| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 15:11 - May 19 with 4960 views | Highjack |
I can’t access that article, it’s behind a paywall. But I think one thing we will all fundamentally agree on is that kids missing out on education and time with their friends is not a good thing at all. I understand the safety aspect of it but surely education should be classed as an essential sector as soon as possible. |  |
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| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 15:16 - May 19 with 4947 views | jack_lord |
Shame the leftist NHS doctors and nurses weren't bitter about your beloved bojo. |  |
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| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 15:35 - May 19 with 4927 views | Jack59 |
| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 15:16 - May 19 by jack_lord |
Shame the leftist NHS doctors and nurses weren't bitter about your beloved bojo. |
I think you're wrong, on the whole they are just as bitter. |  | | |
| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 15:48 - May 19 with 4896 views | Highjack |
| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 15:35 - May 19 by Jack59 |
I think you're wrong, on the whole they are just as bitter. |
Possibly but they carry on with their duty with diligence on a daily basis despite the risks regardless of their politics. The longer this stand off continues the longer children will be out of school. There has to be an agreement soon. | |
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| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 16:04 - May 19 with 4869 views | Jack59 |
| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 15:48 - May 19 by Highjack |
Possibly but they carry on with their duty with diligence on a daily basis despite the risks regardless of their politics. The longer this stand off continues the longer children will be out of school. There has to be an agreement soon. |
Exactly! | | | |
| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 16:10 - May 19 with 4861 views | thornabyswan |
| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 15:48 - May 19 by Highjack |
Possibly but they carry on with their duty with diligence on a daily basis despite the risks regardless of their politics. The longer this stand off continues the longer children will be out of school. There has to be an agreement soon. |
Needs to be safe PPE provided and at 15 pupils per class should all be good. [Post edited 19 May 2020 21:18]
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| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 16:28 - May 19 with 4831 views | MrSwerve |
| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 16:10 - May 19 by thornabyswan |
Needs to be safe PPE provided and at 15 pupils per class should all be good. [Post edited 19 May 2020 21:18]
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Define ‘off’?
Mrs Swerve was up early uploading lessons for her kids to attempt and then spent a good chunk of time marking them and giving feedback. Same as most weekdays and normally at least one weekend day.
I don’t doubt that there are some teachers who will want to stay off for longer for reasons other than the Coronavirus, but the same goes for any profession. Let’s not tar them all with the same brush. |  |
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| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 16:47 - May 19 with 4811 views | thornabyswan |
| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 16:28 - May 19 by MrSwerve |
Define ‘off’?
Mrs Swerve was up early uploading lessons for her kids to attempt and then spent a good chunk of time marking them and giving feedback. Same as most weekdays and normally at least one weekend day.
I don’t doubt that there are some teachers who will want to stay off for longer for reasons other than the Coronavirus, but the same goes for any profession. Let’s not tar them all with the same brush. |
The teachers union are not coming out of this with much credit at all.
I dont doubt that a lot of teachers are hardworking and conscientious.
But the kids are getting forgotten with the squabling with teachers and goverment. | |
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| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 17:09 - May 19 with 4788 views | Professor |
| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 16:47 - May 19 by thornabyswan |
The teachers union are not coming out of this with much credit at all.
I dont doubt that a lot of teachers are hardworking and conscientious.
But the kids are getting forgotten with the squabling with teachers and goverment. |
The unions are correctly ensuring the safety of their members. My wife works in a primary:
Firstly teachers have been providing care for key worker's children.
Secondly most teachers are providing and supporting online resources. My son is doing 3-4 pieces of work per day. These are being assessed and support provided
Thirdly as far as I am aware there is no objection to returning to work from the majority of teachers, but given 95% consider there to be safety issues, one has to consider that employers have duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act to ensure the safety of the employees, including risk assessment, training and provision of PPE as needed.
No one really knows the risks of carriage and transmission of SARS-CoV2 by children. Whilst they are less susceptible to respiratory disease, we don't know of longer term sequelae.
Our neighbouring authority, Wirral, are not going back as they can not guarantee safety and Liverpool will not be back until mid-June at latest. One has to genuinely question, given the restrictions what the benefits of primary kids returning are. I can see some merit in year 10 and 12 returning as at 15 and 17 there should be sufficient undertstanding to follow social distancing. Arguably this also needs facemasks to be worn too. | | | |
| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 17:24 - May 19 with 4768 views | thornabyswan |
| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 17:09 - May 19 by Professor |
The unions are correctly ensuring the safety of their members. My wife works in a primary:
Firstly teachers have been providing care for key worker's children.
Secondly most teachers are providing and supporting online resources. My son is doing 3-4 pieces of work per day. These are being assessed and support provided
Thirdly as far as I am aware there is no objection to returning to work from the majority of teachers, but given 95% consider there to be safety issues, one has to consider that employers have duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act to ensure the safety of the employees, including risk assessment, training and provision of PPE as needed.
No one really knows the risks of carriage and transmission of SARS-CoV2 by children. Whilst they are less susceptible to respiratory disease, we don't know of longer term sequelae.
Our neighbouring authority, Wirral, are not going back as they can not guarantee safety and Liverpool will not be back until mid-June at latest. One has to genuinely question, given the restrictions what the benefits of primary kids returning are. I can see some merit in year 10 and 12 returning as at 15 and 17 there should be sufficient undertstanding to follow social distancing. Arguably this also needs facemasks to be worn too. |
I read am article in the Guardian yesterday that there was a poll carried out and 95% of teachers are opposed to going back sounds high but that was the figure.
I think English schools are getting different guidlines than those in Wales Scotland or Northern Ireland.
In England they are looking at starting back on June 1st I think not so in the other 3 countries.
Also they are looking to limit it to year 1 and year 6 primary schools with 15 per class seems reasonable to me.
My grandson is 6 year old lives with us and has received no work from his school we are having to try to do it ourselves which is not easy. [Post edited 19 May 2020 17:27]
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| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 17:31 - May 19 with 4748 views | Professor |
| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 17:24 - May 19 by thornabyswan |
I read am article in the Guardian yesterday that there was a poll carried out and 95% of teachers are opposed to going back sounds high but that was the figure.
I think English schools are getting different guidlines than those in Wales Scotland or Northern Ireland.
In England they are looking at starting back on June 1st I think not so in the other 3 countries.
Also they are looking to limit it to year 1 and year 6 primary schools with 15 per class seems reasonable to me.
My grandson is 6 year old lives with us and has received no work from his school we are having to try to do it ourselves which is not easy. [Post edited 19 May 2020 17:27]
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Reception class as well in England, plus key worker children. Three year groups plus 20 or so. In my wife's school that is about 150 kids. From parental intention then perhaps less than 100 will turn up.
What the guidance means is 1 child or adult in the class shows any symptoms, all the class and household will have to self-isolate for 14 days. It is going to be very challenging. | | | |
| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 17:39 - May 19 with 4732 views | LeonWasGod |
The teachers of my two have been superb. We've had daily updates on work, they've been commenting on submitted work each day too and they even carried on setting work and getting in touch through the Easter holiday for those that needed it.
This turning against people who are doing their best to continue to educate our kids through unprecedented times makes me sick. Wasn't long ago that the same treatment was being dished out to doctors and nurses, and now the same angry idiots are clapping them like performing seals with no sense of the irony. |  | | |
| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 17:41 - May 19 with 4730 views | londonlisa2001 |
| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 17:31 - May 19 by Professor |
Reception class as well in England, plus key worker children. Three year groups plus 20 or so. In my wife's school that is about 150 kids. From parental intention then perhaps less than 100 will turn up.
What the guidance means is 1 child or adult in the class shows any symptoms, all the class and household will have to self-isolate for 14 days. It is going to be very challenging. |
They’ve introduced testing for anyone over the age of 5 I thought? Yesterday. So wouldn’t they test rather than self isolate everyone for 14 days?
I think this is a hugely difficult area. I can understand the arguments on both sides. Two things I’m unsure about though - the provision appears so different from one school to another - why couldn’t they just do full online lessons? They have in private schools (or at least the ones I know of). The kids got to school’ at 8.30 and are taught online all day. Moving between subjects etc. Why didn’t that happen in state schools?
Also not certain why the talk is about ‘before summer holidays’ or ‘after’. Summer holidays are surely neither here nor there this year. If it’s safer to go in from, say the beginning of August, why not do that? Just rearrange term times for the year. It’s not like everyone will be on their holidays... | | | |
| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 17:51 - May 19 with 4711 views | LeonWasGod |
| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 17:41 - May 19 by londonlisa2001 |
They’ve introduced testing for anyone over the age of 5 I thought? Yesterday. So wouldn’t they test rather than self isolate everyone for 14 days?
I think this is a hugely difficult area. I can understand the arguments on both sides. Two things I’m unsure about though - the provision appears so different from one school to another - why couldn’t they just do full online lessons? They have in private schools (or at least the ones I know of). The kids got to school’ at 8.30 and are taught online all day. Moving between subjects etc. Why didn’t that happen in state schools?
Also not certain why the talk is about ‘before summer holidays’ or ‘after’. Summer holidays are surely neither here nor there this year. If it’s safer to go in from, say the beginning of August, why not do that? Just rearrange term times for the year. It’s not like everyone will be on their holidays... |
It is complicated. The argument seems to be from those pushing a quick return is that the poorer kids are missing out. But the poorer kids have all been given the option of being in school throughout the lockdown, as teachers are frontline workers and schools have stayed open throughout. There is no reason why this can't continue as they have a tried and tested method now for catching the most vulnerable kids.
They are online. At least the 2 schools in Swansea that mine go to are all being taught online with a pretty much full curriculum. Friends with kids I've spoken to are reporting the saem. The bigger challenge has been trying to offer support with home schooling whilst working full time at the same time. We've been having to do extra stuff with them in the evening, at weekends and through the holidays to catch up.
Hadn't thought of just ignoring the summer holidays. We ignored Easter and carried on, so it could work in theory. Although if there's a chance we can start travelling in the summer bugger than as I reckon we could all do with a change of scene. | | | |
| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 17:59 - May 19 with 4698 views | londonlisa2001 |
| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 17:51 - May 19 by LeonWasGod |
It is complicated. The argument seems to be from those pushing a quick return is that the poorer kids are missing out. But the poorer kids have all been given the option of being in school throughout the lockdown, as teachers are frontline workers and schools have stayed open throughout. There is no reason why this can't continue as they have a tried and tested method now for catching the most vulnerable kids.
They are online. At least the 2 schools in Swansea that mine go to are all being taught online with a pretty much full curriculum. Friends with kids I've spoken to are reporting the saem. The bigger challenge has been trying to offer support with home schooling whilst working full time at the same time. We've been having to do extra stuff with them in the evening, at weekends and through the holidays to catch up.
Hadn't thought of just ignoring the summer holidays. We ignored Easter and carried on, so it could work in theory. Although if there's a chance we can start travelling in the summer bugger than as I reckon we could all do with a change of scene. |
“At least the 2 schools in Swansea that mine go to are all being taught online with a pretty much full curriculum“
It seems to vary enormously ? Some are saying that they’ve had little to no help and support, and there seems to have been less online school all day in state primary schools, which is obviously really damaging to the kids that come from challenging backgrounds. I know they’ve been able, in theory, to go, but apparently very few of those identified as being a from really worrying backgrounds have done so.
I know what you mean about a change of scene, but you could do that bit at a different time if it means kids back back later than June. I don’t think they’ll end up back anyway as even conservative councils have started saying no. May do in London - we seem further along so it may be safer. But the additional problem here is so many kids get public transport to and from school. | | | |
| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 18:15 - May 19 with 4664 views | Professor |
| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 17:41 - May 19 by londonlisa2001 |
They’ve introduced testing for anyone over the age of 5 I thought? Yesterday. So wouldn’t they test rather than self isolate everyone for 14 days?
I think this is a hugely difficult area. I can understand the arguments on both sides. Two things I’m unsure about though - the provision appears so different from one school to another - why couldn’t they just do full online lessons? They have in private schools (or at least the ones I know of). The kids got to school’ at 8.30 and are taught online all day. Moving between subjects etc. Why didn’t that happen in state schools?
Also not certain why the talk is about ‘before summer holidays’ or ‘after’. Summer holidays are surely neither here nor there this year. If it’s safer to go in from, say the beginning of August, why not do that? Just rearrange term times for the year. It’s not like everyone will be on their holidays... |
It is how the risk assessment has been done. Belt and braces really. | | | |
| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 18:23 - May 19 with 4645 views | Gwyn737 |
| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 18:15 - May 19 by Professor |
It is how the risk assessment has been done. Belt and braces really. |
My current experience (in England) is that the vast majority of teachers want to be back in school.
What’s causing the nervousness is that on one hand we’re being told it’s safe, but along with this is the following guidance to make it so:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-scho
29 of these documents are pertinent to my current (primary) school and most reacting to the return have come out in the last week for a June 1st start.
I think it will be safe and hopefully we’ll open as intended on the first. However, I can’t heip but be nervous that I’ll get tripped up by missing things in the guidance as there’s so much to digest. | | | |
| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 18:30 - May 19 with 4635 views | majorraglan |
I can understand teachers concerns about going back to work, I also understand the need for children to have an education and socialise with their peers.
There is conflicting evidence about safety and the impact opening schools may have, the government have provided an overview of the advice they have received but not disclosed the finer detail. If I were a teacher I would want to know everything there is, ditto if I was in a position of influence or a decision maker in relation to reopening schools.
If a teacher, or other school worker caught and died as a result of a Covid19 infection and it could be proved the transmission occurred in school, then the implications and legal consequences could be enormous. The Head, the Governors and LEA could easily find themselves under threat of litigation while the politicians in Westminster would just carry on as normal. [Post edited 19 May 2020 18:32]
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| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 19:08 - May 19 with 4601 views | TenbySwan |
I have to say I find it unbelievable that there are people in Wales who are so right wing, have you not seen what the Tories have done to our Country?
The Daily Fail are leading the attack on teachers. The rich want people to go back to work so that their parents can go back to work to make more money for the rich.
ALL private schools, Eton, Harrow, Westminster etc have ALL said they are staying closed until September at the earliest. Whete is the Daily Mail attack on those teachers? The rich are not risking the health.of their children!
From a teacher on Facebook.
Stop it, stop now...just STOP.
Stop blaming teachers, stop shaming teachers, stop trying to make us feel guilty.
We just want our pupils, staff and their families TO BE SAFE.
We are not asking for much, we are NOT letting the country down, we are simply asking for proof that pupils and staff WILL BE SAFE. We want our very straight forward questions answered.
I am sick and tired of hearing my profession devalued, criticised and vilified on national news, in papers and now by the government themselves. Gavin Williamson, you should be ashamed of yourself. How dare you speak to the country in a press briefing about the teaching profession in the way you did today. We all know what you were implying - I’m an educated professional, I got the message loud and clear.
We ARE doing our bit for the country; I have been teaching for 26 years, seven of them as a head teacher, and nothing, NOTHING has come close to the pressure we have been under, to the hours we have been working, to the strain we have been under as this international crisis, Covid-19. We have NOT been at home doing nothing, this has NOT been an extended holiday.
Allow me to let you in on a secret...despite what the TV dramas depict, despite what the general public believe, teachers DO NOT work 9-3!!! In fact in my 26 years of teaching I have NEVER had a 9-3 day. If I arrive at school at 7.30am I think I am late; if I leave before 6pm I feel guilty that I am leaving early. I regularly work an eleven hour day, 5 days a week. That's 55 hours a week IN SCHOOL. That doesn’t account for the hours I do at home after school or the hours of catching up I do at the weekend, in between trying to be a parent, doing the shopping, washing, cleaning. None of my staff do 9-3. They ALL start the day at least an hour and a half before the pupils, they stay until they are too tired to carry on and they all do more from home. We work a longer week than any other profession I know (with the exception of, perhaps, doctors; oh, but we don’t get paid what doctors do!!) And don’t even get me started on the issue of school holidays!! Yes, we get 13 weeks a year, split over 6 ‘holidays’; holidays which consist of mainly being ill (many teachers suffer with this; you relax for one day and that’s it, you are hit with a bug from hell and spend the rest of the holiday in bed being sick), doing planning and preparation for going back,’ catching up on all the school work you should have been doing in term time as a subject leader or post holder, but just ran out of time (because our pupils always come first). Even in the holidays I feel guilty if I find myself with 10 minutes spare to read a book or to sit in the garden!
The last eight weeks have been NO exception; we have all worked harder and longer than EVER before. Because now we are doing it all in a completely new way; we have had to very quickly learn what distance learning looks like and how it can work for our pupils and their families. We have printed work, delivered work, planned work, marked work, taught online lessons, read stories, taught phonics, developed online resources, shared learning platforms...and that’s just the educational side. We have phoned parents, emailed parents, talked to anxious pupils and parents. We have visited (at a 2m distance) families we were worried about, we have become sounding boards, social workers...oh and at the same time we are home schooling our own children, we are worried about our elderly parents who are shielding, worrying if we can pay the mortgage if our partner is furloughed or out of work, we are still shopping, for us and others, collecting prescriptions...trying to keep our head above water. And what do the press say? They think we are all having a lovely time, on an extended holiday.
WELL, WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE.
We are NOT going to take this ANYMORE. We are sick of it. STOP. STOP NOW.
We have had enough.
We are NOT being difficult when we say it is not safe to be back at school yet. Of COURSE we want to be back at school. We want children to be able to play together, to learn together, to get back to normal, but it won’t be normal. The school we are being asked to go back to will not be anything like the one the children left. The children won’t have their usual teachers and familiar adults (many of them ill, shielding, vulnerable themselves), they won’t be in their own classrooms, they won’t be learning together, they won’t be sharing resources and equipment, they won’t be in groups or pairs, they won’t see their friends at playtime or at lunch time. They will be distanced from each other (oh, but the government knows that small children can’t really do this, so it’s ok if you don’t socially distance like the rest of the world - are teachers and children immune, do you think?), they will be in ‘bubbles’ or groups, that can’t mix with any other bubble or groups or adults. And, apparently, this is going to be good for them...to be told to completely ignore everything we have taught them about sharing and about collaboration...and to get on with learning ‘to close the gaps’ and prevent the ‘disadvantaged’ from falling behind! Oh, and to enable people to go back to work, because if you are a working parent you only have pupils in reception, Y1 and Y6...no one has other children who need to be cared for...oh, what, they do?
It’s madness, utter madness and I am saddened, disheartened and done in. I am 48 years old and to get a decent pension, I’ve got to do this job for another 20 years.
When, when will someone stand up for teachers and make it STOP???? [Post edited 19 May 2020 19:14]
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| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 19:29 - May 19 with 4568 views | LeonWasGod |
| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 17:59 - May 19 by londonlisa2001 |
“At least the 2 schools in Swansea that mine go to are all being taught online with a pretty much full curriculum“
It seems to vary enormously ? Some are saying that they’ve had little to no help and support, and there seems to have been less online school all day in state primary schools, which is obviously really damaging to the kids that come from challenging backgrounds. I know they’ve been able, in theory, to go, but apparently very few of those identified as being a from really worrying backgrounds have done so.
I know what you mean about a change of scene, but you could do that bit at a different time if it means kids back back later than June. I don’t think they’ll end up back anyway as even conservative councils have started saying no. May do in London - we seem further along so it may be safer. But the additional problem here is so many kids get public transport to and from school. |
I'm sure it's variable. No complaints from me here though. The eldest is in secondary and following his normal timetable each day (with Joe Wicks instead of PE). The youngest is a bit less structured, but has a bucket load of work to every day.
We had a lot of comms from the schools when we went into lockdown targeted at kids on free school meals, with parents on the front line, or those with other issues. I don't know what the uptake was but the support is there. Friends around the corner have an autistic son who's continued to have his specialist care throughout.
I'm sure that a lot of the agitators on this issue have no skin in the game and they're just playing party politics/culture war crap. The OP is probably a case in point - simply trolling for the hell of it rather than having any experience. It pisses me off and I shouldn't' rise to it, but there are people in the system doing their best and then a bunch of c*nts on the sidelines sniping at them for no logical reason ('scuse my French). | | | |
| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 19:36 - May 19 with 4558 views | thornabyswan |
| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 19:08 - May 19 by TenbySwan |
I have to say I find it unbelievable that there are people in Wales who are so right wing, have you not seen what the Tories have done to our Country?
The Daily Fail are leading the attack on teachers. The rich want people to go back to work so that their parents can go back to work to make more money for the rich.
ALL private schools, Eton, Harrow, Westminster etc have ALL said they are staying closed until September at the earliest. Whete is the Daily Mail attack on those teachers? The rich are not risking the health.of their children!
From a teacher on Facebook.
Stop it, stop now...just STOP.
Stop blaming teachers, stop shaming teachers, stop trying to make us feel guilty.
We just want our pupils, staff and their families TO BE SAFE.
We are not asking for much, we are NOT letting the country down, we are simply asking for proof that pupils and staff WILL BE SAFE. We want our very straight forward questions answered.
I am sick and tired of hearing my profession devalued, criticised and vilified on national news, in papers and now by the government themselves. Gavin Williamson, you should be ashamed of yourself. How dare you speak to the country in a press briefing about the teaching profession in the way you did today. We all know what you were implying - I’m an educated professional, I got the message loud and clear.
We ARE doing our bit for the country; I have been teaching for 26 years, seven of them as a head teacher, and nothing, NOTHING has come close to the pressure we have been under, to the hours we have been working, to the strain we have been under as this international crisis, Covid-19. We have NOT been at home doing nothing, this has NOT been an extended holiday.
Allow me to let you in on a secret...despite what the TV dramas depict, despite what the general public believe, teachers DO NOT work 9-3!!! In fact in my 26 years of teaching I have NEVER had a 9-3 day. If I arrive at school at 7.30am I think I am late; if I leave before 6pm I feel guilty that I am leaving early. I regularly work an eleven hour day, 5 days a week. That's 55 hours a week IN SCHOOL. That doesn’t account for the hours I do at home after school or the hours of catching up I do at the weekend, in between trying to be a parent, doing the shopping, washing, cleaning. None of my staff do 9-3. They ALL start the day at least an hour and a half before the pupils, they stay until they are too tired to carry on and they all do more from home. We work a longer week than any other profession I know (with the exception of, perhaps, doctors; oh, but we don’t get paid what doctors do!!) And don’t even get me started on the issue of school holidays!! Yes, we get 13 weeks a year, split over 6 ‘holidays’; holidays which consist of mainly being ill (many teachers suffer with this; you relax for one day and that’s it, you are hit with a bug from hell and spend the rest of the holiday in bed being sick), doing planning and preparation for going back,’ catching up on all the school work you should have been doing in term time as a subject leader or post holder, but just ran out of time (because our pupils always come first). Even in the holidays I feel guilty if I find myself with 10 minutes spare to read a book or to sit in the garden!
The last eight weeks have been NO exception; we have all worked harder and longer than EVER before. Because now we are doing it all in a completely new way; we have had to very quickly learn what distance learning looks like and how it can work for our pupils and their families. We have printed work, delivered work, planned work, marked work, taught online lessons, read stories, taught phonics, developed online resources, shared learning platforms...and that’s just the educational side. We have phoned parents, emailed parents, talked to anxious pupils and parents. We have visited (at a 2m distance) families we were worried about, we have become sounding boards, social workers...oh and at the same time we are home schooling our own children, we are worried about our elderly parents who are shielding, worrying if we can pay the mortgage if our partner is furloughed or out of work, we are still shopping, for us and others, collecting prescriptions...trying to keep our head above water. And what do the press say? They think we are all having a lovely time, on an extended holiday.
WELL, WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE.
We are NOT going to take this ANYMORE. We are sick of it. STOP. STOP NOW.
We have had enough.
We are NOT being difficult when we say it is not safe to be back at school yet. Of COURSE we want to be back at school. We want children to be able to play together, to learn together, to get back to normal, but it won’t be normal. The school we are being asked to go back to will not be anything like the one the children left. The children won’t have their usual teachers and familiar adults (many of them ill, shielding, vulnerable themselves), they won’t be in their own classrooms, they won’t be learning together, they won’t be sharing resources and equipment, they won’t be in groups or pairs, they won’t see their friends at playtime or at lunch time. They will be distanced from each other (oh, but the government knows that small children can’t really do this, so it’s ok if you don’t socially distance like the rest of the world - are teachers and children immune, do you think?), they will be in ‘bubbles’ or groups, that can’t mix with any other bubble or groups or adults. And, apparently, this is going to be good for them...to be told to completely ignore everything we have taught them about sharing and about collaboration...and to get on with learning ‘to close the gaps’ and prevent the ‘disadvantaged’ from falling behind! Oh, and to enable people to go back to work, because if you are a working parent you only have pupils in reception, Y1 and Y6...no one has other children who need to be cared for...oh, what, they do?
It’s madness, utter madness and I am saddened, disheartened and done in. I am 48 years old and to get a decent pension, I’ve got to do this job for another 20 years.
When, when will someone stand up for teachers and make it STOP???? [Post edited 19 May 2020 19:14]
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Just for the record I dont live in Wales and have never voted Tory.
And I can assure you 100% we have received no online schooling whatsoever for my grandson.
Sorry if that doesn't fit in with the high standards in Wales but that's the fact of it. | |
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| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 19:51 - May 19 with 4540 views | GreatBritton |
| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 19:08 - May 19 by TenbySwan |
I have to say I find it unbelievable that there are people in Wales who are so right wing, have you not seen what the Tories have done to our Country?
The Daily Fail are leading the attack on teachers. The rich want people to go back to work so that their parents can go back to work to make more money for the rich.
ALL private schools, Eton, Harrow, Westminster etc have ALL said they are staying closed until September at the earliest. Whete is the Daily Mail attack on those teachers? The rich are not risking the health.of their children!
From a teacher on Facebook.
Stop it, stop now...just STOP.
Stop blaming teachers, stop shaming teachers, stop trying to make us feel guilty.
We just want our pupils, staff and their families TO BE SAFE.
We are not asking for much, we are NOT letting the country down, we are simply asking for proof that pupils and staff WILL BE SAFE. We want our very straight forward questions answered.
I am sick and tired of hearing my profession devalued, criticised and vilified on national news, in papers and now by the government themselves. Gavin Williamson, you should be ashamed of yourself. How dare you speak to the country in a press briefing about the teaching profession in the way you did today. We all know what you were implying - I’m an educated professional, I got the message loud and clear.
We ARE doing our bit for the country; I have been teaching for 26 years, seven of them as a head teacher, and nothing, NOTHING has come close to the pressure we have been under, to the hours we have been working, to the strain we have been under as this international crisis, Covid-19. We have NOT been at home doing nothing, this has NOT been an extended holiday.
Allow me to let you in on a secret...despite what the TV dramas depict, despite what the general public believe, teachers DO NOT work 9-3!!! In fact in my 26 years of teaching I have NEVER had a 9-3 day. If I arrive at school at 7.30am I think I am late; if I leave before 6pm I feel guilty that I am leaving early. I regularly work an eleven hour day, 5 days a week. That's 55 hours a week IN SCHOOL. That doesn’t account for the hours I do at home after school or the hours of catching up I do at the weekend, in between trying to be a parent, doing the shopping, washing, cleaning. None of my staff do 9-3. They ALL start the day at least an hour and a half before the pupils, they stay until they are too tired to carry on and they all do more from home. We work a longer week than any other profession I know (with the exception of, perhaps, doctors; oh, but we don’t get paid what doctors do!!) And don’t even get me started on the issue of school holidays!! Yes, we get 13 weeks a year, split over 6 ‘holidays’; holidays which consist of mainly being ill (many teachers suffer with this; you relax for one day and that’s it, you are hit with a bug from hell and spend the rest of the holiday in bed being sick), doing planning and preparation for going back,’ catching up on all the school work you should have been doing in term time as a subject leader or post holder, but just ran out of time (because our pupils always come first). Even in the holidays I feel guilty if I find myself with 10 minutes spare to read a book or to sit in the garden!
The last eight weeks have been NO exception; we have all worked harder and longer than EVER before. Because now we are doing it all in a completely new way; we have had to very quickly learn what distance learning looks like and how it can work for our pupils and their families. We have printed work, delivered work, planned work, marked work, taught online lessons, read stories, taught phonics, developed online resources, shared learning platforms...and that’s just the educational side. We have phoned parents, emailed parents, talked to anxious pupils and parents. We have visited (at a 2m distance) families we were worried about, we have become sounding boards, social workers...oh and at the same time we are home schooling our own children, we are worried about our elderly parents who are shielding, worrying if we can pay the mortgage if our partner is furloughed or out of work, we are still shopping, for us and others, collecting prescriptions...trying to keep our head above water. And what do the press say? They think we are all having a lovely time, on an extended holiday.
WELL, WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE.
We are NOT going to take this ANYMORE. We are sick of it. STOP. STOP NOW.
We have had enough.
We are NOT being difficult when we say it is not safe to be back at school yet. Of COURSE we want to be back at school. We want children to be able to play together, to learn together, to get back to normal, but it won’t be normal. The school we are being asked to go back to will not be anything like the one the children left. The children won’t have their usual teachers and familiar adults (many of them ill, shielding, vulnerable themselves), they won’t be in their own classrooms, they won’t be learning together, they won’t be sharing resources and equipment, they won’t be in groups or pairs, they won’t see their friends at playtime or at lunch time. They will be distanced from each other (oh, but the government knows that small children can’t really do this, so it’s ok if you don’t socially distance like the rest of the world - are teachers and children immune, do you think?), they will be in ‘bubbles’ or groups, that can’t mix with any other bubble or groups or adults. And, apparently, this is going to be good for them...to be told to completely ignore everything we have taught them about sharing and about collaboration...and to get on with learning ‘to close the gaps’ and prevent the ‘disadvantaged’ from falling behind! Oh, and to enable people to go back to work, because if you are a working parent you only have pupils in reception, Y1 and Y6...no one has other children who need to be cared for...oh, what, they do?
It’s madness, utter madness and I am saddened, disheartened and done in. I am 48 years old and to get a decent pension, I’ve got to do this job for another 20 years.
When, when will someone stand up for teachers and make it STOP???? [Post edited 19 May 2020 19:14]
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Well said, Tenby Boy. My wife (all my wives actually, but I don't talk about the first few), my daughter and I are all involved in education as teachers and lecturers. My wife is currently working 12 and 13 hour days and has taken two days off (a Saturday three weeks ago and one Sunday when she just collapsed) since the lockdown. That includes the whole of the Easter holiday, when she was teaching sudents online as wll as all the other stuff you mentioned. There may be a few coasters, as there would be in any industry, but for the most part teachers are up there with NHS workers in my view. I'm not ignoring delivery drivers btw - they've been brilliant for me. |  | | |
| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 20:01 - May 19 with 4520 views | BrynCartwright |
Piker being an asshole again...
Quelle surprise! |  |
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| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 20:04 - May 19 with 4507 views | Kilkennyjack |
| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 19:51 - May 19 by GreatBritton |
Well said, Tenby Boy. My wife (all my wives actually, but I don't talk about the first few), my daughter and I are all involved in education as teachers and lecturers. My wife is currently working 12 and 13 hour days and has taken two days off (a Saturday three weeks ago and one Sunday when she just collapsed) since the lockdown. That includes the whole of the Easter holiday, when she was teaching sudents online as wll as all the other stuff you mentioned. There may be a few coasters, as there would be in any industry, but for the most part teachers are up there with NHS workers in my view. I'm not ignoring delivery drivers btw - they've been brilliant for me. |
Great post.
Priority for the hard of thinking ....
1. Safety for all
2. Education
If schools closed because they were not safe, then they should publish the new science behind the change of advice.
Otherwise it appears political.
Only then can you get people behind opening up.
Otherwise you wait till they go back in September.
The posh kids schools are not rushing back. I wonder why not ?
Oh thats right - safety. |  |
| Beware of the Risen People
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| Teachers are a disgrace trying to politicise the Pandemic on 20:13 - May 19 with 4494 views | FieryJack |
That assh*le Pikey wouldn't last a week as a teacher. |  | | |
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