him for his qualification and future. And yes, it would also be good for him mentally.

After the kids came back from the first lockdown I could look at them as they walked by and note all the consequences inactivity had caused them; overpronation, internally rotated knees, shortened calf muscles, anterior pelvic rotation, text neck. Over the course of the next half term, whilst PE were very, very careful to gradually work on building them back up again, not only were there some injuries, there were kids suffering with migraines, neck and shoulder pain, they were gasping for breath before five minutes had elapsed, there were huge losses in flexibility and more than a few who had previously loved PE started doing anything they could to get out of it because their kit didn't fit them anymore or they had found it difficult for the first time.

It's also going to be hard for somebody who has become essentially inactive to go back and see others who have engaged with all of the work and found ways to try to maintain and improve outside their usual activities, as they will be so much fitter.

The principle isn't that they are spying on you or ordering you around. The principle is that he is studying sport, which includes such things as daily activity rates.

No you don't have to but they are just trying to get kids active.

Can you bribe your son to get out of his bed every day or ban Internet etc until he has shad a run or walk no wonder he is depressed if he has gone from being sporty to sedentary. Can't he meet a mate for a bike ride or kick. About?

My eldest's school have done something similar. We opted to ignore it. She also does online exercise classes during her P.E. lessons rather than the work set, which always seems to be non exercise based (like draw a football pitch and write down the rules of the game). If her school wanted the kids to exercise more they would at least set some form of exercise in the P.E. lessons!

I wonder if there is an element of, some kids really aren't doing well in terms of academics but are being active so at least they can be praised for something?

I would take it to be an optional extra thing to do. Some students will be constantly wanting additional tasks or activities to get on with.

The school has to be seen to offer all this stuff. There'll be some parent or a committee or something who suggested it and now they feel they should offer it. You don't have to do it all. I certainly wouldn't be measuring our steps.