Covid-19 : 2nd Lockdown 2020 : 3rd Lockdown 2021

[Cowsham]

Secondly, parents need to work. Whether they are working from home, or have jobs that require their presence, they either are less productive, or cannot work at all if they have children at home.

That doesn't seem to be certain about working from home, or at least it may depend more on the company than the worker. Surveys seem to find roughly equal numbers of companies reporting increased and decreased productivity, a slightly higher number finding no significant change and about a sixth saying they don't know.

I get more done at home. But on the days that I've got two kids doing on-line school from home, it takes me longer, because they interrupt regularly, needing help with something, wanting something for lunch other than what I've done for them, etc. People with small, school age children need to supervise them all the time. I couldn't just give a 5 year old and a 6 year old their ipads, tell them do on-line school, then go work. I can do that with an 11 year old and a 14 year old, but I still don't get an interruption-free work day.

Thirdly, for kids in neglectful or abusive homes, being there all the time is horrible, and kids in homes like that are more at risk under current circumstances than normally.

Fourthly, not all kids have adequate resources for on-line learning.

Both of those are, of course, <i>[inappropriate word removed]</i> and need to be addressed, but they should have been already.

While I generally agree with you, it is practically impossible to identify and deal with every abusive parent or carer, and also the current situation with more people being jobless, isolated with their families, etc, may lead to new domestic violence.

Also, while it should have been dealt with, it hasn't. So the impact on kids in low income homes or abusive situations has to be considered in determining appropriate measures.

Ah -- so there's the reason your so opposed to shutting schools. I have to do all that too but I don't complain -- this will be over some day soon so I can put up with getting my kid through the online work. He actually does better without the pressure of the bullying, cos he's the only one with a face mask, or the thought that he might take the virus home to one of us.

During the total lockdown when schools were shut there was provision made for less fortunate children or parents both essential working to be catered for at school -- reduced numbers so distancing wasn't a problem ( or was that only in the Isle of Man ? ) good policy though -- should be adopted if it hadn't already in England.

[Vorpal]

Yes, some children are thriving doing on-line school. Some kids are happier because they are bullied at school. And honestly, a system like that needs a hard look at *why*.

[Oldjohnw]

There was very limited provision made for many children during the original lockdown. Laptops were not delivered. Internet connection was not available. Teachers were overwhelmed. Many got well behind.

[Vorpal]

There was very limited provision made for many children during the original lockdown. Laptops were not delivered. Internet connection was not available. Teachers were overwhelmed. Many got well behind.

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2 ... r-children

Also, many children who would normally recieve free lunches didn't get their vouchers for weeks https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/05/27/uk- ... hools-shut

Even assuming these things are fixed, now, it still doesn't get internet access to families who live in remote areas, or cannot afford it.

[Cowsham]

There was very limited provision made for many children during the original lockdown. Laptops were not delivered. Internet connection was not available. Teachers were overwhelmed. Many got well behind.

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2 ... r-children

Also, many children who would normally recieve free lunches didn't get their vouchers for weeks https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/05/27/uk- ... hools-shut

Even assuming these things are fixed, now, it still doesn't get internet access to families who live in remote areas, or cannot afford it.

On the iom they were much better organised as I have close relatives there and I regularly visit ( not since the border restrictions of course ) as for here the some of the teachers took it as a holiday and left worksheets to get through , the IT teacher couldn't work Google classroom ! The history teacher fluffed off altogether probably back in time to tell his younger self to stay off the drink.



I live out in the sticks and internet is provided by microwave link ( landline too all through a small dish ) so I can't see how that couldn't be done plus get the teachers to do all the work online working from school with socially distant fewer pupils doing the same on computers in school so they are on the same page as the pupils working from home.


Not rocket science although seems like it for our y 10 science teacher who needed the art teacher to post work on Google classroom for him. What a shower of sh....

[Oldjohnw]

It's always a pity when one experience colours a view of all teachers. It is generally neither accurate nor fair. As a school governor I know that my teachers never worked so hard. Not only did they not use lockdown as a holiday but they worked right through the formal holidays. They designed lessons in media they were not familiar with and had to do it in three formats: live teaching, online and hard copies by post. They are exhausted and aware that many of their colleagues risk their health every day.

Many children do not have the internet at home. They might say they have but that might only be the limited availability on a phone contract.

Teachers everywhere deserve our full support.

[Jdsk]

Teachers everywhere deserve our full support.

Yes.

Jonathan

[Cowsham]

It's always a pity when one experience colours a view of all teachers. It is generally neither accurate nor fair. As a school governor I know that my teachers never worked so hard. Not only did they not use lockdown as a holiday but they worked right through the formal holidays. They designed lessons in media they were not familiar with and had to do it in three formats: live teaching, online and hard copies by post. They are exhausted and aware that many of their colleagues risk their health every day.

Many children do not have the internet at home. They might say they have but that might only be the limited availability on a phone contract.

Teachers everywhere deserve our full support.

Ours have had it real good since March -- "working" from home till end of June then off all summer from end of June to end of August. There are an odd few that have been great French, maths and English teachers.

My biggest problem was getting some way of contacting teachers -- there is a facility through Google classroom msteams and other media but whether the half of teachers just can't be bothered sorting it out or what I don't know but I've had to get the attention of some teachers via the few who have set up the facility.

I feel guilty having to put extra work on the ones who are doing their job to get help from the ones who are lazy grrrr 's The reception staff have been good but even they have had trouble contacting teachers and when they do they still don't get a reply.

We employed a young tutor who was a supply teacher but couldn't get much work due to the lockdown. She has been fantastic, starting off online during the first lockdown then coming to the house ( with appropriate SD measures ) so we kept her on over the summer to get caught up on school work and keep him sharp for return in Sept.
We still have her online now since restrictions got tighter and after we decided to take him back out of school.

[Vorpal]

Teachers have not been provided with adequate training or resources to manage the situation.

In Norway, all of the kids have ipads/tablets, provided by the school, and most of the tools needed were already in daily use. For example, my kids do, and turn in most of their homework on their ipads. Some teachers needed training in the on-line platform (i.e. Teams, Zoom, etc.). Nonetheless, the first time school was closed, in March, the kids had a week off school while the teachers prepared, which included adjusted planning, with guidance from the council, and necessary training. They were given additional support; the school system brought in supply teachers.

The approach in the UK is far more hodge podge, with some schools still only using computers to teach the kids how to use them, and ipads provided to limited numbers of disadvantaged students. Other schools require students to have ipads, and have a scheme for them, but this requires payment (except for students who are eligible for support). Furthermore British schools often have neither the IT staff nor the IT teachers needed, and have been unable to recruit them.

The IT teacher who couldn't work Google classroom probably does not have any formal training in IT. Likely they were just told they were teaching IT, possibly for no other virtue than having the time capacity.

The workload is higher with on-line school, and if you were told tomorrow that you needed to work more hours per day with tools that no one had taught you to use, no preparation, and skills that are years (or even decades) out of date, what would you do? On top of it, some teachers have their own kids at home, which makes it difficult, or impossible to work.

I don't doubt that there are teachers who are lazy, or just fed up. But I don't think it is reasonable to blame teachers in how on-line school has been handled, when many of them have not been given the skills, or in some cases the tools, to do the job, and guidance has been very poor.

[kwackers]

I don't doubt that there are teachers who are lazy, or just fed up. But I don't think it is reasonable to blame teachers in how on-line school has been handled, when many of them have not been given the skills, or in some cases the tools, to do the job, and guidance has been very poor.

The UK.
A collection of countries that manages in spite of government rather than because if it.

[Elizabeth_S]

TOH is a teacher, up to a month ago he was working on a antiquated laptop that should have been junked several years ago, he sent out work during lock down and would get it back in various formats he struggled to open, he wasn't allowed to hold classes on Teams or Zoom, and when he finally was it was audio only. He's now back in school teaching, with a maxed out contact time time table and he still has to prepare work for isolating children and those who can't attend for other reasons, increased tests so he has evidence of standards which he has to write and mark, and courses he has to write and change courses because the content has changed again, and now his smart whiteboard has broken so he can't just record stuff for children who aren't there. Children don't or won't follow rules so there are constantly children and staff having to self isolate.
I've just broken my wrist and have pins in, my worst nightmare would be that he gets infected or has to self isolate as I have hospital appointments that won't wait.

[[XAP]Bob]

Many children do not have the internet at home. They might say they have but that might only be the limited availability on a phone contract.

Teachers everywhere deserve our full support.

For those in poverty - many simply do not have access to the internet at all.
As you rightly point out “having access to the internet” takes many forms, mine does t cost more as I use more, those who cannot afford contracts end up getting screwed over again.

[Vorpal]

Many children do not have the internet at home. They might say they have but that might only be the limited availability on a phone contract.

Teachers everywhere deserve our full support.

For those in poverty - many simply do not have access to the internet at all.
As you rightly point out “having access to the internet” takes many forms, mine does t cost more as I use more, those who cannot afford contracts end up getting screwed over again.

And for a house that does have internet, poor parents may have to prioritise who can use limited resources. Income will, of necessity, come first.

[Psamathe]

Many children do not have the internet at home. They might say they have but that might only be the limited availability on a phone contract.

Teachers everywhere deserve our full support.

For those in poverty - many simply do not have access to the internet at all.
As you rightly point out “having access to the internet” takes many forms, mine does t cost more as I use more, those who cannot afford contracts end up getting screwed over again.

And for a house that does have internet, poor parents may have to prioritise who can use limited resources. Income will, of necessity, come first.

I'm surprised that Gov. has not "come to some arrangement" with mobile companies to allow children unlimited free data access to specific school web learning sites (e.g. data access to http://sttrinnians.org.uk/learning is not counted to your data allowance) and for families that don't have mobile, give/loan then a tablet with a SIM restricted to the school/learning web sites.

Ian

[Oldjohnw]

I'm surprised that Gov. has not "come to some arrangement" with mobile companies to allow children unlimited free data access to specific school web learning sites (e.g. data access to http://sttrinnians.org.uk/learning is not counted to your data allowance) and for families that don't have mobile, give/loan then a tablet with a SIM restricted to the school/learning web sites.

Ian

This was probably one of the easier problems for the Government to solve. But they promised iPads (more modestly costed pads or laptops would have been available). But, as ever, they over promised and under delivered.