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Homeschooling for junior infants

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  • 16-01-2021 10:11pm
    #1
    Marhaps
    Registered Users Posts: 12 ✭


    Does anyone else have a child in junior infants? At the beginning of this week were given some workbooks and told what to do for the next 3 weeks. There has been no communication since from the teacher/school. It is a small 2 teacher school.

    I am really annoyed with the school and intend to ring them next week, am I being unreasonable?


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    #2
    Electric
    Registered Users Posts: 538 ✭✭✭Electric


    Our school uses See-Saw. On a Sunday we are sent the overall plan for the week. Each day there is a short video from the teacher with the schedule. There's a lot of content put up on See-Saw - videos of the teacher reading stories, the poem and song of the week, links to PE with Joe, maths games, etc.

    We are encouraged to upload pictures/videos of work done. The work is corrected and returned to us with voice messages praising the efforts. Any queries and questions are dealt with promptly.

    I can see there is a lot of work going into supporting parents and kids.


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    #3
    Marhaps
    Registered Users Posts: 12 ✭Marhaps


    Thanks for reply. That sounds great. Are they including any Irish? We haven’t got any just maths and phonics. I’m worried she Will have forgotten any Irish words learnt so will ask them for list of words also


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    #4
    Oink
    Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 2,151 Mod ✭✭✭✭Oink


    We have seesaw here as well. Work sent in and reviewed daily.
    Did they mention any plans to communicate and check on progress or were you just sent off and told talk to you in 3 weeks?

    There was no Irish during the first lockdown, there is now.

    EDIT: oh wait mine is in Senior Infants if that makes a difference.


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    #5
    Marhaps
    Registered Users Posts: 12 ✭Marhaps


    No mention of any communication but I expected them to contact us during week to see how it was going, but there’s been nothing.

    We are finding it hard and I’ve spoke to friends with children in other school and like you they are having daily contact. I feel it’s not good enough.


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    #6
    Irishphotodesk
    Registered Users Posts: 1,896 ✭✭✭Irishphotodesk


    We have a zoom call for 30mins every day (and 40mins one day a week - for the kids to do their reading for the teacher) - we have schoolwork assigned daily - which changes between maths, phonics, irish, writing.

    I wouldn't worry too much about your child missing out - they will be able to catch up over the next 14/15yrs of learning - plenty of time.

    we have google classroom, microsoft teams, classDojo.


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    #7
    mirrorwall14
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,751 ✭✭✭mirrorwall14


    Senior infant here. Same teacher as last year. One zoom call all lockdown last year at the end. One zoom call a week this year. Tbh, he hated them so no harm. Maybe they’ll change format

    However loads of work up on class dojo. To the point of totally overwhelming for me. Lots of recordings of teacher presenting work and links to go with it etc.


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    #8
    Electric
    Registered Users Posts: 538 ✭✭✭Electric


    Marhaps wrote: »
    Thanks for reply. That sounds great. Are they including any Irish? We haven’t got any just maths and phonics. I’m worried she Will have forgotten any Irish words learnt so will ask them for list of words also

    It's a JI class in a Gaelscoil, so mostly maths, phonics and writing in terms of substantive work and then the poems, songs, stories and games on See-Saw.

    From this week there will be a short Zoom call each week. No pressure to attend or participate. It's mostly for the kids to see their friends and maybe share some news, tidbits, etc.

    Not sure how Zoom will work for us, we've never had much interest in it, but will try this week.

    Edited to add: Cúla4 ar scoil on the TG4 player is a big hit. Actually the TG4 player in gen is pretty good for cartoons in Irish. Taffy is our current favourite. Our school has suggested watching some TV as Gaeilge each day. It'll be some down time and some exposure to Irish. Kids tend to absorb more than we realise


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    #9
    Dressoutlet
    Closed Accounts Posts: 309 ✭✭Dressoutlet


    Yes JI here, lots of work on Dojo, online worksheets and we have some stuff we were given last week to do aswell. Science Experiments, reading, maths, writing. All recorded and sent via the app.
    Last year I had a Sr infant and I find it so much better this year.


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    #10
    shesty
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,894 Mod ✭✭✭✭shesty


    I had a JI last time, she is now SI.
    The work came weekly from the teacher, pdfs with letters and colouring and the rest.Once a week she posted a video of herself reading a story.Occasionally she did videos of herself teaching a cylinder or a cube.She had covered a lot of the course with them by April tbh, so there was a lot of revision. There was an email on Mondays, and she would interact via the app.

    This time round the school are doing a daily Zoom call, just a short one.I thought it would be terrible, but it is working out really well because when they are that small, it is the parents using the app and getting the messages, and the kids lose all contact really.I can see my SI really likes just seeing her teacher on the screen and her classmates.It keeps it alive for her, makes her feel she still has that bit of normal there.It helps that teacher is excellent at running the Zoom call.

    Realistically though in JI it was only 20-30 mins of work really.They do everything practically in JI, they don't sit working at books for the day.The Irish was (and is) desperate.Bua na Cainte is available to download on a PC or Mac for free and that is what our lot use, but last year it was all conversation, so I didn't find it much use.They aren't writing or anything, so it would be you doing the words and that with your JI.You could download it to see what type of vocab they are doing...I kept getting told they love the songs, but I can't say my child had much interest in them.It isn't great this year either, but teacher runs through some of their phrases on the Zoom call at least.....

    Hoping this is a short-lived problem.I would contact rhe school maybe, and see could anything be done?Not loads of extra work, but even a call with the teacher?


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    #11
    ax530
    Registered Users Posts: 463 ✭✭ax530


    Use seesaw here also. Teacher sends few short videos each day. Maths, Irish, English some poems, songs.
    They also sent a link for Bus na Cainte the publisher giving free access. It is a game/app to download if your school uses this book ask they may send it on.


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    #12
    afkasurfjunkie
    Registered Users Posts: 771 ✭✭✭afkasurfjunkie


    A lot of learning in ji is done through play. Formal handwriting may not even have started in some schools yet. Lots of fine motor skill development. Playing with play doh or Marla, painting, transferring small items to different containers, peg boards, some colouring. Irish is taught through songs and actions.
    Realistically a typical ji isn’t going to work on an activity independently for longer than ten minutes. So any work a teacher sends on is for you. To do with your child.


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    #13
    BonsaiKitten
    Registered Users Posts: 1,798 ✭✭✭BonsaiKitten


    ax530 wrote: »
    Use seesaw here also. Teacher sends few short videos each day. Maths, Irish, English some poems, songs.
    They also sent a link for Bus na Cainte the publisher giving free access. It is a game/app to download if your school uses this book ask they may send it on.

    You don't need the school to send it on, anyone can access it for free atm.

    JI are not really capable of working independently so most everything on Seesaw will need parental input. As per the remote learning guidelines from the Dept you should have daily contact (that doesn't mean Zoom - could even be correcting on Seesaw).


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    #14
    Theboinkmaster
    Registered Users Posts: 3,969 ✭✭✭Theboinkmaster


    Electric wrote: »
    Our school uses See-Saw. On a Sunday we are sent the overall plan for the week. Each day there is a short video from the teacher with the schedule. There's a lot of content put up on See-Saw - videos of the teacher reading stories, the poem and song of the week, links to PE with Joe, maths games, etc.

    We are encouraged to upload pictures/videos of work done. The work is corrected and returned to us with voice messages praising the efforts. Any queries and questions are dealt with promptly.

    I can see there is a lot of work going into supporting parents and kids.

    Same as us - i know teachers get a lot of bad press (i blame the union) but our teacher has been amazing this month and really putting in a lot of work.

    I'd say a lot of teachers can't wait to get back into the classroom on 22 Feb.


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    #15
    Marhaps
    Registered Users Posts: 12 ✭Marhaps


    Still haven’t heard anything from the school, despite leaving a message. I’m really disappointed in them to be honest when I see what other teachers are doing.


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    #16
    Irishphotodesk
    Registered Users Posts: 1,896 ✭✭✭Irishphotodesk


    Marhaps wrote: »
    Still haven’t heard anything from the school, despite leaving a message. I’m really disappointed in them to be honest when I see what other teachers are doing.

    I wouldnt be too upset/annoyed, you can teach your child all sorts of stuff, if you Google squiglet and pick a letter you can show your child how to write specific letters.

    Geraldine the giraffe can also help with learning letters.

    I spent time today showing my 4.5yr old twins how to make choux pastry and chocolate ganache.... We made eclairs and loved them.

    Kids - especially junior infants - learn through play/interaction, so if you are spending time with your little one, they are learning, if you want to teach them Irish, french, Spanish .... Just say words in those languages and tell them what the word is in English, we have a few phrases in Irish that our girls understand and they can say bits and pieces when it suits them.


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    #17
    BonsaiKitten
    Registered Users Posts: 1,798 ✭✭✭BonsaiKitten


    Presumably no one is in the building to answer phones? Do they even have a full time secretary? Not every primary does.

    With a Junior Infant I'd try to do loads (and loads and loads) of fine motor activities. Cutting and sticking etc. Revise their sounds if you know what's been covered already. Read loads of books together. Lots and lots of counting - work it into the day in as many ways as you can. Sort and classify - in as many ways as you can - things from home/the park/the beach. Sing nursery rhymes/ tongue twisters/ find rhyming words. Loads and loads of talk and discussion, telling and retelling stories etc. If they've been doing sight words then revise those - it's probably the Dolch list if so, so you could work on that.

    It might sound a bit trite but honestly if all you did was read for half an hour a day with them, that'd go a long way.


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    #18
    BonsaiKitten
    Registered Users Posts: 1,798 ✭✭✭BonsaiKitten


    I'd be wary of teaching letter writing in case the school use a scheme that teach it in a specific way. But you could have them form letters out of playdough etc if you're not sure on that one.


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    #19
    Khumatmibro
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 76 ✭✭Khumatmibro


    Marhaps wrote: »
    Does anyone else have a child in junior infants? At the beginning of this week were given some workbooks and told what to do for the next 3 weeks. There has been no communication since from the teacher/school. It is a small 2 teacher school.

    I am really annoyed with the school and intend to ring them next week, am I being unreasonable?

    That's poor form tbh. One of the women I'm currently sleep with teaches infants and is doing daily calls as well as uploading content for homework each day. Sounds like a lazy approach by your child's school.


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    #20
    Paddytheman
    Registered Users Posts: 271 ✭✭Paddytheman


    Marhaps wrote: »
    Does anyone else have a child in junior infants? At the beginning of this week were given some workbooks and told what to do for the next 3 weeks. There has been no communication since from the teacher/school. It is a small 2 teacher school.

    I am really annoyed with the school and intend to ring them next week, am I being unreasonable?

    Getting 30/40 minutes Zoom every morning for a singalong, recap the previous day, explain the present days exercises and show and tell. Great engagement for the kids.

    We got the free Bua na Cainte (PM if you want) too and several other good links to online/youtube learning.


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    #21
    jlm29
    Registered Users Posts: 3,818 ✭✭✭jlm29


    Marhaps wrote: »
    Still haven’t heard anything from the school, despite leaving a message. I’m really disappointed in them to be honest when I see what other teachers are doing.

    It’s very bad form, and I’d say you’re school is in the minority. I haven’t heard of anyone else not having daily contact. Realistically this isn’t going to be over on jan 31st either, so it’s not acceptable For the school to be approaching it like that imo.
    Do you know parents of older classes? Are they the same across the board I wonder, or is it that they’re focusing on the older classes and spending no time with the small ones?


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    #22
    Marhaps
    Registered Users Posts: 12 ✭Marhaps


    Thanks for replies, the principle contacted me and teacher is off sick. She is due back next week so they will be in contact then. Thanks for all the advice given here. I really appreciate it


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    #23
    BonsaiKitten
    Registered Users Posts: 1,798 ✭✭✭BonsaiKitten


    Marhaps wrote: »
    Thanks for replies, the principle contacted me and teacher is off sick. She is due back next week so they will be in contact then. Thanks for all the advice given here. I really appreciate it

    In all honesty I'd still be querying that, the school should have a sub. There are teachers off in my school and subs are in.

    Of course the child won't have the connection to the sub teacher and maybe the school couldn't get a sub at all but it's worth exploring. Not much good to you with one day left to go, though!


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    #24
    Marhaps
    Registered Users Posts: 12 ✭Marhaps


    He said that there wouldn’t be any point doing a zoom call with a new teacher as it’s enough upheaval for the kids already. I’ll make sure they make up for it next week


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    #25
    BonsaiKitten
    Registered Users Posts: 1,798 ✭✭✭BonsaiKitten


    Marhaps wrote: »
    He said that there wouldn’t be any point doing a zoom call with a new teacher as it’s enough upheaval for the kids already. I’ll make sure they make up for it next week

    That's true. But even to give some support, record some videos for you with maths ideas, set you up on Epic and make suitable book collections... anything. The cynic in me thinks that they didn't get a sub so that the teacher wouldn't have to use up sick leave days. But anyway. Hope all is better for you next week.


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