Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi all! We have been experiencing an issue on site where threads have been missing the latest postings. The platform host Vanilla are working on this issue. A workaround that has been used by some is to navigate back from 1 to 10+ pages to re-sync the thread and this will then show the latest posts. Thanks, Mike.
Hi there,
There is an issue with role permissions that is being worked on at the moment.
If you are having trouble with access or permissions on regional forums please post here to get access: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365403/you-do-not-have-permission-for-that#latest

Primary schools zoom learning

2»

Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,285 ✭✭✭AmberGold


    What do you base that on? The fact that Irish schools aren't ordering from your friend.

    Ehh no.

    I'm basing it off the response from some of the teachers in a thread I started at the beginning of lock-down.

    https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2058071593

    Have a look at it, couple this with the reaction in the UK I mention above and low uptake of Video Conferencing in Irish schools & it proves my point.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,426 ✭✭✭wirelessdude01


    AmberGold wrote: »
    Ehh no.

    I'm basing it off the response from some of the teachers in a thread I started at the beginning of lock-down.

    https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2058071593

    Have a look at it, couple this with the reaction in the UK I mention above and low uptake of Video Conferencing in Irish schools & it proves my point.

    So your evidence for what is now happening is a thread from April 2020?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,285 ✭✭✭AmberGold


    So your evidence for what is now happening is a thread from April 2020?

    Are you a troll Wireless Dude? I don't even know why I'm bothering to reply.

    If you read my post I listed a number of factors including a thread
    contributed to extensively by teachers.

    Have those teachers had a personality transplant since?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,426 ✭✭✭wirelessdude01


    AmberGold wrote: »
    Are you a troll Wireless Dude? I don't even know why I'm bothering to reply.

    If you read my post I listed a number of factors including a thread
    contributed to extensively by teachers.

    Have those teachers had a personality transplant since?

    Again, your evidence is a thread from April 2020.

    I look about my school and see people willing to try stuff now that they wouldn't during the last lockdown. Teachers and schools have generally moved on. Maybe try it yourself.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,904 ✭✭✭daheff


    Did you even read what I said? Jog on with your stirring.

    I did. And I'm 100% serious on what I said. Why can teachers not have an hour a day to work with the children in their classes?

    Rte are showing reports today saying Zoom calls are how kids did schooling today. Maybe for some schools, but I'd imagine not for the majority.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,426 ✭✭✭wirelessdude01


    daheff wrote: »
    I did. And I'm 100% serious on what I said. Why can teachers not have an hour a day to work with the children in their classes?

    Rte are showing reports today saying Zoom calls are how kids did schooling today. Maybe for some schools, but I'd imagine not for the majority.

    Two teachers here, both zoomed and loomed with our classes today.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,904 ✭✭✭daheff


    Motah wrote: »
    Well, it's the same as last time...
    Email on a Sunday night, here's the work for the week...no zoom, no recordings, nothing. Do what you can...no pressure.
    We, like a lot of people, are working from home, full time, with 3 small kids. I find this frustrating. Also, the seesaw app is only to submit the work the kids have done...
    I think they should zoom, at least 1/2 hour a day, interrupted or not, or send recorded lessons...all my kids are at home, I'm constantly interrupted, meetings are not on my kids radar...
    Some schools seem to be making much more of an effort than others...
    This is not learning. It's just assigned work. I am not a teacher, but I feel under extreme pressure to get work done, while working and doing, like most you, dinners, snacks, washing etc and just seeing my kids...
    We have no childcare while in level 5, and no relatives near us.

    Couldn't agree more with you. A lot of people have the same experiences.

    I have 2 kids..one in 3rd class and one in 6th class. Same emails... here's your work for the week. You can email the teacher if you have questions.

    Child in 3rd class done with days work by 10.15 am(having started at 9.30).

    Older child has more work to do, but still done after 2.5 hours.

    I agree that teachers should have a daily call with their class. If for no other reason than just to keep in contact and for the children to have some kind of link with the school.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,751 ✭✭✭mirrorwall14


    Senior infant here, 5 videos of the teacher up this morning and 1 from the Sen teacher over their group. Plus four other activities to complete as well. That’s ONE day lol. Zoom call every Tuesday afternoon


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,426 ✭✭✭wirelessdude01


    daheff wrote: »

    Older child has more work to do, but still done after 2.5 hours.

    That is about right for a child in 6th class at the moment. That could take double the time for a less able child.

    Feedback after last lockdown was that 2-3hrs work was what parents wanted for the senior end.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,645 ✭✭✭krissovo


    My 7 and 11 year old start back at home school tomorrow. Their school has made lots of progress since the last lockdown and will do some “live” lessons or at least a daily check point using zoom or google class. They even practiced in school before breaking up for the holiday.

    My 7 year old will have a 15 minute 1to1 with his teacher on zoom each week. They will also as a class have a daily 30 minute lesson which is more of a fun session and just a way of seeing their class mates. The rest of the work will be assigned every evening. He is looking forward to home school this time around.

    My 11 year old who goes to the same school is a bit more serious, they all have google accounts and will have 2 live classes a day of 45 minutes. The work is assigned and completed through google. Her class has paired up and they will work in these groups together to complete their work. She is also looking forward to getting started.

    The school has been great, chrome books and mobile access points were made available for those who did not have the capability at home. Funding from a number of events since they returned to school like no uniform days and generous donations from a couple of the multinationals and pharma companies have really enabled the school. A number of the parents including myself work in the tech industry so we have been working with the staff to enable them with modern collaboration tools.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,904 ✭✭✭daheff


    That is about right for a child in 6th class at the moment. That could take double the time for a less able child.

    Feedback after last lockdown was that 2-3hrs work was what parents wanted for the senior end.

    Feedback from whom and to whom?

    Certainly no attempt from our school to discuss experience of remote learning from the first lockdown with parents.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,426 ✭✭✭wirelessdude01


    daheff wrote: »
    Feedback from whom and to whom?

    Certainly no attempt from our school to discuss experience of remote learning from the first lockdown with parents.

    Well we did. Parents don't want huge amounts of work as it leads to arguments and tantrums at home.

    Talking to parents today I seemed to get it about right. I'll up it again next week once everyone is comfortable with recording stuff and uploading stuff to return.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,818 ✭✭✭jlm29


    daheff wrote: »
    Feedback from whom and to whom?

    Certainly no attempt from our school to discuss experience of remote learning from the first lockdown with parents.

    Could you not send an email?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,426 ✭✭✭wirelessdude01


    jlm29 wrote: »
    Could you not send an email?

    See that would be the sensible thing to do but giving out on boards is a lot easier.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,743 ✭✭✭yankinlk


    See that would be the sensible thing to do but giving out on boards is a lot easier.

    Dude admit you have tunnel vision. This posters experience matches many of us parents. seeing the same comments from people i know with kids on twitter. Matches Stories at work from other parents I know.

    For the most part there is little effort to look for feedback. 1 general email address for the office to cover the entire school...


  • Advertisement
  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,914 Mod ✭✭✭✭shesty


    There was no effort to look for feedback from ours, but they have changed their approach this time around, and in addition, the teacher has requested several times already that we give her feedback.The principal sent an email requesting all parents to ensure kids engage as much as possible, according to family circumstances..

    SI here,Zoom contact at 11.30 every day and the request is that we try to make it to at least 1 or 2 of those a week.Teacher uploaded the week's work...mainly practical bits accompanied by some worksheets....and has uploaded several bitesize videos of herself reading a story for them to write about and discuss, and teaching certain phonics sounds.

    I would contact the school, either privately through the app, or through the email if you are not happy.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,785 ✭✭✭mohawk


    Day two and I am feeling quite positive about how it’s going. Sunday email with assigned work. Then they had a zoom call yesterday where they talked about the Christmas Holidays. Another Zoom with the class happening today.

    He will have daily zooms with his resource teacher. Today the resource teacher talked about how he was feeling and discussed zones of regulation. In last lockdown we went from a happy boy to one who was anxious and easily upset. He went back to his old self in September. We went straight back there to an anxious child again last week when the announcement was made about closing schools. I was so impressed with seeing the resource teacher helping my son with his feelings.

    Hopefully this new approach from the school will help my son deal with this lockdown.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,426 ✭✭✭wirelessdude01


    mohawk wrote: »
    Day two and I am feeling quite positive about how it’s going. Sunday email with assigned work. Then they had a zoom call yesterday where they talked about the Christmas Holidays. Another Zoom with the class happening today.

    He will have daily zooms with his resource teacher. Today the resource teacher talked about how he was feeling and discussed zones of regulation. In last lockdown we went from a happy boy to one who was anxious and easily upset. He went back to his old self in September. We went straight back there to an anxious child again last week when the announcement was made about closing schools. I was so impressed with seeing the resource teacher helping my son with his feelings.

    Hopefully this new approach from the school will help my son deal with this lockdown.

    People have to let schools and teachers have a chance to show that lessons have been learnt by some with regards to what is needed. Also parents need to accept that school can't be replicated at home. Their children aren't going to have work for 5hrs a day.

    I had a lovely email from a parent last night who happens to be a secondary school principal, saying that their child had really enjoyed what I had setup and done yesterday and that the right balance had been struck. Work totaled about 2hrs in total for this child but requires zero parental input which is what I am aiming for in the majority of my homes. Now I can imagine it isn't quite the same in some of the other homes in my class but I can't regulate for that.


  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,914 Mod ✭✭✭✭shesty


    Well our SI Zoom call was an extremely impressive effort this morning.Teacher is very efficient, mind you.She simply took the approach that she was in the room in front of them, ran through all the Irish phrases with them as she usually would and they responded.Quick chat about the couple of topics for the week, quick game and a look at some of their drawings and signed off.Very good approach. I expect to have to input in my child's work - or monitor at the very least, and get her set up and that, but at most if I get an hour out of her, I am happy.We will find our rhthym as time goes on, same as last time but the regular touchpoints with the school help a lot.

    Does anybody have to download Bua na Cainte?The site to download from seems to have completely crashed for me yesterday and today.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,426 ✭✭✭wirelessdude01


    shesty wrote: »
    Well our SI Zoom call was an extremely impressive effort this morning.Teacher is very efficient, mind you.She simply took the approach that she was in the room in front of them, ran through all the Irish phrases with them as she usually would and they responded.Quick chat about the couple of topics for the week, quick game and a look at some of their drawings and signed off.Very good approach. I expect to have to input in my child's work - or monitor at the very least, and get her set up and that, but at most if I get an hour out of her, I am happy.We will find our rhthym as time goes on, same as last time but the regular touchpoints with the school help a lot.

    Does anybody have to download Bua na Cainte?The site to download from seems to have completely crashed for me yesterday and today.

    The site collapsed yesterday as every JI and SI teacher seems to have instructed their parents to download it.


  • Advertisement
  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,914 Mod ✭✭✭✭shesty


    Yeah I figured.
    Looked again this evening, they have updated it - added a link for Google download along with the other one.Seems to be ok again.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,832 ✭✭✭heldel00


    Bua Na Cainte can't be downloaded onto tablet or phone. Bit of a pain.
    My son's teacher sent pre-recorded maths videos and it was so natural and relaxed that when she asked a question, he'd answer and her timing was so perfect that she'd say "well done" and he was convinced she was speaking directly to him. Very cute


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,904 ✭✭✭daheff


    jlm29 wrote: »
    Could you not send an email?

    What makes you think we didn't give feedback to the school?

    From the other poster, it seemed that there was some formal feedback mechanism in place. Hence my question.

    I do think that there should be daily zoom calls from teachers. I get we can't replicate school 100% at home...but I do think a lot of schools can try harder.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,426 ✭✭✭wirelessdude01


    Round and round we go. This is more tiring than remote teaching and learning and that is bloody exhausting.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,743 ✭✭✭yankinlk


    And my primary school son has just completed all of todays work. Its 915am. He started at 9.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,493 ✭✭✭kowloonkev


    I would say it's scandalous that there are primary schools not doing online classes. I'm teaching primary kids in HK on zoom since last April. Mostly we are taking them in groups of 6-10 reading books with them and asking comprehension questions. I also prepared four after school courses for different grades where they can practice creative writing, give book reports, and learn about world cultures. I also use short videos and games to break up the lessons. I think for online each segment of the lesson needs to be shorter to keep things fresh.

    Honestly can't believe that some/many Irish schools are just giving out homework and correcting it.


  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,914 Mod ✭✭✭✭shesty


    heldel00 wrote: »
    Bua Na Cainte can't be downloaded onto tablet or phone. Bit of a pain.

    I find it to be a terrible programme to use at home to be honest.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,426 ✭✭✭wirelessdude01


    yankinlk wrote: »
    And my primary school son has just completed all of todays work. Its 915am. He started at 9.

    What class?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,751 ✭✭✭mirrorwall14


    My brain is exploding trying to do senior infants with my own kid after the day teaching second level kids and doing ICT support. It’s also in Irish and I would be the weaker speaker in Irish. There are so many links, so many activities, he needs constant monitoring or he tunes out. 1.5hrs this evening in between cooking dinner and all the other things needing doing before I gave up

    Thankfully he’s doing the childminders kids junior infant stuff (not gaelscoil) as well so at least he’s getting practise during the day on some things like art and pe even if it’s not his teachers work and it’s not in Irish


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,818 ✭✭✭jlm29


    My brain is exploding trying to do senior infants with my own kid after the day teaching second level kids and doing ICT support. It’s also in Irish and I would be the weaker speaker in Irish. There are so many links, so many activities, he needs constant monitoring or he tunes out. 1.5hrs this evening in between cooking dinner and all the other things needing doing before I gave up

    Thankfully he’s doing the childminders kids junior infant stuff (not gaelscoil) as well so at least he’s getting practise during the day on some things like art and pe even if it’s not his teachers work and it’s not in Irish

    OMG, same here. I messaged the teacher last night to tell her we’d be late with a lot of the work because we’re doing it in the evenings and at weekends. She replied that that was no problem but that he’d be able to do watch her prerecorded clips independently. But he’s five. He won’t manage to find the videos on see saw unless someone is there to put them on for him? And be definitely won’t actually watch them. Or maybe my kids are slower than normal kids?


  • Advertisement
  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,914 Mod ✭✭✭✭shesty


    No, they are not jml, my 6 year old sits beside me for an hour every morning, watching the bits of videos and doing the bits of work she needs to do.It requires constant monitoring, and I do try to stand back and encourage her to work a bit independently, but still need to intervene regularly to keep her on track.And equally balance the fact that she gets tired after 10-15 mins.I had to give up this morning after literacy and phonics because I had a work call at 10am, then I was thinking would I do maths this evening after work...and THEN started worrying that she was benefitting from none of it if I was doing it scattered throughout the day, that it was teaching her nothing.It is so bloody hard.And now I have to log back into work and send several emails that I didn't get to or just couldn't draft while I had one ear on a 6 year old.I just feel the only result from all of this is burned out parents and kids, it achieves very little.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 780 ✭✭✭afkasurfjunkie


    shesty wrote: »
    No, they are not jml, my 6 year old sits beside me for an hour every morning, watching the bits of videos and doing the bits of work she needs to do.It requires constant monitoring, and I do try to stand back and encourage her to work a bit independently, but still need to intervene regularly to keep her on track.And equally balance the fact that she gets tired after 10-15 mins.I had to give up this morning after literacy and phonics because I had a work call at 10am, then I was thinking would I do maths this evening after work...and THEN started worrying that she was benefitting from none of it if I was doing it scattered throughout the day, that it was teaching her nothing.It is so bloody hard.And now I have to log back into work and send several emails that I didn't get to or just couldn't draft while I had one ear on a 6 year old.I just feel the only result from all of this is burned out parents and kids, it achieves very little.

    Pretty much the exact same here too. A zoom call would be a waste of time because he would spend most of it making faces at himself and climbing under the chair. I get through some of his work in short bursts of 15 minutes here and there. His teacher has sent on varied types of work. Only way I could possibly get through it all is if I wasn’t working myself and if he was an only child. Not the case in our house though.


  • Registered Users Posts: 968 ✭✭✭Str8outtaWuhan


    kowloonkev wrote: »
    I would say it's scandalous that there are primary schools not doing online classes. I'm teaching primary kids in HK on zoom since last April. Mostly we are taking them in groups of 6-10 reading books with them and asking comprehension questions. I also prepared four after school courses for different grades where they can practice creative writing, give book reports, and learn about world cultures. I also use short videos and games to break up the lessons. I think for online each segment of the lesson needs to be shorter to keep things fresh.

    Honestly can't believe that some/many Irish schools are just giving out homework and correcting it.
    In fairness, they are locking up people in Hong Kong for expressing their democratic preference, We have a culture that protects privacy hence GDPR and Child protection means that live classes can be a minefield . E.g. if you are on zoom and one student is screen recording the session using something like bandicam they could in theory record another student and do God knows what with the images. School's have piss poor data protection and from what I've heard its the teacher who become responsible for data if they use Teams or meet or zoom.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,818 ✭✭✭jlm29


    In fairness, they are locking up people in Hong Kong for expressing their democratic preference, We have a culture that protects privacy hence GDPR and Child protection means that live classes can be a minefield . E.g. if you are on zoom and one student is screen recording the session using something like bandicam they could in theory record another student and do God knows what with the images. School's have piss poor data protection and from what I've heard its the teacher who become responsible for data if they use Teams or meet or zoom.

    Like that video that’s doing the rounds at the moment of a teacher teaching 5 or 6 kids on zoom and one of their mothers walks in naked into the room in the background? And there’s me positioning the camera when I’ve to take a photo or video of one of the kids and double checking to make sure there’s no mess in the background


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,751 ✭✭✭mirrorwall14


    Shesty, Jlm that’s our experience. He’s just turning 6 and while he could sit doing Lego for ages he has absolutely no attention span for school work. He has to be constantly reminded to look at the Muinteoir, never mind actually repeat what she’s saying to him. The zoom call was ridiculous and unless it changes format I may not collect him early for it because it was literally sit and wait for your turn to speak for 30 seconds about your Christmas present. If I wasn’t standing over him he’d have been swinging from the light bulbs for the attention he was paying.

    I’ve sent over worksheets of Irish words for him to copy for the childminder for tomorrow so that at least he’s practising with his pen but I’m going to be the one struggling with him on the ‘think of a word with the a sound in it’ for twenty different words in the evenings. I need a patience pill... there’s a reason I chose not to go teach primary school and covid has absolutely reminded me lol

    Edit: to be clear apart from the zoom call format his teacher is playing a blinder with multiple loom videos etc every day. It’s just his age and the Irish that’s making it horrendous


  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,914 Mod ✭✭✭✭shesty


    God Mirrorwall, that sounds like the horrors. She will be 7 in the summer. I posted here earlier, our teacher is excellent on Zoom with them to be fair to her. Keeps it really brief though. She sent a video of herself cooking today (something simple) and they had to write down the "method" in their copies - just 6 short steps. 2 sentences in and the pencil was thrown down, the wrist was sore, the hand was sore....we had to walk away for 10 minutes and have an orange and come back to it. Constant chat while it is being done. It isn't possible to leave them work independently at that age, although I can absolutely see an improvement in her from last year.....but still. At best I have half an eye on the laptop, watching any emails but I am not actually doing any work for the duration. At least my other 2 are in the minders for the schooling part of the day I suppose, very small silver linings.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,426 ✭✭✭wirelessdude01


    Shesty, Jlm that’s our experience. He’s just turning 6 and while he could sit doing Lego for ages he has absolutely no attention span for school work. He has to be constantly reminded to look at the Muinteoir, never mind actually repeat what she’s saying to him. The zoom call was ridiculous and unless it changes format I may not collect him early for it because it was literally sit and wait for your turn to speak for 30 seconds about your Christmas present. If I wasn’t standing over him he’d have been swinging from the light bulbs for the attention he was paying.

    I’ve sent over worksheets of Irish words for him to copy for the childminder for tomorrow so that at least he’s practising with his pen but I’m going to be the one struggling with him on the ‘think of a word with the a sound in it’ for twenty different words in the evenings. I need a patience pill... there’s a reason I chose not to go teach primary school and covid has absolutely reminded me lol

    Edit: to be clear apart from the zoom call format his teacher is playing a blinder with multiple loom videos etc every day. It’s just his age and the Irish that’s making it horrendous

    What format did the zoom call take and what would you like to see instead?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,751 ✭✭✭mirrorwall14


    What format did the zoom call take and what would you like to see instead?

    All students on the one call. Each student called in turn and asked how Christmas was. Add in the fumbling of parents or Muinteoir trying to unmute them in turn and they didn’t get through half of them. It’s a lovely idea, except there is far too many of them to do that and the others are all sitting muted. It would have been more productive to do short 15 minute calls with smaller groups in my opinion.

    Having said that I’m not a primary teacher so maybe this is the usual? I imagine doing it in school is easier but he had to be constantly reminded to keep an eye on the screen. He wasn’t really listening at all

    To be honest though it’s been a really hard week for me in work, add in schooling on top of it, steroids, lack of sleep and I’m a right grumpy mama right now.

    Tomorrow will be a better day


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,426 ✭✭✭wirelessdude01


    All students on the one call. Each student called in turn and asked how Christmas was. Add in the fumbling of parents or Muinteoir trying to unmute them in turn and they didn’t get through half of them. It’s a lovely idea, except there is far too many of them to do that and the others are all sitting muted. It would have been more productive to do short 15 minute calls with smaller groups in my opinion.

    Having said that I’m not a primary teacher so maybe this is the usual? I imagine doing it in school is easier but he had to be constantly reminded to keep an eye on the screen. He wasn’t really listening at all

    To be honest though it’s been a really hard week for me in work, add in schooling on top of it, steroids, lack of sleep and I’m a right grumpy mama right now.

    Tomorrow will be a better day

    I'm sure the teacher will have worked out for themselves that having a whole class at the junior end of the school on a social call isn't ideal. Now mine know when we have a whole class zoom call that it's business and schooling. They also know that I plan to do smaller group calls for some reading and social chat next week.


  • Advertisement
  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,751 ✭✭✭mirrorwall14


    I'm sure the teacher will have worked out for themselves that having a whole class at the junior end of the school on a social call isn't ideal. Now mine know when we have a whole class zoom call that it's business and schooling. They also know that I plan to do smaller group calls for some reading and social chat next week.

    Yeah I'd say so


  • Moderators, Education Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 12,504 Mod ✭✭✭✭byhookorbycrook




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,426 ✭✭✭wirelessdude01




  • Moderators, Education Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 12,504 Mod ✭✭✭✭byhookorbycrook


    This shouldn't be happening.
    No, which is why we should have a secure national platform. Secondary schools got their "guidelines" in mid-December.

    Last March, we all scrambled to get online with absolutely no training, which has probably been instrumental in this occurring.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,283 ✭✭✭Deeec


    So first week of remote learning 2021 is complete. It went much better this time round. I'm happy with the work and contact from my kids teachers. Work is allocated on dojo accompanied by a short video. I couldn't ask for any more - it works for us.
    My eldest girl is dyslexic and needs my help to get through the workload. The younger girl is only 6 and although she flies through the work needs my help on guiding her what to do next. So neither can work independently. Only issues I have is:

    - we have to upload pictures of all the kids work even though the teachers aren't correcting or offering feedback on. ( Which in fairness is fine as it's only primary school stuff). From speaking with other parents we worked out that kids who send all their worke in are commented on as ''participating" whereas kids who don't send everything in have no comments. Work needs only to be uploaded it seems to check compliance. This seems a bit unfair and is giving us WFH parents more work to do. Surely a better way of doing this would be for the teacher to every Friday randomly select 3 items of work from the week for parents to upload to check compliance if necessary.

    - today my 6 year got a complicated art task to complete. Unfortunately due to work commitments today I did not have time to do this with her which resulted in her crying. I understand that the teacher thinks she is being helpful suggesting this but for WFH parents it is hard to supervise this. I emailed the teacher that we couldn't get to it today but will over the weekend. I suggested that next week she could put it as a weekend task so kids don't get disappointed if we can't do it on the day teacher says.

    Any way I'm wrecked trying to keep up with schoolwork, work and housework. I'm going to pour myself a nice glass of wine.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,751 ✭✭✭mirrorwall14


    The last two days have been a bit better for us. Childminder has paired the two of them up on English phonics which is fine as he needs the writing practise too and he watches the dojo videos once through with her. I’m watching them in between my own work during they and then when he gets we tackle anything that didn’t get done.

    Today that was writing out the nuacht (omg his concentration took like half an hour....), two new tricky words (but he had seen the video already so this was quick), rechecked his English phonics and his story. There were eleven different activities with about 50 minutes of loom videos which is way too much for me to go through in the evenings so I’m targeting.

    Its getting done. More or less. And I’ll try and fill in the gaps at the weekends

    Also my house is a disgrace too. Top to bottom. I am resigned to this until lockdown ends


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,426 ✭✭✭wirelessdude01


    The last two days have been a bit better for us. Childminder has paired the two of them up on English phonics which is fine as he needs the writing practise too and he watches the dojo videos once through with her. I’m watching them in between my own work during they and then when he gets we tackle anything that didn’t get done.

    Today that was writing out the nuacht (omg his concentration took like half an hour....), two new tricky words (but he had seen the video already so this was quick), rechecked his English phonics and his story. There were eleven different activities with about 50 minutes of loom videos which is way too much for me to go through in the evenings so I’m targeting.

    Its getting done. More or less. And I’ll try and fill in the gaps at the weekends

    Also my house is a disgrace too. Top to bottom. I am resigned to this until lockdown ends

    I told mine on zoom today no catching up on anything missed at the weekend. Weekends are for families.

    Incase parents didn't hear or didn't believe the kids I also sent an email stating same.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,751 ✭✭✭mirrorwall14


    I told mine on zoom today no catching up on anything missed at the weekend. Weekends are for families.

    Incase parents didn't hear or didn't believe the kids I also sent an email stating same.

    That’s nice. Didn’t get that here so I’ll see how it goes. The goal for the weekend is to get him on zooms to the people he is missing as he was very sad this evening. Started well with a call with his favourite Aunty which was so successful he was high as a kite at bedtime and it took an hour longer than normal lol.

    Tbh I didn’t care in the slightest


  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,914 Mod ✭✭✭✭shesty


    Thank god it is Friday.Final zoom session of the week this morning.I don't work on Fridays at least but equally I have the 2 smaller kids at home too.Managed to get an hour in with the SI this morning, some number formation, reading and a page of Jolly Phonics.And that was as far as I was going, we are all tired.Spending the weekend getting outdoors.Mentally, I can only handle another couple of weeks of this to be honest - the feeling is mutual among quite a few parents I know.


  • Moderators, Education Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 12,504 Mod ✭✭✭✭byhookorbycrook


    Public service announcement: parents , do what you can . No child is going to fail in life if they don’t complete a story about winter in the next month . Far more important is that your child is secure and feeling your support . Read to them, do practical tasks and do what you can, school work wise .


Advertisement