Schools closed until undetermined date - was March 29th

JPF82

deiseindublin wrote: »

That's great JPF82 and History Queen, worked a treat, thanks.

No problem. Glad to help. Student feedback has been positive too.

Millem

deiseindublin wrote: »

I'm probably be hunted or laughed at but I'm wondering how naive is it to expect LCAs to submit online work? They can be hard enough to engage when you're in there in person.

I set a key assignment on teams. 2 out of 10 have submitted so far with a week to go for the deadline!!

spurious

Lc2020 wrote: »

Finally a teacher who understands the inequity of it all. The SEC recklessly choosing to cancel the orals will place a serious amount of pressure on leaving certs to do well in the written exam.

It never is hanging on the exams for the LCA students. They have a fair idea how they are going by the end of 5th year.

acequion

JPF82 wrote: »

I threw an attachment together for my colleagues during the week to help them. Working on my phone here so Hope it works.

Thanks a million! Will get stuck into that on Mon morning. But hoping it's not too advanced for me.

JPF82

acequion wrote: »

Thanks a million! Will get stuck into that on Mon morning. But hoping it's not too advanced for me.

Just do your best. If it doesn't work for you or suit you, sure don't worry. We are all just doing our best.

Random sample

My LCAs were slow to engage, but have come on board now. That might change if I start setting work to do though!

We’re they included in the announcement about practicals/orals, I wonder? They have interviews in May which haven’t been mentioned specifically.

Shn99

Increasing speculation among my friend group regarding predicted grades being awarded for the state examinations, guess it was inevitable to escape the rumors forever (lost all motivation anyway at this stage regardless if there is a written exam in June)...is there any way it would even work here seeing as the UK system is different to ours?

Mardy Bum

Shn99 wrote: »

Increasing speculation among my friend group regarding predicted grades being awarded for the state examinations, guess it was inevitable to escape the rumors forever (lost all motivation anyway at this stage regardless if there is a written exam in June)...is there any way it would even work here seeing as the UK system is different to ours?

There is zero chance of that happening here.

History Queen

Mardy Bum wrote: »

There is zero chance of that happening here.

Agreed. Couldn't see it happening.

Lc2020

History Queen wrote: »

Agreed. Couldn't see it happening.

Well I also couldn't see the state giving people 100 % for exams they didn't sit yet here we are. If it comes to it, and the leaving cert is infeasible then I don't see why not

Lc2020

Shn99 wrote: »

Increasing speculation among my friend group regarding predicted grades being awarded for the state examinations, guess it was inevitable to escape the rumors forever (lost all motivation anyway at this stage regardless if there is a written exam in June)...is there any way it would even work here seeing as the UK system is different to ours?

I understand your frustration.

With the sec handing out 100 % to people who truly don't deserve it's completely understandable to feel disenfranchised. I've lost all motivation to study for an exam that will likely be cancelled or at the very least postponed.

Lc2020

When are we expecting further clarity on the matter ?

A formal announcement to state the obvious, that the closures will be extented will surely be made early next week. But hypothetically speaking, when would they decide to cancel the leaving cert? I don't see them going through with it if we're not back after Easter.

RealJohn

Shn99 wrote: »

Increasing speculation among my friend group regarding predicted grades being awarded for the state examinations, guess it was inevitable to escape the rumors forever (lost all motivation anyway at this stage regardless if there is a written exam in June)...is there any way it would even work here seeing as the UK system is different to ours?

How could it work? We don’t do predicted grades.

Lc, I actually agree with your position (though I also understand that logistically, they didn’t really have a choice), but give it a rest. You’re not making any friends here by banging on about it, and unless Joe McHugh is secretly following this discussion, you could convince everyone here and it won’t make a blind bit of difference because none of us have the power to change it. It’s done. It’s decided. Move on.

bobbyss

Lc2020 wrote: »

When are we expecting further clarity on the matter ?

A formal announcement to state the obvious, that the closures will be extented will surely be made early next week. But hypothetically speaking, when would they decide to cancel the leaving cert? I don't see them going through with it if we're not back after Easter.

The Minister said mid week that there would be an announcement in a 'few days'. He said that it was important to let people know as early as possible.
But nothing so far.

History Queen

Lc2020 wrote: »

When are we expecting further clarity on the matter ?

A formal announcement to state the obvious, that the closures will be extented will surely be made early next week. But hypothetically speaking, when would they decide to cancel the leaving cert? I don't see them going through with it if we're not back after Easter.

No indication on when we will hear anything regarding the state exams as far as I'm aware. For now themost productive thing you can do is put your head down and act as if they are taking place at usual time, thats what teachers are trying to do too.

Edit,- i see above poster says there will beclarity soon

Lc2020

History Queen wrote: »

No indication on when we will hear anything regarding the state exams as far as I'm aware. For now themost productive thing you can do is put your head down and act as if they are taking place at usual time, thats what teachers are trying to do too.

Edit,- i see above poster says there will beclarity soon

Good morning,

The leaving cert exams should NOT be taking place at the usual time. The lost classroom contact hours will disadvantage students greatly.

I feel like this is all just swings and roundabouts. You disagree to disagree.
But as a teacher you should have your students' interests at heart. It is completely unreasonable to expect students to sit an exam given the present climate, let alone when you factor in the prospect of not going back to school until mid May.

I don't feel like this discussion is particularly productive. But I'm going to call it as it is - Joe McHugh and his team made a very reckless decision on Thursday. We live in a meritocracy, by in large people reap what they sow. The minster is sending out the wrong message to the class of 2020.

Sober Crappy Chemis

Lc2020 wrote: »

Good morning,

The leaving cert exams should NOT be taking place at the usual time. The lost classroom contact hours will disadvantage students greatly.

I feel like this is all just swings and roundabouts. You disagree to disagree.
But as a teacher you should have your students' interests at heart. It is completely unreasonable to expect students to sit an exam given the present climate, let alone when you factor in the prospect of not going back to school until mid May.

I don't feel like this discussion is particularly productive. But I'm going to call it as it is - Joe McHugh and his team made a very reckless decision on Thursday. We live in a meritocracy, by in large people reap what they sow. The minster is sending out the wrong message to the class of 2020.

In fairness, from a grammatical and critical thinking perspective, if this is indeed from a Leaving Cert candidate 2020, then I think you will do very well.

But, it’s not. So drop the act and grow up.

deiseindublin

It's getting a bit tedious. This used to be where teachers and educators came to discuss issues. Over the last while it has evolved into non-teachers asking us en masse to criticise an announcement that we didn't make, and having to repeat ad nauseum that we are not high enough up the food chain to influence what happens next.

Get onto Athlone, picket their offices, go on the radio, get your parents involved, spam them with emails, a Twitter onslaught, any of those might actually get the attention of somebody that has decision making powers, but we don't, so, if you are genuine, you're wasting your time here.

Please leave us back to it.

spurious

No more discussion of the decision to cancel components of the exam, please.
I am sure the SEC have some strategy to deal with it.

Lc2020

https://www.rte.ie/news/2020/0322/1124655-department-focused-on-state-exams-going-ahead/

With the bacallauréat called off, surely it's only a matter of time before the leaving cert is cancelled.

rainbowtrout

Lc2020 wrote: »

https://www.rte.ie/news/2020/0322/1124655-department-focused-on-state-exams-going-ahead/

With the bacallauréat called off, surely it's only a matter of time before the leaving cert is cancelled.

Would you ever cop on and stop posting shite in the Teaching Forum

Eimee90

I presume we wont be back next Monday will we? Starting to plan ahead now.

rainbowtrout

Eimee90 wrote: »

I presume we wont be back next Monday will we? Starting to plan ahead now.

Not a hope. With 40k people waiting for tests, the numbers will only rise. There's no way we'll be opening for the week before easter.

Lc2020

rainbowtrout wrote: »

Not a hope. With 40k people waiting for tests, the numbers will only rise. There's no way we'll be opening for the week before easter.

It isn't particularly helpful in a time when students are at their wits end, to be making such baseless statements.

I'd be waiting to hear from the revered JoeMcHugh before jumping to conclusions like that. We may well be back in school before Easter, you don't know

spurious

Ok that's enough. Take a three day ban to cool down and please don't discuss that topic here again.

rainbowtrout

Lc2020 wrote: »

It isn't particularly helpful in a time when students are at their wits end, to be making such baseless statements.

I'd be waiting to hear from the revered JoeMcHugh before jumping to conclusions like that. We may well be back in school before Easter, you don't know

Baseless?? It has been widely reported in the media that 40K people are awaiting tests. It has also been reported in the national media that 4% of those tested are positive. So if that figure holds up we are looking at a minimum of 1600 cases in the coming week. Our numbers are going up, not down. And there are loads of tools out there gathering in large groups because they can't follow simple instructions.

So no, it's not baseless to say that schools will not reopen before Easter. The closure is until next Sunday 29th. We shut on Thursday 12th when there were 70 confirmed cases in the country. We are not going to reopen Monday week when today we have a confirmed 906 cases and by this time next week will probably tip over the 2000 mark. That is reality.

SEC take a long term view on things. If they thought we would realistically be back in school on March 30th they would not have cancelled the orals. The very fact that practical dates have been pushed out until May 15th should tell you all you need to know about what is coming.

sitstill

rainbowtrout wrote: »

Not a hope. With 40k people waiting for tests, the numbers will only rise. There's no way we'll be opening for the week before easter.

Should I continue to plan work for my classes right up to the Easter hols or hold off in the hope that we just might be brought back Monday week?

Also, what is the chance that prolonged closure will happen but they open schools for front line staff children as they have in the UK?

rainbowtrout

sitstill wrote: »

Should I continue to plan work for my classes right up to the Easter hols or hold off in the hope that we just might be brought back Monday week?

Also, what is the chance that prolonged closure will happen but they open schools for front line staff children as they have in the UK?

Personally I'm planning to be teaching online until the end of May. I'll definitely be planning work online through to Friday 3rd April.

Again personally I'd say there's zero chance schools here will be open for front line staff children, closed is closed.

Rosita

sitstill wrote: »

Should I continue to plan work for my classes right up to the Easter hols or hold off in the hope that we just might be brought back Monday week?

/QUOTE]

The hope that you'll be brought back on Monday week is zero.

Darwin

@sitstill I would continue working on the basis that we are going nowhere anytime soon. My place (third level) is making contingencies on the basis that we will be closed for the summer examinations commencing in May which is very sensible in my opinion.