Was The Head Politicising ?

[modeller]

I watched that headmaster on the news forcibly saying that his school was open as the education of the children was paramount.
It sounded right but that was a sound bite he was playing to the media .

The reality is , that if 15-20% of the staff or children can not get to the school then normal lessons are not possible . Classes are doubled/trebled up , planned lessons have to be changed and or repeated when the school gets back to normal. The school meals and busses are badly affected . The busses may get the children to school but then are unable to get them home .
Quite simply it might help the parents but it doesn't do much for the children's formal education.
I use the term formal because we don't get much snow in this country and there's a lot to learn about the characteristics of snow and the social contacts which result from it.

I remember head teachers who banned the throwing of snowballs for health and safety reasons. At least that nonsense doesn't apply when the children have the occasional day off in the year.

I taught for many years so I'm speaking from experience and not playing to the gallery.

[k8bailey]

I agree, my 4 year old is in school today, all other local schools are closed. Our neighbours kids are outside playing in the snow, having a great time while my daughter is stuck in a classroom. Her teacher didn't make it in, and the head told me this morning that for safety, the kids would be kept in all day, no outside breaks, instead they will be watching TV during break times! Great, thanks for that!!

PS I work in a college and they're closed.

[zebo]

k8bailey, you sum it up perfectly. The schools which are opening when others in the area close will have to resort to mass classes watching videos, drawing etc, it will be impossible to teach anything. Those who bleat about "in my day" conveniently forget that the world was a very different place, parents didn't sue every time their precious falls over, people lived more locally. Here in Norfolk schools have been closed in some areas for a week because even though the councils do a great job keeping roads open, especially on bus routes, the grounds of the schools are lethal. "In my day" we turned the roads into skating rinks by making ice-slides, when we fell over we got up again and continued sliding, that's how we were brought up, today's children are different, parents can't molly-coddle their children then expect them to cope with difficult conditions.

[ummmm]

Zebo...do you really think kids don't do that now?

When I was a child in the 70's there was probably 3 houses on my street that owned a car. That meant that we were free to skid down the road to our hearts content. Kids can't do that now because of the traffic but I live near a park and it's been packed since the snow started.

[emmie]

so if the schools are worried that the children will get hurt, why do you see so many who are off from school, haring down hills on home made sledges, they couldn't care less, it's fun, at it always was

[NOX]

My kids have always sledged, snowballed, iglooed ( when enough snow), snowmanned and made ice runs- don't know anyone whose kids don't do this. Nothing's changed.
If the headmaster you are talking about was that dogged little oaf on the news the other night who looked like his other choice of career might have been a traffic warden then yes he was posturing to the cameras, bet he watch himself back on video repeatedly enjoying his celebrity later:)

[zebo]

Yes, the children probably do the same things we did when they can and if they fall over, break a leg it's an accident. If they are in the school grounds and break a leg, that's often a claim for compensation. Many schools are facing nonsensical claims from parents all the time for trivial matters.

[modeller]

Did you see the school bus driver tonight who had picked up children from a school , that had been open, only to find he couldn't get them home and he was wondering if he should try to go back and let them spend the night in the school.

Nox, it probably was the same one, a proper little fascist . If he talks like that to his staff I bet that they have a high staff turnover .

[NOX]

Yes, he had one of those faces you wanted to push in :)