Teaching students and your own children? 'Don't Over Ask Each Other'
Teaching remotely and providing home education to your own children: for education staff with children, it is juggling.
image: Fred van Diem
Education staff has done a lot of work this week. And those who are not sick will also have to 'just' continue working for the next few weeks, from home or school. Even if you have children walking around at home yourself.
Teaching staff come under the 'crucial professional groups'. If you have a partner without a vital profession, you should take care of your children yourself as much as possible. If that is not possible or if you are single, you can appeal to the school and / or childcare. In the meantime, every school must reach 'workable' agreements with its staff as quickly as possible. But what is workable for one person is hardly feasible for another.
As soon as the children are in bed, we open our laptops. It's such long days
“What I find particularly complicated is that you can't sail on an automatic pilot right now - as far as that is possible in education at all,” says assistant professor Jasper van Vught of Utrecht University. He has two children, aged one and three and a half, and his wife also has a tough job. The four of them are now at home. “We try to divide our care responsibilities as best we can. But during my contact moments with students, her appointments have to give way. And as soon as the children are in bed, we open our laptops. The days are long like this ”, says Van Vught.
At first, Van Vught thought he had the fortunate side effect that this teaching period is coming to an end. "I dropped some dust this week and thought that would give enough room for creativity. I do the contact moments via Microsoft Teams. And I can record lectures in the evenings and my students can watch them whenever they want. new didactic methods, and research is now completely at a standstill.
Once the eldest works, I try to answer some emails from students
“I do have the feeling that we can keep this up for a few weeks,” says Leanne Schoonenberg-Middel, nursing teacher at Roc Top and mother of three. “We try to keep to our normal rhythm as much as possible. So at about eight o'clock my husband goes home to work and I am busy with the children. The youngest of five and almost four can play a bit first, while I help the oldest of eight with starting up. Once he works with Snappet or in a notebook, I try to answer some emails from students. ”
My eldest is snotty, so I don't want to take him to school and the youngest also has a cold, so he can't go to the childminder
Schoonenberg-Middels students are in the last year of the level 4 nursing course and are doing an internship. “I am now convinced that they do hand in their exam parts so that I can examine them orally - either in person or with video calls. And I answer many practical questions about how to do their exams now. I notice that I work in the evenings much more than usual. ”
Schoonenberg-Middel works for two days and now spreads it in five days. “If I had a full-time job, I would have called on school and day care. We have also requested that. But my oldest is snotty, so I don't want to bring them to school. And the youngest also has a cold, so he cannot go to the childminder. ”
You can't do more than your best. Do not let them get to you
“Everyone is okay with what they have,” observes AObchairman Eugenie Stolk. “You can't do more than your best. So my advice is don't let that drive you crazy. And also: don't over-question each other. ”
Young dogs
Geography teacher Mariëlle Brouwer of the Ulenhof College in Doetinchem notes a difference within her section between what she calls the 'young dogs' and herself. “On Monday my young colleagues were organizing everything at a rapid pace, the information and ideas were flying around my ears and all were well-intentioned. But I found myself glad I got the day organized for a long time. I have two boys aged eleven and thirteen, one in primary school, the other in secondary, my partner is still at work, so I am alone at home. ”
I experience pressure, but fortunately I can put it aside again
For her children, Brouwer received numerous tips and guidelines from their schools. “It is almost a day's job to get the overview and to put my boys to work. So as far as my work is concerned, I am glad that there is now a timetable for my students and that I have contact with my mentor students. Then I would like to record a lesson next week, but that won't be possible this week. I do experience pressure about that, but fortunately can also put it aside. I am lucky that I have a very nice section to which I can honestly say that I am now unable to keep all the balls in the air. There is understanding for that. "
What about the duty of care and prevention to prevent illness that all schools have? And am I obliged to teach online? Go here to the list of frequently asked questions for the answers.
