‘We want to do our best for students and that’s what we’ll do’
AS both primary and secondary schools return to online learning this week, it’s a game-changer for new teachers.
Gorey’s Jason Redmond is a secondary school teacher at St David’s in Greystones, county Wicklow and he says he is looking forward to the challenge.
‘ Teachers have already proved that they can work remotely via Zoom, Google Classroom or Microsoft Teams for example and as someone who is new to teaching, it brings a new element to the profession and I’m looking forward to it.
‘I have been preparing Zoom lessons, PowerPoints and online activities and I’m ready to go. Thankfully, in September, all staff at St David’s received ICT training during a staff meeting delivered by school’s team in preparation for another lockdown and I’m grateful for that foresight now.
‘I was happy with the u-turn as logistically, it did not make much sense to teach sixth years three times per week in-school and then the rest of the year groups remotely. Community transmission for Covid-19 is very high at the moment and sending 60,000 sixth years along with all of their teachers to their schools didn’t make sense. Along with other teachers and students, I will be much safer now that remote teaching has been agreed for all year groups’.
Jason said that the way he sees it, teaching is a difficult profession and teachers enter it knowing what they’re signing up for.
‘ There are children who need to be in school, children who could be escaping something at home, children battling something, people from disadvantaged or vulnerable backgrounds, or children who just need a positive influence in their lives. In the main, remote teaching will work and the students will engage, but it’s things in the background that sometimes go unnoticed in the teaching profession.
‘ Teachers sign up to the job to help and improve the students in front of them and that stretches well beyond their academics. They’re a guiding light and both students and staff will miss going to school.
‘As always, I will be doing my absolute best for them and I will be answerable to
them. There is an extra pressure, but teachers, who are mandated individuals, naturally work in pressurised environments, so it shouldn’t change too much in that regard. We want to do our best for all students, and that’s what we’ll continue to do.
‘Before the Christmas break, I didn’t think the pandemic was taking its toll on the students. Despite the challenges, both the teachers and the students have been extraordinary in difficult circumstances.
‘ The sanitising, social distancing, open windows and big coats has all became a norm quite quickly. The students want to learn and the teachers want to teach. Back in September, I was somewhat concerned at first, but the leadership and the compliance in the school has been phenomenal. All staff and students understood the seriousness of this. We are in a pandemic and that didn’t have to be reiterated. Sanitising stations, masks, wipes, a new one way system, and individual tables have all been introduced which helped to alleviate some initial concerns. Trust between management, teachers, and students is absolutely paramount. Thankfully, St David’s has strong leadership, positive influence, and a new Covid-19 liaison officer which all helps’.
Jason said he felt that some government decisions were questionable, but despite this he has a level of empathy for what they are doing.
‘Leaks are happening quite regularly, while the government also seem to be jumping from one decision to the next during a time when we need strong leadership. Minister Foley and the Government are making difficult decisions and either way, there’s always going to be a big chunk of people who are unhappy with the decisions they arrive at.
‘In a pandemic, there’s always going to be a level of worry — but that has to be balanced with a level of positivity too. If you’re too worried, that’s certainly not a healthy way of living. You could be as safe as you want, lock yourself in a room, and then catch Covid-19 on a door handle. I have been worried about contracting it in school and bringing it home, but that’s the same way I would be worried about catching it at home, or in my community, and bringing it to the school’.
In terms of where we go from here with the Leaving and Junior Cert exams, Jason said it’s easy to speculate.
‘Right now, I do not think it’s fair that the 2021 Leaving Cert takes place in its traditional sense. Like the class of 2020, they should be given the option of predicted grades and then the option to complete their Leaving Cert too. This year’s sixth years have went through a lot and a lot of their fifth-year work was done remotely, which is far from ideal preparation leading up to their most important school exams.
‘I have a Higher-Level English group and we were just about ready to prepare for the mocks. The mock exams, which were due to take place in early February, are essential as they highlight where the students are, along with the gaps in their knowledge. They may not take place in their traditional sense now.
‘I’m acutely aware that there’s a lot of logistics at play here. The practicals, the orals, the mocks, will all have to be considered too if remote teaching and learning continues for longer than planned. One positive outlook is that we could be back in the classroom in a few weeks, but a contingency plan needs to be laid out now by government with relevant stakeholders’.