If you're a teacher, how do the kids seem at the moment?

[JesusInTheCabbageVan]

In light of all the reports of children's mental health and development suffering during lockdown, I've been wondering about this a lot. Have you noticed a big change in the kids you teach? Was it as bad as you feared?

My DS9 seems to have come through it all more or less OK, though according to him he's currently getting told off a lot 'for no reason' so reading between the lines, he's being a bit of a PITA. Hopefully it'll settle down.

I know this sounds like a very 'journalist' post... all I can say is I promise I'm not! Been around for years and would make a crap journalist.

Just wanted to send a really heartfelt thank you to all the teachers for keeping everything going over lockdown and now while the impact of it all is coming out.
The shit that so many of you’ve had to deal with from literally all sides and all while dealing with your own family and personal issues around Covid and lockdown at the same time. Just massive respect and thanks.

Secondary teacher of inner London boys here - the kids are emotional and tired, but the worst thing is that they have lost faith in the security of their school being always open tor them. So they're much more uncertain, less trusting, less willing to take risks. Most tell me that they feel they've changed forever and not for the best. I don't think we did right by this generation at all.

Some of these comments make me want to cry. Children have been through so much during the last year, their mental health really needs to be made a priority.

Primary school year 6 - they have lost the skill of how to behave in a classroom. Lots of chatting, inappropriate swear words, and over familiarity with me. I feel the swear words/over familiarity is picked up at home and brought back in with them. We will have to reteach them some basic behaviour eg putting hand up and not just shouting at me. Manners go a long way in a class of 30!

Playtime - not too bad but they can fall out with each other over the drop of a hat! Mind you, they were always like this - think it's just the cohort!

They've also lost stamina - they switch off or go hyper in the afternoon (over tiredness), when we are doing the PSHE and "light touch" topic/science (ie more hands on, experiments, no written work). I have some kids who jus put their heads down on the table as they can barely keep their eyes open (I secretly wonder if they are still up late gaming).

Academically, for maths in particular, huge gaps apparent in those that did the online learning and those that didn't. Somehow we've got to close those gaps as much as possible, whilst also keeping the more able students engaged, before they leave us in July for secondary. This means much more differentiation in lessons than before. I worry how they will get on in secondary, and I know they are also anxious about it - many have never even stepped foot in their new school (due to no open evenings last year).

@Thisgirlcando
Are you a science teacher? Just my school isn’t permitting practicals at all so keen to hear if other schools are managing it.

@DancingQueen85

Some of these comments make me want to cry. Children have been through so much during the last year, their mental health really needs to be made a priority.

I can’t speak for everyone but we are trying so hard at our school to help them through this but it is relentless for everyone at the moment. I just hope the Easter break let’s them really let off some steam

[quote Loshad]@Thisgirlcando
Are you a science teacher? Just my school isn’t permitting practicals at all so keen to hear if other schools are managing it.[/quote]
My school has brought them back in now too

@RoyalMush

Just wanted to send a really heartfelt thank you to all the teachers for keeping everything going over lockdown and now while the impact of it all is coming out. The shit that so many of you’ve had to deal with from literally all sides and all while dealing with your own family and personal issues around Covid and lockdown at the same time. Just massive respect and thanks.

Not just teachers

This thread is literally about teachers.

@noblegiraffe I think that's it - they've been used to having some control over what they're doing and there's a lot of them now resentful that they no longer have that. Somehow, this time we're the bad guys. I don't want to make Year 11 do what I have to make them do over the next few weeks but I get no say in it either!

@bananamonster

I think that this cohort of Year 1s will be OK with their literacy but the maths worries me hugely. They're missing so much vital understanding of basic concepts, been given no time to explore, understand, and apply them. Rushing on with the Year 1 curriculum will mean they will probably have many gaps for a very long time.

The children are very tired and don't have the stamina to work for long, or tune out the sound of a busy class and school environment. They are bothered by the noise and lack of space. Social skills need a lot of work.

Some of the children are too young to remember 'normal' school and that's quite sad. There are many gaps in their knowledge, even if they were learning lots at home. The difficulty for teachers is that every child has different gaps and whenever you try to plug them, someone is off isolating again or your whole class gets sent home.

My youngest wet the bed 4 times a night every night for the first week and cries from 7-8:45am every say it’s a school morning.

My middle child is ok doesn’t want to be at school because it’s boring but enjoys seeing her friends.

My oldest a tween so asking anything about school gets a meh.

I am a childminder and all of my school aged children have returned absolutely wild and with no respect/ability to play. They all want to play on screens (not an option here), watch tv and not do any if the activities I have out for them.
The tinies are all very whiny and tantrum at the drop of a hat and the 3 year old has severe behaviour issues that weren't there in November

@bananamonster

This thread is literally about teachers.

Ahh so the pastoral staff like me who have been in the whole time and are now dealing with the worst effects of the lockdown as we are behaviour focused don’t have anything relevant to say, ok.

I teach reception and I'm really happy with how they've settled back. We're in Wales and have been back 5weeks now. At first it was hard - children falling out a lot, unable to share/play together, complaining of the noise, getting very tired and emotional etc. but things have improved massively and they seem very happy to be back.

[quote IHeartKingThistle]@bananamonster [/quote]
It takes so much more than teachers to run a school, I’d go into further detail about what I’ve been dealing with at work recently but I don’t want to be outing but I will say teachers themselves have said to me they couldn’t do my job.

I am a teacher at dd's school. We've just had an "emergency" meeting, all the kids, all the teachers, all the parents and the HT because we are all so worried about their MH. DD is a straight A student, yet we've got panic attacks, fits of crying and insomnia. I have 11 classes in the same school and they're all pretty much in the same boat.

Yes Fembot, that is definitely what I said in those six words I typed.

It's interesting that you think class teachers don't deal with behaviour. We don't have pastoral staff or teaching assistants at my school because we can't afford them. Teachers do everything including lunch duty and first aid.

@Fembot123 I think if you'd said that instead of 'not just teachers' you might have got a better reaction. I'm a Head of Department. Of course I know support staff are invaluable. Hope you're OK.

Secondary school teacher.
Kids are stunned they have to do work and assessments...they thought they were getting grades for free.
Behaviour is shocking. Many are not pleased to be back and out of bed so early in the morning and apparently it’s the teachers faults that they have to come back in.
They were not isolating and were seeing their friends anyway, so no excitement to see others.
Some of our vulnerable learners who were working one to one with staff through lockdown are devastated and lost being thrown back into their classes of 30+. We’ve had children literally begging to go back into the ‘lockdown club’.

I am exhausted...roll on tomorrow afternoon.

@Fembot123 ok? No one is disputing your job is difficult. You don’t need to be defensive and try and one-up people. I’m sure no one is thinking “ONLY teachers have worked hard in schools!!”
We’d be fucked without (some of) our support staff at work. Truly fucked!

@bananamonster

Yes Fembot, that is definitely what I said in those six words I typed.

It's interesting that you think class teachers don't deal with behaviour. We don't have pastoral staff or teaching assistants at my school because we can't afford them. Teachers do everything including lunch duty and first aid.

I didn’t say ‘Teachers don’t deal with behaviour’ I’m obviously wasn’t referring to your school either. What you said was dismissive and I’ve just had a gutful of that.

@Fembot123 that's not fair. You must have seen all the threads bashing school staff. 'Not just teachers' is what we've heard day in day out. You didn't explain your point so you got misinterpreted. This is a thread full of people trying to be kind.