Schools closed until March/April? (part 4) **Mod warning in OP 22/01**

combat14

Clouron wrote: »

I was thinking more middle July, with 5 or 6 week break....its only 1 year....

There is absolutely no way a 7 yo doing 90mins max home school is the same as 5 hours in person, in classroom....5 days a week. Cmon.

It would only be a slightly shorter summer break, for just one year....in a pandemic

exactly its a pandemic give it a rest

History Queen

Neagra wrote: »

anyone can invigilate. problem solved
computer infrastructure? the law society and ACCA are doing CBE exams, the ACCA to thousands of students world wide.

forgot to add i will not leave my life by what ifs.
what if there is fourth wave? what if there is not. the numbers of deaths is remaining low but more importantly the positive figures will drop dramatically very soon. well before middle of feb.


all is needed to achieve anything is the will.

Well if as you say,the positive numbers will drop dramatically very soon we'll all be back to school so it'll be a non issue.

Not dealing in what ifs is largely what has us in this mess

am_zarathustra

Neagra wrote: »

anyone can invigilate. problem solved
computer infrastructure? the law society and ACCA are doing CBE exams, the ACCA to thousands of students world wide.

forgot to add i will not leave my life by what ifs.
what if there is fourth wave? what if there is not. the numbers of deaths is remaining low but more importantly the positive figures will drop dramatically very soon. well before middle of feb.


all is needed to achieve anything is the will.[/QUOTE

Many exams require drawings and constructions, these cannot be done online. Maths, even when AT is allowed for a student, is often done by a scribe mixed with the student as we know the current curricula is tested online.

Exams are standardised accross the country at time, so 60000 computers would be needed at the same time, in a ventilated space, with adequet wifi. This does not currently exist.

Invigilation could be done by anyone really, I'd agree with this. You have to check they don't know anyone and trust that every randomer you pick won't allow cheating. Teachers can be professionally reprimanded for this, no such regulations would exist for someone outside of teaching.

Interesting many papers are already corrected online, this is an infrastructure that already exist and that many examiners have been trained in. This could be done across the board so I'm not sure why they would even need to take the exams on a computer when no one touched them outside of sorting them into a scanning machine or placing them in a plastic pouch. Actually in general your solving a problem that doeant exist.

The issue is that students have not finished courses and some people feel this puts them at a disadvantage. Every exam is bellcurved through numerous marking alterations so this isn't an issue really but most people don't understand how the SEC works so tend towards hysterics.

The LC can logistically be run, without computers or any unnecessary and untested new systems. The system already exists. The issue is some students, parents and teachers feel it shouldn't due to the situation.

Mrsmum

Tbh I don't think it would be the children, primary I mean, that wouldn't be able to cope with real school during the Summer. School is so nice these days, it's not like children dread it. Also
if anything they are getting an overload of 'family time' since this pandemic started and it's their pals and the fun at school they miss. But it's the adults, teachers, other staff and lots of us parents, myself included that it wouldn't suit imo. Sorry kids.

Bananaleaf

Hopontop wrote: »

I’m a P.E. teacher and I’ve been doing live circuits with the juniors and TYs, I’m doing it really just so they have the option of exercise if they want to. I’d hate to think my holding the class would be like detention for kids and I think communication is key, if they don’t log in that’s fine (and if they don’t log in and are still exercising by going for a walk I think most teachers would be delighted!).

On the other side of it I had a parent of a TY email about not doing anything for their SPHE class! (This student hasn’t been present for any of the classes all year, neither had most of the class by the way as it was the last class of the day so most went home early!)

This post is an excellent example of how you are damned if you do and damned if you don't

Neagra wrote: »

anyone can invigilate. problem solved
computer infrastructure? the law society and ACCA are doing CBE exams, the ACCA to thousands of students world wide.

forgot to add i will not leave my life by what ifs.
what if there is fourth wave? what if there is not. the numbers of deaths is remaining low but more importantly the positive figures will drop dramatically very soon. well before middle of feb.


all is needed to achieve anything is the will.

There's a little more than will needed now in fairness

Neagra

am_zarathustra wrote: »

Neagra wrote: »

anyone can invigilate. problem solved
computer infrastructure? the law society and ACCA are doing CBE exams, the ACCA to thousands of students world wide.

forgot to add i will not leave my life by what ifs.
what if there is fourth wave? what if there is not. the numbers of deaths is remaining low but more importantly the positive figures will drop dramatically very soon. well before middle of feb.


all is needed to achieve anything is the will.[/QUOTE

Many exams require drawings and constructions, these cannot be done online. Maths, even when AT is allowed for a student, is often done by a scribe mixed with the student as we know the current curricula is tested online.

Exams are standardised accross the country at time, so 60000 computers would be needed at the same time, in a ventilated space, with adequet wifi. This does not currently exist.

Invigilation could be done by anyone really, I'd agree with this. You have to check they don't know anyone and trust that every randomer you pick won't allow cheating. Teachers can be professionally reprimanded for this, no such regulations would exist for someone outside of teaching.

Interesting many papers are already corrected online, this is an infrastructure that already exist and that many examiners have been trained in. This could be done across the board so I'm not sure why they would even need to take the exams on a computer when no one touched them outside of sorting them into a scanning machine or placing them in a plastic pouch. Actually in general your solving a problem that doeant exist.

The issue is that students have not finished courses and some people feel this puts them at a disadvantage. Every exam is bellcurved through numerous marking alterations so this isn't an issue really but most people don't understand how the SEC works so tend towards hysterics.

The LC can logistically be run, without computers or any unnecessary and untested new systems. The system already exists. The issue is some students, parents and teachers feel it shouldn't due to the situation.

thanks , but i think you will find it was other posters that were putting forward the problems and i was asking for the solutions.

does any teacher disagree with the post above - is it some students, parents and teachers that are stopping the LC taking place

The Wordress

Clouron wrote: »

I was thinking more middle July, with 5 or 6 week break....its only 1 year....

There is absolutely no way a 7 yo doing 90mins max home school is the same as 5 hours in person, in classroom....5 days a week. Cmon.

It would only be a slightly shorter summer break, for just one year....in a pandemic

As a teacher and mother, that is exactly what I would like.

Children already got an extended summer holiday break last year.

am_zarathustra

I think some subjects have issues with the way the paper has been altered to allow for courses not finished. My own courses are fine, changes are acceptable but this may not be accross that board.

jimmytwotimes 2013

Neagra wrote: »

anyone can invigilate. problem solved
computer infrastructure? the law society and ACCA are doing CBE exams, the ACCA to thousands of students world wide.

forgot to add i will not leave my life by what ifs.
what if there is fourth wave? what if there is not. the numbers of deaths is remaining low but more importantly the positive figures will drop dramatically very soon. well before middle of feb.


all is needed to achieve anything is the will.

Garda vetting, just anyone can't invigilate.

Other than that, inspirational quotes stuff, brilliant.

daheff

jimmytwotimes 2013 wrote: »

Garda vetting, just anyone can't invigilate.

Other than that, inspirational quotes stuff, brilliant.

If things are organised on time Garda vetting can be done on time too.

Where there is a will there is a way.


Realistically kids should be back in school after mid term.

Tony H said the other day that numbers are halving every 7-10 days. Today's number was 1910.

10 days time one would hope that number is below 1k...and schools were open before with cases at that level.

jimmytwotimes 2013

daheff wrote: »

If things are organised on time Garda vetting can be done on time too.

Where there is a will there is a way.


Realistically kids should be back in school after mid term.

Tony H said the other day that numbers are halving every 7-10 days. Today's number was 1910.

10 days time one would hope that number is below 1k...and schools were open before with cases at that level.

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity."

“Don't let yesterday take up too much of today.”

“You learn more from failure than from success."

“If you are working on something that you really care about, you don't have to be pushed."

All sound lovely, no closer to figuring out what's happening with state exams tho

Bananaleaf

jimmytwotimes 2013 wrote: »

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity."

“Don't let yesterday take up too much of today.”

“You learn more from failure than from success."

“If you are working on something that you really care about, you don't have to be pushed."

All sound lovely, no closer to figuring out what's happening with state exams tho

You forgot "Live, Laugh, Love"

Bananaleaf

The Wordress wrote: »

Children already got an extended summer holiday break last year.

Is that primary school you are talking about?

Neagra

jimmytwotimes 2013 wrote: »

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity."

“Don't let yesterday take up too much of today.”

“You learn more from failure than from success."

“If you are working on something that you really care about, you don't have to be pushed."

All sound lovely, no closer to figuring out what's happening with state exams tho

Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach blame yourself and shaw for that.
only a light tease so please take it as such

alroley

The Wordress wrote: »

As a teacher and mother, that is exactly what I would like.

Children already got an extended summer holiday break last year.

Were you not teaching your students like you were supposed to be doing?

jimmytwotimes 2013

Neagra wrote: »

Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach blame yourself and shaw for that.
only a light tease so please take it as such

It's ok, I wasn't taking this seriously

JP100

daheff wrote: »

If things are organised on time Garda vetting can be done on time too.

Where there is a will there is a way.


Realistically kids should be back in school after mid term.

Tony H said the other day that numbers are halving every 7-10 days. Today's number was 1910.

10 days time one would hope that number is below 1k...and schools were open before with cases at that level.

What part of 'not testing close contacts' do you not understand?!

Bananaleaf

alroley wrote: »

Were you not teaching your students like you were supposed to be doing?

Did primary schools get extended holidays?

I know secondary didn't get any. Maybe some families took extended holidays themselves of course, but that's different

wirelessdude01

Bananaleaf wrote: »

Did primary schools get extended holidays?

I know secondary didn't get any. Maybe some families took extended holidays themselves of course, but that's different

No we didn't. I taught the few poor souls who still logged in until the day before they finished.

Bananaleaf

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

No we didn't. I taught the few poor souls who still logged in until the day before they finished.

Thanks for that. I don't know what this extended holidays is about so.

Fair play to your students who logged in right up to the end - was a long slog last year. Hopefully not to be repeated

khalessi

No extended holiday for primary last year

Str8outtaWuhan

Clouron wrote: »

I was thinking more middle July, with 5 or 6 week break....its only 1 year....

There is absolutely no way a 7 yo doing 90mins max home school is the same as 5 hours in person, in classroom....5 days a week. Cmon.

It would only be a slightly shorter summer break, for just one year....in a pandemic

I believe this is what the teachers were told last year when they offered to come in during their holidays just before they agreed to do predictive, One year is unique , two years is the new normal

mirrorwall14

Taught online to the bitter end with ‘tests’ in the last week. Realistically attendance had dropped to around 50% by the end of may. They were exhausted. As were we. And the whole damn country by then.

BonsaiKitten

Another one puzzled by the reference to an extended summer break here! Certainly didn't happen for my crew.

Van.Bosch

With Mm saying all schools wouldn’t fully be back until after Paddy’s day, can anyone actually see say LCs back first with say junior and senior infants. Maybe 1st, 2nd and 3rd classes a few weeks later assuming cases continue to fall?

I’m assuming contact tracing is back before anyone goes back?

iguana

Neagra wrote: »

its tough reading posts here by teachers who will not even consider holiday term now and working through summer to make up for it.
i hope all teachers not like this but maybe i am naive

I'm not a teacher and reading this as a parent and I don't want my child to lose a single day of his holidays. I want him back in school as soon as it's safely possible but not at the expense of holidays. He isn't on holiday now. Even if he didn't have work set by his teacher every day, it's not a holiday. Not remotely. If by next summer, things are safer, I want to be able to take him places like to visit his cousins and the grandfather he has on the other side of the country. I want to have a day at the zoo and a tree climbing park, I want to go camping and to the beach and just actually let him meet friends and have fun.

I mean for christ's sake, he's 8 years old and living through a pandemic of a deadly virus. I never had to live through a pandemic at 8 but I suspect that if I did, I'd have really needed to just let loose and have fun whenever it was safe to. It will be great when he can go to school but not at the expense of actually getting to really cut loose and blow off steam when he can.

km79

iguana wrote: »

I'm not a teacher and reading this as a parent and I don't want my child to lose a single day of his holidays. I want him back in school as soon as it's safely possible but not at the expense of holidays. He isn't on holiday now. Even if he didn't have work set by his teacher every day, it's not a holiday. Not remotely. If by next summer, things are safer, I want to be able to take him places like to visit his cousins and the grandfather he has on the other side of the country. I want to have a day at the zoo and a tree climbing park, I want to go camping and to the beach and just actually let him meet friends and have fun.

I mean for christ's sake, he's 8 years old and living through a pandemic of a deadly virus. I never had to live through a pandemic at 8 but I suspect that if I did, I'd have really needed to just let loose and have fun whenever it was safe to. It will be great when he can go to school but not at the expense of actually getting to really cut loose and blow off steam when he can.

Well said
My lad is 10 and in 4th class
He won’t be returning before mid term come what may
At that stage I expect they will be in on a rotational basis . I hope by then the situation has improved a good bit more so that I can send him in on those days to meet his friends etc in good conscience
There is absolutely no way I would send him over the next few weeks. None.

iguana

daheff wrote: »

10 days time one would hope that number is below 1k...and schools were open before with cases at that level.

What level schools could open at before is utterly irrelevant when we have a more infectious, seemingly deadlier dominant strain.

irishlad.

Rte News saying that the reopening could happen in the following order:

SEN Classes
Leaving Certs
Primary Schools
Remainder of Secondary

wirelessdude01

irishlad. wrote: »

Rte News saying that the reopening could happen in the following order:

SEN Classes
Leaving Certs
Primary Schools
Remainder of Secondary

If that's the case then the JC most definitely isn't happening.