AIBU or are the lives of school staff worthless?

[Witchcraftandhokum]

I fully appreciate that the education and mental well-being of children is important but why does it trump the physical and mental health of school staff? The facts are simple, people are being told to stay at home because it is unsafe to do otherwise, unless you work in education or the NHS who are provided with effective PPE.

On a daily basis I am expected to supervise the diner where 150 students eat lunch (obviously mask free) if I wish to eat I am also mask free. I have to supervise the same 150 children in narrow corridors. For this pupils are supposed to wear masks but there are a number who refuse (not the students who are exempt) and we cannot enforce it. We hand out hundreds of masks per week to students whose parents don't ensure they have one with them.

We are not allowed to wear masks in classrooms but are given visors which aren't as effective. The children are not allowed to wear masks in classrooms. None of this are rules imposed by the school but are in-line with the government guidance.

We have students who say they have developed a cough knowing we have to send them home, we cannot make the decision as to whether they are lying or not, but I've been verbally abused by parents calling me "fucking stupid" for not knowing when a child is lying.

Before half-term we had 25% of staff off sick as they had tested positive (including myself). There are many experts stating schools should be shut but Boris has done a fantastic job of insinuating that school staff are lazy and don't want to work, and the early response to the unions concerns shows that this is working. I've never suffered with stress or anxiety but the thought of a return to school tomorrow is making me feel sick.

Talking to colleagues who work in other schools it appears my experience is not unusual. So AIBU to think that this government doesn't give a shiny shit about school staff.

@chittychittyboomboom, No I believe your school has misinterpteted advise given by government. It states no masks to be worn in classrooms when distancing. When entering building and walking about corridors masks can be worn.
I know of at least 3 other schools who do same as my child's school. Parents must wear masks to take child to door of school as well.

I have just this on gov.uk use of face coverings in educational settings. This advise is from Oct 16th and is very clearly advising wearing face masks in communal areas where 1 meter distancing is not possible. eg corridors. You should read it then go back to your SLT and point it out. They are out of date and not following advise. If you were in zone 2 you should be wearing masks in communal areas and in zone 1 it is advised but not mandatory. To wear it, hence you should blame your SLT not the government.

Let me remind you that you responsible for your own welfare, if you know your school is unsafe, report it and refuse to go in.

@Witchcraftandhokum

MonicaBelulaGeller are you provided with effective PPE?

I will answer this, NO, standard PPE that we would normally use compared to the PPE we wear during the last pandemic. You have a choice, if you do not feel safe or protected, report your concerns and shield.

@WhyNotMe40

GAH, I'm out. I'll be teaching 250 students across the next week without anybody wearing masks, windows that don't open more than a crack, and Mosh pit corridors. I'm vulnerable my FIL is terminally ill, and my mother has end stage COPD. Yet I still go to work without the basic precautions every other workplace does.

No you do not have to go to work because you should be shielding because of the risk to your family.

@isitsnowingyet

Everyone should be wearing a mask - teachers, police control room people, pupils, factory staff, supermarket attendents, bus drivers, cleaners. Wearing a mask at all times.

You'll have to speak up when wearing a mask so others can hear you clearly. I've been shouting speaking loudly at my deafer patients since March.

It needs to be done.

My complete sympathy lies with the OP - teachers should definitely be provided with masks, and all pupils made to wear one too.

So when a violent drunk is trying to strangle a Police Officer with their face mask whilst the Police are protecting you, would you still recommend that?

20:57NoIDontWatchLoveIsland

I think you are not considering this in the collective sense.

There are over 500,000 full time teachers in the UK.
Most will be aged 22-60, so won't include the most elderly people who are most at risk from coronavirus.
Most people aged 22-60 who get coronavirus will catch it mildly or even asymptomatically. Few will require hospitalization.

What the government is weighing up is the relative risks. A very small proportion of teachers will get coronavirus more seriously. Not that many, relatively.

The comparative long term societal and economic impact of shutting secondary schools and attempting some crap blended learning etc (we tried this already remember) is considered collectively worse than the risk to the whole teaching population as a whole.
___

Most sensible comment on the whole thread.

@Mudlark1ng

But factory rooms must be big to accommodate machinery. Do people know how small many classrooms are?Do you have to do first aid, comforting and toilet cleaning regularly?

If you are so concerned what are you planning on doing about it apart from moaning on here? Try work a shift with the Police instead

@Generalblah

Isn’t it sad that people complaining don’t have to come into contact with hundreds of people without any masks every day, in close proximity. Name another profession whereby you have to be surrounded by so many people in close proximity for 1 hour+ every day without the protection of masks.

I’ll wait.

It's been answered up thread, try reading it.

@Twistered

20:57NoIDontWatchLoveIsland

I think you are not considering this in the collective sense.

There are over 500,000 full time teachers in the UK.
Most will be aged 22-60, so won't include the most elderly people who are most at risk from coronavirus.
Most people aged 22-60 who get coronavirus will catch it mildly or even asymptomatically. Few will require hospitalization.

What the government is weighing up is the relative risks. A very small proportion of teachers will get coronavirus more seriously. Not that many, relatively.

The comparative long term societal and economic impact of shutting secondary schools and attempting some crap blended learning etc (we tried this already remember) is considered collectively worse than the risk to the whole teaching population as a whole.
___

Most sensible comment on the whole thread.

Yes, absolutely spot on. I can understand teachers feeling worried, upset, stressed etc; everyone does a bit just now and they are in the thick of it. I think.what would motivate me is knowing how important the job is right now and how much positive influence you can have on young lives every single day. Of course there is criticism, there are teachers who are good, bad and indifferent same as in any job, and of course nearly everyone went to school, so everyone has an opinion on teachers! But you have to focus on yourself doing a good job and doing the best you can. And if you can't do a good job and it's harming your mental and physical health to continue, then maybe it is time for a pause and rethink. All the best to you anyway, OP.

Op I absolutely appreciate you.

My daughter has some wonderful teachers who engage her interest saying, day out. They have to do their job under trying circumstances.

At our school, not having a face mask is a sanctioned offence. Three detentions and you get suspended for a week. As far as I know, it's working.

Most sensible comment on the whole thread

Only if you ignore, as Twistered has, that age is not the only factor in identifying vulnerable staff:

Two more thoughts: I don't agree with schools closing. My child needs her school community to thrive. The unions should concentrate on getting the government to instead change their guidance and fund PPE. My and my husband's unions kicked up an almighty fuss to get the PPE and safety arrangements put in place.

And: my child's art teacher is vulnerable and has stuck up two fingers to the guidelines...she wears a visor and mask. She cannot get too close to her students' work which is unfortunate She can only critique from afar. Not ideal, but at least she's reducing her risk.

We all understand that teachers are scared and we have complete sympathy with you. What we don't appreciate is you making out you are in some special category of risk worse than all of us. You aren't. We work with actual covid patients. They don't wear masks! They cough on us! Staff on general wards do not have "full ppe" - we have your basic mask from a supermarket. Yes, it's not good enough. Please have some respect for us and for what we do!

And remember the mask does not protect me, it protects other people. We have literally no protection from the patients. It is really shit. So please don't make out your risk is worse than mine.

I’m in Scotland, our nursery staff wear masks all day and the nursery is now run completely separately to the rest of the school and is basically an Outdoors Nursery now. The primary teachers mask all day too. The primary children mask on the bus. Secondary are masked and boy, no masks are being thrown around! The schools are also being deep-cleaned regularly. Lunch is eaten at tables socially distanced and put in front of child by masked staff. Parents distance at pick up/drop off. Primary/nursery kids met at main gate.
We support and respect our teachers, and worry for them.
I hope the English government changes soon.

I'm with you OP. I work in early years. Very little safety measures, other than parents are no longer allowed in the building. I have babies and toddlers all over me day in, day out dealing with their sick, dribble, nappies, snotty noses. The only advice we are given is to wash your hands. Not very helpful when you have a child cough in your face.

I haven’t read the whole thread because without having too I already know there will be lots of shitty replies and attitudes towards teachers and I hate seeing it.

YANBU at all OP.

The Government are treating teachers horrendously and I would fully support any action that was taken to keep teachers safe.

So those saying take it up with your school.

If schools literally don’t have the space to accommodate social distancing and proper ventilation I take it everybody is ok with mass closures?

Schools are already jumping through numerous hoops, they are doing all they can do re safety.

If people are saying you don’t need to suck it up then they’re happy with schools closing on an individual basis and would support staff not losing their jobs if they raise concerns?

I’m guessing also that those working with Covid patients would agree that everybody in the NHS should be open for business and not hiding in their ivory towers behind closed departments,zoom calls, cancelled appointments and mobile photos in the name of “safety” despite the fact all give lesser outcomes.

@SemperIdem

My god - if you think that “stacking shelves” will make you feel better about your own personal safety then you’re not that bright.

Sincerely

A retail worker

I have worked both as a shelf stacker in a large supermarket and in a classroom. I can say that shelf stacking feels infinitely more Covid safe than being in a classroom.

@Mudlark1ng do you realise that many NHS staff are working as normal? I'm only trying to make the point that teachers are not 'special' in their exposure here. It would be great if you could acknowledge that too. We are equally unprotected. It is really shit for those of us in the NHS who have worked consistently through this with no real protection to then be told that teachers have a higher risk than us. It is so so so insulting to us. Please stop.

I’d just like to make 2 points supporting this post.

1. Schools are not social distancing and Ppe is optional for the children.
2. Teachers still work when children are at home, they are teaching key workers kids in school or online at home. The parents job is to make them do it. Finding that hard? Now imagine you have 32 children.

@LittleMG my mum was a teacher to 40 children in a challenging school. She can’t get DD to focus and concentrate but she thrives in school because she’s a competitive soul. Fine I’m a crap teacher but I’m a good parent and refuse to damage our relationship arguing over work sheets ever again. There’s a reason schools have been the way we educate. You think teachers can be replaced by computers. I completely reject that and worry that if we accept it it’ll be our future. It’s a cheap option. Turn screens on from home or just have a supervisor. This is the logical outcome if you think an online approach is equivalent to school.

The criminal justice system is still going. The staff who escort prisoners and apply handcuffs to them in the dock only have face masks and nothing more. Masks can't be worn when addressing the court there are people often in small cramped spaces. However, if solicitors and barristers and the staff of the privately G4s security staff refuse to work then they don't get paid.