Schools to close again.. Covid

Icyseanfitz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118439727#Comment_118439727

The issue is that at the current rates of student absence, schools have essentially partially reopened, only the kids at home aren't recieving any real remote learning which they would have if this had been an official staggered return. But then the department knew all this, they just wanted to get the headlines of "schools reopened" "unions conquered" etc.

Bananaleaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118439747#Comment_118439747

You're right. But for some, once the kids are out of the house, there the concern for their education ends.

It's a bit like all the parents who took to boards to "call out" their kid's "crap teacher". How did it take them until now to figure that one out? The teacher was hardly all dynamic and dedicated in the classroom but decided "fcuk this" when we went online!

Icyseanfitz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118439893#Comment_118439893

I think by the second lockdown schools and teachers where far better prepared and able to give a better quality of education to kids, unfortunately the **** show that was first lockdown is what most people latch onto and scream "**** teachers" and now won't entertain any version of remote learning as anything other than teachers trying to get extra holidays.

Bananaleaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118439979#Comment_118439979

People don't believe this when I tell them - and I don't actually blame them because it's mad - but during lockdown 1 there was obviously no remote learning policy in schools. Myself and a couple of the other teachers in my school went onto zoom after a short while because we had seen how our yoga and gym teachers were using it. We were told to stop by our ETB because of child protection. We were not just told to stop, but we were told that if anything happened, like a random stranger getting into the group or whatever, it was 100% on us and the ETB would not be behind us at all.

We didn't even know that Teams existed at the time, which probably sounds like a cop out given where we are at now, but we honestly didn't know it existed at all.

Rosita

https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/education-minister-suggests-opening-windows-at-lower-level-if-classrooms-are-cold-1239506.html

This Minister is priceless. Teachers should "exercise an abundance of practicality" in opening windows (well obviously "in terms of.......in terms of......in terms of......opening windows).

Where did she get this type of language from?

I think she needs to have Inspectors on hand to advise on which windows to open and by what precise amount.

nullzero

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118439747#Comment_118439747

Any restrictions on reopening would have snowballed back into full closure because it would have been based in the logic of restrictions = lower case numbers which is based in the now outdated zero Covid ideology.

Kids at home should be receiving decent remote support, that has been an issue since well before Christmas when any child who tested positive facing two weeks of school absence, so if decent remote support isn't forthcoming without direct instruction from the Department of Education there are more significant issues with the teachers in question than we would like.

As for the notion that reopening schools this week was undertaken for the sake of headlines about unions being defeated, that's complete nonsense. Just because a Cadre of people within the teaching profession didn't feel going back to work after Christmas was safe, the outcome didn't need to reflect their feelings, whinging shouldn't always be met with compliance.

Everyone has had to deal with varying degrees of crap over the last two years. For the next few weeks or even months the reality will be that at different times teachers and pupils will be absent, not necessarily because they're serious sick but because the spread of an increasingly weak illness still needs to be managed.

This is living with Covid.

TheValeyard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118439655#Comment_118439655

TheValeyard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118440026#Comment_118440026

We were quite lucky. During first lockdown, schools shut that Thursday and we were online with Teams on Monday, if we so wished. We had staff training the previous year on Teams and 365.

HerrKuehn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118440026#Comment_118440026

During lockdown 1 we had absolute radio silence, other than the principal telling us to not stress out about it as it was a very worrying time for everyone. In the second lockdown we had the weekly email. This is primary school, for a junior infant and first class. I don't think it is possible to teach kids of this age remotely and I wouldn't really see any value in the email either, we can find things for them to do ourselves. A primary school teacher, particularly for younger kids, cannot do their job remotely in my opinion, in the same way that a gardener or HGV driver cannot work from home.

Bananaleaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118440421#Comment_118440421

I agree and I don't believe a secondary teacher can either. They can do it better than primary I think, but it's still nowhere near the required standard. For many reasons. One in particular was that when I was at home teaching, as far as I knew everything was going grand and everyone heard everything I said. But do you ever hear the state of the lines on the radio stations? And even in the remote staff meetings we have - the internet drops for a couple of seconds and you're lost. There is no way my internet or their internet didn't drop while I was teaching them.

Bananaleaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118440378#Comment_118440378

Wow! That is great. We had done training on OneNote but we honestly knew nothing about Teams. Myself and a colleague, who is also a friend, navigated it eventually all by ourselves and for something that I would now consider to be so easy that I can often simultaneously live stream home and teach in person, it had me in tears many an evening. Microsoft Forms almost owed me a relationship!!!!

appledrop

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118440325#Comment_118440325

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.

Rosita

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118440337#Comment_118440337

The problem with this post is that the first paragraph is simply at odds with the situation as outlined to us which is that this should peak in a week or two. Assuming that to be the case schools should be stronger placed regarding attendance by the end of the month.

Why do you think numbers are going to get worse as the month progresses which is the only logical corollary to what you are saying if you believe a restrictive situation would have to be further tightened?

Rosita

Treppen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118439069#Comment_118439069

Jesus yer on fire timmymagoo , keep going like that and with your big qualifications you'll be seconded out of the classroom into JCT in no time at all.

2 Degrees..... AND A MASTERS folks.

Our students will be so lucky once he starts.

orecir

Agree with sinn fein. Predicted grades should be introduced for the current 6th years.

Icyseanfitz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118440337#Comment_118440337

I mean like it or not more social restrictions does indeed equal to less transmission, this isn't a zero covid concept, it's 100% science when it comes to any respiratory virus that's easily transmitted 🤷‍♂️

nullzero

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118440774#Comment_118440774

So you'd be in favour of further restrictions?

nullzero

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118440568#Comment_118440568

We're being told constantly that this wave of Omicron has yet to hit its peak. If we were to have closed schools at the beginning of last week we would be looking at them remaining closed for at least a month.

Bananaleaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118440700#Comment_118440700

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

Rosita

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118440951#Comment_118440951

I don't see any sense to this at all, I'm afraid.

Rosita

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118440756#Comment_118440756

Yeah, I think this will gain momentum soon.

Icyseanfitz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118440882#Comment_118440882

Nope never said that

Icyseanfitz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118441045#Comment_118441045

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 🤷‍♂️

nullzero

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118441041#Comment_118441041

Do you believe the decision to reopen was correct? Would you have supported a closure or staggered reopening?

Rosita

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118441142#Comment_118441142

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.

timmymagoo

Omicron is no worse then a mild cold , this is a proven fact now

So If we all come together with a real community spirit we can see out the month

Then back to reality

Random sample

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.

orecir

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118441829#Comment_118441829

I disagree. The current 6th years lost about 2 month in school tuition last year and with the current wave of omicron many will have to self-isolate. Some may even miss their mock examinations.

Also many students will suffer from their teachers being absent due to illness. Won't be a fair playing field for students.

I do feel that this year should be the last year for predicted grades.

Random sample

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118441840#Comment_118441840

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.