Would this type of 'blended learning' be better received?

[IDSNeighbour]

Generally, I'm not in favour of the idea of blended learning. I want to see my classes every week. I teach a 1 lesson a week subject anyway so already feel I don't see each child enough.

But I think that (in some areas of the country at least) it's starting to look inevitable. And much better to have blended learning than totally online teaching (regardless of how in/effective it is, I will go clinically insane if I have to go through teaching via MS Teams again ).

In Brazil, they have had a sort of blended learning for years due to having too many children for the school buildings/number of teachers.* In their state schools, half the children attend the morning session and half the afternoon session. They get, I think, 4 hours schooling (8-12 or 1-5) with no need for a lunch break and then have homework to do in the other half of the day.

Could this be a sensible solution for a while, do you think? I don't know if I'm missing some obvious downside but I feel like it could be an effective way of halving the number of children in the classroom without halving their time spent in school.

I do appreciate it doesn't solve the childcare issue but I'm just thinking about it from a teacher's point of view atm, not a parent's.

*(Disclaimer, it is possible that overcrowding isn't the reason for Brazil's system at all and that I had a Portuguese fail when it was being explained to me - I'm not fluent in Portuguese by a long shot. So sorry to any Brazilians I may have inadvertedly offended!)

As a parent, if that was mooted i think at this point it would be enough to tip me over the edge.

Well, as a teacher and parent myself, I would not be willing to extend my day in such a manner.
I want to be home with my own child, not stuck in school for an additional 10 hours a week, teaching 8 hours a day as opposed to 5.
And then there’s the planning for all that additional learning.
My 50 hour working week would join the virus in its exponential increase.
It would be a no from me. I am already trying to cling on to my work-life balance by my finger nails.

It doesn't really matter what anyone thinks about it. Keep going as we are and schools will close at Christmas.

As a parent, if that was mooted i think at this point it would be enough to tip me over the edge

More so than the idea of week on, week off? (ie is it the part element that you hate or specifically the half day idea?)

DBML I hadn't actually thought of it as an increase in working hours, tbh. I teach 8 - 5 anyway so it didn't hit me as extra. Depends on the school, I guess. Agree that you couldn't ask people to do a big increase. A little increase for a very time limited, emergency situation might be ok though. I think most people are working more at the moment anyway due to all the isolation work, constantly changing regs etc.

Disclaimer up front - I don't have children.

But - how the hell is that going to work with people who work a normal full time job? None of my previous jobs would have entertained me saying "oh, I'll only be in mornings now" even if by some miracle I could have afforded to drop half my hours.

I'm self employed now partly because of lack of flexibility for anyone who isn't a parent but still needs to work weird hours, but I cannot see this type of blend working - what if you have one child in school mornings and one afternoons? Is one parent just supposed to jack in their job to make it work?!

By the time you take Travel times into account the time left for the other part of the day is greatly reduced.

(I know some / lots of people are wfh because covid. But plenty more have jobs which are full time and can't be done from home)

IDSNeighbour

Not something I’d be willing to do I’m afraid.
I’m in school by 7.30am and finish at 2.45 and that’s when I leave the building.

For years I have been subjected to endless learning walks; book scrutiny’s; accountability for things outside of my control; no one gives a shit about the average teacher and piles on the paperwork. We went through a ten year pay freeze, my own TLR was removed during a ‘restructure’ to save money...and then someone comes along and says ‘we all need to chip in’ or ‘we’re all in this together’. Well, I work to pay the bills now and nothing more, so no thank you.

I think most people are working more at the moment anyway due to all the isolation work, constantly changing regs etc.

Oh and they are, you’re right. So why expect even more? You’re not SMT by any chance are you.

As a parent it sounds like a nightmare. Especially when you have multiple children in different schools who would be unlikely to all be in at the same time.

I would far prefer a week on / week off or 2 days a week.

It is just too long a day for them too, if they have one work the rest of the day in addition to being in school. It sounds like a treadmill and a nightmare and I would deregister mine if this happened.

hilarious Yes, I know that would be a huge issue. I don't have children either. No idea how people that do are coping right now. But most of the suggestions around schools closing/going to blended learning have the same problem. I was thinking of it as an educational solution, not as a childcare one.

I suppose one answer could be that this is the kind of thing that would only be implemented if we were in a similar lockdown situation to March and most people were working from home. There could then perhaps be an option of half day school/half day wraparound care for children who are vulnerable or whose parents have to work from work.

Probably isn't practical anyway. Just a sudden idea that seemed less impractical than some others but turns out not to be even after only a handful of replies!

(I suspect Brazil manages by a combination of: more traditional households with SAHP, higher unemployment, more casual/part time work and more children home alone/travelling alone.)

That’s a good point @Arosadra

It’s like nobodies well-being matters anymore, staff or kids.

I’m already spending 14 hours a week driving children to school. I have to wfh as well and have a child at home full time. I don’t think I could do it.

I don't think it would work tbh. You'd have to slot in time for classrooms to be cleaned, teachers to eat and allow time for late pickups (because some parents will never be on time, no matter what). Week on/week off would be more practical.

No blendex learning at all would work for me as a parent who can't WFH.

DBML - no, not SLT. Just didn't think about different hours in different schools and was thinking that some of the extra work created by all the isolations might be cut down if we had fewer children in at one time. So I thought it might be replacement work rather than added work.

In my school it’s always added work.

It’s like nobodies well-being matters anymore, staff or kids

I think it's more that nobody can think of a way of managing this that works.

I came at this idea from a position of thinking that full time school isn't working for staff well being and blended learning would be no good for children's well being. So the 1/2 day idea seemed like a reasonable balance for both teachers and children (though, as I said, I wasn't thinking much about parents as I was looking for an educational solution).

From the replies, it seems this is also seen as poor for the well being of everyone concerned.

So now I just can't think of anything else. What on earth do we do?!

I'm sorry you're having such a rough time of it, DBML

That’s kind. Thank you. I’m coming to the end of my teaching career and it’s ground me down of late. I’m ready to go I think.

I hope you enjoy yours.

Would be fine with no home tasks. Small classes provide an intense learning environment, you get your 3 - 4 hours a day, that's it. Childcare provided for other half of the day for those who need it, organised through school communities. Teachers do same lessons twice a day. This is primary, secondary more complicated.

I'd be even more screwed. I have already had to take a week off for a child self-isolating. I don't have the childcare and kids are primary age.
The most I can stand is a second lockdown and my kids still being taught (keyworker) but start changing the school week or hours and I will have to quit and live off benefits instead.

I’d be much happier with this than what we have now.

They do similar in Turkey. Morning students go from 7-12 and afternoon students from 12:30-5:30. They have two sets of staff though, with one Head. Do we have enough teachers in employment and out of it to staff it? How do you lure back the teachers who have left? I left in the summer due to poor work life balance and the stress chronic lack of funding was causing, although I loved the kids and teaching them. I would consider going back if the government invested more into schools, especially SEND, and if feckless and corrupt heads were removed rather than passed on to other schools with the promise of a reference if they go quietly!

This would fuck over the working classes. Who, unlike most of mumsnet, have to, you know, work. And travel to work.