Government flip flops / school closures

Rosita

Foley's speech very forward about claiming schools are safe. They must have gone back to plan A on that.

lawred2

Icsics wrote: »

Schools are ‘safe places’ according to Norma

well they were open from Sep - Dec without any significant increases in case numbers

Icsics

Does it include LCAs?

Reading comments online it seems most leaving cert children want to stay home, too scared to enter buildings.

If teachers striked over this I think you would have the full support of parents and students.

The damage to the mental health to teachers and students must be awful.

The politicians barking stay home yet sending teachers and students to the slaughter.

Rosita

lawred2 wrote: »

well they were open from Sep - Dec without any significant increases in case numbers

As were retail outlets. Now they're closed. As we're gyms. Now they're closed.

lawred2

Rosita wrote: »

As were retail outlets. Now they're closed. As we're gyms. Now they're closed.

retail wasn't open but for click and collect

I don't know about gyms

km79

Under this plan, teachers could be asked to attend school five days a week while pupils would be divided into groups and would be asked to attend on certain day

from the examiner

So
New timetables?
New teachers for some class groups ?
Other years not getting taught?
No S and S rota to cover for absences?
New seating plans?
No contact tracing?

notwhoyouthink

I commend the Minister for her decision. It serrves the interests of LC students, and ensures continuity. I believe it is the right decision, and provides certainty.

km79

notwhoyouthink wrote: »

I commend the Minister for her decision. It serrves the interests of LC students, and ensures continuity. I believe it is the right decision, and provides certainty.

Read above
Leaving cert classes will now need new teachers.
How is that continuity?

inbetweentea

I haven't posted here before but I have to. Like many of you fellow SNAs, students, parents, family members and teachers, I am completely confused by this new announcement. It is so impractical and reckless. It means needlessly bringing a huge number of staff (academic but also maintenance) and students into a building - for what?!
In the past I had great faith in Leaving Certificate but this age calls for flexibility! I cannot believe that the Minister is deferring to an age-old assessment rather than considering public health. It is absolutely ridiculous. Surely there is a solution- later exams or predicted grades? Even construction is being shut down (which is awful for the sector with how important it is- but understandable on a safety front) but the Leaving Cert (!) must go on?!

* Sorry just to edit after writing this- maybe essential construction is going on -my mistake- and as that's not my area of expertise I won't comment further on that decision- but other important services (elective surgeries in hospitals etc) are being curtailed for public health reasons.

Rosita

notwhoyouthink wrote: »

I commend the Minister for her decision. It serrves the interests of LC students, and ensures continuity. I believe it is the right decision, and provides certainty.

You forget to mention "clarity" - that's another of the standards

bren2001

km79 wrote: »

Read above
Leaving cert classes will now need new teachers.
How is that continuity?

Well I apologise for defending the Dept. in March/April/May. This is bonkers and demonstrates their utter incompetence.

I like many others will not be returning my child to school for leaving cert classes.

rainbowtrout

LW2018 wrote: »

To restructure already restructured timetables for the sake of 3 hours face-face teaching for most!! And then stuck in school because of the other classes that follow on your timetable. It just baffles me how they think it is acceptable

Can't even restructure the timetable if we are expected to provide online learning for the other classes.

And then she says 'the schools can pick their own three days, and can change them from week to week' Is she mental?????

Rosita

It's terrible that journalists don't have the knowledge to ask about orals, practicals, CBAs and on the ground stuff like that, instead of listening to her platitudes about "acknowledging" and "resilience".

wirelessdude01

rainbowtrout wrote: »

Can't even restructure the timetable if we are expected to provide online learning for the other classes.

And then she says 'the schools can pick their own three days, and can change them from week to week' Is she mental?????

She really hasn't a scooby doo. Frightening that she was a teacher up to quite recently.

km79

rainbowtrout wrote: »

Can't even restructure the timetable if we are expected to provide online learning for the other classes.

And then she says 'the schools can pick their own three days, and can change them from week to week' Is she mental?????

Clearly being made up as she goes along
No idea of the implications for people on the ground
scary

Hopontop

What is going on in the Dept of Ed? I’m not teaching long and my expectations of them are generally low, but this is mad stuff. I naively thought there was going to be some sort of plan, and even when it was leaked about 6th years for 3 days I was curious about how that would work but there is literally no plan, just schools to sort out the “3 days” themselves. Unreal!

Polka_Dot

rainbowtrout wrote: »

Can't even restructure the timetable if we are expected to provide online learning for the other classes.

And then she says 'the schools can pick their own three days, and can change them from week to week' Is she mental?????

Not to mention her comment about them "generously" extending this "gesture" to keep 1 million people at home.

Surely of all the year groups, 17/18 year old Leaving Cert students would be the most capable of independent learning. Its absolutely crazy.

carr62

Absolutely gobsmacked by this decision to send the Leaving Cert students back to school. They are saying that schools have been proven in the past to be safe....yet in the next breath say that that we are now dealing with the new strain of the virus - how can they know that schools will be safe! They say that we need to reduce movement, yet I'm expected to travel 60km per day on the school run, running risk of virus refuelling car etc. How on earth are teachers, SNAs, secretarys, cleaners etc., expected to go in to school when we are being told to stay at home to protect our health. Cancel the Leaving Cert.

Bananaleaf

Norma going to be on Newstalk before the end of this show currently on. Get your texts in

Treppen

notwhoyouthink wrote: »

I'm reminded of Einstein's quote "Stay away from negative people. They have a problem for every solution!

As a scientist dealing with fundamental issues Einstein couldn't afford to only see bright sides. He needed to be critical, you need a certain 'negativity' to account for loopholes in your reasoning. 'Positive' people are even dangerous in this context. In engineering (think water supply, your car, trains, nuclear plants) you want them to make sure they thought of everything that could go wrong, wouldn't you?

Have you a source for that Einstein quote btw?

notwhoyouthink

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

She really hasn't a scooby doo. Frightening that she was a teacher up to quite recently.

I don't think that is quite fair. If she were to issue an edict, schools would be complaining that it was overly restrictive. She is giving them the discretion and requisite flexibility to make their own arrangements. What might work for an urban school, won't work for a rural school, and so forth.

All it requires is a bit of rejigging of the timetable, and some blended learning. Teachers worked wonders in September, and all they need to do is repeat that. I really don't see what the fuss is all about TBH.

TheValeyard

It's like a plan brought to you by Captain Zapp Brannigan

wirelessdude01

notwhoyouthink wrote: »

I don't think that is quite fair. If she were to issue an edict, schools would be complaining that it was overly restrictive. She is giving them the discretion and requisite flexibility to make their own arrangements. What might work for an urban school, won't work for a rural school, and so forth.

All it requires is a bit of rejigging of the timetable, and some blended learning. Teachers worked wonders in September, and all they need to do is repeat that. I really don't see what the fuss is all about TBH.

Ahh someone else who it appears hasn't a clue, just a little rejigging ehh.

Smacruairi

Clear troll, don't engage.

zeebre12

There will always be some whinging..young 17 year old crying on the radio. 6th years last March giving out nothing was being done for them and how the LC was the most important exam of their lives and the Government was leaving them behind. Now the Government actually does something to support them and more whinging.

lulublue22

notwhoyouthink wrote: »

I don't think that is quite fair. If she were to issue an edict, schools would be complaining that it was overly restrictive. She is giving them the discretion and requisite flexibility to make their own arrangements. What might work for an urban school, won't work for a rural school, and so forth.

All it requires is a bit of rejigging of the timetable, and some blended learning. Teachers worked wonders in September, and all they need to do is repeat that. I really don't see what the fuss is all about TBH.

If you had any experience in getting a whole school timetable up and running you would know exactly what all the fuss is about to be fair.

Warbeastrior

How can they know school is 'safe' with these new strains if school hasn't went ahead since they developed???

acequion

Are people getting on to their unions? ASTI voted to strike over way less, remember!! I've just mailed mine.

This is something that teachers have to fight and not cave in on. With the transmission rates out there at the moment there is no way that schools are safe places. I think this is the single most absurd ministerial decision since this started and that's saying something!