Schools closed until February? (part 3)

Knine

ShamoBuc wrote: »

Hardly brushing off !!!

Schools knew this could happen again and should have explored every possible way of working on line that works with children with special needs. They had months of online with them last year and should be set up to go again this year. If they are not ready, that is shoddy by them.

Many children with Special Needs cannot work online & were largely forgotten about last year. I was lucky to have a wonderful teacher & sna who used Whatsapp to encourage my daughter but she refused point blank to do any learning online.

khalessi

Here is the thread

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=115843194#post115843194

Eoinbmw

ShamoBuc wrote: »

Hardly brushing off !!!

Schools knew this could happen again and should have explored every possible way of working on line that works with children with special needs. They had months of online with them last year and should be set up to go again this year. If they are not ready, that is shoddy by them.

Many children can not work online they are incapable of it!
There are many many profoundly disabled children who at the best of time struggle with standard holiday spells but now are going to regress to a point of no return!
Its horrible to watch a child go backwards in front of your eyes!
We where only finding our feet again with our child and are completely dependent on the school going back to have any chance of bringing him on again!
You have to realize there is more than just education in special needs schools!

Responder XY

looks like our government chickened out. shame on them. Children and young people once again paying the price. Pure and simple greed. ASTI should hang their heads in shame.

Endintheclowns

Follow_ur_lead wrote: »

Any idea what the delivery mechanism will be for special needs kids? They shouldnt be allowed to remove this vital serivce without a plan to ensure kids to regress and suffer like they did last year.

The government has had 10 months to plan that. I feel desperately sorry for special needs children and their parents but the health of teachers, Sna's, bus drivers and the kids themselves has to be the priority here. The virus is absolutely rampant now and staying at home is what everybody should be doing.

jimmytwotimes 2013

https://twitter.com/gavreilly/status/1347263090849624065?s=19

Cart and horse

ShamoBuc

Eoinbmw wrote: »

Many children can not work online they are incapable of it!
There are many many profoundly disabled children who at the best of time struggle with standard holiday spells but now are going to regress to a point of no return!
Its horrible to watch a child go backwards in front of your eyes!
We where only finding our feet again with our child and are completely dependent on the school going back to have any chance of bringing him on again!
You have to realize there is more than just education in special needs schools!

I fully accept that.

But with schools closed, the option is online, whattsapp video calls, zoom, teams, seesaw etc

What more can be done? I'm sure teachers will cater and work as best as they can.

What else would you like to happen??

Bobeagleburger

The decision to have leaving certs going back was ridiculous in the first place. Teachers didn't want it (any I know), same with students.

E36Ross

INTO Have up on Facebook, "Plans to open special schools are cancelled? More to follow "

Neagra

surely the schools can move online
the teachers can go to the school and from a empty classroom use zoom or similar to go live and teach the children
i dont understand why this needs to be complicated
my youngest boys school emailed today saying we will come back to you from monday with what is going to happen going forward - why is this week being written off?

babybuilder

Endintheclowns wrote: »

I'm guessing the special needs schools will follow now.

Foley will have to resign now. Utterly clueless

Why Foley only ? She was only doing her masters bidding. She's been coached and told what to say. There's such a thing as cabinet collective responsibility. I also think she suffers from a little bit from a Stockholm Syndrome. You've got a Taoiseach who's carrying a legacy milestone , a Machiavellian Tanaiste whom the media were ready to canonize last spring. And a media who dare not criticize Ff or FG in case the Sinners get any credit or popularity.

How any government could do what we have just witnessed beggars belief. Inept, stupid, heartless, vicious. If Trump had done this we'd be shocked

Locotastic

Responder XY wrote: »

looks like our government chickened out. shame on them. Children and young people once again paying the price. Pure and simple greed. ASTI should hang their heads in shame.

I don't blame them right now to be honest, the real question that concerns me is at what acceptable level will education in schools return?

Refusal to cooperate now (and again I don't blame teachers, SNAs or auxiliary staff) indicates that schools might not reopen any time in the next few months, regardless of what the government instructs.

ShamoBuc

E36Ross wrote: »

INTO Have up on Facebook, "Plans to open special schools are cancelled? More to follow "

Had to happen. Forsa had asked for a pause on the decision, if the SNA's were not going in, the schools would not open.

Eoinbmw

ShamoBuc wrote: »

I fully accept that.

But with schools closed, the option is online, whattsapp video calls, zoom, teams, seesaw etc

What more can be done? I'm sure teachers will cater and work as best as they can.

What else would you like to happen??

So you fully accept that some children wont receive any education because they suffer from complex disabilities?

CapriciousOne

https://twitter.com/gavreilly/status/1347273228595716104?s=20

BonsaiKitten

khalessi wrote: »

I may be wrong but I think that some people here who are posting nasty comments are just frustrated and frightened by the thoughts of online teaching again as parents as you are not sure how to do it.

If that is the case can I ask instead of slagging off teachers use the thread.

I already saw one parent who was unsure of how or what to teach their child and asked for help here and got it, lots of resources.

We are now teaching online that is a fact. So how about if you are unsure about a topic, ask here.

I am not including other teachers but I teach 6th learning support and I dont mind helping people out if they or their children are stuck. If you want to know how to teach something in Maths or a good video to explain a topic, I will do my best to help, give it a go see if it works. I know there is nothingworse than trawling through the internet looking for relevant info.

For example timestables.com gives nice games and also a daily exercise to help kids learn multiplication, they also have similar for fractions and is free to use.

Just a suggestion or I could set up a separate help thread.

I'll join you on your thread Khalessi. 4th class teacher here but have a good bit of experience behind me in 3rd, 1st and SET too.

Endintheclowns

Knine wrote: »

I hope they tell us soon. Many children with special needs also have underlying disorders. They need SNAs in the classroom & many get buses with other similar children & there are bus escort too. So plenty of contacts as well as their classmates.

Whatever about classrooms I can't see school buses running at the moment. It's impossible for a driver to keep buses properly ventilated with open windows this time of year and unlike Dublin buses they don't have the driver partitioned from the passengers. Also impossible for the SNA on the bus to social distance from the children given most are so small.

downthemiddle

Neagra wrote: »

surely the schools can move online
the teachers can go to the school and from a empty classroom use zoom or similar to go live and teach the children
i dont understand why this needs to be complicated
my youngest boys school emailed today saying we will come back to you from monday with what is going to happen going forward - why is this week being written off?

Because the government extended the school holidays.

ShamoBuc

Eoinbmw wrote: »

So you fully accept that some children wont receive any education because they suffer from complex disabilities?

I fully accept teachers are human.

The Wordress

Knine wrote: »

Many children with Special Needs cannot work online & were largely forgotten about last year. I was lucky to have a wonderful teacher & sna who used Whatsapp to encourage my daughter but she refused point blank to do any learning online.

I am a SEN teacher and during the last lockdown, I sent adapted work home to my children. My parents were very grateful for anything I sent home as I spent hours printing, laminating, cutting and velcro-ing resources.

I had no access to colour printing as the printer was in the secretary's office and I had no access to it. The DES directed schools to close buildings.

I was given absolutely no money for resources so I paid everything out of my own pocket.

Counting ink, velcro and laminating pouches- every time I sent home a batch of work packs, it cost me €100.

I just wanted to tell you that I tried my upmost in difficult circumstances. I will do the same this lockdown for my pupils. I am also looking forward to a safe return to work and I feel for all difficulties we all have to go through

khalessi

To all the teachers on here who said they will help thank you. I really appreciate that.

micks_address

Must have been the worst read of a temperature in a room ever. Are they going to come on the 9 o clock news and say we messed up here lads sorry? Absolute gob****es. Leaving cert parent and I wasn’t a bit happy about sending our kid to school next week. We are lucky he can do as well online as in person.

Deeec

Eoinbmw wrote: »

So you fully accept that some children wont receive any education because they suffer from complex disabilities?

I think everyone accepts that the situation is hard for kids and their families. But surely you must see that if the special schools open it puts these kids and staff at huge risk of catching covid. Health has to come before education. Not ideal but necessary.

FileNotFound

12 Weeks of schools closed so.... Lets face it if 6K is too much 3K will hardly be ok. It will take that long to get to any kind of number that will be deemed acceptable.
Leaving Cert calculated grades again. Is what it is now...

9db3xj7z41fs5u

Hi, our primary school has not sent any resources. My God-Child is in third class. Are there any online resources or notes that people would recommend? I am happy to pay, because I want her to have a good foundation for her early education.

micks_address

micks_address wrote: »

Must have been the worst read of a temperature in a room ever. Are they going to come on the 9 o clock news and say we messed up here lads sorry? Absolute gob****es. Leaving cert parent and I wasn’t a bit happy about sending our kid to school next week. We are lucky he can do as well online as in person.

It’s interesting how when you have a child involved or a are a person involved how much more angry you become about these things. Last year it was someone else’s kid who was effected or teachers I didn’t know. When it’s your own family member that sense of protection ramps up significantly.

ShamoBuc

Coraline Straight Ripple wrote: »

Hi, our primary school has not sent any resources. My God-Child is in third class. Are there any online resources or notes that people would recommend? I am happy to pay, because I want her to have a good foundation for her early education.

What platform did the school use when online last year? Seesaw?

There are a multitude of educational websites that are free, a quick Google will help, any BBC ones in particular are normally very good.

hesaidshesaid

khalessi wrote: »

To all the teachers on here who said they will help thank you. I really appreciate that.

Just catching up here now. Happy to help. I'm in learning support/ special ed for 6th but have lots of experience particularly from 3rd upwards.

skippy1977

Coraline Straight Ripple wrote: »

Hi, our primary school has not sent any resources. My God-Child is in third class. Are there any online resources or notes that people would recommend? I am happy to pay, because I want her to have a good foundation for her early education.

I wouldn't worry just yet. Most teachers probably waiting til Monday as the guidance was that these few days were an extension of holidays.

I'm secondary so I can't help with any primary resources but I know the BBC have programmes running during their lockdown

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-55552962

and have good resources (I believe) here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize

Knine

Endintheclowns wrote: »

Whatever about classrooms I can't see school buses running at the moment. It's impossible for a driver to keep buses properly ventilated with open windows this time of year and unlike Dublin buses they don't have the driver partitioned from the passengers. Also impossible for the SNA on the bus to social distance from the children given most are so small.

I agree. My daughter is going into hospital for a few days in March & I spoke to the respiratory nurse from the hospital that looks after her. She pointed out that the buses are the weakest link as the children are in their own bubble in their usually small class but the school bus trip creates too many other contacts.