Back to School during the pandemic ...a discussion thread

[Madame]

Nobody knows who will be teaching remotely or in class at this point at my school, but I can tell you that everyone on staff would be happy if they could teach online at school where all their resources are. But as far as I know, we’re being told that it’s not allowed.

Staff here cannot teach from home. They teach online onsite, maybe not their home school, but onsite. This was dictated by the MoE..........

 

[Disneylover99]

Staff here cannot teach from home. They teach online onsite, maybe not their home school, but onsite. This was dictated by the MoE..........

The rumour is we will be doing remote teaching onsite somewhere, but nobody seems to know where that is. Lol.

Some teachers will teach from home because they have health exemptions.

 

[Madame]

The rumour is we will be doing remote teaching onsite somewhere, but nobody seems to know where that is. Lol.

Some teachers will teach from home because they have health exemptions.

Yes, but online teachers are onsite. I just don’t understand the resources argument. There are online whiteboards, flipcharts, etc. Online resources are, well, online. Most teachers use their personal (non tax deductible) tech to deliver online curriculum. The argument makes zero sense.

 

[Disneylover99]

Yes, but online teachers are onsite. I just don’t understand the resources argument. There are online whiteboards, flipcharts, etc. Online resources are, well, online. Most teachers use their personal (non tax deductible) tech to deliver online curriculum. The argument makes zero sense.

For many of us, it’s not an argument. It’s just a preference.

 

[Madame]

For many of us, it’s not an argument. It’s just a preference.

I don’t follow, but forcing online teachers to go onsite while encouraging employers to have their employees wfh whenever possible is asinine and speaks to a need to dominate & control teachers. My doctor will call me for an appt next Tues & the secretary told me it will be a private number.... cause he’s working from home.....

 

[Disneylover99]

I don’t follow, but forcing online teachers to go onsite while encouraging employers to have their employees wfh whenever possible is asinine and speaks to a need to dominate & control teachers. My doctor will call me for an appt next Tues & the secretary told me it will be a private number.... cause he’s working from home.....

Nobody wants to be told what to do. That’s not what I’m saying at all. The teachers don’t want to be forced to go to some random onsite place. They just want to be able to access the materials at their own school and work from their own classroom if they wish.

 

[tgropp]

I don’t follow, but forcing online teachers to go onsite while encouraging employers to have their employees wfh whenever possible is asinine and speaks to a need to dominate & control teachers. My doctor will call me for an appt next Tues & the secretary told me it will be a private number.... cause he’s working from home.....

In all honesty, this type of thinking is why some people are upset with teachers. Teachers have fared out very well in their negotiations with the previous governments but some always think that they are picked on.

 

[Madame]

In all honesty, this type of thinking is why some people are upset with teachers. Teachers have fared out very well in their negotiations with the previous governments but some always think that they are picked on.

You angry at my doc for working from home? You want an accounting from him as a taxpayer? No? What about the cops that have little education and make more than a teacher who has spent 6 yrs of his/her life & $$$$ to get educated? No? We should privatize education. At least you can sue a private employer for unsafe working conditions.

 

[Madame]

Nobody wants to be told what to do. That’s not what I’m saying at all. The teachers don’t want to be forced to go to some random onsite place. They just want to be able to access the materials at their own school and work from their own classroom if they wish.

I get that, but he wants his tax dollars worth & the only way he thinks he can get it is to pointlessly put people in harms way.

 

[tgropp]

I get that, but he wants his tax dollars worth & the only way he thinks he can get it is to pointlessly put people in harms way.

You will not “pointlessly” be put in harms way. There are many people in the workforce that are in more danger than you will be and yes they are taxpayers also. And be careful what you wish for if education is privatized. My biggest concern for a teacher is the lack of respect that children show their teachers . I sympathize with them and that causes all kinds of ill feelings about their job. If that was cleaned up, maybe teachers would be able to be what teachers used to be..... it was like a calling. Whatever happens I wish you the best of luck and a safe and healthy environment

 

[Disneylover99]

I get that, but he wants his tax dollars worth & the only way he thinks he can get it is to pointlessly put people in harms way.

Honestly? I’d just be happy with a bit of flexibility at this point.

And if it’s not too much to ask, I’m hoping to find out my teaching assignment before the school year begins. Lol. I’m trying to be positive, but at this point my expectations are low. I’m really worried about the future of education for students through this.

 

[Madame]

You will not “pointlessly” be put in harms way. There are many people in the workforce that are in more danger than you will be and yes they are taxpayers also. And be careful what you wish for if education is privatized. My biggest concern for a teacher is the lack of respect that children show their teachers . I sympathize with them and that causes all kinds of ill feelings about their job. If that was cleaned up, maybe teachers would be able to be what teachers used to be..... it was like a calling. Whatever happens I wish you the best of luck and a safe and healthy environment

But it IS. You know who would not agree with you? Nurses. Nurses would tell you that adding 5/10/20 more people unnecessarily to a building with little ventilation during a pandemic is NOT smart. They’d tell you this because THEY will be the ones caring for the teachers/parents/grandparents who get infected because there will be too many people in school buildings this fall. They get to intubate and treat bed sores and risk their lives. So yes, I think it is ridiculously selfish and petty to politicize whether an educator working online is onsite or at home. Have a good night.

 

[Madame]

Honestly? I’d just be happy with a bit of flexibility at this point.

And if it’s not too much to ask, I’m hoping to find out my teaching assignment before the school year begins. Lol. I’m trying to be positive, but at this point my expectations are low. I’m really worried about the future of education for students through this.

I hear you. I have colleagues in schools with no soap & no sanitizer - it’s on back order. Nothing is normal now, maybe never again. Your main objective is safety, safety for you and for your students. If you end up online message me, I have some awesome supportive FB groups I can add you to if you are into that kind of thing

 

[Silvermist999]

Saw this posted on social media by a GTA school board. Definitely a picture for the history books.

 

[AngelDisney]

For my school, teachers are provided with two masks a day and a face shield. Hand sanitizers at 3 entrances. We are not provided individually with hand sanitizer, soap in washroom or disinfectant wipes as publicized. No changes in air ventilation or quality. My room is a few degree hotter than outside temperature as usual. Yet I am happy to be back. It’s great to be around with colleagues again without texting or emailing. Staffing is a mess now with teacher reallocation due to students opting out to virtual school. We are still working on timetables and I seriously do not think we are ready for students to start school on September 15.

About virtual school, many teachers “volunteered” to virtual school placement without training. I have elearning training but the elearning platform gets updated regularly. I am not familiar with many new features being offered now. Having teachers onsite teaching virtually makes it easier to provide tech support in person. When I was having trouble using Brightspace D2L in June, I had to wait for a day or two to get responses from IT. That was not helpful at all. Virtual school has it’s own platform. It’s not just using Google Classroom or Google Meet. This may be the reason why teachers at virtual school without medical accommodations have to go onsite to teach. And we have no clue where these sites would be yet.

 

[Madame]

For my school, teachers are provided with two masks a day and a face shield. Hand sanitizers at 3 entrances. We are not provided individually with hand sanitizer, soap in washroom or disinfectant wipes as publicized. No changes in air ventilation or quality. My room is a few degree hotter than outside temperature as usual. Yet I am happy to be back. It’s great to be around with colleagues again without texting or emailing. Staffing is a mess now with teacher reallocation due to students opting out to virtual school. We are still working on timetables and I seriously do not think we are ready for students to start school on September 15.

About virtual school, many teachers “volunteered” to virtual school placement without training. I have elearning training but the elearning platform gets updated regularly. I am not familiar with many new features being offered now. Having teachers onsite teaching virtually makes it easier to provide tech support in person. When I was having trouble using Brightspace D2L in June, I had to wait for a day or two to get responses from IT. That was not helpful at all. Virtual school has it’s own platform. It’s not just using Google Classroom or Google Meet. This may be the reason why teachers at virtual school without medical accommodations have to go onsite to teach. And we have no clue where these sites would be yet.

I guess each board is different as our tech support is shared between many schools so the support you get will be virtual support anyway. You have dedicated tech help in each school? Teachers will be isolated in their own area to teach - either a classroom or office so again, help will be virtual.

 

[scrappinginontario]

I wonder if all boards are doing virtual teaching from a central location? This is new news to me. We were told in a Trustees meeting that was open to all to watch that our virtual teachers would most likely be teaching from their homes so as parents, not to anticipate seeing them in a classroom setting should we choose virtual learning for our children.

I know one friend who applied to teach virtually and was approved also chose to keep her children home to learn virtually. Her husband is a custodian in a school so works out of the home each day. It will be quite a surprise to them if she suddenly has to go to a specific location to do her virtual teaching as it wouldn't leave anyone at home with their children. Her one child has some struggles and would find wearing a mask all day a big challenge which is what led the children and mom to move to virtual in the first place.

 

[bababear_50]

I have been told with my Board (GTA) that remote locations if needed might be accommodated should there be space,,,,which we all know in most schools that Tech space is not available.
My school only has electrical outlets on one side of the classroom.
Staff looking for a remote work location could be offered it at their home or non home school.

Medical accommodations to work from home are being offered for some.

95% of our Tech support is virtual,,unless new systems or upgrades are being made.

Staff working from home will need to provide care for their own kids as they are expected to be online teaching. Our board is pushing a lot of synchronous learning this year.

This explains the two types of learning people are throwing around.
https://thebestschools.org/magazine/synchronous-vs-asynchronous-education/
While staff have been working 24/7 we still have a done of work to do.


Hugs
Mel

 

[wdwmom3]

I wonder if all boards are doing virtual teaching from a central location? This is new news to me. We were told in a Trustees meeting that was open to all to watch that our virtual teachers would most likely be teaching from their homes so as parents, not to anticipate seeing them in a classroom setting should we choose virtual learning for our children.

I know one friend who applied to teach virtually and was approved also chose to keep her children home to learn virtually. Her husband is a custodian in a school so works out of the home each day. It will be quite a surprise to them if she suddenly has to go to a specific location to do her virtual teaching as it wouldn't leave anyone at home with their children. Her one child has some struggles and would find wearing a mask all day a big challenge which is what led the children and mom to move to virtual in the first place.

So your friend is expecting to supervisor her kids and help them with their online learning while teaching remotely? That’s not right. She can’t just drop what she’s teaching to go deal with her own kids. That’s not fair to her students.

 

[bababear_50]

Someone mentioned before and after school care,,,
Yes some schools are hoping to be able to accommodate it however keep in mind ,,,
the areas used are usually school/ childcare shared and overlap time will be needed to clean and disinfect those areas. Classes or childcare may need to be held or redirected outside for a short period of time .

All staff at my school are in
:Covid 19 training

:WHMIS training

:New Math curriculum training

:Anaphylaxis training / Epipen training

:CPI (Crisis Prevention Intervention) training

:Anti black racism training

Along with hauling and moving their stuff around the school as most of the classes are folding into split classes
1/2 2/3 3/4 4/5 etc.

Some staff know what they are doing next week ,,however some don't.
We are being asked to remain flexible as school numbers are going up and down,,
school PPE supplies are *on their way* we have been told.
Parents and caregivers are also now being asked to be flexible in a ever changing
Pandemic.
But yeah it is a Pandemic and I guess we need to focus on that instead of other petty things,,,at least for me I am going to try.

Hugs
Mel