Covid-19

[Mull]

Think sime42 is awaiting a reply?

[Johnsond]

3 minutes ago, Mull said:

If that’s your best comeback on the remarks on COVID, oh well. Thanks for your input.

Lol 😂 

listen up Shakespeare 

Go back and decipher your posts so they make a tad more sense. 

[Johnsond]

3 minutes ago, Mull said:

Think sime42 is awaiting a reply?

I replied but I’m sure he appreciates your concern. 

[Mull]

Lol [emoji23] 
listen up Shakespeare 
Go back and decipher your posts so they make a tad more sense. 

Haha, do you even have a job?☹️☹️

[Johnsond]

3 minutes ago, Mull said:

Haha, do you even have a job?☹️☹️

😳🤷‍♂️WTF are you drinking. 
 

Edited February 12, 2021 by Johnsond

[Mull]

[emoji15]🤷‍♂️WTF are you drinking 

Mmm, this is going nowhere johnsond, trying to belittle each other! Maybe we should give it up for the night, or even forever[emoji23]

[trigger_andy]

Just now, Youngstu said:

It is really hard for teenagers doing their exams last year and this year, but teacher assessment is likely to play a massive part, so if someone is really capable of getting into medical school and would be expected to get those grades they could well be in s better position than in a normal year where everything hinges on the final exams and if they don't get the grades... tough luck. These years there may well be a bit more leniency in the system. 

Without dismissing the serious effects of the current situation on your daughter and other people in similar situations, the next 7+ years of medical training would be bloody tough too if the stories about being a trainee doctor and junior doctor are true! 

I dont think you're taking the mental anguish of being cooped up in a house 24/7 into account. Nor the seriously flawed home schooling system either. Have you seen or heard what this schooling actually consists of now? Its abysmal and fluctuates wildly from teacher to teacher. Combining these two and the mental pressures they are under trying to achieve the grades needed amongst this mess is almost unbearable for a lot of kids. They've children that have had a jail sentence thrust upon them and expected to just make do and carry on. 

 

Exams have been a tried and tested method up till now. The whole education system has been geared to polishing the pupils so they can perform at these end of year tests. And no, if you mess up badly on the day its not the end of the world. Its why Prelims are a thing and can and are taken into account if a pupil fails spectacularly on the day. 

 

But thats gone, we're told to rely on a teachers judgement instead. Im not sure if you've been following how many teachers have been acting during the crisis, perhaps I dont want to even know your views on it but from my perspective many have been extremely quick to drag their heels at doing anything to help the kids. The unions seem hell bent on politicizinging what instructions they give their members and seem to be thwarting any attempt the government makes at getting this generation of children the missing education they need. 

 

Teachers are only human, some will be overly sympathetic to some kids and others may be overly harsh to the the ones they dislike. They'll be made Judge Jury and executioner based on how well they deliver home schooling. And from what Ive seen so far its atrocious. 

 

Then we have the children of 'front line' parents who can still attend school in person and get an almost private education off of the teachers in a class that might have had 20-30 pupils before. 

 

From what I gather Boarding Schools remain open. In reality for the most part these are the kids my Daughter is up against when it comes to placements. To even get an interview for medical school is near on impossible. And for the three Universities my Daughter applied for there was 600 students getting interviewed for 80-130 places. 

 

Yes, the next 7 years will be very tough for the kids that do manage to get a placement. A baptism in fire so to speak. 

 

My older Daughter is in the only class thats allowed back to Dundee University just now. Supposedly cadaver disection is not something that can be done from home. Who knew?  

 

[Johnsond]

3 minutes ago, Mull said:

Mmm, this is going nowhere johnsond, trying to belittle each other! Maybe we should give it up for the night, or even forever

I’m not belittling you Mull your managing that fine on your own asking me if I even have a job??. There’s a few on here who know already but for you Dive Supervisor Offshore, Milling when onshore 👍 I’ll pm you my CV if you want.  One thing I will say is I’ve never ever taken a penny off the state not even during this Covid period. 

[scbk]

Now that it seems the most "at risk" have had their first jag, apparently giving them most of the protection, does that mean "lockdown" is about to end?

[Youngstu]

8 hours ago, trigger_andy said:

I dont think you're taking the mental anguish of being cooped up in a house 24/7 into account. Nor the seriously flawed home schooling system either. Have you seen or heard what this schooling actually consists of now? Its abysmal and fluctuates wildly from teacher to teacher. Combining these two and the mental pressures they are under trying to achieve the grades needed amongst this mess is almost unbearable for a lot of kids. They've children that have had a jail sentence thrust upon them and expected to just make do and carry on. 

 

Exams have been a tried and tested method up till now. The whole education system has been geared to polishing the pupils so they can perform at these end of year tests. And no, if you mess up badly on the day its not the end of the world. Its why Prelims are a thing and can and are taken into account if a pupil fails spectacularly on the day. 

 

But thats gone, we're told to rely on a teachers judgement instead. I'm not sure if you've been following how many teachers have been acting during the crisis, perhaps I dont want to even know your views on it but from my perspective many have been extremely quick to drag their heels at doing anything to help the kids. The unions seem hell bent on politicizinging what instructions they give their members and seem to be thwarting any attempt the government makes at getting this generation of children the missing education they need. 

 

Teachers are only human, some will be overly sympathetic to some kids and others may be overly harsh to the the ones they dislike. They'll be made Judge Jury and executioner based on how well they deliver home schooling. And from what Ive seen so far its atrocious. 

 

Then we have the children of 'front line' parents who can still attend school in person and get an almost private education off of the teachers in a class that might have had 20-30 pupils before. 

 

From what I gather Boarding Schools remain open. In reality for the most part these are the kids my Daughter is up against when it comes to placements. To even get an interview for medical school is near on impossible. And for the three Universities my Daughter applied for there was 600 students getting interviewed for 80-130 places. 

 

Yes, the next 7 years will be very tough for the kids that do manage to get a placement. A baptism in fire so to speak. 

 

My older Daughter is in the only class thats allowed back to Dundee University just now. Supposedly cadaver disection is not something that can be done from home. Who knew?  

Having two kids (not) at school, one at primary and one at secondary I'm very well aware of what the home schooling system is like at the minute and having to spend half of the week helping them with their work to make sure that they do their best when I could be earning money or getting on top of work that has been missed over the last year, I'm quite clear about what's happening in a couple of schools at least. It's not ideal by any stretch of the imagination, but the students do have the opportunity to succeed and progress if they and their parents have the facilities, technology and ability to help them. The lack of social opportunities for those at home is rubbish but most schools now offer at least some zoom type sessions, some for all their lessons, some for some and some like my eldest's school for a tutor period once a week which he really enjoys (but wouldn't want all of his lessons like that like some other local schools are doing.

 

Exams have been a tried and tested method, yes one that successive governments feel the need to fiddle with, adjust and completely change on a regular basis, including coursework, not including it, including more or if and recently getting rid of it entirely. Arguably they are also grossly unfair for a lot of students who are judged entirely on their exam grades but excel in other areas of life but either struggle with the pressure of exams or struggle to display their abilities in those kinds of situations. The end of course exam based system also greatly favours children from stable families with the neccessary technology and space for them to study intensively at the end  of their courses. (greatly favouring wealthier families, helping further widen the gap between the haves and have nots).

 

Having a wife who is a teacher and several friends doing the same in different schools I do know hw they've been acting over these months, seeing the toll that is has taken on them, where they have more work that they would normally with few, if any of the positives that they would have when working in school. Having to learn entirely new ways of teaching and getting the information to the children, adapting it for those that can't access it, spending much of the day fielding problems from the children, setting work, assessing work is only the start of it. Then they're having to deal with unannounced changes from up on high, responding to a barrage of emails from children, parents and colleagues then having to deal with assorted parents who very kindly suggest that they do things in different ways because they think it would work best, or because they have a friend whose child is at a school where they do it like this and think it would be a better option for little Johnny. 

 

Regarding teacher's judgement and assessment of student's progress and abilities, for whatever reason you seem to think that they'll just pluck a grade out of the air depending on whether they like someone or not. From the teachers that I know and the systems that I have some understanding of I can assure you that wouldn't be the case, or even be possible as they have to present swathes of data and evidence to justify the decisions that they made (which were thrown up in the air when last summer the government decided to use an algorithm that took no account of the judgement that these professionals had made). 

 

Where children of front line workers (and those children classed as vulnerable) they are often in much smaller classes as would be expected where social distancing is supposed to being observed to a degree. However particularly in the case of secondary schools it is essentially babysitting with the kids sat in front of computers doing the same work as the kids at home, maybe with the added bonus of a daily PE lesson. For primary kids they are in classes interacting with one another which is great, although for many of the teachers they're trying to deal with those in front of them and the ones at home and still setting and delivering work for both lots. For most teachers this seems to have been the worst/hardest/most harrowing term ever with the sheer levels of work and lack of positives they've had to cope with. 

 

You've obviously got some clever and driven offspring there who have done amazingly to get where they are and until there is a complete system change regarding private education anybody coming from the state sector trying to get to top universities or study courses such as medicine will always be having to be extra good to even get an interview, let alone get a place. Until they change the whole application/interview process it will be dominated by the same sort of people. It has been improving but not fast enough.