Schools to close again.. Covid

Gas alright. The glaringly obvious two things about all those pictures that teachers put up of the monitors was the fact that the temperatures were so low + they were all green.

Teachers are not stupid, they have tired closing the windows more etc but as soon as you do bang monitors go orange or red.

Prefabs seems to be the worse not only windows but doors have to be left open + subjects to elements because only way monitors stay green.

Maybe Norma should spend a day in classroom perfecting the perfect temperature + colour for the monitors.

So you'd be in favour of further restrictions?

He can start a new school with yer man from the last lockdown who was going to rent out the GAA hall to teach maths to his estate

Yeah, I think this will gain momentum soon.

That and cancelling the junior cert (hopefully abolishing it) are the right things to do, too much learning lost over the last 3 years. Probably be decided after Easter 🤷‍♂️

Agree totally. Only thing is that SF having suggested it (Labour did so already, just that they don't spook Varadker) it will send FG and FF into survival mode. They may decide to pretend they've "shown leadership" and made the running. With the shambles that are schools this month they have no choice.

And the JC.........yes, what is the point? They have destroyed it already anyway.

I don’t mind predicted grades for students who are unavailable for exams, but it would be a nonsense to introduce them as an option again for students. Sitting the exam has to be the default option this year.

Once further concessions are made this year, something has to be done for next years leaving certs, and on and on it will go.

Concessions have been made in my subject to cover the 2 months off last year.

Predicted grades are not a level playing field either, there would be further grade inflation this year.

If they want teachers to run assessments similar to last year, they would have to announce it earlier than Easter I reckon.

How would predicted grades for people unavailable for the exam work? Somebody decides on the day to be "unavailable" and the teacher has to retrospectively cobble together a grade for them?

I think the most logical thing would be that predicted grades would be submitted for all students and they could only avail of the predicted grade if they produced a medical cert/ had a valid PCR test which means their period of isolation covers the exam date.

It could also backfire because punishing people for getting sick during a pandemic isn't a great way to build solidarity.

Try telling that to my friend in his 40s who is still unable to speak normally for anything more than a couple of minutes after his recent infection . Have you ever experienced that after a mild cold?

To be fair I would say the actual dept officials probably can organise a plan,until political interference comes into play.

The only 'plan' would be the pre-2020 default. Dept officials will not create a fresh scenario unless they have no other option.

I don't know why people keep saying "I don't know understand why people want schools closed at this stage". I have not seen anyone looking for that.

Some people feel that with more courage and better judgement decided by educational arguments rather than political considerations, a delayed reopening would have been sensible and more students would have been reached. But schools have opened. Argument over. You need to move on.

But the day the government opened schools with 40k+ cases per day in the community was also the day Accredited Grades emerged again. Probably would have happened anyway, as the Fifth Year students of last year had lost so much time already, but classrooms with so many gaps will bring reality home to even the most reality denying don't-alter-the-process or delighted-to-be-back! teachers.

But the "keep schools open" is a very small echo chamber at this stage. Sorting out the fallout from the decision is the current challenge. ICU numbers do not fill classrooms. People quoting those are missing the point royally.

I don't agree that a "delayed opening would have been sensible and more pupils would have been reached"

From an educational point of view these weeks will be extremely difficult and I know just because schools are open it is not business as usual. But for me schools open is the least worst option. Closures for any length of time are harmful with very little benefit at this time.

Problems with exams are going to be an issue anyway but purely on the issue of the next few days/weeks from an educational point of view I believe the best way to reach the most pupils is schools to be open. With school s closed, there is virtually no education at all for 1000s of kids.

Like I said, schools are open. That argument is redundant now.

yes similarly no guarantee that he doesn’t - Omicron appears to be milder than delta in terms of ICU admissions doesn’t follow that everyone who ends up with omicron will have a sniffle - there’s a wide range of illness between a sniffle and hospital admission and ICU.

It does when you have as an article of faith that there's no way anyone can get sick from Omicron. There are more hidden layers to some discussions that might appear superficially.

Predicted grades can't be announced too early, if they did so students would be doing the dog on playing the system with 100% monthly tests and parental pressure.

For once I think the department would be best to leave the announcement till the last moment.

...and to those students who "need certainty" , just keep studying and learning regardless of the assessment. Learning is good for you apparently.

I'm ploughing ahead with the course and I get the impression other teachers aren't easing up either.

Ya I put stuff up on teams too... I beg them to contact me if they get stuck or need clarification . But the absentees don't really engage.