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Post primary return to schools roadmap

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https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/7acad-reopening-our-post-primary-schools/#additional-guidelines-and-procedures

A thread to discuss issues.

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Leftwaffe

ulsen wrote: »

Interesting, will these have live streaming, who will supervise the students?

Yes live streaming from the classroom. I believe the overflow area will be a large open area in the school so will hold multiple overflow students from different class groups at good distance. Earphones allowed. This isn't nailed down yet from what I heard.obviosuly complications with it too.

Not sure about supervision but I hope management has procured more than enough subs for this year. If subbing is your game there's a fortune to be made this year.

Leftwaffe

Mardy Bum wrote: »

Every single thing a principal does will be pointless if everyone is maskless. The hundreds of hours organising timetables, routines, tables, rooms, etc. will be akin to the roads to no where.

Yeah I totally agree. Its farcical. We are going nowhere with this but it has to be attempted I suppose. School will be in tatters with a second closure. Students will be badly affected.

I think half capacity, everyone wearing masks and live streaming to those at home was the best option. Regardless of the economic ramifications. A trial of this would have let us know where we stand. I reckon 6-8 weeks and we will be closed again. Prepping for it personally.

ulsen

Redordeadqwwer wrote: »

Not sure about supervision but I hope management has procured more than enough subs for this year. If subbing is your game there's a fortune to be made this year.[/QUOTE

No, not looking for subbing, but a special ed teacher. I have a feeling in my bones this is where resource / learning support teachers might be used. I guess it could go under team teaching

Leftwaffe

ulsen wrote: »

Redordeadqwwer wrote: »

Not sure about supervision but I hope management has procured more than enough subs for this year. If subbing is your game there's a fortune to be made this year.[/QUOTE

No, not looking for subbing, but a special ed teacher. I have a feeling in my bones this is where resource / learning support teachers might be used. I guess it could go under team teaching

Sorry, what I said about the subbing was more of a general statement. Not aimed at you.

I think we might see a mass exodus of teachers due to this. If the plan is to be adhered to properly, it will be alien to what we know as normal. I understand that's the case in many jobs but couple it with the lack of safety then I feel a lot will call it a day.

Dave0301

Redordeadqwwer wrote: »

Im doing the aide in our school. Not much administration wise I'm being told, just organising classrooms, etc. Starting next week at some stage.

In regards to homework. I'm going completely paperless. We use the O365 platform so will get them to type it up or send photos via Teams. Keep them all in individual folders. Bit of work to get it started but 100% worth it when it starts flowing. Give them HW in bulk at beginning of week possibly. Should really start to nail these things down now!

If you have Teams & O365, maybe give OneNote a try? It will massively help with keeping all the work nicely structured.

mirrorwall14

Just bit the bullet and bought a little belt microphone/speaker as the one I’d been watching while waiting for word from school about teaching with masks went out of stock and others are going low stock. I figure worst case I’ll use it for full choir/show rehearsals

am_zarathustra

mirrorwall14 wrote: »

Just bit the bullet and bought a little belt microphone/speaker as the one I’d been watching while waiting for word from school about teaching with masks went out of stock and others are going low stock. I figure worst case I’ll use it for full choir/show rehearsals

Would you mind sharing the link of the one you bought? Just trying to get ideas. My room is really big (brilliant now ) but I normally get the kids in older classes to sit at the front so I don't have to shout for all my classes!

mirrorwall14

am_zarathustra wrote: »

Would you mind sharing the link of the one you bought? Just trying to get ideas. My room is really big (brilliant now ) but I normally get the kids in older classes to sit at the front so I don't have to shout for all my classes!

This wasn’t my first choice but reviews seem ok and there’s several from teachers

Retekess PR16R Voice Amplifier with Microphone, FM Radio High Power 12W Voice Amplifier 1200mAh Rechargeable Batteries for Tour Guid, School, Super Market, Meeting, Training https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07MGL31NW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_mdsjFbZK83C4Q

am_zarathustra

Thanks for sharing, I think I need to order one during the week!

Alex86Eire

maynooth_rules wrote: »

Has anyone had it confirmed that they have lost their base room for next year?

We've been told anyway that rooms are no longer going to be teacher based. All movable furniture - shelves, cabinets etc are going to be removed and put in storage so we need to take everything that we need out of the rooms. Books, resources etc.

deiseindublin

Where is all this storage schools are moving everything to?

wirelessdude01

deiseindublin wrote: »

Where is all this storage schools are moving everything to?

Better getting the planning in for the storage prefabs!!

maynooth_rules

Alex86Eire wrote: »

We've been told anyway that rooms are no longer going to be teacher based. All movable furniture - shelves, cabinets etc are going to be removed and put in storage so we need to take everything that we need out of the rooms. Books, resources etc.

I just can't get my head around this. Yes it will work fine for first years, but beyond that I can't grasp it. The kids, particularly 5th and 6th years will have different class groupings for every single class. They will be moving anyway.
And what could go wrong with leaving kids in a room for 3 or 4 minutes while the teachers move around.

Leftwaffe

maynooth_rules wrote: »

I just can't get my head around this. Yes it will work fine for first years, but beyond that I can't grasp it. The kids, particularly 5th and 6th years will have different class groupings for every single class. They will be moving anyway.
And what could go wrong with leaving kids in a room for 3 or 4 minutes while the teachers move around.

We're losing base classes but I'm not sure whether it's teachers only that will be moving or students as well. Hvae yet to hear the rational behind it. Leaving hem unattended is simply not an option, a disaster waiting to happen.

F5500

maynooth_rules wrote: »

And what could go wrong with leaving kids in a room for 3 or 4 minutes while the teachers move around.

Depends on the type of students you're dealing with.

95% of schools would be fine, probably. The other 5% would see young lads pucking the heads off each other or firing desks/chairs about.

DubLad69

F5500 wrote: »

Depends on the type of students you're dealing with.

95% of schools would be fine, probably. The other 5% would see young lads pucking the heads off each other or firing desks/chairs about.

I disagree. All schools have bullying, the ones that refuse and claim that there is no bullying are often the worst. Those vulnerable students that are often bullied will be most vulnerable during this time. They could be left unsupervised for up to 40 minutes per day.

Would it be okay to leave a class alone for a full period? That's also 40 minutes

rainbowtrout

maynooth_rules wrote: »

I just can't get my head around this. Yes it will work fine for first years, but beyond that I can't grasp it. The kids, particularly 5th and 6th years will have different class groupings for every single class. They will be moving anyway.
And what could go wrong with leaving kids in a room for 3 or 4 minutes while the teachers move around.

Once you get beyond core subjects in first year they are mixing for all of their choice subjects anyway. Also are the 1As gonna be told they can’t talk to the 1Bs at break.

Having base rooms for students won’t make a blind bit of difference. They will be mixed for some subjects regardless

DubLad69

Is anyone considering being the LWR? Our school hasn't asked about that or the Aide yet.

Considering doing the LWR, more so because I don't think anyone else in my school would be willing to without being pressured into it.

Alex86Eire

deiseindublin wrote: »

Where is all this storage schools are moving everything to?

I think our school is getting some kind of storage crates and putting them in the yard. All movable furniture will be placed here in two weeks time.

wirelessdude01

Alex86Eire wrote: »

I think our school is getting some kind of storage crates and putting them in the yard. All movable furniture will be placed here in two weeks time.

Think the poster meant where are they being moved to? Can't exactly just be left out in the yard for the winter!!!

Alex86Eire

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

Think the poster meant where are they being moved to? Can't exactly just be left out in the yard for the winter!!!

Sorry maybe storage crates wasn't the correct term. Storage unit maybe? Like a corrugated iron shed type thing.

wirelessdude01

Alex86Eire wrote: »

Sorry maybe storage crates wasn't the correct term. Storage unit maybe? Like a corrugated iron shed type thing.

Ahh, that makes more sense.

r93kaey5p2izun

Alex86Eire wrote: »

Sorry maybe storage crates wasn't the correct term. Storage unit maybe? Like a corrugated iron shed type thing.

Containers. Like football teams have in the park.

Random sample

We had to put all of our stuff into storage a few years ago when the roof was retiled. A lot of boxes when missing and never turned up. I will be bringing everything home with me.

DubLad69

Random sample wrote: »

We had to put all of our stuff into storage a few years ago when the roof was retiled. A lot of boxes when missing and never turned up. I will be bringing everything home with me.

Same. Anything that I own will be removed from the classroom from clocks to posters, stools, whiteboard cleaners. I will be bringing it all home to keep it safe until I have my classroom back.

It will be a very bare looking room.

TheValeyard

DubLad69 wrote: »

Same. Anything that I own will be removed from the classroom from clocks to posters, stools, whiteboard cleaners. I will be bringing it all home to keep it safe until I have my classroom back.

It will be a very bare looking room.

Going in next week to remove everything from the walls. I'll be taking all my extra books and resources to storage (attic) until things settle back down.

Why?

1. Stuff will be stolen
2. Stuff will go missing
3. Stuff will get damaged.

Easier to keep is at home for now.

TheValeyard

maynooth_rules wrote: »

And what could go wrong with leaving kids in a room for 3 or 4 minutes while the teachers move around.

My 6th year history class.... Nothing they will work away.

My 5th year LCA class.... The room could literally be on fire.

Bananaleaf

DubLad69 wrote: »

I disagree. All schools have bullying, the ones that refuse and claim that there is no bullying are often the worst. Those vulnerable students that are often bullied will be most vulnerable during this time. They could be left unsupervised for up to 40 minutes per day.

Would it be okay to leave a class alone for a full period? That's also 40 minutes

I'd be seriously concerned about vulnerable students being left in unsupervised classes - this is a huge no no for me.

That said, I've concerns about masked youths in uniforms all descending on the corridors at once - as far as CCTV or the watchful eye of a teacher is concerned, by looking identical and unidentifiable, they'll have never been as anonymous as they will be now :eek:

Even if we forget about the bullying for just a second and pretend that we only have, at worst, messers.

When kids find themselves unexpectedly unsupervised for 5mins, it's usually 'grand'. Any messing they do is opportunistic and in the moment. But this is a whole different ball game. Students will know in advance of coming to school (never mind class) that they will have unsupervised time in the class.

I went to a school where the students had base rooms and the teachers moved. Kids came armed to the teeth with projectiles in their bags for when teacher was gone. It wasn't all of us doing it and it wasn't being done all of the time, but it was still an uncomfortable enough experience for me to remember it well, 20 years later, and I'd consider myself hardy enough.

linguist

Just want to raise an issue I believe is staring us in the face even though not all principals are the same by any means.

Many Irish schools are very hierarchical in their management structure. Senior management 'consults' with AP1s/AP2s (who will sometimes tell you all that means is they're told first) prior to communicating with the rank and file. How many principals operate behind a traffic light system where you press a button on the door or similar and more often than not it's red? How many others basically use the office staff as their guard dogs? You can't get into the principal's office as it involves going into the secretary's office where you literally hit a brick wall.

Now obviously we're to have a lead worker representative but again we can expect some of the usual staff room big beasts to be lining up for that post where arguably one of the single most important qualities required is that the LWR be someone that everyone on staff feels entirely comfortable approaching from the most humble PME student or first year RPT right up to the APs. The LWR, in turn, must have the necessary self-confidence to tell it straight to management and report back warts and all to the staff.

One of my big fears is that the barricaded away principal so many of us are familiar with represents the single greatest danger to a safe reopening of our schools. The whole culture needs to change overnight to one where everyone can speak up about matters arising for everyone's safety. Put simply, the principal's door needs to be open for at least the first couple of months because the LWR is only going to get 2 hours off their timetable so often matters arising will have to go straight to the principal or deputy principal.

am_zarathustra

This is so true. The varience in principals is startling. I took some comfort in the fact the LWR is an elected position. In our school I can guarantee the person or people we elect will not be who the principal wants. Ability to insist on meetings and relationship with all staff members should be to the fore of all of our minds