The Musings of a Dik-dik

Don't you think? I had to take a while to process my thoughts on the announcements from Whitehall yesterday. Two of the top five government officials leading the fight against Covid-19 revealed that they have tested positive for the virus, and a third is self-isolating as they are exhibiting symptoms. The irony isn't lost on anybody. For the past month or more, we have been receiving advice from these people on the best ways to limit our chances of contracting the virus ourselves. We have listened to their advice and their instructions to stay home and save lives. We have not been in close contact with family and friends to protect them and us. And so it begs the question (which undoubtedly shall remain unanswered):  WHERE IS THE EVIDENCE THEY HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING THEIR OWN ADVICE? It has to be asked. We are all also aware that while they had taken precautions, those they have worked most closely with haven't necessarily done the same. But, let's not forget that...

What does/should it entail? Depending on which school you work in, or which school your child attends, the expectations of working from home and home learning differ enormously. In my house, we both work at different secondary schools and we both have different things expected of us while we are not at school. One of us has to just check emails regularly and be ready to reply to any queries from students or parents as soon as is feasibly possible. No expectation to set further work beyond what was hastily prepared in anticipation of the school closures. The other of us is still expected to go into school for one day every three weeks to supervise the children who have been sent to school, whilst also checking emails, sending further resources and learning suggestions to teaching groups and trying to And that's just two schools, about 6 miles apart. I'm trying not to look at it that one of us has a rougher deal than the other, especially when I see posts in teacher forums...

Money makes the world go round In spite of the speed at which the situation with Covid-19 has developed and the way in which the difficulties are being reported through the media, I have been particularly reassured by the Chancellor of the Exchequer's announcements regarding support for businesses and employees, and hope that further announcements can be made for the self employed and sole traders that make up a significant chunk of our trading economy. His clarity in response to questions is quite refreshing (compared to my perception of the way in which some of his cabinet colleagues are coping with journalistic interrogation) and he speaks with a conviction unparalleled by other senior ministers in this crisis so far.  I am, however, somewhat pessimistic about any future financial aid the government may provide to the transport and/or tourism industries. Currently, their pricing strategies are indicative of daylight robbery at worst, and are discriminatory at best. As a ...

… the UK is on lockdown. We all sat last night at 8.30pm to hear the ministerial address from the prime minister. We all knew what he was going to announce, especially after the daily press briefing had been ominously cancelled. We knew it was coming after the pictures over the weekend of people flocking to open spaces and not using their sense to turn around and go back home because there were already too many people there. So many now are in shock at the sudden removal of our general freedom. So many are now wondering how their marriage will survive. So many are wondering if they will survive. It's easy enough for us to blame those who flocked to the countryside and the seaside at the weekend but I've come to realise there's more to it than that. This time last week, there were screams for schools to be closed because they were breeding grounds for the virus and contradicted the advice surrounding mass gatherings. And people flocked to the parks and beaches at the w...

First up: my tuppence on school closures. As a member of the community with elderly relatives in the vulnerable groups, I've felt that keeping schools open was a potential danger to spreading the virus more quickly. As a teacher, I've actually found myself on the fence as to what was best in the face of growing calls to close schools. This doesn't happen often - usually I am vehemently for or against and no additional perspective will change my mind. This time it's a very different scenario, though. My indecision was a result of feeling ill informed as to the actual risks posed to me by the "less affected" young people and my colleagues whilst also being concerned over the seeming hypocrisy that mass gatherings were to be avoided in general but having 1000 students plus approximately 100 staff convening five days a week was fine. In discussions in the staff room (yes, I am fortunate to work in a school that still has one), the general feeling was that sch...

Any and all posts here are not designed to be well-researched opinion pieces. They are more a stream of consciousness on the theme of the day. As I set up this blog, the UK is well in the midst of trying to slow the spread of the Covid-19. The mainstream media, social media and my own experiences as a secondary school teacher dealing with closure, distance learning and working from home will form the basis of the posts, particularly to begin with. There will be criticism of individuals/groups of people who will not be able to defend themselves to my thoughts (largely because they are unaware that my thoughts are "out there"); there will be hypothetical solutions laid out that will not be heard by those that could consider them; there will sometimes be a sense of I know better when in reality I don't, I'm just angry/deflated by the situation that has evolved. I want to receive comments that invite discussion of what I've chosen to ramble about, as opposed to ...