Should teachers be extra vigilant to infection in their every day lives to reduce school transmission?

[WhyNotMe40]

As the latest PHE report states that in June there were more staff than students affected by the covid19 coronavirus, there are suggestions that teachers should take measures to reduce bringing the virus into schools.

Voting: do you think teachers should change how they behave out of schools to protect the school?
YABU yes
YANBU no

Also - what activities or behaviours do you think teachers should avoid or do to further this aim?

@walksen
I think DT departments are going to be tasked with making them as a GCSE project

can i go to my own DC school events? mums' catch up things?

I just need a clear list (I am certain a DfE muppet is working on it now)

Only in full hazmat

Zorb balls.all teachers must wear zorb balls.

Think of the road rage we would attract if we all had "Teacher on board" stickers!

Clav car sharing was allowed when schools went back after May half term.

Was somewhat shocked when this was passed on!

I am running a training course first 2 days back. Did my own RA. I have masks for people attending or suggested bringing own.

I think staff will be most disappointed my usual offering of sweets won't be on the table

I will teach outside in a zorb ball, suspend the curriculum and spend the year making up different new Olympic zorb ball sports.

@Clavinova

I was thinking more along the lines of a group of teachers socialising.

I don't think the end of term (half term!) pub trip will happen. It's didn't at Easter (closed!) or May or end of term.

They'll be no Christmas party either.

Doubt Christmas shows, church nativities or any of this stuff will be allowed . Although obviously that's for the students and not the staff!

@RiaRoth

Don't worry teachers don't need to socialise they get loads of it at work in their really long coffee breaks......

🤣🤣

@CallmeAngelina

Hmm yes, we were very good and didn't hold our usual Christmas meal at the end of July this year.

🤣🤣

Sure, lock them in the staffroom overnight and they can catch up on their marking

@Saucery

We had maternity leavers, movers on to other schools and leaving the school for other reasons. Collecting the donations and sorting out the presents was a miracle of non-contact organisation for which the people involved deserved a medal! The actual Goodbyes were muted, sombre and totally COVID-secure.

Ours were done by zoom and gifts sent to home addresses or dropped on doorsteps!

Just been out for a drive along the coast with ds as it was high tide and great fun in this wind.

You lot have been busy!

But thanks for making me laugh as I dry out 🤣

I have an inset day before term starts- primary teachers from different schools mixing in a school hall. It's a course and when I queried it I was told it's fine as we'll be at least a metre away from others......... no mention of masks but I'll have mine. Hopefully no one is carrying it asymptomatically or I can see it being held up as an example of a stupid thing to do given the current situation.

@FrenchItalian

This is a difficult one- clearly we don’t want teachers to be scapegoats for spreading virus. However, I do think teachers and school staff taking personal responsibly for their behaviour will be important in keeping schools open.

So teachers should imo be doing things like maintaining social distancing work friends and family, avoiding non-essential public transport use, meeting family and friends outdoors rather than indoors, limiting bar and restaurant visits and avoiding overseas travel.

I’d also close staff rooms and other communal areas to prevent social gatherings between teachers

Will parents and students also be required to make similar restrictions upon their movements?

Honestly why don’t I just give up my whole life for my job? Have been back at work for 3 weeks now. I am not changing my life so school doesn’t shut down. I didn’t do risky things before and won’t now. Perhaps we can ask parents to change their behaviour and socially distance when asked? Don’t worry about staff rooms. No one is in there for 15minutes at the best of times

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm a public servant, not public property. Outwith directed time, I shall do as I damn well please. And that means bars and restaurants and foreign travel and meeting my family indoors because I am allowed to do that!

Well, personally I think that serco should be given millions of taxpayers money to tag all teachers so parents can track them to make sure they don't socialise at all, for any reason.

@FrenchItalian

So your children can do activities with their friends and mine can’t because I’m a teacher?

Your children can see their extended family and mine can’t because I’m a teacher?

I don’t think anyone else’s selfish world view has ever made me so angry.

Teacher aren’t your indentured serfs. We are real people with complicated family lives and relationships. I am already giving up seeing my vulnerable parents and paying for private home help for my father because I cannot risk them catching Covid from me because of my job.

All so selfish fuckers don’t have to ask their kids to wear masks or social distance or self isolate for symptoms.

Is there any other profession so uniformly treated like inhuman dog shit?

@itsgettingweird damn it we won't be allowed sweets on tables will we. My humbug is the only thing that gets me through a September training day and all the graphs....

I am not changing my lifestyle for my job. I am also far more likely to pick up the virus from the teenagers I teach who are all over each other at every opportunity. Haven't some studies shown that they are super carriers of the virus and largely asymptomatic?

I also do not plan wearing a mask when I am teaching, or when I'm in my shared office. I will wear one in the corridors or other busy communal areas but would find it so difficult to wear one for long periods of time. I really struggle even for 10 minutes in a shop.

When I was in hospital a few weeks ago, the pubs had just reopened recently. I chatted to a few of the midwives looking after me about what the pubs were like, as they were saying they'd been out. One said the streets were heaving, no chance of social distancing. These were midwives working on the labour ward in delivery suites. If they didn't have to avoid social situations, then why should teachers?

Teachers aren’t your indentured serfs.

And so say all of us.