Why do secondary school teachers need to go within 2 metres of a student?

[whenthejoyreturns]

Such a fuss about teachers being collateral damage and in danger. The majority parents want their secondary school dc back asap and would be happy with no social distancing, why can't teachers just stand at the front of the class and at a distance acceptable to them and teach?

I teach adults. In normal circumstances I get really close. I teach maths to people who've struggled their whole lives with maths. I can't see whether someone has misused a decimal point, multiplied by 3 instead of 30 in long multiplication, used the LCM when factorising without being right next to them.

I bloodly love my job and I've missed my classes but if I can't do it properly then what is the point?

Oh the shame... used the HCF when factorising. Not LCM. Back under my rock

One of the main issues with secondary pupils is that you can't keep them in separate 'bubbles', because they are all doing different combinations of subjects in different sets, so they can't just stay in one classroom with the same class of kids. Unlike in primary, they will all need to be going up and down corridors to different rooms with different teachers.

Hilarious. Except not.

*No but I used to go to school!
*
I once went to a garage - that doesn't make me a car.

This morning I supported a child with SEN to rejoin our school in yr6. He is a few weeks away from secondary school. We walked around the site, we reviewed our distancing every 2 minutes; he struggled to understand that he can’t go up to adults as usual; he needed help to do up his new trainers. There will be many children needing similar levels of help in yr7.

Not as straightforward as people (or at least OP) think.

Wow - all teachers know that lots of parents think they are experts on teaching and schools just because they went to school, but I've never heard a parent actually admit it before! Well done for the honesty, OP

Well I suppose it is a workplace people have experience of as a user! I don't for example have much idea about factories except what I've seen on TV when Gregg has been around sweet factories

I can't see that "lecturing" is any worse than what the kids are getting now. I think a lot of pupils would prefer face to face lessons, of course many will be quite happy with video/virtual schooling.

As for public transport, it doesn't seem to be an issue in Germany. Are we really going to tell out 11-18 year olds that they can't have a proper education because of bus travel? Many buses are only for college/school students, so there aren't any vulnerable adults on them (except perhaps the driver, who could wear PPE if so).

No but I used to go to school!

And this is what makes everyone think they're an expert. I had an operation once, maybe I should be a surgeon.

Secondary schools will be back in Wales at the end of the month. I am not sure there is anything particularly special about Welsh teachers and students that they can go back, albeit part-time, but it feels like we'll be arguing about getting students back in England forever more.

And this is what makes everyone think they're an expert. I had an operation once, maybe I should be a surgeon

It's a bit different to 13 years spent in a school for 9 months of the year.

What do you do for a living? I’d love to give you some tips as to how you can do it better.

Social distancing has not been cancelled. Ty government does not want us to mix freely. Until they do, all this talk of piling teenagers onto buses or in schools with no limits at all is irrelevant. The OP is clear this is about all children going back to secondary full time, full classes.

Well I suppose it is a workplace people have experience of as a user!

...as a child.

I dread to think of navigating my way on duty or to the toilet down the corridor at breaktime at the best of times!

It's a bit different to 13 years spent in a school for 9 months of the year.

Not really. Pupils do not have much of an insight into teachers' jobs, the needs of pupils different from themselves, the complexities of staffing and timetabling, the financial implications of policies and decisions, safeguarding, or the educational process itself.

I've spent some years in a variety of pubs. No idea what running a pub involves.

Just as if a child went and lay in a hospital bed Monday to Friday for years, they would not gain expertise in how to run the NHS, how to give medication or operate on people.

No but I used to go to school!

What's your suggestion for checking work without getting too close or handling books then, fount of all knowledge? What's your suggestion for making classrooms big enough that desks can be arranged more than 50cm apart? What's your suggest for dealing with kids who won't keep their distance? Come on, you used to go to school so you must have all the answers.

I'm in primary and genuinely delighted to be back but one issue I hadn't fully appreciated (even though secondary teachers have pointed it out) is handwashing. The children washed their hands 8 or 9 times between 9 and 3.30 as per the guidelines (before and after break etc) and even with 10 children supervised by 2 adults and sinks inside the classroom this took a huge amount of time over the day. It made me wonder how we will cope if class sizes are allowed to increase. How they'd manage in a secondary with over a thousand pupils and limited facilities I have no idea.

To all secondary teachers saying being stuck at the front of a class is no better than a virtual lesson on line. Just remember many secondary teachers have not delivered one lesson on line since lockdown. My son has not had one lesson from any of the teachers in his secondary school on line and his school is rated Ofsted outstanding. All the parents I know are furious about it. All he has had is class dojo telling him to use bite size. Lucky if he has had three pieces of work a week and even though he posted it back not one piece of work marked. His school is not open for key workers or vulnerable children either. We get a phone call every three weeks saying well done for sending work in. When I ask when it will be marked told it won't be as teachers are far too busy to mark work. Busy doing what? Not all teachers have been teaching during lockdown.

Lol written by somebody without a clue

Written by an early retired teacher.

I quite fancy being a lecturer.

I’ll stand at the front and talk about something passionately for an hour while a group of silent and well-distanced students make notes with their clear pencil cases.

They’ll never need my personal input and always be happy to ask questions in front of the whole class. I’ll never need to read over their shoulder. When one of their pens “accidentally explodes by itself” they’ll totally clean it up without a fuss. None of them will ever be upset about something and need a quiet word. I will always be able to get in and out of the classroom without passing too closely. Their books will not need passing out, and nobody will ever need a differentiated resource. None of them will ever have their phone out under the table and need it confiscating. I’ll definitely have windows that allow circulation of fresh air. And they’ll definitely all have a pen. Every time.

Awesome. Sign me up.

No but I used to go to school! And there you have it. Why we have to listen to endless bollocks from people who think they understand about teaching. My Classroom isn’t very big - it’s not a lecture hall. Guidelines would mean I couldn’t teach all of them in one go so actually they would get a worse deal than they’re currently getting with online learning.

You have never taught have you?

Teens forget to socially distance in classrooms.

Classrooms are small.
Corridors are narrow.
Toilets are horrible.