How do teachers feel about schools being open in Sept?

[Meangallery]

So kid's education is to get priority, schools are to open in Sept and if infections rise the Government will close down everything else.

Will the Unions tolerate this? It feels like teachers will be on the frontline next year...

theemojiformallyknownasprince I don’t feel scared and I am not dismissing the feelings of teachers who are. Most of the teachers I work with are 20 years younger than me so I feel that statistically I might be more at risk than they are. I think the rationale of facing forward is that the don’t breathe into each others faces? Maybe that’s not correct? I feel that I can teach from a reasonable distance away from most of the class I guess it depends on the size of your classroom and the number of pupils in the class.

I'm really looking forward to being back with the children and my colleagues. And hopefully being able to teach face to face again.

However, it's such an unknown isn't it? All the contradictions about 'children don't spread it / children are super spreaders; teachers are no more likely to get it / teachers will be in the firing line...

I mean, no one really knows yet do they? So yes, I am also very anxious and really really don't want to get ill. I suspect that the virus will spread like wildfire like any other bug or lurgy does in schools...

And it's not like the 'preventative' measures advised by the Gov are really going to help is it? I mean, let's face it, the bubbles thing is bollocks really. We worked out that every single 'bubble' is linked by siblings or cousins in my 2 form primary. You can't isolate large groups, you just can't.

And my DC are both at the same secondary in different yeargroups so although they can't mix during the school day they..er, live together

I don't have an answer though because I really don't think there is one. Shutting schools indefinitely is not an option (although they never really did close). I would have far more respect for our lords and masters if they held their hands up and acknowledged that opening schools will put teachers into risk.
(Which they sort of did when they published this guidance I spose. It's absolutely bloody chilling.... https://www.gov.uk/guidance/steps-to-take-following-the-death-of-a-colleague-in-childrens-services

Hardbackwriter My secondary school teacher husband is the same, and all the teachers I know are keen for everyone to be back at school for their usual hours.

I'm worried about going back to teaching secondary because of the complete lack of protection for teachers. All kids are facing the front, no face masks, no time between lessons to wash hands and because staff are moving rooms rather than kids there will be shared computers (everything in my school is electronic).

So yes, I'm worried. I think secondary kids and staff should all be wearing face masks at the very least. I would like time to wash my hands on the way to each lesson and I'd like to use paper registers etc so I don't have to use the computer. But none of that will happen.

I'm in the vulnerable group, my husband has been shielding and I'm just worried about what's going to happen next.

I miss the classroom, my children are missing their education, I'm just not sure that education is more important than protecting people against the virus. I'm sure there is a more vigorous and reliable way of teaching online than there has been in the majority of schools. Some schools did this so well, I feel like teachers should all be doing this before we return to the classroom.

The bubble situation worries me, it's not safe because once they're out of school all kids mix (siblings etc). And then there's the kids who live in households where no precautions have been taken at all and parents are in the pub/at social gatherings all weekend with no social distancing etc. Then those kids come into school.

School staff have absolutely no chance of avoiding this and taking it home to their families. I have to work, my income is our main money due to DHs medical problems. I love teaching, I don't want to leave so I can stay safe, I want to do my job.

The government is hanging us out to dry and taking advantage because it's 'for the children'. Nice bit of emotional blackmail there.

@TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince

I’ve also been teaching through lockdown. Doesn’t make me any less scared.

WHY are they all facing the front, so they can breathe their germs all over us?

Gavin Williamson doesn't like them sat in any other way other than in rows facing forward to the teacher he said. Just when you thought you couldn't get a worse education sec than michael gove

I'm looking forward to getting back to face to face teaching. I just hope that the year can be as normal as possible, but I expect more disruption at some point over the winter. Maybe in the form of local lockdowns, or staff absence.

I'm worried about how much the lockdown will have affected the kids. I'm worried about how difficult they will find it to leave their parents (and vice versa). How much learning they have missed. I teach in an Infants School and we are expecting a lot of children to have difficulty transitioning to a new class and new teacher. We're also very aware that some children will have fallen a long way behind their peers, as well as having to rebuild friendships etc.

I am also a little worried about catching the virus. No one in my household is particularly vulnerable, but my mum is in the shielding group. I probably won't see her at all during term time as I would be too worried about passing the virus onto her without knowing. I know that some of my colleagues are also vulnerable and/or have vulnerable people relying on them.

I have a feeling that this is going to be a tough winter all round.

Little children are renowned for having viruses. You know what it’s like when they catch everything going at nursery, or when there’s a sickness bug in school.

The thing is, having brought up two children, I can think of countless times when there was a virus going around. A few kids would catch it - maybe five out of thirty. I can’t think of a single time when the teacher caught it.

I worked with children for fifteen years (at close quarters) and I never caught anything but a case of ringworm when I was a student, despite them being little disease carriers.

Let’s try to be optimistic and say that maybe, just maybe, with a bit of caution and wariness, the teachers will not catch this virus in droves?

Has this actually been announced, or is this still just the SAGE guy saying it could happen?

But Countess Frog, teachers in their first couple of years are often ill a lot, because they have t built up immunity.

It's so reassuring to hear from teachers keen to be back at school. You are all very much appreciated.

FWIW schools haven't been closed...we have been there the whole way through for key worker kids and those that need us most...

I realise schools have been partially open throughout, however, most children have not been eligible to attend.

Countess frog

I'd imagine that's because most of the microbes thr adults would have built up immunity to except perhaps those coughs and colds all too common in students and staff in the winter and spring terms ( In Secondary at least)
Very few of those viruses would be novel ones like covid 19.

I thought this thread was for teachers to discuss their feelings on returning, not for you to patronise them and minimise those feelings.

And it’s not just teachers who are at risk. What about teaching assistants who work one to one with the pupils that need extra help - how is this going to work! Will they not be allowed to work closely with pupils meaning those pupils are at a further disadvantage or will they lose their jobs if there’s no work for them. In my school there are pupils in year 7 and 8 especially who have reading ages of 5/6 year olds.
Many of the teachers are older or have health problems so I can only imagine how anxious they must be feeling. You either give up your job or risk your health.

Children have always got some type of bug and it will get worse in the winter months so coughing and sneezing is going to spread the virus much quicker.

I am a TA. I feel angry we don't get the same protection as all other workers get.

No mask, no PPE, no social distancing, working in enclosed,poorly ventilated spaces (our windows haven't opened in years) with inadequate hand washing ((no sink in our classroom) and inadequate toilet facilities.

I work in Reception and even at the end of the school year in July we still have children who aren't toilet trained and can't change/dress themselves, plus there is frequent first aid to do and the government say it's all fine and jolly in schools - no need to take any precautions except for a bubble of 30 children who are mixing with loads of others outside school.

Teachers and TAs are cannon fodder for the sake of the economy.

Who is patronising and minimising the feelings of teachers?

Me?

I’m actually sitting here reflecting on how worried we should be. I’m a glass half full kind of person. I’m hoping it’s not this sort of doomsday scenario where schools have to close because all the staff are sick.

Really quite a leap you made there.

Sunrise234 I imagine that any child who is coughing or sneezing etc will not be allowed in school, even if they have had a negative COVID test.

Countlessfrog - but they do. Teachers who are new to the school, often regardless of age, often catch lots of bugs and viruses in their first couple of years at the school. Most parents wouldn't know as they try to avoid being absent with it if possible.

MrsKCastle yes that’s true.

@Sunrise234

I think a lot of people who want to go back is because it is so much harder doing remote learning and because they’re worried about their pupils rather than they want to go back because they think they’re not at risk. I have spoke to people who don’t want to go back but the alternative is worse.

I agree with this.

I want to get back to proper teaching but feel pissed off that I'm expected to have no qualms about going doing so with no protections in place to speak of and I can't even leave until December (I don't want to but I value my health). This is my reality:

The only nod to bubbles will be year groups in different areas of the school for form time only. After that they're moving round the building to various combinations of subjects and sets. Essentially the entire school of 1250 is a bubble.

Pupils can't face each other but must all face me.

The maximum distance I can put between myself and them is one metre. Some classes are 31 so it won't even be that.

I can't teach with the door open as my classroom opens out onto another which is in constant use.

I'm not allowed to use any PPE even though I would have to if I popped to the shops on my way home (I will need to do this at times).

My own children can't attend breakfast club because their own teachers are far more precious than me and can't have contact with more than one bubble of 30.

It's absolute bullshit. I fully expect to become unwell and if I do, I will be staying home until I am fully recovered.

The PPE situation is ridiculous. I’m hoping the government u turn on that.

Don’t think we’ll be back full time the way things are locally. No one seems very keen to go back anyway.

I think we need to start planning for different scenarios. Classroom teaching if the infection rate allows but the option of remote teaching if not, and this needs to be organised well in advance.

"I can’t think of a single time when the teacher caught it"

I suggest they probably did but like most teachers took a mixture of paracetamol, ibuprofen, cough medicine or imodium or similar rather than take the day off. As a teacher I can clearly recall lots off Ill staff between sept and January who came in regardless with perhaps a day off sick at their worst.

And really are we supposed to accept your memory as a parent that staff don't catch illness from students and infer that they won't catch covid 19 either.

"I worked with children for fifteen years (at close quarters) and I never caught anything but a case of ringworm when I was a student, despite them being little disease carriers."

Lucky you. I don't see how this little anecdote is relevant to covid 19 transmission.

"Let’s try to be optimistic and say that maybe, just maybe, with a bit of caution and wariness"

You seem to be implying that worrying about the health of colleagues and the lack of ppe or SD is irrelevant and blind optimism is all that's necessary to successfully open schools. You then further imply that teachers simply need to be cautious and wary to avoid infection which I find offensive. I can be cautious in the supermarket but other people breach the 1m rule all the time and I doubt teenagers will be any different because they certainly weren't in the summer.

If you think about it carefully, that maybe, just maybe your inane platitudes will provide absolutely zero protection for anyone working in a school.

I've already had a colleague lose both parents. If only they had maybe, just maybe shown more caution and wariness would they still be alive? Would you imply that doctors and taxi drivers needed to be more careful? I think better prepared ppe would have made more of a difference.

This was back in April. The number of deaths from COVID vs other causes is low but it shows how those working with children can definitely catch it and spread it.