You have to marvel at the naivety of people like Lord Adonis when it comes to statements about how educators should be expected to provide materials for their pupils remotely. Learning in lockdown evolves every week - what worked for us yesterday may well be unsuitable tomorrow. The idea that teachers are failing to provide adequate online provision and support would be funny, were it not so insulting.
Last month writer Damian Barr tweeted: “We are not all in the same boat. We are all in the same storm. Some are on super-yachts. Some have just the one oar.” It’s an appropriate summation of the world’s inequalities in 2020, but it also captures an uncomfortable reality about remote learning: it doesn’t work for everyone.
You only have to teach for a few years before you learn that school settings are not created equally. Headteachers and senior leaders have their own styles and principles that you, as a staff member, try to share. Anywhere you choose to work, you’ll find different methodologies and priorities shaping the school and the focus of lessons. And what an incredible time this is to be a school leader - what an awful burden of responsibility they carry here. It’s enough to put you off the idea of promotion for good.
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If we accept that schools each operate under vastly different fiefdoms, think of the huge differences in our pupils’ worlds. Children come from wildly different backgrounds and the spectrum of individual and social needs is endless.
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How can teachers be expected to treat children - from a diverse range of cultures and home lives - as if they are all the same? It’s absolutely true that some pupils are sailing through their remote classes: responding to emails promptly, dialling into video chats, sending in complex and creative work every day.
But others are floundering. Sleeping in late. Struggling to complete the basics without any structure in their day or meaningful support at home. Going days or weeks at a time without any engagement with lessons.
The pressure teachers are working under increases each week. Remote learning feels alien and uncomfortable for many of us. These are long days, stuck to a screen, with a dizzying amount of distractions that go along with working from home: delivery drivers, partners’ expectations, support with childcare, contributing to housework, and monitoring our own children’s education all at once.
What’s worse, there is no end in sight. The first minister’s comments about returning to school in August make it clear that remote learning is here to stay, at least on a part-time basis. Although there is relief in knowing that schools will reopen, there are uncertainties over timetabling and balance.
My email inbox has quickly populated with offers from commercial companies offering online plans, resources and assessments, but I can’t say I’ve been tempted. Fleecing education for profit always makes me uncomfortable.
The pupils need dialogue with their own teachers rather than some global advisory and educational management firm’s nonsense. They deserve at least that. And, while Education Scotland’s intention to produce remote learning materials should be applauded, I would caution any teacher against relying on these being particularly useful or robust.
In education, as in life, we are all in the same storm here, but with very different boats. The waves keep coming. If we look far enough ahead, there is a day in August when we will all be back in the classroom with our pupils. Everyone will get to that point having gone through hugely different experiences and setbacks. Going back to school will even create horrible anxiety for those pupils who have thrived during remote learning.
Rest assured, though, that as long as we’re all going in the same direction, with pupils making progress and teachers providing as much support as they can, we’ll get back to calmer waters eventually.
Alan Gillespie is principal teacher of English at Fernhill School in Glasgow. He tweets @afjgillespie
