Home schooling.... again

[mjheathcote]

Honestly what a mess.
All schools and individual teachers are doing it differently.
We have two kids at high school and being thrown work for them to do together with numerous Zoom calls.
The work is being posted on their school portal in different file formats, plus lots of it have been formatted to be at a resolution that is actually unreadable both on screen and when printed out.
Scheduled Zoom calls with no links, or being sent minutes before the start time.
The zoom call with no microphone or video of the kids, so what's the point?
Don't start me on those sending their kids to school as being a 'key worker'.
Officially I'm classed as a key worker, but with my time 50% working from home and the Mrs working from home, I don't think it's right that we should send them to school. Many are however allowable under the rules.
My eldest at 15 is okay sorting herself out mostly.
However my youngest at 11 needs constant help, and we are both working full time at the same time...

It's not easy!

 

[Dan!]

The mother of my children has informed me that it is hard work

 

[RobinL]

Honestly what a mess.
All schools and individual teachers are doing it differently.
We have two kids at high school and being thrown work for them to do together with numerous Zoom calls.
The work is being posted on their school portal in different file formats, plus lots of it have been formatted to be at a resolution that is actually unreadable both on screen and when printed out.
Scheduled Zoom calls with no links, or being sent minutes before the start time.
The zoom call with no microphone or video of the kids, so what's the point?
Don't start me on those sending their kids to school as being a 'key worker'.
Officially I'm classed as a key worker, but with my time 50% working from home and the Mrs working from home, I don't think it's right that we should send them to school. Many are however allowable under the rules.
My eldest at 15 is okay sorting herself out mostly.
However my youngest at 11 needs constant help, and we are both working full time at the same time...

It's not easy!

Hats of to all those parents home schooling! I'm glad all 3 of mine have finished uni, 1 with a job (nurse,), 1 thinks he's working (graphic design from home) and 1 sitting on his hands at home.(performing arts)

I spent a couple of years as an online teaching assistant and mentor with Manchester University to help address the gaps between online and in-person education.
Without the interactivity of the classroom the majority of education is 'hollowed out' and does not meet the needs of many students.
Having parents who are prepared to help is the best thing for kids.

So well done!

Sent from my ONEPLUS A5010 using Tapatalk

 

[schell70]

I think we just have to take it a bit easy, certainly in our house its mad - 3 under 14's in 3 different schools all using different delivery methods (Google Classroom, Zoom & Teams) - as much as I complain about the schools inability to get properly organised they haven't had a lot of time and if it was me I probably would have chucked the towel in! Both me and Missus are working full time in Telecoms so busier than ever. I'm locked in my office, she's at her desk on the landing, one kid is at the kitchen table, the other two in their bedrooms.

Can't complain, they all have their own laptops and the internet is holding up - can't imagine those without the resources - mind you yesterday it turned out that one spent most of the day on his Playstation with all his school mates whilst they had Teams running school work in the background - hence the PS4 has been blocked from the router today

We can't monitor them all day and work too so it is what it is - inconsitency is mad though, I school does full lessons the other two just a morning and afternoon check in.

 

[Sommi]

We have 10 year old twins. Very active and curious to know everything. The schools is sending daily tasks to complete through Google classroom setup.
We have incentivised kids that they can have a zoom session with their friends from school and play "among us" (new games which is all the rage at the moment) every afternoon for an hour if all work is finished.
We monitor them now and again just making sure they know what they are doing. We do throw them out in to the garden weather permitting for at least half hour everyday.
It is indeed a challenge for us with both Mrs and I juggling our day jobs along with an online retail business.
But I am just relieved that all are OK and all is well.
Spending more time around kids and contributing positively to their daily routines is very rewarding.
Of course they are not teenagers yet so I think we have it easier... for now!

 

[allandwf]

It's an issue these days as both parents normally work.

 

[Doohickey]

Feel your pain but my lad is at uni in his final year and hasn't had any face to face teaching at all this academic year. It's all online and then it's of a random nature and quality.

He's been home since mid October and there's no timetable for him going back. I can see him not actually going to a lecture the whole year for which he is paying £9k as well as the money I'm forking out for accommodation he legally can't use!

Uni students haven't got a mention in all the news coverage but it's having a big impact on him. He's a resilient character but it's taking its toll with not seeing his mates, playing sport etc. It's more of a shame because it's his final year and he's missing out on one of the best years of his life.

 

[Ebenezer]

Same for my son Dohickey. Except he'd rather hole up with his girlfriend in their student flat so at least he's not underfoot. He's been told that there will be no end of year exams so all on course work.
Eb

 

[Marco07]

One of my colleagues was moaning that his wife is doing the kids home schooling now. It didn’t seem to cheer him up when said that at least he could now tell his mates that he’s sha**ing his kids new teacher.

 

[Felonious Crud]

The mother of my children has informed me that it is hard work

I trust you were able to reassure her that she has your full and unwavering moral support. Go, girl!

 

[Felonious Crud]

Feel your pain but my lad is at uni in his final year and hasn't had any face to face teaching at all this academic year. It's all online and then it's of a random nature and quality.

He's been home since mid October and there's no timetable for him going back. I can see him not actually going to a lecture the whole year for which he is paying £9k as well as the money I'm forking out for accommodation he legally can't use!

Uni students haven't got a mention in all the news coverage but it's having a big impact on him. He's a resilient character but it's taking its toll with not seeing his mates, playing sport etc. It's more of a shame because it's his final year and he's missing out on one of the best years of his life.

Same-ish here, only ours is going back on Saturday. He reckons he'll get more work done being holed up with his stoodent mates in their stoodent house, plus they expect that sport will be re-starting in the next couple of months and there's no way he's prepared to be away from the action.

 

[Manc5]

Feel your pain but my lad is at uni in his final year and hasn't had any face to face teaching at all this academic year. It's all online and then it's of a random nature and quality.

He's been home since mid October and there's no timetable for him going back. I can see him not actually going to a lecture the whole year for which he is paying £9k as well as the money I'm forking out for accommodation he legally can't use!

Uni students haven't got a mention in all the news coverage but it's having a big impact on him. He's a resilient character but it's taking its toll with not seeing his mates, playing sport etc. It's more of a shame because it's his final year and he's missing out on one of the best years of his life.

My daughter is in 2nd year of a 4 year Chemistry masters. She had in lab practical sessions last semester so needed to be there until Xmas.. Now remote and quality of work provided by Uni is very very very lecturer dependant. Some lazy ones just re-add last years work.. no face to face or zoom etc.. 9.5k p.a. for recycled cr4p as my daughter put it and if they dare challenge the lecturer then behold the snotogramm email roll in with vague threats.. There are some real salary thieving coasting wasters out there benefiting from this new normal..

 

[Simon1963]

My daughter was lucky she did her final year last year. Lectures where decent online and as soon as she could in may she came home. No exams and assessed on the work she had done. Missed the fanfare of the end of uni and the graduation though. Got a job in the care industry and now works at the Norwich and Norfolk hospital on the wards and loves it.

 

[alfatwo]

Honestly what a mess.
All schools and individual teachers are doing it differently.
We have two kids at high school and being thrown work for them to do together with numerous Zoom calls.
The work is being posted on their school portal in different file formats, plus lots of it have been formatted to be at a resolution that is actually unreadable both on screen and when printed out.
Scheduled Zoom calls with no links, or being sent minutes before the start time.
The zoom call with no microphone or video of the kids, so what's the point?
Don't start me on those sending their kids to school as being a 'key worker'.
Officially I'm classed as a key worker, but with my time 50% working from home and the Mrs working from home, I don't think it's right that we should send them to school. Many are however allowable under the rules.
My eldest at 15 is okay sorting herself out mostly.
However my youngest at 11 needs constant help, and we are both working full time at the same time...

It's not easy!

Lets face it Mike, Its lots better this way than say your mum and dad popping there clogs from the virus bought back home from your kids school!

Dave

 

[mjheathcote]

Lets face it Mike, Its lots better this way than say your mum and dad popping there clogs from the virus bought back home from your kids school!

Dave

That's true.
It has to be done.
Although my lad after only a couple of days said today he rather be at school learning.

 

[rivarama]

Complete mess.
I have a 5 and 7 years old, and they both need quite constant supervision (to down right hand holding for the 5 y/o) as the zoom classes are merely 15-20min sessions. They are then given tasks and exercises to do between sessions, to be presented back / discussed later.
My wife and I both work full time in senior and very busy roles. My industry (non food Retail) which don’t qualify as key worker status has been left crippled by the pandemic and we are fighting for our survival (employing over 40k people across Europe inc 25k in the UK alone).
Yet, we found out yesterday that about 30% of the kids at our school (and many other independent school our friends send their kids to) are still attending school. We know quite a few parents that have self classified themselves as key workers, because they work in the industry loosely covered by the gvnmt guidance, but have jobs that have nothing to do with fighting the pandemic (accountant, lawyers, investment bankers...), and usually only have 1 parent working!!

By those standards, we would also qualify as “key worker” as my wife works in such industry, yet it feels completely wrong.

I am totally appalled and angry to see that so many people are taking the **** and that all those schools seem to be looking the other way, while I personally qualify for no special status and working my a££ off trying to make sure my company is still around and our employees still have jobs when the economy reopens

 

[Phil H]

Pre-Covid it would have taken months to introduce remote schooling; you would have had endless arguments between government/local education authorities/unions/staff/parents/etc, and that's without the logistics of internet access. I think that what's been achieved thus far is not a bad effort even though it is flawed, although I'm not convinced that the Education Minister is the right man for the job - he seems to announce policy first and think about it afterwards (or let others do the thinking for him after he's made yet another surprise announcement). I suspect that, like industry and commerce, the education sector will see radical and permanent change post-Covid as managers realise what can be achieved and scope out different ways of working.

There will always be those who play the system and falsely claim to be key workers when they're not for personal advantage, but employer pressures and the need to pay the bills has undoubtedly exacerbated that and the schools shouldn't the arbiters of who's key and who's not. It's a tough call for millions at the moment so it's nice to be retired - and on call for Covid childcare!

PH

 

[schell70]

Complete mess.
I have a 5 and 7 years old, and they both need quite constant supervision (to down right hand holding for the 5 y/o) as the zoom classes are merely 15-20min sessions. They are then given tasks and exercises to do between sessions, to be presented back / discussed later.
My wife and I both work full time in senior and very busy roles. My industry (non food Retail) which don’t qualify as key worker status has been left crippled by the pandemic and we are fighting for our survival (employing over 40k people across Europe inc 25k in the UK alone).
Yet, we found out yesterday that about 30% of the kids at our school (and many other independent school our friends send their kids to) are still attending school. We know quite a few parents that have self classified themselves as key workers, because they work in the industry loosely covered by the gvnmt guidance, but have jobs that have nothing to do with fighting the pandemic (accountant, lawyers, investment bankers...), and usually only have 1 parent working!!

By those standards, we would also qualify as “key worker” as my wife works in such industry, yet it feels completely wrong.

I am totally appalled and angry to see that so many people are taking the **** and that all those schools seem to be looking the other way, while I personally qualify for no special status and working my a££ off trying to make sure my company is still around and our employees still have jobs when the economy reopens

Just rise above it, we have the same fun going on at home as I posted earlier - technically we could both claim 'key worker' status as we are in Telecoms but we never would.

There will always be the chancers and takers in this world.....

 

[Gazcw]

Pre-Covid it would have taken months to introduce remote schooling; you would have had endless arguments between government/local education authorities/unions/staff/parents/etc, and that's without the logistics of internet access. I think that what's been achieved thus far is not a bad effort even though it is flawed, although I'm not convinced that the Education Minister is the right man for the job - he seems to announce policy first and think about it afterwards (or let others do the thinking for him after he's made yet another surprise announcement). I suspect that, like industry and commerce, the education sector will see radical and permanent change post-Covid as managers realise what can be achieved and scope out different ways of working.

There will always be those who play the system and falsely claim to be key workers when they're not for personal advantage, but employer pressures and the need to pay the bills has undoubtedly exacerbated that and the schools shouldn't the arbiters of who's key and who's not. It's a tough call for millions at the moment so it's nice to be retired - and on call for Covid childcare!

PH

I personally think due to the amount of time lost in teaching the kids that they need to extend by a year. How can teachers assess gcse grades for kids that have hardly been at school this year. Not fair on the kids or teachers tbh.

 

[rivarama]

I personally think due to the amount of time lost in teaching the kids that they need to extend by a year. How can teachers assess gcse grades for kids that have hardly been at school this year. Not fair on the kids or teachers tbh.

I am not paying for an extra year of private school... I am happy for my kids to have 8% less knowledge when they graduate