school closures

CWF

Hasn't stopped snowing in Blanchardstown. Can't see there being school Monday

Minister

Chancer3001 wrote: »

Actually not being smart at all.

Your back must be up for some reason.

I know if it was my school and somebody was stuck with a booked holiday , we'd probably just cover them for the 2 days.

Or they'd call in sick. Or use force majeure days.

I assume not showing up for these days would be the same as not showing up for regular work

Call in sick? Force majeure days? Cover for them?

...............exactly why teachers and civil servants are despised by so many from private sector.....

Minister

political analyst wrote: »

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/education/snow-shutdown-closed-schools-may-have-to-make-up-the-days-at-easter-or-another-time-36653023.html



Why is the Department hell-bent on punishing teachers and pupils for something that is beyond their control?

If teachers are disgruntled about missing out on vacations they had booked for the Easter break because of having to make-up for lost days then why don't the teachers' unions try calling the Department's bluff on the risk of money being docked from salaries if days are not made up for?

Surely, all that matters is that the curriculum is completed by the end of the school year.

In the private sector holidays are taken at the convenience of your employer. So, if you have to work over what is normally Easter holidays stop whining and do it.

Sultan of Bling

Minister wrote:

Call in sick? Force majeure days? Cover for them?

Minister wrote:

...............exactly why teachers and civil servants are despised by so many from private sector.....

Yet if they were offered it in their own jobs, they'd take it, no problem.

janes1234

Minister wrote: »

In the private sector holidays are taken at the convenience of your employer. So, if you have to work over what is normally Easter holidays stop whining and do it.

Are you kidding? People have holidays booked over Easter not just teachers but parents. There is no way in hell I'll be working over Easter. Our principal is monitoring our use of moodle and using that as a barometer for tuition time. Very clever and effective. My students are getting on with work I gave set for them online. Also I knew this was coming so set them extra work on Tuesday. Am I the only teacher or parent who doesn't accept this working over Easter Holidays thing?

Come on teachers let's start standing up for ourselves in this climate!!!

Minister

janes1234 wrote: »

Are you kidding? People have holidays booked over Easter not just teachers but parents. There is no way in hell I'll be working over Easter. Our principal is monitoring our use of moodle and using that as a barometer for tuition time. Very clever and effective. My students are getting on with work I gave set for them online. Also I knew this was coming so set them extra work on Tuesday. Am I the only teacher or parent who doesn't accept this working over Easter Holidays thing?

Come on teachers let's start standing up for ourselves in this climate!!!

Don't forget you are an employee not the owner. Tough. If you have to work - work; and rid yourself of the sense of entitlement that teachers are renowned for!

r93kaey5p2izun

Minister wrote: »

Don't forget you are an employee not the owner. Tough. If you have to work - work; and rid yourself of the sense of entitlement that teachers are renowned for!

What do you hope to achieve from coming on a teacher forum and making angry comments? Some of the people at whom you are directing your vitriol aren't even teachers. What's your goal, or is it just hot air from someone who can't make better use of their free time? Let's say your dream comes true and we stick it to the teachers and show them how they should suck it up and get over it like good little private sector workers - any thoughts on how that will impact on the recruitment and retention crisis in teaching? What about yourself - interseted in signing up to the cushy terms and conditions? Schools are on the verge of closing and subjects are being dropped due to shortages. I'm leaving in June but could go earlier if it suits. My school will be short another Maths/Science teacher - could you offer your services and then avail of the great conditions? You don't even need a teaching qualification - they're that desperate.

Chancer3001

Yeah private sector never have colleagues cover for one another....

Or have sick days. Never ever.

Silly faux outrage

happywithlife

janes1234 wrote: »

Are you kidding? People have holidays booked over Easter not just teachers but parents. There is no way in hell I'll be working over Easter. Our principal is monitoring our use of moodle and using that as a barometer for tuition time. Very clever and effective. My students are getting on with work I gave set for them online. Also I knew this was coming so set them extra work on Tuesday. Am I the only teacher or parent who doesn't accept this working over Easter Holidays thing?

Come on teachers let's start standing up for ourselves in this climate!!!

I can't see Easter working for my school anyway- they hardly come during normal term never mind holidays. I've put up work online and not one student has checked in. Was chatting to another colleague and she's the same. We have exam year p/T meeting next week and if one parent comments on days lost I will be well armed with this plus the days lost due to them opting not to cone in / going home at lunch. It's a huge issue at the moment. Anyh sort of outing and everyone goes home or they don't come back after lunch. But they're the first to blame the teachers.

happywithlife

On a another note have ye all been kept up to date from your principal? I've heard nada since Wednesday to say we closed then. Nothing about Monday yet either but I'm presuming we will be open. Whether my local roads are passable is a different story though

deiseindublin

Minister wrote: »

Don't forget you are an employee not the owner. Tough. If you have to work - work; and rid yourself of the sense of entitlement that teachers are renowned for!

Might be no harm if you got rid of the chip off your shoulder either. "Tough" is such a juvenile argument too, my scarcely educated 7 year old would do a lot better.

deiseindublin

happywithlife wrote: »

On a another note have ye all been kept up to date from your principal? I've heard nada since Wednesday to say we closed then. Nothing about Monday yet either but I'm presuming we will be open. Whether my local roads are passable is a different story though

I'm presuming we'll be open but not sure yet how I'll get there. Will be in a taxi, on a bus, or walking, not a hope I'll be driving.

km79

Minister wrote: »

In the private sector holidays are taken at the convenience of your employer. So, if you have to work over what is normally Easter holidays stop whining and do it.

Hello Richard

spurious

It's difficult to delete anti-charter troll posts if people keep engaging with them.

Cash_Q

happywithlife wrote:

On a another note have ye all been kept up to date from your principal? I've heard nada since Wednesday to say we closed then. Nothing about Monday yet either but I'm presuming we will be open. Whether my local roads are passable is a different story though

Haven't heard anything since Wednesday but didn't expect to. We will hear on Sunday evening or Monday morning. My estate still has drifts of 3/4 feet and cars are getting stuck outside our house so I won't be driving anywhere. My nearest colleague to travel with lives considerably further from school than I do so I doubt he will be driving either. Public transport is 2 hours on a good day, so who knows. I'll wait til 7am Monday morning to see what happens.

Noveight

Large drifts still in places here but there’s definitely a big thaw happening. I don’t see snow keeping us closed Monday but driving will be dangerous if it freezes tonight and Sunday, given the amount of water on the roads.

ASISEEIT

Best to accept we are back to school Monday-especially in Dublin where they are likely to get main roads working. I called it wrong..I think!

acequion

ASISEEIT wrote: »

Best to accept we are back to school Monday-especially in Dublin where they are likely to get main roads working. I called it wrong..I think!

I'm glad /hope you did :pac: I'd like to get back to normal now. And anyway Id really be worried about Easter if we lost another day.

All is totally normal now in Kerry. The bit of snow we got has more or less melted everywhere. In fact it was Thurs night before the weather turned nasty here so our local schools could easily have opened on Thursday.

Powerhouse

ASISEEIT wrote: »

Best to accept we are back to school Monday-especially in Dublin where they are likely to get main roads working. I called it wrong..I think!

On the face of it that would seem to be the case but a lot will depend in some cases on the state of school grounds. I know of one school relying on a machine showing up today to clear snow out of school grounds before making a decision. It is not just a function of the state of the roads. There might be safety issues around school gates in the morning to consider as well as safety within school grounds. There is no doubt that the momentum is towards opening schools but there will be individual cases where nothing is guaranteed.

There is a tendency among people to dismiss things when they are not directly affected in whatever part of the country they are in themselves. But I know of a school in Limerick that was closed for a week after Ophelia whereas had there not been a red alert my own school would have been among the many completely unaffected I would think.

AndrewJRenko

Powerhouse wrote: »

On the face of it that would seem to be the case but a lot will depend in some cases on the state of school grounds. I know of one school relying on a machine showing up today to clear snow out of school grounds before making a decision. It is not just a function of the state of the roads. There might be safety issues around school gates in the morning to consider as well as safety within school grounds. There is no doubt that the momentum is towards opening schools but there will be individual cases where nothing is guaranteed.

They should be calling out parents if they need help to clear routes and paths. Many parents would be very happy to help over the weekend to make sure things get back to normal on Monday.

Get the Parents Association to set up a 'snow patrol' to be on standby for future events.

Powerhouse

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

They should be calling out parents if they need help to clear routes and paths. Many parents would be very happy to help over the weekend to make sure things get back to normal on Monday.

Get the Parents Association to set up a 'snow patrol' to be on standby for future events.

As I mentioned, they have hired a machine so this does not arise.

pandoraj09

A lot of schools in the East are opening tomorrow but at a later time, which I think is a good idea. Loads of snow on my road here in Dublin. Can't take my car out onto it but the main roads are okay. A bit of a later start tomorrow might help us a lot.

km79

pandoraj09 wrote: »

A lot of schools in the East are opening tomorrow but at a later time, which I think is a good idea. Loads of snow on my road here in Dublin. Can't take my car out onto it but the main roads are okay. A bit of a later start tomorrow might help us a lot.

That's sensible

AndrewJRenko

Powerhouse wrote: »

As I mentioned, they have hired a machine so this does not arise.

You said that they were 'relying on a machine showing up' which indicated that there was some doubt. In that situation, a work squad of parents can certainly add value.

But I was really speaking about the general situation rather than your own specific scenario. Parents are very often very happy to get involved and support schools in situations like this. It just takes a bit of organising in advance to ensure that someone has contact details for call-outs, show shovels, some salt.

Powerhouse

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

You said that they were 'relying on a machine showing up' which indicated that there was some doubt. In that situation, a work squad of parents can certainly add value.

But I was really speaking about the general situation rather than your own specific scenario. Parents are very often very happy to get involved and support schools in situations like this. It just takes a bit of organising in advance to ensure that someone has contact details for call-outs, show shovels, some salt.

It's not my own scenario - just a school I heard about from someone I know not that that matters really other than to say I don't have first-hand knowledge of the situation.

'Relying on a machine showing up' is just a choice of phrase, not an indication that I have doubts about the machine. My impression was that the school wouldn't open without this, hence the sense of 'relying' on the machine. Nothing to do with doubt. I couldn't comment on that - it could be anything from a loose possibility to an absolute certainty that it'll show up for all I know.

AndrewJRenko

Powerhouse wrote: »

It's not my own scenario - just a school I heard about from someone I know not that that matters really other than to say I don't have first-hand knowledge of the situation.

'Relying on a machine showing up' is just a choice of phrase, not an indication that I have doubts about the machine. My impression was that the school wouldn't open without this, hence the sense of 'relying' on the machine. Nothing to do with doubt. I couldn't comment on that - it could be anything from a loose possibility to an absolute certainty that it'll show up for all I know.

Thanks for the clarification. Perhaps my response was coloured by the fact that our own residents' group was struggling to get someone out today to clear our own road, at our own expense. Yer man may or may not show up today, apparently.

C__MC

Has any schools been confirmed shut for tomorrow?

Powerhouse

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Thanks for the clarification. Perhaps my response was coloured by the fact that our own residents' group was struggling to get someone out today to clear our own road, at our own expense.

Yer man may or may not show up today, apparently.

Well, yeah, that's it isn't it................I'm sure there's big demand on such people today. I suppose there's no guarantee until you see them.

Cash_Q

C__MC wrote:

Has any schools been confirmed shut for tomorrow?

I saw through friends on Facebook that Tallaght Community School in Balrothery is closed tomorrow.

Powerhouse

Gpt a text from someone who was in Blanchardstiown Shopping Centre and they said that some of the carparks are closed and others are chaotic with piles of snow reducing capacity and causing problems for traffic progress. There'll be some schools somewhere closed for such reasons I'm sure. If a place which processes as much money - with associated easier access to facilities - as that Shopping Centre are struggling to get back to normal some schools will struggle too.