School reopenings -current plan WAS McHugh's plan

Bobtheman

Another piece by Ciara Kelly today in Sunday ind. Attacks department wondering why the plan is being delivered so late.
It's good up to the point where she takes a dig at the teacher unions. I think it must be an algorithm in your typical hack.

I await the plan on Monday plus direction from the supreme leader in my school.

pandoraj09

I'm absolutely dreading not having my own room and having instead to move around. At least in my own room I can wipe down surfaces and stay there rather than going to a crowded staffroom. Don't see how that would work in a lot of subjects. Art needs to be in the Art room where there is paint etc. DCG needs to be in the DCG room with necessary equipment, as does science, woodwork and home ec. Then the hassle of logging into someone else's computer to do the roll and access whatever you might need online for class. Add to that having to drag copies around, books, CD players etc etc etc. I've been researching trollies online and will be pushing one around the school if I lose my room. Inspectors want the rooms decorated with verbs etc on the walls for languages. Not going to happen if moving rooms constantly. I can only imagine the state of the rooms as students will be eating, drinking etc in between classes waiting on teachers to arrive. In my school the boys have farting competitions before the teacher comes in....
Not to mention the health and safety aspect of the kids unsupervised waiting on their next teacher. Thanks be to God I have a small office. Well unless that's going to be gone too. What is going to happen at lunchtimes particularly on wet days???My sister got her timetable for next year already. She's in 14 different classrooms over the week.....

am_zarathustra

Space to work in schools will be a nightmare. I'm heading in next week to print out everything I'll need for the first 8 weeks and I'm planning on giving every kid I teach one pack planned week by week. If they are sent home at least they will have the physical resources along with online videos etc I can do. I assume I can't print out 24 handouts and give them out on the same day so this is the only solution I can see.

Regarding classrooms I'd imagine the class in situ will be the norm. Up to 30+ kids moving is much more likely to transmit that teacher. The only time I can see classes moving is when there are options but at least it would minimize movement on the corridors. Also they would leave most books at their desks so there wouldn't be the excuse to go you your locker/have a wander around the school. I do know a few staff in the school who aren't taking the whole situation as seriously as the rest but I'd hope they will fall in line with the norm in the school.

I've no idea how the kids are going to eat lunch though. In the class would be very restrictive, kids would be almost 7 hours in the same seat, I'd go mad so I think its unfair to expect 12 year olds to do that.

mirrorwall14

It’s the options and the senior cycle that are the most difficult. I think our fifth and LC are only in base classes for PE, religion and careers. Literally every other subject is a mix. What do you do there? Maybe they’ll assign them a corridor of classes but that’s still 150 students mixing all day long....

Bobtheman

pandoraj09 wrote: »

I'm absolutely dreading not having my own room and having instead to move around. At least in my own room I can wipe down surfaces and stay there rather than going to a crowded staffroom. Don't see how that would work in a lot of subjects. Art needs to be in the Art room where there is paint etc. DCG needs to be in the DCG room with necessary equipment, as does science, woodwork and home ec. Then the hassle of logging into someone else's computer to do the roll and access whatever you might need online for class. Add to that having to drag copies around, books, CD players etc etc etc. I've been researching trollies online and will be pushing one around the school if I lose my room. Inspectors want the rooms decorated with verbs etc on the walls for languages. Not going to happen if moving rooms constantly. I can only imagine the state of the rooms as students will be eating, drinking etc in between classes waiting on teachers to arrive. In my school the boys have farting competitions before the teacher comes in....
Not to mention the health and safety aspect of the kids unsupervised waiting on their next teacher. Thanks be to God I have a small office. Well unless that's going to be gone too. What is going to happen at lunchtimes particularly on wet days???My sister got her timetable for next year already. She's in 14 different classrooms over the week.....

I wouldn't assume anything about rooms yet. At senior level kids have to move every class for various subjects. At Lc level.
Leaving JC students together means they will be unsupervised a lot of the time.

Bobtheman

am_zarathustra wrote: »

Space to work in schools will be a nightmare. I'm heading in next week to print out everything I'll need for the first 8 weeks and I'm planning on giving every kid I teach one pack planned week by week. If they are sent home at least they will have the physical resources along with online videos etc I can do. I assume I can't print out 24 handouts and give them out on the same day so this is the only solution I can see.

Regarding classrooms I'd imagine the class in situ will be the norm. Up to 30+ kids moving is much more likely to transmit that teacher. The only time I can see classes moving is when there are options but at least it would minimize movement on the corridors. Also they would leave most books at their desks so there wouldn't be the excuse to go you your locker/have a wander around the school. I do know a few staff in the school who aren't taking the whole situation as seriously as the rest but I'd hope they will fall in line with the norm in the school.

I've no idea how the kids are going to eat lunch though. In the class would be very restrictive, kids would be almost 7 hours in the same seat, I'd go mad so I think its unfair to expect 12 year olds to do that.

Fair dues to you but I doubt many of us have the time to do that or indeed the inclination.

mirrorwall14

As an aside for giggles.... (no idea if it was real or not either)

Rosita

I think in practice many schools will have to operate with some classes in in the morning and some in the afternoon. That would cut out lunchtimes and the chaos on wet days especially, and help with space and give time for cleaning.

Unless there's a building revolution, plus unparalleled interviews, recruitment, Garda-vetting, in the next four weeks what is being suggested cannot possibly be implemented. For political reasons there has to be a pretence that it can but in reality schools will have to be practical as there's not a hope of all the resources being in place. Who on earth is going to build all this stuff in four weeks? I wanted to get some work done on my bathroom which I booked two weeks ago and the date I was given was 27th October. Reality will hit hard.

I think there's a good reason the government hasn't mentioned all students in at all times.

am_zarathustra

I'd hope myself we would see maybe 6th and 3rd years all day and maybe half days for other years? Depending on the size of the building maybe 5th and 1st for a bit longer. So much will depend on the building a school is in. A new school with a new building might be able to fit almost everyone in but some of the old schools will really struggle.

Rosita

pandoraj09 wrote: »

My sister got her timetable for next year already. She's in 14 different classrooms over the week.....

Interesting that a school would distribute timetables without knowing what the Dept of Education would say about the organisation of schools in the new academic year. Might have to be revisited.

maynooth_rules

Bobtheman wrote: »

I wouldn't assume anything about rooms yet. At senior level kids have to move every class for various subjects. At Lc level.
Leaving JC students together means they will be unsupervised a lot of the time.

Then teachers having to log onto computers, get their PowerPoint etc ready, sanitise the desk, sanitise the chairs, perhaps change PPE. I think trying to keep classes in the same classroom for a day could have lots of unseen problems.

Jane98

maynooth_rules wrote: »

Then teachers having to log onto computers, get their PowerPoint etc ready, sanitise the desk, sanitise the chairs, perhaps change PPE. I think trying to keep classes in the same classroom for a day could have lots of unseen problems.

Also it will be very important to sanitise the keyboard if we are constantly changing classes. One of the recent clusters on a Dublin building sites was traced back to the 3 working using the same computer, other than that they had not met physically.

r93kaey5p2izun

Jane98 wrote: »

Also it will be very important to sanitise the keyboard if we are constantly changing classes. One of the recent clusters on a Dublin building sites was traced back to the 3 working using the same computer, other than that they had not met physically.

Oh that's very interesting. Is there anywhere I can read about that case?

deiseindublin

How will shared computer rooms work? I can't see them being sanitised after each use. It will be a nightmare, if they are even open.

I'm looking forward to eventually reading the guidelines, while equally dreading the reality of them.

mirrorwall14

I can’t decide if I’m more worried or reassured that the nitty gritty detail has not been completely leaked by the Irish times in advance....

alroley

I am very nervous about possibly changing classrooms for each class. I would feel much more secure in my own classroom where I have control over hygiene and my own space to work.

Postgrad10

Leo is so certain that there’s subs available. Any subs I know are saying that unless they have a contract so they can get sick pay should they get ill while working in schools, they won’t be bothering this year.

lulublue22

Postgrad10 wrote: »

Leo is so certain that there’s subs available. Any subs I know are saying that unless they have a contract so they can get sick pay should they get ill while working in schools, they won’t be bothering this year.

I’ve no idea where these subs are coming from? we struggled last winter to get subs. It was crazy. Yet apparently there’s a surplus of primary subs ??? Genuinely don’t understand it.

wirelessdude01

lulublue22 wrote: »

I’ve no idea where these subs are coming from? we struggled last winter to get subs. It was crazy. Yet apparently there’s a surplus of primary subs ??? Genuinely don’t understand it.

Also seemingly these primary subs are to be allowed teach Gaeilge at secondary to all levels.

Sure primary subs won't be needed at primary.

Also we couldn't find SNA subs on quite a few days last year. Our sub secretary was the one who would then get the emergency call.

shesty

Jane98 wrote: »

Also it will be very important to sanitise the keyboard if we are constantly changing classes. One of the recent clusters on a Dublin building sites was traced back to the 3 working using the same computer, other than that they had not met physically.

If that's what happened, and I was in the situation of sharing a keyboard, I would carry my own keyboard from class to class.They are cheap to buy and worth it when weighed up against the potential risk.

Postgrad10

The idea of subs going from school to school isn’t great either.

wirelessdude01

Postgrad10 wrote: »

The idea of subs going from school to school isn’t great either.

I know that the INTO has suggested that a school be provided with one permanent sub(for the year) for either every 5 or 8 teachers. If no teacher was absent then it was suggested that this additional teacher was to be used to help extend SET on an ad-hoc basis.

Blondini

Very surprised at lack of "leaks" of the plan in the media.

killbillvol2

Blondini wrote: »

Very surprised at lack of "leaks" of the plan in the media.

It's almost like there's no 'plan' to leak...

rainbowtrout

Rosita wrote: »

I think in practice many schools will have to operate with some classes in in the morning and some in the afternoon. That would cut out lunchtimes and the chaos on wet days especially, and help with space and give time for cleaning.

Unless there's a building revolution, plus unparalleled interviews, recruitment, Garda-vetting, in the next four weeks what is being suggested cannot possibly be implemented. For political reasons there has to be a pretence that it can but in reality schools will have to be practical as there's not a hope of all the resources being in place. Who on earth is going to build all this stuff in four weeks? I wanted to get some work done on my bathroom which I booked two weeks ago and the date I was given was 27th October. Reality will hit hard.

I think there's a good reason the government hasn't mentioned all students in at all times.

Awaiting the developer/TD who does a sideline in portacabins and prefabs.....:pac:

I think the government line will be something like 'we want all the students back, and have given the guidelines and PPE to do so, but the principals (and teachers) tell us its not possible.....

byhookorbycrook

killbillvol2 wrote: »

It's almost like there's no 'plan' to leak...

The plan is basically “ get on with it , all will be grand .”

byhookorbycrook

Postgrad10 wrote: »

The idea of subs going from school to school isn’t great either.

In primary , you have shared SETs .

wirelessdude01

I think in relation to social distancing we may see the term 'where/if possible' sprinkled liberally in tomorrows document. That will be the get out of jail card for the government/department if/when things go wrong. Blame can be laid firmly and squarely at the door of the school as they will have been the ones to actually devise and draw things up.

ClydeTallyBump

I am hoping that they also include specific reference to the teaching of practical subjects such as home economics.

deiseindublin

How much actual education will actually happen if we have to constantly split groups, ferry X group down before Y time, then repeat with groups A, B, C, D, E on a staggered basis, then bring everyone on a hand washing trip, then start the whole thing again before lunch break up.

Really, there will be nada done in lots of schools where there isn't an academic culture.

I'm really dreading it. It'll be like S&S all day every day.