Just for info about teaching in the pandemic

[stayingaliveisawayoflife]

Hello

I am not writing this for sympathy at all or expecting people to ignore their own experiences but just for information.

In the first lockdown we were in teams either in school with key worker children or at home prepping work for online. We were told the national curriculum was suspended and children in school and at home should receive the same level of work. At this time we did not do any live work as we had children without access so there would be inequality. Our focus was well-being and providing learning activities for a small group of children from Reception to Year4. This meant writing complete new plans and trying to keep all the children safe by doing a lot of cleaning. We were with the children all day from 8 till 3.30 with no breaks. We stayed in our bubbles throughout just leaving to go to our designated toilet. We cleaned the classrooms first thing in the morning, before lunch, after lunch and at the end of the day.

If we were at home we put work on line. We had never done this before and we're starting from scratch trying to find activities with some learning but trying not to overwhelm parents who were also in a whole new world. This meant adding explanations to every activity and answering lots of emails.

I will carry on in the next post.

I appreciate your hrd work and that of my sons primary who went over and above.
The secondary however was disgusting with some of my older children's teacher not setting a single thing (I'm not exaggerating) the whole time they were off. My son should be in his options year but it was delayed until y10 due to covid. He has never had a face to face parents evening. Now his options and parents evening are happening together with only the opportunity to see core subject teachers.
This is because of the strikes.
I'm furious, the kids were screwed over by covid and now by striking teachers.

You know how things aren’t going that well in world right now? Massive gov debt, the overstretched health service, loss in education, shutting down of businesses etc. Some might say that a massive global pandemic was just a little relevant to how things are panning out now.

I (secondary middle leader) received a few really shirty emails from my pupils parents during lockdown 1, because they hadn’t heard much from their children’s teachers.

I completely understood, but our LA had redirected our secondary staff to the primary schools to look after key workers children, of whom there were a lot, so our staff were working in completely different, but full time roles.

We probably still have a lot of parents who believe that their children’s teachers were just sunbathing during that first lockdown. Getting a lovely tan, when for us at least, myself included, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

As for the second lockdown, we were doing our best at teaching from Teams, but I’m not going to lie, it was not great and no substitute for proper in school education.

I had some understanding of the ‘need to lockdown’ during March of 2020, but by May 2020 I thought it was ridiculous. I was adamant in June when we went back to school, that it would never happen again. So when January 2021 came along I was completely horrified. I thought lockdown was a complete waste of time, money, and our lives frankly. I haven’t changed my mind. Our kids deserved better.

Covid always was and always will be, a cold to most people. How frustrating.

I appreciate some teachers and some schools tried really hard and one of my children actually benefited from having me teach her one on one (I couldn't have done this without the amazing work packs the school provided weekly ).
But my other child was left to rot 🤬.
He attends a special school to help his severe autism and his school didn't even phone to check we were okay for 10 weeks!!!
So my sympathy for teachers is very split I'm afraid because some did use the lockdown to get out of work but others embraced the situation x

Wasn't my child's experience in his crucial A level year. His teacher for one subject basically went awol. Fine, but don't think we forget that easily.

Lovely.

In Scotland we had NO teaching for many children between March when schools closed and August, when they reopened. Schools were closed and teachers were not in the building. My 11 year old who was in his last year at primary got a few worksheets - nothing ever marked.

Second lockdown admittedly things were a little better - but not much. And that was another three whole months away from school. None of my three kids ever had video lessons because the local authority said that it was up to teachers whether they did them or not, and they decided they'd rather not.

I really hate this "teachers were working sooooo hard and are sooooo hard done by" narrative. Lots of people worked their guts out during the pandemic. And not at home. And some of us who were working at home were trying to keep our own jobs to pay the bills and pick up the pieces of education we could manage with bugger all support.

That’s my point. During the first lockdown for us it would have looked like teachers just went AWOL. We looked like we abandoned all GCSE and A Level learners that year.

The reality was that the LA had instructed that only the vulnerable, pregnant and those over a certain age stayed home and everyone else (in secondary) went to support key worker children at their catchment primary schools.
So between 8.30am and 3.30pm, staff were literally going to work for the most part. I doubt many did come home after that and try to catch up with their classes. I guess it would have been nice if they had.

I absolutely accept that people had very different experiences. I also stated very clearly that I wasn't expecting sympathy or trying to say it was harder for me. I know how difficult it was for parents and so wished I could have done more to support with the despair and stress they were experiencing.

I also know many other occupations had to deal with the difficult and ever changing situation and this is important. We all lived through a difficult time and survived it. Can we just accept it was an impossible crazy time that most people did their best to get through.

I really want the main point to be that children suffered and are still suffering. We need in school or out of school provision and resources from specialists for children to help them grow up into happy adults. It would be great if people could email their MPs and tell them about what is happening and what is urgently needed.

Anyway I'm off to get ready for tomorrow.

I just hated the fact that we were shouted at for everything.
All online, all on paper, answers, no answers, we couldn't keep people happy.
Which is because in a classroom you'd mix things up- variety. Which didn't translate remotely.
But the complaining- got me really down.

i think the trouble is not all schools stepped up in the same way....in our area we have friends at a number of different schools and it appeared that some schools really pushed the boat out and went the extra mile whilst our school just didn't re-open after the first lockdown until the next school year, had barely if any contact with us apart from sending emails to the pupils saying that "it wasn't safe" for them to be in school despite a number of their friends attending school in other areas. people have long memories! but equally we recognise that education has been landed with all the social ills, mental health crises, consequences of poverty that health and social care are not able to deal with, never mind being chronically under-resourced for many years in actually providing education itself. i'm sure there are many people who simply havent had time to deal with the emotional fall-out of that time.

This tbh. Even within the same schools there was a vast difference. In the school I was working in at the time some teachers worked really hard...others...not so much.

We had real inequality at our school. Keyworker kids went in as normal and had normal teaching with their usual teacher. It was better than normal school for them, half the class size, loads of attention. The kids at home had to complete worksheets that were uploaded, alone while their parents tried to work. They weren't marked, zero feedback. I still feel so angry about it. The schools should not have closed. Whilst I think Gavin Williamson is a cunt, I was pissed off with the unions at the time, telling teachers to refuse to go in while so many other professions were just getting on with it.

This.

I’m so sick of this narrative that teachers had it harder than everyone else. LOADS of us had a shit time. It was unprecedented and it took its toll in ways we won’t fully recover from. But we aren’t all starting threads about that several years on.

These were my days in the pandemic, wake up at 5am, toddler didn't sleep, attempt to keep him quiet for my older child to sleep a little longer, then get up with them feed, find something to entertain them with for a while, log on do a few hours, attempt to teach them from the few pieces of set work but most of the time go through the books and net for appropriate work , attempt to teach him that, few more hours work, do tea do bath bed time , then log back on until 10 or 11pm at night to make up for the hours I missed in the day spending trying to keep my kids alive and learning.

Everyone had it hard in the pandemic, not just teachers

Though I have to say I never had time for "wellbeing wednesday" like some of the teachers liked to email about .
It felt really galling to see the pictures of the teachers and their kids taking a walk in the week for their mental health.
I never got chance for that .
The little spare time I got was spent shopping for my multi older relatives both online and in person depending on where and what they wanted

Toffeeappler

No one has said that teachers had it harder then anyone else, but the vitriol on social media, MSM and from the government was (and is) disgusting.

You have my full support. Teachers are incredible ❤️ I wouldn’t encourage my children to be teachers as I see how hard it is (my husband is a teacher). And this is from a frontline nurse who worked in covid! Emotionally we take work home everyday, teachers do too but you also have more work to do once you’re home. Neither of us are paid enough. Not everyone wants to bash teachers. You are bloody brilliant and I don’t know how you do it (homeschool was not an experience I’d like to repeat 😂) xx

I don't have an issue with ALL teachers. I appreciate the points you have made which are fair, truthful and empathetic to people in other jobs

I do have an issue with DS head teacher though and wish she was more like you.

@drumlit

Our kids headteacher banned parents from contacting this school because 'teachers had their own families to think about'

I saw how hard my (teacher) DH worked during lockdown. Most - but definitely not all - of his colleagues were the same. However we both felt on balance he had the better deal being out of the house while I was also working and had a 2 year old to look after. The extra work that’s been piled on since the lockdowns finished shouldn’t be underestimated though.

The change over time was huge. I am in primary. At first the curriculum was suspended and we had to ensure provision was the same for all so had to source lap tops and iPads. We also had to learn how to use Zoom and Google classroom as we had never used it. Then we were told everything was as before curriculum wise but now online.

Can I reiterate it was tough for everyone but I wish it could be acknowledged that some of the situation was due to lack of guidance and support from the government and that could also be the reason why it was different from school to school and area to area.

I will never forget the night we found out we were closed the next day after spending the last few days of the holiday and an inset getting everything ready for the children's return. I never got to end the year with my year 2 class and spend that quality of time with them and I wish I could have done that as they were such an amazing bunch.

Anyway I said I was going so I must do so. I need to be in early tomorrow as usual to get my room ready.

I can only speak of my own and friends and family experiences:

First lock down - appalling, an email suggesting BBC bitesize and a couple of links. One tiny class in school of vulnerable children the rest at home. Teacher said she had the best garden ever and completely cleared her home and decorated it! Teachers in this area barely worked.

Second lock down - more children in- more online work for children at home and so more teachers were working.

Full pay and many teachers at home doing the house and garden. They worked less hard than some eg supermarket workers, delivery drivers, were paid more than other people at home on reduced pay. I know several teachers and they are honest about what they did and didn't do.

Second lock down onwards and the stress increased since many thought they were going to die. The scaremongering on her Nobelgiraffe and the followers with the tales of how teachers were more at risk that other groups, how they were dropping like flies were proved wrong when the statistics came out later. No more at risk than other groups. But at the time many teachers were scared and sharing their fears which in turned scared others so it became all about the teachers and very little about the harm to children, who were largely forgotten.

I can only speak for one school but online learning & key workers' children's learning was very poor to non existent during the first lockdown.
It wouldn't be unfair to say that several teachers disappeared & a lot of the ones working didn't provide any significant lessons for 4 months.
Before the second lockdown was announced, our school would have been forced closed as many teachers refused to return to work in January 2021. Fortunately vulnerable & key worker children were in school making small classes & education had to be provided this time.
Now we're constantly being told we must fill the gaps left by the lockdowns but I think the school could have done a lot more at the time.
And there are still a few teachers there reminiscing about how easy it was.
Like I said, only my own experience & I absolutely hated it.

@stayingaliveisawayoflife and@DrMadelineMaxwell , on one hand I have no skin in the game (no children of school age) on the other hand I feel strongly that it's despicable for people, like you, who tried their best, should be vilified.

for what it's worth, teachers have my full support in this disgraceful story

My experience was much like the op, including providing childcare in the Easter holidays for keyworkers' children, unpaid. I will can't believe our head made us do that but at the time it was just accepted.

I didn't get any extra days at home and was juggling my in school children and those at home while also delivering work packs and food parcels after school.