Government flip flops / school closures

TheValeyard

If these numbers continue, it's back to online teaching. No other possibility.

Which fcuking sucks. Try teaching when you had a six month old sleeping on you and a rabid three year old biting your ankles.

Rosita

amacca wrote: »

In fairness she was in no way as disastrous yet for the education system as the likes of ruari "legacy" Quinn was and will prove to be so there is that I suppose.

Nothing worse than the Minister with "the one thing I can implement" idea.

rainbowtrout

Random sample wrote: »

She didn’t say schools would reopen, she said it was their firm intention to open them.... I read that as it won’t happen.

SEC admin staff were still dealing with 2020 exams in December, I will put the delay on recruitment down to that.

I don’t see us going back on the 11th, but I’d like to know soon so I can start readjusting my January plans for online.

6-8th seems to be extra holidays, but private schools are teaching online to their timetables, so the divide continues to widen there.

I wouldn't. There were only 2500 registered to sit exams from what I remember in the media. That only requires a fraction of the examiners etc. Posting forms online and to schools to recruit isn't that hard. And I would imagine that recruiting for the following exam year involves pulling a list from a database and generating the letters to examiners. All of that is done with an early December closing date across all subjects. Assuming those forms came out next week you'd still be looking at an end of January closing date. It's cutting it very fine for this years practical exams.


Private schools do as they like anyway as they are outside the remit of the Dept so I wouldn't be overly concerned with that.

Rosita

TheValeyard wrote: »

If these numbers continue, it's back to online teaching. No other possibility.

Which fcuking sucks.

Yeah, going back to competing for a laptop with several others including two school-goers, and relying on on-line engagement from kids who won't even engage when in class will be no fun.

soso02

TheValeyard wrote: »

If these numbers continue, it's back to online teaching. No other possibility.

You're letting on to know more than NPHET. There are many other alternatives if a full reopening is not feasible.

A sizeable minority of teachers see this as an opportunity for an extended break.

They have unequivocally stated that schools are safe, with evidence to support this.

antgal23

Can't see us returning until first week of Feb

soso02

Considering all teachers students were in school in early March 2020, when cases were likely in their 1000s, it is reasonable to assume schools will be reopening.

antgal23

soso02 wrote: »

You're letting on to know more than NPHET. There are many other alternatives if a full reopening is not feasible.

A sizeable minority of teachers see this as an opportunity for an extended break.

They have unequivocally stated that schools are safe, with evidence to support this.

If that's the case then why are they opening schools on Jan 11 the and not on Jan 6th?

antgal23

soso02 wrote: »

Considering all teachers students were in school in early March 2020, when cases were likely in their 1000s, it is reasonable to assume schools will be reopening.

I hope you are right

I'm a teacher with 4 kids, I much prefer to be at work than cooking, cleaning, and homeschooling

Clouron

soso02 wrote: »

Considering all teachers students were in school in early March 2020, when cases were likely in their 1000s, it is reasonable to assume schools will be reopening.

Bar your funny comment on Norma, I think your spot on here. CV 19 was brewing well before 12 March and our reporting wasn't up to date in wave 1...likely 1000s of us had it but never even got tested!! Schools have managed very well, considering some families travelled in August to red or green list, with many moreripping around Ireland.

No.one wants to return to the double jobbing at work and home...including Most teachers..nightmare.

The backlog will continue for a few more days and then Norma will have to put a spin on it!

Rosita

soso02 wrote: »

They have unequivocally stated that schools are safe, with evidence to support this.

"Unequivocally" is your word. A public official/politician is unlikely to use a word like that. They have been saying "the evidence suggests schools are relatively safe environments" or words to that effect. When the evidence changes..........

If it was indeed unequivocal we would, as the other poster has pointed out, be going back on 6th Jan as planned. Just because it doesn't suit you doesn't mean the situation is not in flux.

Rosita

soso02 wrote: »

Considering all teachers students were in school in early March 2020, when cases were likely in their 1000s, it is reasonable to assume schools will be reopening.

There were just 43 cases on the day the schools closed.

The problem with assuming that cases were likely in their 1000s at the time is that the equivalent imagined figure now might be over 80 times that since the official figure today is over 3,000.

Best to compare like with like.

wirelessdude01

Rosita wrote: »

"Unequivocally" is your word. A public official/politician is unlikely to use a word like that. They have been saying "the evidence suggests schools are relatively safe environments" or words to that effect. When the evidence changes..........

If it was indeed unequivocal we would, as the other poster has pointed out, be going back on 6th Jan as planned. Just because it doesn't suit you doesn't mean the situation is not in flux.

Reminds me a former poster whose handle included an Australian city name who came across very much as someone who either worked in a government department or who had access to someone high enough up.

Random sample

rainbowtrout wrote: »

I wouldn't. There were only 2500 registered to sit exams from what I remember in the media. That only requires a fraction of the examiners etc. Posting forms online and to schools to recruit isn't that hard. And I would imagine that recruiting for the following exam year involves pulling a list from a database and generating the letters to examiners. All of that is done with an early December closing date across all subjects. Assuming those forms came out next week you'd still be looking at an end of January closing date. It's cutting it very fine for this years practical exams.


Private schools do as they like anyway as they are outside the remit of the Dept so I wouldn't be overly concerned with that.

Home ec journals have gone ahead as planned. I don’t know if there was a delay in their recruitment, but the marking happened as normal.

I presume sec staff are working from home? Would that account for the delay?

Random sample

Rosita wrote: »

Yeah, going back to competing for a laptop with several others including two school-goers, and relying on on-line engagement from kids who won't even engage when in class will be no fun.

It’s really challenging trying to teach online and not knowing why students aren’t engaging so you don’t know whether to email them or not. I don’t want to go back to their over a long period of time. I struggled to keep up a positive attitude last time.

rainbowtrout

Random sample wrote: »

Home ec journals have gone ahead as planned. I don’t know if there was a delay in their recruitment, but the marking happened as normal.

I presume sec staff are working from home? Would that account for the delay?

I don't mean written stuff, I was referring to recruitment for orals and other practicals such as home ec cookery that involve examiners going out to schools.

SpacialNeeds

soso02 wrote: »

The unspoken hero in all this is Norma Foley. She has achieved the unimaginable, the seamless reopening of schools.

You have to be trolling.

Random sample

rainbowtrout wrote: »

I don't mean written stuff, I was referring to recruitment for orals and other practicals such as home ec cookery that involve examiners going out to schools.

Oh I get you. Do you think orals and practicals won’t go ahead but written exams will?

I wonder would video work for orals? Have the principal set the kid up in a room with a laptop, it would be up to the principal to ensure they don’t have notes or whatever with them.

amacca

Random sample wrote: »

It’s really challenging trying to teach online and not knowing why students aren’t engaging so you don’t know whether to email them or not. I don’t want to go back to their over a long period of time. I struggled to keep up a positive attitude last time.

Do what you can, if there's anyone in the fiidchain above you give the names to them if you can, if it falls on you request they participate and have evidence of it....

If they don't it's not like you can call out to their house and make them engage.

Once you've done ehat you can that's it, no need to feel guilty or harangue students or put in night shifts going after them

If they don't engage while it may not be all their faults it's certainly not yours......

You are not teaching students a lesson worth learning if the consequences for their lack.of engagement falls on you.......

Personal responsibility is only something that develops if there are consequences for not engaging, consequences for the ones not engaging ....if you are doing the online teaching and they are not showing up you can't be expected to enforce attendance without any tools to do so (not to mention the massive time consumption and possible counter productivity of such an undertaking anyway)

Like I said, do your best inform, Request attendance, keep a record that you have etc, but dont overdo it and then rest easy......you are only one person after all with decreasing levels of authority and autonomy and every Tom dick and Harry with zero qualifications or ecperience telling you how to do your job.

Rosita

Random sample wrote: »

I wonder would video work for orals? Have the principal set the kid up in a room with a laptop, it would be up to the principal to ensure they don’t have notes or whatever with them.

I see no great reason why orals could not proceed as normal with a perspex screen between examiner and candidate. If a teacher is expected routinely to be in a room with 30+ people (albeit masked) then the practicalities of the orals should be easy.

rainbowtrout

Random sample wrote: »

Oh I get you. Do you think orals and practicals won’t go ahead but written exams will?

I wonder would video work for orals? Have the principal set the kid up in a room with a laptop, it would be up to the principal to ensure they don’t have notes or whatever with them.

I have no idea, but surely it would be better to have the recruitment bit done, even if the applications are sitting in a pile on someone's desk in the SEC rather than leaving the recruitment process until the last minute.

soso02

antgal23 wrote: »

If that's the case then why are they opening schools on Jan 11 the and not on Jan 6th?

I believe the rationale behind this was to give those families who attended family gatherings a chance to restrict their movements in advance of schools reopening.

It wasn't because schools are unsafe environments.

Bobtheman

Can people please stop replying to the obvious troll. If he Was a kid in your class would you give so much attention?
Anyways here we go again - closure.

soso02

Rosita wrote: »

I see no great reason why orals could not proceed as normal with a perspex screen between examiner and candidate. .

I suggested the very same when my own LC orals were cancelled and was lambasted by teachers on here !

Rosita

soso02 wrote: »

I suggested the very same when my own LC orals were cancelled and was lambasted by teachers on here !

The teachers on here are devils aren't they?

soso02

Rosita wrote: »

The teachers on here are devils aren't they?

Particularly rainbow trout

deiseindublin

Is there any rule here that this thread is for teachers, or adults even? It's getting so ****in' tedious.

Random sample

amacca wrote: »

Do what you can, if there's anyone in the fiidchain above you give the names to them if you can, if it falls on you request they participate and have evidence of it....

If they don't it's not like you can call out to their house and make them engage.

Once you've done ehat you can that's it, no need to feel guilty or harangue students or put in night shifts going after them

If they don't engage while it may not be all their faults it's certainly not yours......

You are not teaching students a lesson worth learning if the consequences for their lack.of engagement falls on you.......

Personal responsibility is only something that develops if there are consequences for not engaging, consequences for the ones not engaging ....if you are doing the online teaching and they are not showing up you can't be expected to enforce attendance without any tools to do so (not to mention the massive time consumption and possible counter productivity of such an undertaking anyway)

Like I said, do your best inform, Request attendance, keep a record that you have etc, but dont overdo it and then rest easy......you are only one person after all with decreasing levels of authority and autonomy and every Tom dick and Harry with zero qualifications or ecperience telling you how to do your job.

I might have to print this out and stick it on the fridge.

spurious

mod: soso02
Tired of the nonsense. Take another month's break.

mirrorwall14

Rosita wrote: »

I see no great reason why orals could not proceed as normal with a perspex screen between examiner and candidate. If a teacher is expected routinely to be in a room with 30+ people (albeit masked) then the practicalities of the orals should be easy.

I can see that for orals but most schools still aren’t allowing singing inside or wind instruments. Music practicals are a problem