Longer school days to make up for lost learning

[StitchInLime]

Source: Various newspapers, give it a Google (admittedly with a right wing lean)

Apparently one of the options being considered, nothing set in stone of course but for the purposes of discussion...

AIBU to feel both joy and sadness at the prospect of this (joy for me so I can claw back work hours, joy for children so they can claw back some school time but sadness for my teacher friends and all teachers who will need to add more hours to already heavy workload).

I think what's getting so many parents' backs up is that teachers and unions have been determined to keep schools closed and will do everything they can to keep them shut indefinitely. nope. You’re forgetting teachers are their to educate. What they wanted was safe opening.

^ I suspect the government could have (and perhaps should have) instructed teachers to work over summer to make up their directed time shortfall from the first lockdown.

They could have been put to work delivering catch up programmes in evenings and holidays.^

Yeah right🙄 ‘put to work’like a chain gang eh?

There to educate.

Put to work
This is actually hilarious
Let's bring back slavery whilst we are at it
I want a teacher slave please

I suspect the government could have (and perhaps should have) instructed teachers to work over summer to make up their directed time shortfall from the first lockdown.

No, they couldn't - they would have had to renegotiate all their contracts because teachers aren't paid for holiday time. That's why the summer schools didn't happen. Would you work another six weeks for free? Of course not.

Honestly, the ignorance of your statements is breathtaking.

@cantkeepawayforever

What have my children done?

Your children have a warm bed, clothes, food, a parent who is well paid and engaged. They have a safe roof above their heads. They have toys, and I suspect that you as their parent talk to them and read to them. They are not physically or emotionally abused or neglected. They are not being radicalised. They are not young carers, and are not responsible for their siblings, parent or elderly relatives. They do not have complex and severe SEN. They do not have eating disorders. they do not live with those who suffer from substance addiction. They do not come from marginalised groups within our society, such as Roma Travellers.

Please excuse me if I work my additional hours for those children who DO face this additional challenges.

Perfect, so will you commit to extra school hours/summer school for those children?

I don't support this for teachers or pupils. Perhaps the odd catch up class after school for, say, a specific maths group that are struggling, this is often offered for Year 11's anyway, and my daughter's school offer after school RS now as this was cut from the curriculum. Not beyond that. My children are tired and exhausted mentally and emotionally this time around, due to online teaching and just the general stress, so I'd like them to go back to normal, even less pressured, timetables where they also get some time to make up socially and do sport and so forth as well.

I don't think teachers will have any appetite for this, so very unlikely to happen (as I say, I'm sure the odd catch-up class and remedial work will go on with some groups or some subjects in lunches/after school as this happens anyway). I won't be sending mine in their holidays as they need them, as they are full-time working from home right now and we all need a break.

@Watchingbehindmyhands 👏👏👏👏👏👏

Spot on. Where the fuck have all these people who suddenly care about disadvantaged children been over the last few years?

[quote ElliFAntspoo]@yomommasmomma

I am currently home schooling my children and working very long hours around that. My children are fine but there are many children in this country now who are by no means even close to fine and desperately need more time with their teachers.

Well, if there are, that is a failure in parenting, and a failure in parents to take responsibility to educate their children.

And before anyone "suggests" it I am already volunteering and would be happy to do so to support the catch up effort in anyway I can.
More platitudes.[/quote]
So you choose to insight the children who have neglectful or abusive parents?

I think what's getting so many parents' backs up is that teachers and unions have been determined to keep schools closed and will do everything they can to keep them shut indefinitely

Provide evidence. And remember what a union is there to do.

Yet when it comes to actually delivering on online teaching or doing a little to ameliorate the learning loss that's occurred because of school closures, many are bleating about workload and refusing to do anything extra.

Myself and my colleagues teach all day on line. And did so during the first lockdown. We also crowded ourselves into bursting corridors and classrooms without windows or windows that barely opened when the media was full of public health information telling us it was dangerous to do so. I have colleagues who are ECV in school every day. Others are involved in testing children . Way beyond our job descriptions. We do extra curricula via Teams. What else would you like us to do? Come round and teach your children in person?

teachers and unions have been determined to keep schools closed and will do everything they can to keep them shut indefinitely.

Do you have any actual evidence for this?

I haven't seen or spoken to any teachers who want schools shut indefinitely. I want nothing more than seeing my students face to face back in a classroom. However I understand, for now, this isn't safe. When we do go back, it needs to be as safely as possible to allow as many students as possible consistent access to education.

I suspect the government could have (and perhaps should have) instructed teachers to work over summer to make up their directed time shortfall from the first lockdown.

Nope.

They could have been put to work delivering catch up programmes in evenings and holidays.

IME the students who need this wouldn't attend anyway.

@FizzyPepsi all the unions have ever done is campaign for schools to be made safer before they fully reopen. The people who have prevented them from being made safer are our wonderful government- look at the DFE threatening some London secondaries with legal action for wanting to move online for the week before Christmas hols because community spread was so high! That decision by the DFE really paid off didn't it? Look where we are right now...
It never ceases to amaze me how so many people continue to miss the point in all of this and instead prefer to demonise teachers and union rather than point the finger at the people who are actually responsible for this shite show. Please tell me one thing the government has done to make schools safer since the October 'circuit breaker'?

Do you try to manipulate and emotionally blackmail your kids too, or just strangers online?

Teachers Unions and most teachers wanted schools open!? Just with more safety and mitigation, akin to supermarkets.

Some schools were crap in lockdown 1. Some were crap before Covid? Some are running with a staff of supply teachers/unqualifieds. Some have water running down the wall, some have drug dealers threatening staff at the gates.

It is very bleak out there in some schools. If only parents cared before.

@yomommasmomma wonderful- but it clearly isn't enough because there's still children suffering... You need to do more I'm afraid.

NB. hear how ridiculous that is to say to someone already doing everything they clearly can?

When did schools become responsible for everything? Amazing how social workers aren't getting a battering! Tell me yomomma how do you think an extra hour of English lessons a day will help kids in violent or abusive homes?

@cantkeepawayforever

Please excuse me if I work my additional hours for those children who DO face this additional challenges.
The funny thing is, those are the very parents who do not feel entitled to your time and effort.

[quote Makingnumber2]@yomommasmomma wonderful- but it clearly isn't enough because there's still children suffering... You need to do more I'm afraid.

NB. hear how ridiculous that is to say to someone already doing everything they clearly can?[/quote]
I agree I need to do more

[quote FizzyPepsi]@Chosennone

This 'teachers aren't paid for holidays' schtick is baloney. This may be the technical position- but it's not actually the case at all.

They are paid an annual salary- it just so happens they only actually work 39 weeks a year. As opposed to 47 for other sectors.

If they're only paid for 32 hours per week, they're then paid over £1000 a week or £31 an hour. I'm willing to bet that virtually every other person in every other sector getting paid that amount will work beyond their contracted hours.[/quote]
I think you're mixing up

Paid during the holidays with Paid for the holidays.

Would you work for three months of the year unpaid?

Honestly, this makes me sad for children. Most children will catch up naturally, given time, and those towards the end of their education are honestly not missing anything vital (if they are missing anything at all).

Some students already have very long days (e.g. leave the house at 7.30 to get to the bus stop to get to school for 8.25, don't get home until 4.30)- extending their days will just lead to them being exhausted.

It also means there's a lack of time for extra-curricular clubs and activities which so many children have missed out on. There is far more to life than academics.

As a teacher, I'd do it if I thought it was actually of benefit to the children (and I was paid for it), but I don't think it will benefit the children, and they will miss out on things they need.

So you choose to punish the children who have neglectful or abusive parents?

Sadly, those are the children who won't attend these extra lessons/summer school because the parents won't give enough of a shit to send them. The parents who my OH rings every week to chase up because their child hasn't shown their face on any online lessons since January and isn't doing any work and still they don't care.

Perfect, so will you commit to extra school hours/summer school for those children?

Better - I do extra for those children every single day. Always have, always will. So does every teacher and TA that I know. No need for extra extra - we're on it. Delivering food, washing clothes, providing devices, doorstep calls, additional 1:1 teaching, mountains of paperwork, endless referrals, battling with all the other agencies, meetings without end, providing free places for holiday clubs.

No need for extra extra. We'll take care of that. You look after your children.

Fizzy, I’m not sure you responded to my earlier question to you about how many hours I should work per week extra to enable catch -up?

This week, I have calculated, by the end of tomorrow I will have done 56. That includes the 3 hr online parents evening I had on Thursday night from 6-9, of which I have 11 per year. My standard week varies between 50 and 60 hours.

How many hours more should I work for catch-up? Should government be telling me I cannot have the summer out if school that I am contracted to have?

And when the "it's a vocation" line doesn't work, we get this:

It's just very sad for children who are living in terrible circumstances and getting very behind that their teachers won't do extra to help them.

Won't somebody think of the children?

My year 11 would be pointing and yelling "pathos, miss".