To sod SD as when I return to teaching in Sept it isn’t possible?

[motherrunner]

I’m a secondary school teacher. Despite all the ‘guidance’ my desk will be less than 1m from the classes I teach (Yr 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13). I will not be wearing protection as the guidance tells me my workplace in ‘Covid secure’. Come Sept I will have one 20 minute break a day as I am required to do a pre-school duty, a morning break duty, a lunch duty and an after school duty it’s every day. I can wash my hands once a day in those times. 5 times a day a class of 30 will be breathing at me.

Up until now I have followed the ‘rules’ religiously. I haven’t seen my mum (who is in a nursing home) since early March. I have turned down play dates for my children.

AIBU to think sod the SD and enjoy myself for the rest of the summer break? I was hoping for a sliver of hope from the dfe today with the promised revised guidance that hasn’t materialised. Come Sept I’ll be faced with over 200+ over 11s in close, unventilated spaces in 3 week so shall I just sod it?

Are you not allowed hand sanitizer? There is also only 10 cases of children getting Covid And none of a child passing it on. Children need to be back at school, the economy needs to get going, everyone in normal jobs are expected to return and seeing as all you have to do is avoid other teachers I can’t see the problem. Maybe teaching is not for you. I run my own business and sometimes do not even get a 5 min break. You lot have it to easy.

Hand gel on your desk and a face shield. Neither will do fuck all anyway.

20 minutes to use the bathroom and eat? That's shocking. What happens if you need to go to the loo more than once?

Threatmatrix they can pass it on just not been confirmed because they dont display bad symptoms

Yes you are being unreasonable. I work in healthcare and I’m unable to maintain safe distances at work, with colleagues and patients, but I still maintain safe distances when I’m out of work. I’ve worked co to you sly through the whole of lockdown (aside from when I was off sick with COVID19) and have only seen my mum twice since Christmas. This doesn’t mean I’m willing to take risks with the health of those around d me, who may not be fortunate enough to survive COVID19 if they were to get it.

I’m not happy about the lack of PPE in schools, I think it’s insane to not at least wear masks or face shields, but to abandon all attempts at safe distances now is irresponsible and selfish.

I have been back teaching this week and while I have not actually taught any children myself, I have witnessed very little social distancing from children or adults. I am surprised you have so many duties. When do you have your own break? Legally, they cannot make you stay after school. Are you in a union. They also cannot dictate when you wash your hands. I would speak to SLT/HT about the number of duties. I think you will be able to section your desk 2m away from the children though. You can choose to wear a facial covering. However, I think it would be impossible in the classroom.

On the flip side of the coin, like you, I have stuck to social distancing etc since the start and I am now worried because my kids will now be in “bubbles” of 100 to 300 kids (depending on their year group), plus the staff (who are apparently allowed contact with all bubbles). Their schools aren’t academies. Your guidance may say you don’t need masks etc, but there is nothing to stop you choosing to wear it. Guidance means a guide - not follow it exactly and then moan about the parts you disagree with. My kids won’t wear masks and there is no social distancing planned. Even if I sent them in with face masks, unless their mates did the same, I can’t see them sticking to it. I’m worried about their health, our health and that of our elderly relatives as I don’t see how we can still see them with all this massive risk around. May as well see them while we can. On the breaks, that sounds extremely unfair and I have sympathy for you.

There are many people who just want the schools to reopen. There has been science shown on schools reopening on Covid. Studies which show impacts of schools just get discarded. Feel for you OP.

I was also in a Covid secure area within a hospital dealing with PPE distribution at the height of the epidemic, with several wards of Covid patients. . It was a bit scary at first because at times it was chaotic and despite the best attempts to keep distance sometimes that didn’t happen as well as you’d hope.
I washed my hands so often, smothered myself in sanitiser, changed in our shed and showered as soon as I walked through the door. Other than work I didn’t go out at all.
I was desperate to prevent picking up and passIng this awful virus on.
I was rather disheartened by your comments ☹️

I think teachers are being treated absolutely appallingly. I wouldn't blame any teachers who decide to jack it in after the government has shown such cavalier disregard for their health and safety.

And what about teachers who have family members who are especially vulnerable? The worry must be dreadful.

No point me speaking to SLT about number of breaks, it is the head who has decided the timetable. The reason we are doing so many breaks is to try and ensure all the ‘bubbles’ will maintain SD. It’s all a farce, just a way to make parents feel at ease. My first duty begins at 8 in the morning although we don’t start P1 until 9, and P5 end at 3.30 but my after school duty is until 4. It’s all counted as ‘1265 directed hours’ so yes, allowed by unions.

In regards to the hand washing and my own break that will be between 12.40-1. Other times I will use sanitiser (am told that will be provided), if I need the toilet tough shit. I guess I can leave a class unsupervised but SLT would not be happy and if something happened when I was missing then I would be liable.

Heads are interpreting the guidance as law so no, I can’t wear a mask or a visor.

No I can’t position my desk even 1m from pupils. Classrooms too small.

And ‘teaching is for me’. It’s all I wanted to do. I qualified at 21 and at 41 I’m still here.

@Lovebeingmama I am sorry you had to experience that and the sacrifices you felt you had to make.

It’s nothing compared to what front line staff had to deal with at hospitals and care homes that are only just taking a breath since March.
It’s not a competition but some parts of this post did irritate me.

The same report your refer to declares under 10s do not transmit the virus widely but over 10s transmit the virus as adults do

This is such bollocks. Does the virus know that a today is a child's 10th birthday and decide to spread itself?

Children's development varies so much at that age, too. Some are well on the way to puberty and some nowhere near.

@LakieLady

The same report your refer to declares under 10s do not transmit the virus widely but over 10s transmit the virus as adults do

This is such bollocks. Does the virus know that a today is a child's 10th birthday and decide to spread itself?

Children's development varies so much at that age, too. Some are well on the way to puberty and some nowhere near.

“One source with knowledge of the research told The Times that as children aged “their bodies start to act like small adults” in passing on the virus more effectively – something also seen in other studies.

Another source said that more cases of the virus were being seen among Year 6 and teenage children of key workers, and that these were emerging in clusters, suggesting pupils were being infected at school”.

@Lovebeingmama

It’s nothing compared to what front line staff had to deal with at hospitals and care homes that are only just taking a breath since March. It’s not a competition but some parts of this post did irritate me.

No, definitely not a competition and I hate the ‘race to the bottom’ attitude which has been displayed by some posters (not suggesting that is what you have done).

The day I posted I had was just venting. If you’d read by subsequent posts you will have seen I had naively pinned hopes on a positive updated guidance from the dfe and nothing was released. I won’t stop SD. I’ve even resigned myself to not seeing my mum although it breaks my heart that she may die (not of CV but her genera health) and I won’t even get to say goodbye.

So youve not worked since March or been in face to face contact with public til this point? Dry your eyes - others have had it far worse - many not whining and without a recent 3%plus wage increase. Shopworkers, care, NHS, postal staff etc

@Lovebeingmama

Its also not the same as
retail
bus drivers
bin men
office workers
etc

Yet we are being compared to them every day (including nurse's)

You are right that it is not a competition but it irritates me that I and my colleagues are not so important as to get the same preferences but education is being prioritised..

Go figure.

I have worked. I taught live to timetable throughout lockdown, marked according to school policy, held 2 parents evenings, a transition evening for my new form. I have worked as usual, just remotely.

My son is a Primary school teacher and very worried about the lack of social distancing. His colleagues who went back last term have confirmed this. But while not in school he is being as careful as possible

Haven't read all the replies but basically yes sod it. I'm similar- special needs school no masks, social distancing etc, attending to personal care of the kids- tube feeding, feeding, nappies,toilets etc. No mask. No sd. My workplace wasnt covid secure throughout the pandemic (hence a few cases) and will be more crowded in September - makes me laugh to hear people spout on about their workplaces asking them to wipe toilets or take masks off at desks etc! Imagine if they were at the same risk as we have/are.

Really see little point with bothering with a mask to run in to a shop for a pint of milk as I'll be at risk for 6/7 hrs a day 5 days a week . Suppose it just protects others but then I'll have my young children with me who also dont wear masks etc and will be back at school! We're doing playdates as our children will be in together in a few weeks anyway. No point in precautions if your job is the major risk.

Yes, it’s not just hospitals and care homes. That’s just where I was. I know it wasn’t just us.
I understand the concerns of teachers but (the less reasonable part of me also) thinks welcome to the world that we’ve been in since March.
We all know this is crap.
Let’s hope we get a vaccine soon ☹️

The rest of the working world looks on with increasing resentment

Do they, @Goingprivate2020? I certainly don't.

I am lucky enough to work for an employer who takes health matters seriously. Our head office will reopen at the start of September, local offices a little later, but with massively reduced capacity. Staff who need/want to work from an office will do so one day pw on a rota basis, unless available work stations are massively undersubscribed. Everyone else will continue to WFH. There is a one-way system in place in all buildings where it is possible and 2m markings to maintain distancing.Our MH Wellbeing and Recovery centres will also start to open from September, but on a similar basis, using 2m distancing. There is hand sanitiser everywhere, and masks and travel sized bottles of sanitiser are available in what appears to be unlimited numbers.

The Covid Risk team is starting to look at how other projects may be able to resume F2F working with clients, but it is considered that home visits are unlikely to resume anytime soon, so that will probably be in community settings.

I totally get that measures like that are not going to work in a school setting, but I'm bloody sure they can do better than no masks, no chance to wash your hands and sitting less than a metre from pupils. Teachers are bloody brave going back under those conditions imo.

After health and social care staff, teachers should be next in line for vaccinations as soon as they become available.

In nursing you have no social distancing and a 20min break in 6 hours is the norm. Unfortunately I empathise with the changes in your working conditions. Nevertheless, after being in the 'thick of it since the beginning on the so called 'front line' with no ppe what so ever ( right at the beginning for the first month) I do feel your pain but get some hand sanitizer and a shield- I'm sorry but there has been many a sacrifice made. I for one have not seen my parents either since beginning of March, I didnt hug my kids for 4 months, so you are not the first or the last to feel like this. Unfortunately this is now a way of life and you must get used to it

@Lovebeingmama

Yes, it’s not just hospitals and care homes. That’s just where I was. I know it wasn’t just us. I understand the concerns of teachers but (the less reasonable part of me also) thinks welcome to the world that we’ve been in since March. We all know this is crap. Let’s hope we get a vaccine soon ☹️

Do you have any idea what it is like to have years of work undermined by some fuckwit in an office suddenly deciding that your 'professional judgement' is worth fuck all?

You must be familiar with the looks of sadness of patient's families as your patients have died. Go look in the papers and see what the government has done to those that teachers have nurtured and cared about for five years.
People we have seen grow from children, People whose families we have suffered with and tried to aid in some of their most taxing times.

Pupils that have left schools due to MH and have come back under our guidance.

Don't even think about talking to me about your world unless you have seen the lengths that teachers have gone through to protect children from the many issue that society has thrown up in front of them

From March, what a fucking joke.