I wrote this during the first lockdown without, I think, posting it anywhere. Now that we are gradually coming out of the second lockdown, after a number of cases appeared in the community on 22nd January, not much has changed. (Figures this time are nearly 600 cases; the first wave was 252, with a blissful six months or more of no new cases and complete freedom across the island.)
The first time, there were rainbows everywhere: drawn and coloured on pieces of paper in windows; painted on pebbles, walls and even a boat. This time, lockdown was sprung on us - we woke on the 23rd to social media messages of : 4 cases in the community. Stay at home. Everyone heaved a collective sigh and did, indeed, stay at home, getting stuck in to online learning and working from home once more, venturing out only for essential shopping or some daily exercise outdoors.
With all the encouragement to really act as a community, looking out for and helping each other, I felt that my own contributions have been absolutely paltry.
True, I saw a lot of my neighbour – not elderly or in need, but we helped each other out with shopping, sharing garden tools and tips and moral support in the form of coffee mornings and wine evenings. (Over the fence at double Safe Social Distance.) Otherwise, despite the little cards I dropped through letter boxes a few weeks ago, offering help and giving my contact details, my neighbours seemed to be self-sufficient and happily getting on with isolation. I didn't even bother second time around...
So I don’t feel I do much. Even working from home, one of my colleagues has been planning the maths for my year group, the other the English. I’ve only had two lots of R.E. and the Geography to sort out, so have felt a little guilty that I haven’t been doing more.
Until my marking load hit me with the force of a runaway truck. No boring details, but, potentially, I could have to give up to 300 pieces of feedback a week. 300 pieces of work to mark, checking that answers are correct, giving explanation of errors and pointers for improvement.
How do I know? Well, as I started to feel overwhelmed – by then it was 10pm and I was way off finishing the day’s work - I timed how long 10 assignments took and calculated the average. That seemed reasonable. I was both reassured that I had a solid reason for my feelings of drowning in a sea of screened work and hit with despair at the monumental task in front of me.
Each assignment has different demands. Some feedback – the delightful writing and drawing of six year olds – is quick, easy and lifts my spirits. Maybe up to a minute – yes, sixty whole seconds – for each child. It takes a little time to click through to the work, wait for it to upload, read and then think about my response, but it is easily manageable. Others – English grammar and comprehension – takes a minimum of 2 minutes. Geography: about the same, once I had spent the time to work out my expectations, criteria for success and levels of achievement. Oh, and the all-important house credits to be awarded as well, of course.
And the maths? Oh, my goodness. If the maths doesn’t want to make me slit my wrists, I don’t know what does. A minimum 5 minutes, often more. Why so long?
· The work is set at two levels: basic and extension, children’s choice.
· Their finished work is not given in with any indication of which task they have chosen.
· Their finished work may be filled in on the sheet electronically (relatively easy); filled in on a paper print out and photographed, then uploaded; written in full, set out neatly, in an exercise book; or just the answers written down, so I have to work out which task they actually completed.
· The work may be out of focus; photographed sideways or upside down; or even given in as a video, the camera panning blurrily from one page to another.
Apart from the workload, the fact that feedback is online, instantly visible to parents as well as children, gives me some anxiety. Some parents, of course, are too busy juggling their own work from home to even help their children, let alone go through the answers with a toothpick. (Yes, I know the analogy is toothcomb, but this combines also with an excellent nit-picking attitude so a new word
seemed called for.) But there are still the few – or the few children with an assiduous eye for detail and wish to catch the teacher out – or love to find fault.
The head has it right when he asks everyone to be kind. I’m doing my bit. I haven’t named anyone. (But you know who you are….)
So am I doing my bit? You betcha. I’m keeping the school and education system going, educating children and keeping them out of their parents’ hair and providing a valuable service to the community.
Working hard. And still able to make the odd cake or two to donate to young people struggling in isolation…now, that DOES feel good and worthwhile. #personaltherapy #makesmefeelbetter #getbacktothemarking
