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The staffroom

Whether you're a permanent teacher, supply teacher or student teacher, you'll find others in the same situation on our Staffroom forum.

Has the negative stuff started around you yet?

66 replies

pfrench · 02/04/2020 14:20

The whole 'teachers being paid in full for being at home while we do their work for them and our own work from home' stuff?

I can feel it coming on...

OP posts:
Taddda · 02/04/2020 16:07

I was interested in what children attended during the last week!? When the OP stated 'those' ones I did wonder if there was a known 'type'? Apologies if I worded it wrong, but perhaps slightly defensive?

(Its been a long time since I was kicked out of the staffroom @Piggywaspushed ....).

Place put, shall leave....good luck to you Op

BlessYourCottonSocks · 02/04/2020 16:07

I've spent 7 solid hours today working (whilst my own DS has taken the opportunity to do fuck all without me being able to supervise him properly). I'm having to plan lessons for the first fortnight after Easter for every year group. Most of them don't have a textbook at home (we don't have the resources to hand them out) so I'm trying to come up with meaningful work that they can do with limited adult input, no textbook, and possibly without a laptop. What can you manage on your phone, bottom set Y10 who should be doing GCSE work?

It's been a nightmare - and yes, I've seen the posts about 'lazy teachers who should suck it up' but I tend to judge you as a thick twat who knows fuck all if you post that kind of shit. Clearly your teachers failed to educate you all those years ago and you bear a grudge.

noblegiraffe · 02/04/2020 16:09

Bless have you seen Pearson have given open access to their textbooks? KS3 and 4.

www.pearson.com/uk/learners/secondary-students-and-parents.html

BlessYourCottonSocks · 02/04/2020 16:12

@noblegiraffe Yes, I have, but many thanks. We do actually have a subscription to them for GCSE and I've used it to set work, but we've had an issue in the past that pupils need to log on in school first or it won't work at home.

I'm praying that's not the case now, because I know darn well that lots of my bottom sets will have just used the hard copy books (we have one set) in class and not bothered log on to ActiveLearn because they don't do any work out of class!

Really123456 · 02/04/2020 16:13

Those ones = ones you'd rather not teach

Although those ones were the first to dissappear for me.... Loved those last few days, normal class sizes of 20 with the nice ones in it only!

Piggywaspushed · 02/04/2020 16:15

Apologies for unwarranted defensiveness taddda : it's a question that is usually a coded question.

Piggywaspushed · 02/04/2020 16:18

Opticians and physios are going to have a lot of work coming in when this is all over from teachers, and form everyone (including kids) suddenly working form home, hunched over laptops all day.

BeingATwatItsABingThing · 02/04/2020 16:22

The issue with the inconsistent work being set it based on what SLT are saying teachers should do. I’m doing what I’ve been asked to do. After half term, we will be sending a week’s worth of learning in a PowerPoint for the children. I’m going to be individually emailing each parent/child every week. Considering a lot of our children don’t have access to laptops or WiFi, the amount of work they achieve will be minimal.

But sure! We’re the bad guys in this situation. Of course we are! We always are!

Taddda · 02/04/2020 16:24

@Really123456 Thats fair enough....I thought it was more to do with the 'parents using as childcare' issue-

Curiousmum69 · 02/04/2020 16:25

I'm working from home, full time, having to set 3x of work work for students with internet access, work for students with out and work for students at school.

I'm constantly on my laptop on teams answering questions and replying to emails.

On my huge 20k a year salary... as they seem to have forgotten that I'm 0.8 and I'm having to set work every day.

Oh whilst looking after my own 4 children, their anexity and school work.. with only a tiny note book between us!

I've never worked harder

BornInAThunderstorm · 02/04/2020 16:36

I appreciate this is the staff room but it is quite offensive to make blanket statements about parents too. I am having to work my usual amount of working hours from home while supervising my child, year 6, who has been given no work to do at all. As in, no work. He was sent home with two extra school library books on his last day and that was it.
Last Friday the school sent an email - I assume in response to other parent queries- basically listing a few links to resources that are now free such as twinkl, but since I am not a teacher I have absolutely no clue which resources are appropriate for my child or how to teach him.

Without standardisation of learning for the kids at home you are going to see parents who are in a similar situation as myself complaining that nothing is being done

Sarahandco · 02/04/2020 16:43

I have been really impressed by my son's teachers and school. They are trying to stick to the timetable and have been teaching 'live' for certain lessons. They have clearly prepared well.

BeingATwatItsABingThing · 02/04/2020 16:45

I really don’t want to teach live lessons. As a PP said, there are so many issues with that regarding safeguarding of the children and the teacher. Less so in primary but I can imagine a child in secondary thinking it hilarious to record their teacher delivering the lesson or something.

Mistressiggi · 02/04/2020 16:48

I would say my secondary child's teachers are producing (and marking I assume) more work than the primary ones, but both have plenty to do. I work with them half a day and do my own marking the other half. It is a little easier now that I'm more familiar with the computer system.
What I'm finding hard is any kind of switch off - my screen which is normally my entertainment is now my employer. And when I turn to mumsnet for relief I'm told I don't deserve a holiday!
Before the school closed we were focussed on doing the right stuff for the exam classes, as we all assumed the exams would go ahead. It's all been quite a shock to the system.

Mistressiggi · 02/04/2020 16:49

Borninatiibderstorm - I wouldn't be happy with that either.

BrightonBB · 02/04/2020 16:53

My kid’s primary school sent absolutely nothing home at all and provided no guidance on their website except a list of websites to look at Twinkl, Bitesize etc.

The local Senior school teachers are providing amazing work and feedback and parents are thrilled.

There is such disparity.

User24689 · 02/04/2020 17:19

Hats off to you teachers! My daughters teachers are amazing, sending us learning videos, tasks to do at home, links to useful resources, occasionally getting in touch to check in. They are also teaching key workers children who I believe are in mixed age groups. Basically I get the impression they are doing 2 jobs, one at school and one from home (I realise this is the status quo for teachers but still). There will always be teacher bashers but I know no one in RL who has any issue with teachers at the moment if that's any comfort!

Mistressiggi · 02/04/2020 18:41

Thank you @upthewolves I really appreciate hearing that Daffodil

Noideareally2 · 02/04/2020 18:59

We're Ks1, sent home with a few sheets DD could fill in and ideas the teacher has clearly put together from a brainstorm or Google search for ideas in the 24 hours they had after the announcement schools were closed. I'm trying to do a bit each day but have a full time job to do, for a University because everything has moved online and we are still teaching. DD is getting 5-6 hours minimum of cartoons per day, often repeats. I feel lethargic and struggle to come up with fun things she will actually want to do, she gives up the second I'm not directly involved, and it's all too easy to give in to the constant pestering for cartoons, cartoons. I need more wine. I can see there could be a significant gulf by September between the kids who were still in school plus those at home whose parents were able to support them and did, and the rest.

VashtaNerada · 02/04/2020 19:00

Thankfully I’ve only really heard praise for us! Parents seem genuinely grateful for the effort we’re putting in. There’s no way I’d do online lessons though because a) you can’t interact or engage with the class properly which basically makes it a lecture, and b) I have my own DC to look after!

Noideareally2 · 02/04/2020 19:01

Oh and the school hasn't been in touch once since they sent the kids home that Friday nearly 2 weeks ago, not in any sense. I gather some schools and teachers are doing a lot more than others keeping in touch with their pupils.

Piggywaspushed · 02/04/2020 19:15

They aren't doing any actual learning in schools noidea and there really aren't very many of them in school. I think that is one thing you don't need to worry about. Every single child will have learnt less, and less effectively, than they should have. Teachers are coping with this, too, plus the guilt of pupils falling behind. It is completely new territory for everyone.

CallmeAngelina · 02/04/2020 19:30

Noideareally: "ideas the teacher has clearly put together from a brainstorm or Google search for ideas in the 24 hours they had after the announcement schools were closed."

That sounds like a criticism. In that 24 hours, in addition to that "google search for ideas," the teacher will have been putting in a full day's teaching, commuting home, sorting out their own family and sleeping for a few hours.

BlessYourCottonSocks · 02/04/2020 19:44

I haven't been in touch with pupils, either @Noideareally2.

I set work for the two weeks before Easter, but I can hardly email every single pupil that I do teach (roughly 400) to check that they are doing it. We were given little time to sort things out and it's difficult to set work that pupils can do independently with no teacher input and perhaps few or zero resources. Hopefully after Easter there will be some clarification/IT help for how I can keep in touch with pupils/check on work - but presently I have little way of contacting individuals.

Theworldisfullofgs · 02/04/2020 19:46

I'm a CoG and I have nothing but admiration and respect for teachers at the moment.
My kids go to different schools and have brilliant support.

As far as I can see teachers are the glue that is holding many things together at the moment.