Why does the NEU say that teachers should not be expected to mark work during the pandemic?

[Thenagainmaybenot]

The national education union says that:
'Worksheets and textbook pages for maths and English can work if they are already used in school and all children have them at home. However, teachers cannot be expected to mark work. Schools should not be setting SATs tests or mocks at this time.'

Why shouldn't teachers be expected to mark work? Fair enough they shouldn't be marking as much as they do normally, but (say) 1-2 maths and english tasks per week to be marked is surely reasonable?

@LaureBerthaud

"Go into school and use the computers there." My apologies. I had naturally assumed that you were complaining about the period where most school buildings were closed and relocated to community Hubs.

Not where I live. Schools remained open throughout to vulnerable children and those of key workers. I'm suggesting teachers without computers go into school and use the equipment there. Though i find it difficult to believe teachers don't have laptops etc- what do they do their planning and school admin on?

When it isn’t a global pandemic. School computers, you know, at school. HTH.

i find it difficult to believe teachers don't have laptops etc

You got us, we're just lying for dramatic effect - it's fun to pretend that education in the UK is woefully underfunded and Tory governments have not given a shit about the state education of children.

We weren’t just allowed to travel willy billy on public transport with our kids in tow so that we could ‘use a school computer. Same as everybody else.

The problem with all these conversations about what schools should and shouldn't be doing is that the vast majority of parents simply don't have the slightest clue about how schools actually operate, the many rules and policies which they have to abide by, the practical constraints involved in staffing and timetabling, the many ways in which a seemingly simple thing like teaching a lesson or marking work has developed since they (the parents) were at school, the complications caused by inclusion in mainstream classes of children with pretty complex needs etc etc. Just looking at some schools' marking policies would astonish many non-teachers.

You got us, we're just lying for dramatic effect - it's fun to pretend that education in the UK is woefully underfunded and Tory governments have not given a shit about the state education of children

I'd assume that a teacher would already own a laptop or computer or they'd purchase one if schools didn't provide them. They're an essential tool of your trade.

which is the format I think would be most beneficial for secondary school pupils - that's why private schools are doing it.

Your feelings about the format your think would be most beneficial doesn't trump the evidence that the quality of explanation is more important than the explanation being live or pre recorded. Just because a private school is doing it doesn't make it best practice. Some of the worst pedagogy I have seen has been in private schools.

I'd assume that a teacher would already own a laptop or computer or they'd purchase one if schools didn't provide them.

Many do, however if you are arguing something is essential for your job to be done, then surely your employer should be providing it.

To add to my previous comment, i think this NEU statement is daft and I can't imagine any teacher who actually has the means to mark is following it. Those that aren't marking, it will problem be for one of these reasons:

• working in school/community looking after key worker and vulnerable pupils
• a few will have no computer, so then relies on the school to provide one (mine has managed as we nearly all had our own anyway)
• they are actually sick, i know a number of teachers who caught covid just before schools locked down in this area. None tested so not in the official figures but ill for several weeks.

There are circumstances that mean teachers can't mark but I doubt there are many just not bothering because the NEU said so. It wouldn't even cross my mind to not mark unless I really couldn't.

There are circumstances that mean teachers can't mark but I doubt there are many just not bothering because the NEU said so. It wouldn't even cross my mind to not mark unless I really couldn't.

Completely agree.

And me.

Like I said, most teachers join a union to protect us if we have a spurious accusation made against us or to fight for pay conditions. Not to listen to every little edict like "no marking" (mine didn't say that anyway).

The NEU didn’t actually say “don’t mark”. It said “teachers cannot be expected to mark.”

This was to protect staff in the early days of the pandemic from being hauled over the coals for not keeping to school marking policies. It did not advise members not to mark.

And - for those who say SLTs wouldn’t do that - I was part of a union webinar where one member was asking if it was reasonable for SLT to continue “learning walks” via dropping in to Teams lessons.

“ I'd assume that a teacher would already own a laptop or computer or they'd purchase one if schools didn't provide them. They're an essential tool of your trade.”

But why would they when they can under normal circumstances get any computer work done in school? It’s perfectly possible to teach well and mark and give feedback to students without one and use school computers for the data/admin that is required. Personally I never bring books home but like to plan at home and can afford to have bought my own. Other teachers will plan/admin at school and mark at home where no computer is required. If it is considered essential for our job then we should be provided with them. Reality is schools are chronically underfunded and can’t afford to.

"I have said this many times, emailing and asking why a teacher isn’t working is not really going to yield results."

But an email asking whether the school might consider providing feedback, if they aren't, or whatever it is you're feeling particularly strongly about, might. Certainly if you're asking for something reasonable, that many other schools are offering, and other parents email about the same thing. It's likely to yield better results than whining into the ether on mn.

"Though i find it difficult to believe teachers don't have laptops etc- what do they do their planning and school admin on?"

I don't have a pc at home since mine went kaput in January. I do my schoolwork at school.

"I'd assume that a teacher would already own a laptop or computer or they'd purchase one if schools didn't provide them. They're an essential tool of your trade."

Fuck off. Newly divorced single parent to three, can't afford my mortgage never mind a laptop.

I'd assume that a teacher would already own a laptop or computer or they'd purchase one if schools didn't provide them. They're an essential tool of your trade

If it's an essential tool of the trade than the employer should provide it.

The unions are not there to promote best practices on pedagogy, they are there to make sure their members get the best pay for the least work, so they are entirely consistent I. This. It is teachers who pay the leaders huge salaries, not parent or pupils, so the only interests they protect are the teachers. They might dress it up with concerns about safeguarding etc but actually the Zoom thing is just teachers terrified of doing something they have not been'trained' to do -god forbid they work odd out a simple piece of technology themselves and the rest of the population had managed.
Some teachers do think for themselves, have professional pride and have been teaching and marking. But the union provided a get-out clause for the lazy or Luddite ones /as you get in every job.

They might dress it up with concerns about safeguarding etc but actually the Zoom thing is just teachers terrified of doing something they have not been'trained' to do -god forbid they work odd out a simple piece of technology themselves and the rest of the population had managed.

Rubbish.

Umbrellahat

Sort your bolding out as I can't tell which side you're on.

Oh, I see, the side of incoherent bollock-speak

umbrella

You really don’t let the facts get in the way of a bit of goady nonsense do you?

They might dress it up with concerns about safeguarding

Concerns about safeguarding are very real. Please don't play that one down. Our children are going through enough shit at the moment without pretending that there are no actual real issues with using the technology.

And as it's always forgotten, I'll mention it again. I have an absolute right to safeguard myself, my own children, our home and our privacy as a family and as such, will not be using any form of video conferencing whilst working at home. I have taught live lessons perfectly well through skype without anyone having to see me!

Secondary science here and in school there must be a marking point once a fortnight in student books. That’s equivalent to every 6 lessons for ks3 and that marking is then reviewed by the students in their next lesson where they have to answer the targeted question that has been set for them. It takes me over an hour to mark a set of books because our marking policy is so ridiculous and requires me to stick in and fill out a sheet and write an individualised learning question.

That is the kind of thing unions were saying teachers couldn’t be expected to do on top of crafting online lessons, monitoring engagement, safeguarding plus days in school looking after keyworkers and vulnerable children.

They weren’t saying don’t bother looking at work and giving feedback where appropriate. They don’t tell teachers how to teach they try to prevent unreasonable demands on teachers (mostly unsuccessfully) that aren’t even proven to be of educational value

Fuck off. Newly divorced single parent to three, can't afford my mortgage never mind a laptop

Are you a teacher?

Yes I am.