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 suggesting that the Government aren't lying? We are literally one day on from PHE workers exposing how Government ministers have misrepresented a study and knowingly lied about its contents.

I'm sure there were some schools that weren't offering digital learning, like my friend's school who couldn't do that given that 87% of their children had no access to technology with which to learn. Unfortunately, working in an area of high deprevation often means things like that. Instead, the teachers there spent their time taking books, non-perishables and prepared meals round to their children's families. It's interesting as that school was one that was picked up in the media as "doing nothing" and many of their parents immediately went to twitter to defend them.

VanGoghsDog

Rather than the long, paid holiday with a guaranteed job at the end that teachers have had.

I empathise with your situation but don't let yourself down by spouting rubbish.

What is a "comms outlet" and why should I give a shiny shit what they think?

(which the rest of us in the private sector never left).

More drivel.

Lots of private sector workers have had paid holidays.
It is called furlough.

So many private workers have had extra paid holiday, yet your not bitching about that.

Mistressiggi

They are on about the media, which is obviously the gold standard for truth.

@FrippEnos

VanGoghsDog

Rather than the long, paid holiday with a guaranteed job at the end that teachers have had.

I empathise with your situation but don't let yourself down by spouting rubbish.

Yeah, I do actually know some teachers, most have been working at about fifty per cent of the norm. One got told off by her head for posting pics of herself on FB going on long walks when she was supposed to be working, she felt working half the day was more than enough, so she simply removed all her work colleagues from FB. Another was working three days a week but obviously on full pay (most furloughed people were on 80% pay, though capped, so some friends of mine were actually on c60%).

Must be nice for them to know that no matter what their jobs are safe.

VanGoghsDog

So why not post just about them instead of "teachers".

Your friends are workshy lazy fuckwits, we get it.

You need better friends.

But don't tar us all with the same brush.

Yep VanGogh, no financial incentive and safe jobs means no effort. And no accountability if your leaders are complicit.

Ah, but it has never occurred to me that anyone used to care how teachers felt so that remark means nothing to me, goingprivate.
What parents will care about is if children are off school again as staff are isolating, ill or dead. So making the workplace as safe as possible is win win for all, surely?

Goingprivate2020

No one gives a shiny shit about whether teachers feel hard done by anymore.

Again a generalisation, so do some don't. but thanks for the message, I will put it in the round filing cabinet where it belongs.

Everyone needs to get to it, teachers included. All our children, including yours, deserve it.

We will get to It, we all will even in the face of your hatred we will do our job. even though you will refuse to see it.

But I and others will fight tooth and nail not only for your children but for our rights to have a safe as possible workplace. If you don't like that, then that is your problem not ours.

@Goingprivate2020

Comms - communication

Example outlets: news, newspapers, online content, social media, face to face discussions.

No one gives a shiny shit about whether teachers feel hard done by anymore. Everyone needs to get to it, teachers included. All our children, including yours, deserve it.

Everyone is 'getting to it'. No-one is arguing for schools to remain closed. All teachers are asking for are that the measures needed to protect staff and children, and to keep schools open long term, are taken.

I think there is more effort into making schools safe than any other individual sector, with strong unionS With their teeth bared. I think you’ll be ok. As I’m sure we all will. Positivity is the key here. Some of us might get it, most of us will be ok, the odd one or two of us might Be really ill, a tiny minority will die. Just like when we all cross a road.

So irrespective of whether people working in schools say they do not feel every effort has been made to make them safe, you know best? Did someone tell you that on social media perhaps?
I'm in school now, I'm back to it - do I get a prize?

@Goingprivate2020

I think there is more effort into making schools safe than any other individual sector, with strong unionS With their teeth bared. I think you’ll be ok. As I’m sure we all will. Positivity is the key here. Some of us might get it, most of us will be ok, the odd one or two of us might Be really ill, a tiny minority will die. Just like when we all cross a road.

What effort is being made by the Government or DfE?

The unions are being completely ignored.

@Goingprivate2020

Yada yada ‘we worked so hard’. Don’t know a single parent in state schools around the country, who agrees. I think working fingers to bone means something entirely different in the private sector.

Incidentally - what were you doing for the 7 weeks of actual lockdown? Because no one I know was being educated.

Are you working on deliberately causing maximum offence in your posts?

Yes Sooty, I think that's the plan
I've been offended by much worse though, wouldn't you agree? 5/10

Goingprivate2020
I think there is more effort into making schools safe than any other individual sector

I don't believe that this is the case at all, but even if it were true, given that we are talking in the first instance about the safety of children, then others around them, and how it reaches out in to the community and from that the economy.

Don't you think that such a lynch pin should be secure as possible and not left to chance?

You rant about working but if the schools close this will have an effect on your work, your family etc. So why aren't you making more noise about making sure that a system is in place so that schools can stay open?

with strong unionS With their teeth bared.

The government has listened to any unions (except the London underground) for many years.

strong unions with their teeth bared

Ludicrous.

Really feel for you @motherrunner, schools sound crap for teachers going back with not enough thought going into individual classrooms, but don't give up on the social distancing where you can.

No point increasing the risk to yourself and others further because of frustration at what is happening in work.

Hope you get to see your mum soon.

@Goingprivate2020

I think there is more effort into making schools safe than any other individual sector, with strong unionS With their teeth bared. I think you’ll be ok. As I’m sure we all will. Positivity is the key here. Some of us might get it, most of us will be ok, the odd one or two of us might Be really ill, a tiny minority will die. Just like when we all cross a road.

You’ve already had one post removed-good for MN.

Let’s leave the T4U lot to it, chaps.

I think loads of people will say sod it to any guidelines soon. What's the point of avoiding friends and family indoors when primary children are mixing with 30 households inside a day and secondaries much, much more. With studies showing secondary aged children spread it as much as adults, I don't see how cases won't significantly rise.

Wasn't there meant to be more school guidance released yesterday?

schools have Had incidence of Covid but there is no single case where transmission has been linked to a school.

This is either stupid or disingenuous. When can you ever actually prove where someone picked up the virus?! I doubt you can prove anyone caught the virus in a supermarket either, but nobody is claiming that 'the virus doesn't get transmitted in supermarkets' or 'supermarket workers can't transmit Covid to customers'.

FWIW I think I probably caught the virus in school. One of the schools I work in has lots of international students, many of whom has gone home during February half term, plus there had been a school trip to Italy. One 17yo student who I have one-to-one lessons with was clesrly ill and coughing in my lesson and it was later found that her grandmother with whom she had been staying over half term had the virus. Could anyone prove I got the virus from that school even if anyone official had that information? No.

Popcornriver

Wasn't there meant to be more school guidance released yesterday?

It was either yesterday or today, but with the fiasco that is the exam results who knows.

Ah thanks Fripp.