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Child Item

Schools closed until undetermined date - was March 29th

spurious

OK, we will try this again.

This thread is ONLY to be used for queries regarding closures, or to share information on methods of 'remote working' etc.

There are already schools that were closed last week, does anyone know how are they managing, what are they doing, what is working, what isn't etc, are there any lessons that they have learned that can be shared?

If anyone knows of specific actual GDPR issues, please post them here too.

We have lots of expertise on here regarding different ways of using IT to help in situations like this, please let the thread develop on those lines.

It is NOT for

moaning about teacher's wages
moaning about teacher's holidays
moaning about teachers in general
moaning about having to use our own IT equipment - I know, along with many other things, teachers should not have to fund these, but we do and it's not going to change before tomorrow, so however valid, that is an argument for another day.

Please keep posts helpful.

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Rodin

How are primary school teachers delivering lessons?
They're hardly doing it online?

In the UK the schools remain open for children of key workers freeing them up to work. Should do that here.

Millem

Rodin wrote: »

How are primary school teachers delivering lessons?
They're hardly doing it online?

My son is in Junior Infants. We got some photocopied sheets in the bag. No great shakes now tbh. I actually printed off some for my son from twinkl for him to do.

Rubberlegs

Rodin wrote: »

How are primary school teachers delivering lessons?
They're hardly doing it online?

In my child's school the teachers are sending work out online. You click on the teachers name on the school website and for second class anyway there are photos of the pages in their workbooks that she wants them to do.

C__MC

As a post primary teacher I dont think the JC should be cancelled
Surely there has to be some method of marking them weather its September I dont know
Yes it dosent mean alot but you have kids working their socks off since 1st year working towards some form of assessment / achievement
They deserve something out of it rather then a cancellation.
One hundred per cent LC gets first priority but I'd like to see JC still be implemented

mirrorwall14

Rodin wrote: »

How are primary school teachers delivering lessons?
They're hardly doing it online?

In the UK the schools remain open for children of key workers freeing them up to work. Should do that here.

We are junior infants and got three sets of photocopied packs for maths, phonics/writing and environment one page each a day, all his phonic readers to revise and his handwriting copy to do a page a day. They’ve opened up class dojo to be a two way system and his teacher posted them a video today. Thank God because he’s in a gaelscoil and while I try I’m nowhere near as good at the conversation!

khalessi

Primary teachers are delivering in different ways, my school sent work home and will be setting up virtual classrooms for lessons

RealJohn

C__MC wrote: »

As a post primary teacher I dont think the JC should be cancelled
Surely there has to be some method of marking them weather its September I dont know
Yes it dosent mean alot but you have kids working their socks off since 1st year working towards some form of assessment / achievement
They deserve something out of it rather then a cancellation.
One hundred per cent LC gets first priority but I'd like to see JC still be implemented

I think that if they can run both by the end of July/start of August, it will be workable.
Typically, the actual marking takes three weeks, or so, and after that, the majority of the examiners are free to go back to teaching. Granted, I know I’m glad of the break after I finish marking, before going back to school, but I’d be willing.
They might need to bump up the rate per paper a bit, or do something to sweeten the deal, to make sure they have enough examiners, but I think it would be workable.

What should not even be considered is having class teachers marking their own students’ work on a once off, because it won’t be a once off. Once it’s done once, the narrative will immediately become “but it worked out so well that time they did it, and look how much money we didn’t have to give them - sure don’t they get great holidays anyway”, and that’ll be that.
Don’t even raise it as a possibility. We will not mark our own students’ work for state certification. Not now, not ever.

CymbaltaMan

In the US of A they saying school term - Looking at a Year - Realistic

Rodin

C__MC wrote: »

As a post primary teacher I dont think the JC should be cancelled
Surely there has to be some method of marking them weather its September I dont know
Yes it dosent mean alot but you have kids working their socks off since 1st year working towards some form of assessment / achievement
They deserve something out of it rather then a cancellation.
One hundred per cent LC gets first priority but I'd like to see JC still be implemented

The junior cert just isn't important enough.
Shelve it.

All efforts should go into running the Leaving Cert so as not to affect the coming University year

Millem

C__MC wrote: »

Surely there has to be some method of marking them weather its September I dont know

The only way I can see that happening is if they delay school starting back in September. There is no way I would be able to work full time and mark papers.
No chance.

The subject I teach is waiting on 50% to be assessed (a project and a practical exam). This was due to happen before Easter. Usually the class is divided into group of 10s. With social distancing I can see the max being allowed in would be 4.
They didn’t have a examiners this year anyway so the SEC said they would be adding an emergency extra week to the exams.

My own opinion was scrap the JC and use all exam centres for the LC. Now I don’t think that will be possible in June. I had applied for superintending but no way will I do it now regardless of spacing I am sure a lot of teachers will feel the same.

Millionaire only not

Millem wrote: »

The only way I can see that happening is if they delay school starting back in September. There is no way I would be able to work full time and mark papers.
No chance.

The subject I teach is waiting on 50% to be assessed (a project and a practical exam). This was due to happen before Easter. Usually the class is divided into group of 10s. With social distancing I can see the max being allowed in would be 4.
They didn’t have a examiners this year anyway so the SEC said they would be adding an emergency extra week to the exams.

My own opinion was scrap the JC and use all exam centres for the LC. Now I don’t think that will be possible in June. I had applied for superintending but no way will I do it now regardless of spacing I am sure a lot of teachers will feel the same.

I really hope the teachers will do the right thing this time but when it comes to there 3 month holidays and this is not aimed at u personally , nothing will interfere with that !
They get paid anyway why would they .

spurious

Rodin wrote: »

The junior cert just isn't important enough.
Shelve it.

All efforts should go into running the Leaving Cert so as not to affect the coming University year

Running the JC would not affect the LC, they are different sets of examiners. As it is, nothing gets done with the JC results (once sent to Athlone) until the LC results are issued. Running the JC would not take away from the LC.

The JC might not be as important as the LC, but it is important to those who have worked for it. It would be no great logistical add on to run both at a later date.

If the coming university year start date cannot be put back a bit, even one month, there will be an issue.

Millem

Millionaire only not wrote: »

I really hope the teachers will do the right thing this time but when it comes to there 3 month holidays and this is not aimed at u personally , nothing will interfere with that !
They get paid anyway why would they .

What? If you have ever marked you would know that it is a full time job. There are plenty of threads on here asking....can I go on holidays on x day and mark etc.

I mark most years and superintend for the SEC. This year as I have stated on a few threads on this forum......I am pregnant.
I had applied to superintend but will withdraw now even if JC/LC goes ahead in June. I am not risking it.

heldel00

Millem wrote: »

My son is in Junior Infants. We got some photocopied sheets in the bag. No great shakes now tbh. I actually printed off some for my son from twinkl for him to do.

In fairness, infant teachers had even less time to organise than the rest of us.
In my school we sent home work to keep them busy for the advised closure. We are meeting next week to put plans in place for the extended closure.

But I will say, I am either working now or at later stage. It shouldn't be both.

combat14

UK have cancelled GCSE and A Level exams

Millem

heldel00 wrote: »

In fairness, infant teachers had even less time to organise than the rest of us.
In my school we sent home work to keep them busy for the advised closure. We are meeting next week to put plans in place for the extended closure.

But I will say, I am either working now or at later stage. It shouldn't be both.

Some primary schools are setting work up online. My niece’s school included. My sister has to log in each day.
I was on parental leave the day the closure was announced and I still set work for my class each day. I ended up going into school in the Friday to photocopy and post (as in put work in a postbox) work for some of my students who would manage online work.

km79

My students have not missed any class time
I am keeping to their timetable
Regarding Leaving Certs - course will be finished tomorrow as planned and then it is just revision and exam questions
If the year was extended by a month as suggested in some papers I would literally have nothing to do with them . We would all be bored silly.
It’s inevitable though .
We apparently are not working it seems in the eyes of many ......

One further point
All the kids are being cooped up now. Not really able to go out and play with others . I do no want my primary school child in school during July. I want him outside enjoying the summer .

Jane98

km79 wrote: »

My students have not missed any class time
I am keeping to their timetable
Regarding Leaving Certs - course will be finished tomorrow as planned and then it is just revision and exam questions
If the year was extended by a month as suggested in some papers I would literally have nothing to do with them . We would all be bored silly.
It’s inevitable though .
We apparently are not working it seems in the eyes of many ......

One further point
All the kids are being cooped up now. Not really able to go out and play with others . I do no want my primary school child in school during July. I want him outside enjoying the summer .

Totally agree with everything here. It would be unfeasible to expect students to repeat a year and logistically it probably could never work. I know my JC and LC students would be devastated if they didnt get to sit their exams. I believe there are ways around the difficulties. I am a Maths teacher and still had a small amount of work to cover with my students. The exam papers currently have 6 short questions and 3 long questions with no choice. I believe they could correct the papers based on the student's best 5 short and best 2 long questions.questions.

Lc2020

km79 wrote: »

If the year was extended by a month as suggested in some papers I would literally have nothing to do with them

Speak for yourself, you obviously don't teach leaving cert biology, maths

Lc2020

Jane98 wrote: »

Totally agree with everything here. It would be unfeasible to expect students to repeat a year and logistically it probably could never work. I know my JC and LC students would be devastated if they didnt get to sit their exams. I believe there are ways around the difficulties. I am a Maths teacher and still had a small amount of work to cover with my students. The exam papers currently have 6 short questions and 3 long questions with no choice. I believe they could correct the papers based on the student's best 5 short and best 2 long questions.questions.

This problem extends far beyond course coverage. No one is suggesting that 6th years would be made repeat-that'd be farcical. I also completely disapprove of the above suggestion. It's either we do them properly or don't do them at all.

Your students are blessed to have a teacher who has them well on course to finishing their course. You'd be wrong to think other lc students are in the same position.

km79

Lc2020 wrote: »

Speak for yourself, you obviously don't teach leaving cert biology, maths

I teach LC biology
Just asexual reproduction in plants to finish
All other LC biology teachers in my school are the same . We follow a common scheme and check in with each other regularly (in general I mean. Not just now)

solerina

km79 wrote: »

I teach LC biology
Just asexual reproduction in plants to finish
All other LC biology teachers in my school are the same . We follow a common scheme and check in with each other regularly (in general I mean. Not just now)

I also teach LC Biology, finished the course with Human Reproduction the Monday before we closed. Pure luck, would have been all revision from now on anyway, have had engagement from most of them online so we would certainly be ready for June as long as they stay motivated.

jimmytwotimes 2013

There are a number of issues to be resolved that go beyond finding a few weeks for course completion and the running of exams.

Music practicals, orals in two (more for other candidates) subjects, wood/metal practicals, history and geography research topics/ field study, home ec practicals etc. All have yet to be done and some had a month or so of preparation time still to run.

This narrative of "i got my course finished what's wrong with you" really isn't helpful. Each subject/school has its own unique challenges.

How this will be resolved is going to be very challenging for all concerned.

km79

jimmytwotimes 2013 wrote: »

There are a number of issues to be resolved that go beyond finding a few weeks for course completion and the running of exams.

Music practicals, orals in two (more for other candidates) subjects, practicals, history and geography research topics/ field study, home ec practicals etc. All have yet to be done and some had a month of so of preparation time still to run.

This narrative of "i got my course finished what's wrong with you" really isn't helpful. Each subject/school has its own unique challenges.

How this will be resolved is going to be very challenging for all concerned.

Also true
It might help keep students in school last term so
Attendance drops to nearly zero by the end of last term usually amongst Leaving Certs
Half the class missed majority of revision to stay at home studying

Random sample

I would like to see both going ahead. If June was left to leaving cert, and junior cert was done afterwards I could see that working. Even if they reduced subjects for cao or something, if people don’t feel they can prepare for 6 at this stage.

I wouldn’t be looking at what England are doing and holding it up as an example. We’ve spent long enough saying aping their system doesn’t work for ireland.

Gerry T

Jane98 wrote:

Totally agree with everything here. It would be unfeasible to expect students to repeat a year and logistically it probably could never work. I know my JC and LC students would be devastated if they didnt get to sit their exams. I believe there are ways around the difficulties. I am a Maths teacher and still had a small amount of work to cover with my students. The exam papers currently have 6 short questions and 3 long questions with no choice. I believe they could correct the papers based on the student's best 5 short and best 2 long questions.questions.

km79 wrote:

I teach LC biology Just asexual reproduction in plants to finish All other LC biology teachers in my school are the same . We follow a common scheme and check in with each other regularly (in general I mean. Not just now)

Is that LC honours, I ask beacuse my daughter is doing the honours and thinks they have loads left to cover.

deiseindublin

Supposed to be 11am statement so hopefully we will know more then.

Rosita

Some of the "there's still loads to do and the LC should go ahead in June" commentary suggests to me that the penny on Covid-19 hasn't really dropped for some yet.

Decisions will be taken on the basis of the suspected threat down the road (which is significant and increasing I'd say) and not on whether some teacher has covered their course or not.

djemba djemba

RTE news say all students get 100% for oral exams

fall

Yeah oral exams are cancelled and all students will be awarded 100%.