I hate school

Savvy_Sue

Well, the boys' school is now signed up for schoolcomms, so I do get the monthly newsletters that way, and the 6th form newsletter comes through each week - on a Sunday for some reason!

I am now getting regular emails from the staff who are on DS3's back about coursework. I'm not sure that he's woken up to this yet: I have told him that according to his staff mentor he's got at least 15 hours worth of work to do next week, when he's on work experience and he looked a bit shocked.

However, it would take a major shift for ALL communications to come that way. Not all parents have email addresses, never mind internet connections, and even those who DO have email addresses don't necessarily check their email that regularly. Plus while it may be easy enough to send out messages to individuals or to the whole school, anything in between could get complicated: all of one year group; all that year group doing French; all that year group doing X activity ...

Plus it becomes a shift of responsibility. Now there's an admin team some of whom must spend half their lives photocopying. And there would still need to be some photocopying, for the parents without email, but you'd still have to make enough copies for everyone, PLUS send out an email, and while it may not be rocket science it's another job which takes a few minutes to do right. Who would be responsible for that emailing? And so on.

studentphil

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

Well, the boys' school is now signed up for schoolcomms, so I do get the monthly newsletters that way, and the 6th form newsletter comes through each week - on a Sunday for some reason!

I am now getting regular emails from the staff who are on DS3's back about coursework. I'm not sure that he's woken up to this yet: I have told him that according to his staff mentor he's got at least 15 hours worth of work to do next week, when he's on work experience and he looked a bit shocked.

However, it would take a major shift for ALL communications to come that way. Not all parents have email addresses, never mind internet connections, and even those who DO have email addresses don't necessarily check their email that regularly. Plus while it may be easy enough to send out messages to individuals or to the whole school, anything in between could get complicated: all of one year group; all that year group doing French; all that year group doing X activity ...

Plus it becomes a shift of responsibility. Now there's an admin team some of whom must spend half their lives photocopying. And there would still need to be some photocopying, for the parents without email, but you'd still have to make enough copies for everyone, PLUS send out an email, and while it may not be rocket science it's another job which takes a few minutes to do right. Who would be responsible for that emailing? And so on.

I think an email should be used in conjunction with giving out a paper letter to each student with a reply form for the parent to sign to say they have seen it that must be returned and failure to return would result in some sort of punishment.

Why does the head teacher not send out the email if the admin staff object to doing it?

Email is like normal letters you should check at least once a day if you use it at work.

I accept that nothing and no system is perfect and it really comes down to parents to hound their kids for notes from school

Savvy_Sue

Phil, please hurry and get into the real world.

1. Some people only have email at work: they live IRL not online.

2. Some employers do not allow you to access PERSONAL email at work, nor to give your WORK email address out other than for business reasons. Shocking, I know, but some employers think you're there to work not use their broadband connection.

3. Some parents, having spent all day at work, like to spend time with their children when they get home, rather than online. Or they cannot get online because their children hog the computer. I KNOW that some of my colleagues do not check their WORK email every day, and shock horror, they very rarely check email at home. And yes, they are parents, but with demanding children, it's just not what they do when they get home! And imagine, you don't check your email until after the children are in bed, so Al Mac finds an email at midnight saying a brown shirt is needed for tomorrow - hey, a new thread to rant in! :rotfl:

4. Given the salary of an average headteacher, I'd like to think that they spent their time earning it in more demanding ways than sending out emails. Plus I never said the admin staff would object to doing it, but if you are doubling up the communication, you are increasing their workload. Plus, sometimes, by the time a teacher has worked out who a particular letter needs to go to, and explained it to the admin staff, they might as well do it themselves, whereas if it was just a duplicating job the admin staff would do it.

5. My sons' school does send out forms you are supposed to sign and return. Sometimes I find the original letter in DS3's bag long after they were sent home, sometimes it's the form I signed and sent back still languishing in his bag. Please tell me WHO is supposed to check off all the returned forms to say "I've seen this letter?" The form tutor? The admin staff? Whoever it is, then needs to make a report to whoever sent the letter out, and organise the punishment, probably detention, so someone has to send a letter home about that, which is supposed to be signed and sent back, so someone has to check that happens, and - hey, let's stop teaching interesting subjects and just start carrying on huge form filling and returning exercises, that will prepare the children for real life, won't it? (Actually I'm supposed to sign DS3's planner every week, and so is his tutor: I won't sign it unless he lets me look at it and check he's done everything he's supposed to: he doesn't like me doing this so I haven't signed it for a couple of years now. Any sanctions? None that I know of. And when did his tutor last sign it? Not this year, as far as I can see!)

6. Some parents - a very few - just don't care. So, shall we punish their children for not bringing back signed forms? Is it the child's fault? Sometimes yes, but not always.

the current system isn't perfect. But then, neither are schools: they are full of children who aren't perfect, with parents who aren't perfect, and teachers who aren't perfect. On that basis, I've always done my best to do what the school asked, and if that wasn't good enough, too bad.

gravitytolls

As always Savvy, all good common sense.

studentphil

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

Phil, please hurry and get into the real world.

1. Some people only have email at work: they live IRL not online.

2. Some employers do not allow you to access PERSONAL email at work, nor to give your WORK email address out other than for business reasons. Shocking, I know, but some employers think you're there to work not use their broadband connection.

3. Some parents, having spent all day at work, like to spend time with their children when they get home, rather than online. Or they cannot get online because their children hog the computer. I KNOW that some of my colleagues do not check their WORK email every day, and shock horror, they very rarely check email at home. And yes, they are parents, but with demanding children, it's just not what they do when they get home! And imagine, you don't check your email until after the children are in bed, so Al Mac finds an email at midnight saying a brown shirt is needed for tomorrow - hey, a new thread to rant in! :rotfl:

4. Given the salary of an average headteacher, I'd like to think that they spent their time earning it in more demanding ways than sending out emails. Plus I never said the admin staff would object to doing it, but if you are doubling up the communication, you are increasing their workload. Plus, sometimes, by the time a teacher has worked out who a particular letter needs to go to, and explained it to the admin staff, they might as well do it themselves, whereas if it was just a duplicating job the admin staff would do it.

5. My sons' school does send out forms you are supposed to sign and return. Sometimes I find the original letter in DS3's bag long after they were sent home, sometimes it's the form I signed and sent back still languishing in his bag. Please tell me WHO is supposed to check off all the returned forms to say "I've seen this letter?" The form tutor? The admin staff? Whoever it is, then needs to make a report to whoever sent the letter out, and organise the punishment, probably detention, so someone has to send a letter home about that, which is supposed to be signed and sent back, so someone has to check that happens, and - hey, let's stop teaching interesting subjects and just start carrying on huge form filling and returning exercises, that will prepare the children for real life, won't it? (Actually I'm supposed to sign DS3's planner every week, and so is his tutor: I won't sign it unless he lets me look at it and check he's done everything he's supposed to: he doesn't like me doing this so I haven't signed it for a couple of years now. Any sanctions? None that I know of. And when did his tutor last sign it? Not this year, as far as I can see!)

6. Some parents - a very few - just don't care. So, shall we punish their children for not bringing back signed forms? Is it the child's fault? Sometimes yes, but not always.

the current system isn't perfect. But then, neither are schools: they are full of children who aren't perfect, with parents who aren't perfect, and teachers who aren't perfect. On that basis, I've always done my best to do what the school asked, and if that wasn't good enough, too bad.

If I knew all the answers then I would earn a 6 figure wage as a consultant to the Dept for ed. It is a cultural thing is email. I read my email every two hours and that is just natural. People less used to email don't like it. If schools are serious over inter school and parent communication then it has to deploy some of its staff to this end which ever method it employs. I accept a lot of kids have rubbish parents who are not that bothered, which is sad and I accept punishment for parents' failure is not good.

Planner signing is a joke past year 7 in every school I have known.

All I am saying is employing new technology like text and email and online is a low cost, if not low time, method of strengthing communication with parents. I accept it is flawed but as is so much.

studentphil

Al_Mac wrote: »

Shirt came out as expected, light brown (beige). Son wore it and it rained all day, so they all had coats on:rolleyes:

Oh well, it was fun anyway playing with tea.

bethom

Al_Mac wrote: »

Phil my children go to a secondary school with about 1600 students, they don't read emails, let alone send them.

bethom, the school also has a website, but for that to work parents would have to have net access, amaxing how many don't and would have to check every day, just in case. Don't think that would happen.

Oh of course not many have net access and yes checking everyday would be a pain in the bum, but I thought it was a nice touch by them and it sort of shows they are trying to help and think of parents.

They also have book bags that all children must have, rucsacks are a no no at the moment and they put the letters into them so that parents see them. This is a first school though and I realise it is going to get a lot harder with lost and forgotton letters etc when he moves onto middle school, lol. He would foget his head if it wasn't screwed on, god knows what he will be like as he gets older bless him.

Glad the shirt turned out okay, pity it rained tho!! At least with being on a forum you can get really good last minute ideas!!

studentphil

Why cannt high schools have clear bags if that is the answer?

bethom

Phil it's 2007 not 1907, todays kids like being cool and the chances are they would be left at school or home anyway.

*goes off to sulk cos I made myself sound very old* :rotfl:

looby75

studentphil wrote: »

Why cannt high schools have clear bags if that is the answer?

yeah because I'm sure that all those teenage girls would be very happy to walk round with their tampax and sanitary products on display for the whole school to see :rolleyes: