Schools closed until February? (part 3)

History Queen

Mrsmum wrote: »

Yeah point well made.

Just to clarify I'm not trying to be contrary, I just truly believe predicated grades are completely unacceptable and diminish the quality of teaching and learning that happens in our schools..

Mrsmum

History Queen wrote: »

Is that truely the perception? Huge amount of disappointment in my circles. Most got college places but not first choices. Huge amount of disappointment and anger at being marked down too. I honestly thought the farce of it was well known. Obviously not. Saying that will teachers agree to it this time after being hung out to dry by the Department last year?

Were they not marked down after having been marked up first by their teachers ??? I'm sure It was all over the airways that teachers marked up. Is that not correct? The students were disappointed based on their own opinion of themselves, they didn't really know the mark they would have got in the real exam.

charlesanto

Icyseanfitz wrote: »

Why are we discussing this stuff again, it mighty have been relevant before Christmas, but now we have a new strain thats 70% more transmissible, and 8k cases a day, with hospitals looking extremely grim over the next month. Its a completely different scenario,

its utter madness having 60k+ 17-19yo students and the 10s of thousands of staff associated with them brought into schools. My school alone has staff from 5 different counties, and a huge outbreak in the locality of the school. The leaving certificate pales in comparison to the issue we currently face.

From what i have heard previous attempts to distance educate were pathetic.

Dayo93

[PHP][/PHP]

Locotastic wrote: »

Except what happens here is that teachers and SNAs are expected to return next week while their own children's schools are closed.

What are they supposed to do? Not very practical for them in fairness.

In fairness that's the problem faced by all working parents , it affect us last lockdown when you could have no childcare worst few months of our lives , , and this time it wlll result in having to pay hundreds in child care

Bananaleaf

Norma Necklaces for all

Icyseanfitz

charlesanto wrote: »

From what i have heard previous attempts to distance educate were pathetic.

Grand, take a months holidays and delay the leaving until july and use easter holidays for classes. Anything to try and save lives right now, its not even about education at the moment

lulublue22

MerlinSouthDub wrote: »

Lots of Manufacturing, hospitals. I’d agree they should provide surgical quality masks. And there should be sports halls etc available to avoid cramming into a small room.

If we are going for comparisons with hospitals can all staff face to face with students next week be prioritised for the vaccine ? In relation to use of halls etc how will that work with the same amount of staff ? Anyone without a LC group will be providing on line learning for the 1st to 5th years. Any LC teacher who is not at that time teaching their LC cohort will be teaching their other year groups. There are no accommodations planned for special schools.

wirelessdude01

charlesanto wrote: »

From what i have heard previous attempts to distance educate were pathetic.

So based on stories you heard rather than actual real insght into what happened in thousands of schools.

wirelessdude01

Bananaleaf wrote: »

Norma Necklaces for all

Oops. Think I'd rather stick mine on adverts.

History Queen

Mrsmum wrote: »

Were they not marked down after having been marked up first by their teachers ??? I'm sure It was all over the airways that teachers marked up. Is that not correct? The students were disappointed based on their own opinion of themselves, they didn't really know the mark they would have got in the real exam.

Yup that's what was reported, apparently as a group we massively overmarked. What wasn't made clear is that the marking scheme is usually revised and adjusted during the normal marking process to make grades fit the bellcurve. The Dept tried to replicate this with the infamous algorithm. Teachers predicted grades and class rankings were released to students (even though we were assured they wouldn't be) which resulted in students (a proportion of whom for some reason expected their grades to be an inflated version of their mocks) either feeling aggrieved that their teachers "hated them" or theor teacher was sound and the Dept unfairly marked them down.

Icyseanfitz

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

Oops. Think I'd rather stick mine on adverts.

Id stick it somewhere else currently :mad:

Bananaleaf

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

Oops. Think I'd rather stick mine on adverts.

Swap for a chocolate teapot?

MerlinSouthDub

lulublue22 wrote: »

If we are going for comparisons with hospitals can all staff face to face with students next week be prioritised for the vaccine ? In relation to use of halls etc how will that work with the same amount of staff ? Anyone without a LC group will be providing on line learning for the 1st to 5th years. Any LC teacher who is not at that time teaching their LC cohort will be teaching their other year groups. There are no accommodations planned for special schools.

The risk in school is orders of magnitude less than hospitals, quite obviously. Hospitals have dozens of known Covid patients, and new patients coming and going every day. In school, it's always the same people and no one with symptoms will be at school. I don't understand your point about halls and staff.

Anyway, personally I would wait a couple of weeks before bringing the leaving cert students back but I do think they should be the priority. And I don't think it's a crazy risk relative to many other industries and health-care which will keep going.

Mrsmum

Icyseanfitz wrote: »

Grand, take a months holidays and delay the leaving until july and use easter holidays for classes. Anything to try and save lives right now, its not even about education at the moment

Right now, I think they should have done some version along those lines. There would have been no need for Feb midterm, take a week from Easter, stay in school an extra week at summertime and there you have the three weeks. However the current way does suggest schools are going to be closed to all but the exceptions for much longer than three weeks.

Bananaleaf

History Queen wrote: »

Yup that's what was reported, apparently as a group we massively overmarked.

I didn't overmark last time, yet some of my students were still downgraded.

I don't have 6th years this year, but if I did, I know what I'd be doing

I'd be overmarking them

Bananaleaf

Mrsmum wrote: »

Right now, I think they should have done some version along those lines. There would have been no need for Feb midterm, take a week from Easter, stay in school an extra week at summertime and there you have the three weeks. However the current way does suggest schools are going to be closed to all but the exceptions for much longer than three weeks.

Unfortunately, this just wouldn't be a runner. Because it makes too much sense.

wirelessdude01

Bananaleaf wrote: »

Swap for a chocolate teapot?

Dip it in some patronising claptrap about how great we are and I'm sold.

History Queen

Bananaleaf wrote: »

I didn't overmark last time, yet some of my students were still downgraded.

I don't have 6th years this year, but if I did, I know what I'd be doing

I'd be overmarking them

I didn't either. Doesn't matter though. The media twist is what is believed. So depressing that students honestly think teachers don't want what is best for them. It's literally our job! We want them to succeed!

Icyseanfitz

I am only praying things settle in a week or two and that things don't get worse, either way students/staff and their families have been thrown to the wolves this time in an incredulous manner

lulublue22

MerlinSouthDub wrote: »

The risk in school is orders of magnitude less than hospitals, quite obviously. Hospitals have dozens of known Covid patients, and new patients coming and going every day. In school, it's always the same people and no one with symptoms will be at school. I don't understand your point about halls and staff.

Anyway, personally I would wait a couple of weeks before bringing the leaving cert students back but I do think they should be the priority. And I don't think it's a crazy risk relative to many other industries and health-care which will keep going.

You likened the risk to hospitals. If you ment less risky than hospitals you should have side. You also referenced the use of halls to stop them being all together. I presumed you ment pupils should be spread out to minimise numbers in a room. I simply asked how you thought this would work given the lack of staff to supervise. I’m sorry if I picked your comment about halls up wrong . Why did you mention the use of halls ?

ETA - you don’t think it’s a crazy risk thank you that is very reassuring to hear.

khalessi

In relation to other news:D:D
https://twitter.com/annfarrelly32/status/1346967588820180993

Icyseanfitz

The perfect distraction for her isn't it, infuriating tbh

Stateofyou

khalessi wrote: »

In relation to other news:D:D
https://twitter.com/annfarrelly32/status/1346967588820180993

Lol.

MerlinSouthDub

lulublue22 wrote: »

You likened the risk to hospitals. If you ment less risky than hospitals you should have side. You also referenced the use of halls to stop them being all together. I presumed you ment pupils should be spread out to minimise numbers in a room. I simply asked how you thought this would work given the lack of staff to supervise. I’m sorry if I picked your comment about halls up wrong . Why did you mention the use of halls ?

ETA - you don’t think it’s a crazy risk thank you that is very reassuring to hear.

Yes, way way less risky than hospitals. I meant use the schools sports hall as a classroom, so lots more space per pupil.

It has been portrayed here as a crazy risk, and it clearly isn't. It does carry some risk but leaving the house carries some risk too. The risk seems small to me, and certainly way smaller than having schools fully open.

The HorsesMouth

MerlinSouthDub wrote: »

Lots of Manufacturing, hospitals. I’d agree they should provide surgical quality masks. And there should be sports halls etc available to avoid cramming into a small room.

Hospitals? 25 people in a small room? Dont think so and it's disingenuous of you to say so. And while I understand there are covid wards in hospitals..they are a very small amount of people and the staff are given full PPE and all the protective measures known to man (as they obviously should).
So there is no comparison to schools.

Icyseanfitz

MerlinSouthDub wrote: »

Yes, way way less risky than hospitals. I meant use the schools sports hall as a classroom, so lots more space per pupil.

It has been portrayed here as a crazy risk, and it clearly isn't. It does carry some risk but leaving the house carries some risk too. The risk seems small to me, and certainly way smaller than having schools fully open.

Risk is very different now with this new strain, also doesn't help that the lc age group are the most dangerous with regards spreading covid, majority of our covid scares this year where lc students or lca students (who i assume will also be in)

mirrorwall14

I took a break tonight. Discovered the **** show that is America. Then dived into bridgerton to completely forget the absolute crap that is the world.

I love to teach. Love it. Love it. I do my best. I’m sure some students hate me and others love me. No one is universally successful but I do my absolute damndest and I work hard.

However over the last ten years I have been increasingly hurt and marginalised by society at large, the media and my Department of Education my bosses. Leaks and leaks, no consultation. Finding out about my job from the media, not even from the department. Circulars on a Friday evening. The disrespect goes on.

Teacher bashing is now a national pastime. It was always there in the background. As the daughter of two teachers and niece of more I knew that. So I suppose you could argue I knew what I was getting into. However it is so so much worse now. The media, the social media, it is constant. It is exhausting. It’s is horrible. And it’s practically bullying.

Everyone always says ‘oh I’m not talking about you’, ‘you are a good teacher’, ‘oh I KNOW it’s not you’.... BUT....

There’s always a but you see. Always a but. It goes on and on and round and round and round.

There are bad employees in EVERY profession. There are good employees in EVERY profession. There are good and bad employees in the public service. There are good and bad employees in private industry. It is difficult to fire anyone. Public or private. The bashing has to stop.

Tonight however. Tonight. Where do I even start. Today I am flabbergasted at my ultimate boss. At her, a fellow teacher, who has just hung her whole profession and all the ancillary school staff out to dry.

If schools don’t manage to open for LCs they will be vilified by parents and students who want to be in.
If schools do open they will be vilified by parents and students who are scared or at risk and do not want to attend.
If we go live with all classes (against the wishes of many of our students I might add) then we’ll be overloading the students
If we do not go live with all our classes we’ll be lazy.
If the unions let us in it will be ‘fair play to the government for sticking it to the unions’
If the unions protect us then it will be ‘God damn unions’
The bitching goes on and on and on and it’s always our fault.

This is not a ****ing competition. This is not a competition. It is far, far more serious than that. It’s not a ‘whose job is less safe’. I’m sick of the comparisons. I’m sick of the ‘what about’

This is a pandemic. We have infection levels that are the worst in Europe. We are currently worse than the north. We have a new strain which is more infectious and spreading rapidly. When even Boris Johnson is closing schools and cancelling exams why in Gods name is my Boss decreeing and repeating over and over that it is ‘safe’ for the LCs and the staff to be in school.

I may give off about things. Like anyone I rant and get things off my chest. But usually I can at least see the logic. Even if I fundamentally disagree with it and fight it.

Tonight though.... Tonight I truly feel that my government has absolutely no respect for education. At all. And not just teachers. I’m talking about us all. Parents, teachers, students, SNA’s, caretakers, secretarys, bus drivers, the list goes on. They will all be back next week. To satisfy the political ‘promise’ that they would keep schools open. At all costs? That’s what it seems to have come to

I am worried for my colleagues, teachers and all the ancillary staff from bus drivers to secretary’s. I am worried for my students. I am worried for their families and what may spread silently in classrooms with just cloth masks. I am worried for our country. I am worried about our health services. Our front line workers dealing with the potential hidden spread that will continue. In schools without adequate testing. Without adequate contact tracing.

And without actual advice from NPHET or the CMO that this is actually a safe proposal.

What if it doesn’t work?

Well unfortunately based on my last ten years, there are many who will blame the teachers. Again.

Icyseanfitz

mirrorwall14 wrote: »

.

Wow, an amazing post that sums up exactly how i currently feel. Well done.

mirrorwall14

Icyseanfitz wrote: »

Wow, an amazing post that sums up exactly how i currently feel. Well done.

It took a while. I needed to get it off my chest before bed. I am ‘privileged’ to be classed as very high risk so add the massive guilt I’m currently feeling for being so utterly relieved tho be teaching from home to every other feeling I have tonight.

I’m horrified

Icyseanfitz

Just heard they closed the soup kitchen service in my local town now, a life saving service, but its okay for college aged young people to head to school next week, what a joke