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.

I don't think I've seen a single thread started to protest the expectations in the pandemic on a Police Officer, Social Worker, Prison Officer, Probation Officer and so on. They are continually in the firing line of mixing at close quarters with others who could easily infect them and not being able to wear PPE within their roles/work environment. Nursery staff are another example of workers who just seem to be getting on with it. I also don't think I've seen much verbalisation from NHS clinical staff, who just accept they have a role to play and seem to get on with it.

I've already suggested why that is. It's because nearly all of us on MN are parents, hence we all have kids going through the school system. Many of us parents are also school staff, so we have an opinion from that point of view also. There is even a "Staff Room" section! Hence why schools are discussed so widely on here. It's a parenting forum and schooling is a major part of parenting. We are all invested in it.

I have a lot of family members who work in law enforcement or NHS. Believe me there IS a lot of anxiety, lots of awareness of the risk. They wouldn't be coming on a parenting forum to discuss it, would they, though? I personally have never worked in a hospital, I have never been an inpatient in a hospital, I haven't even needed to visit anyone in hospital in a long time either. I've never worked for the police, I have never through childhood and my teen years had anything to do with the police, nor have my family, other than discussions amongst themselves about work at family parties etc. The specific processes at work are for them to understand. I couldn't offer a valid opinion if they DID post on here about their work processes concerning COVID. But everyone thinks they're an expert on how schools should run, simply based on the fact that they went to one themselves, or worked in one 15 years ago for a couple of years. It's why these threads are so busy, why there is such a lack of understanding, and why there is so much hate and ridicule, resulting in defensive answers from school staff. Because they see it as people answering with fervour but seeming to have no REAL understanding.

Leave and find another job with 3 months holiday a year and a pension.
No ones keeping you there.

Everyone gets a pension now

I don't get 3 months holiday a year, I'm pro-rata

I know no-one is keeping me there, hence the leaving.

Leave and find another job with 3 months holiday a year and a pension.
No ones keeping you there.

Everyone gets a pension now

I don't get 3 months holiday a year, I'm pro-rata

I know no-one is keeping me there, hence the leaving.

I don’t think people are actively thinking that teachers are worthless. Most people with school age kids are just relieved that their children are finally getting an education again and are thankful for everything teachers are doing. The general public don’t make the rules and parents have their own struggles so aren’t going to refuse to send their children to school due to lack of ppe for teachers- most people are in survival mode.

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. Our kids are being asked to wear masks whilst standing and are allowed to wear masks elsewear if they want. Giv guidelines do not prevent kids from wearing masks.

I don't think I've seen a single thread started to protest the expectations in the pandemic on a Police Officer, Social Worker, Prison Officer, Probation Officer and so on. They are continually in the firing line of mixing at close quarters with others who could easily infect them and not being able to wear PPE within their roles/work environment. Nursery staff are another example of workers who just seem to be getting on with it. I also don't think I've seen much verbalisation from NHS clinical staff, who just accept they have a role to play and seem to get on with it.

I've already suggested why that is. It's because nearly all of us on MN are parents, hence we all have kids going through the school system. Many of us parents are also school staff, so we have an opinion from that point of view also. There is even a "Staff Room" section! Hence why schools are discussed so widely on here. It's a parenting forum and schooling is a major part of parenting. We are all invested in it.

I have a lot of family members who work in law enforcement or NHS. Believe me there IS a lot of anxiety, lots of awareness of the risk. They wouldn't be coming on a parenting forum to discuss it, would they, though? I personally have never worked in a hospital, I have never been an inpatient in a hospital, I haven't even needed to visit anyone in hospital in a long time either. I've never worked for the police, I have never through childhood and my teen years had anything to do with the police, nor have my family, other than discussions amongst themselves about work at family parties etc. The specific processes at work are for them to understand. I couldn't offer a valid opinion if they DID post on here about their work processes concerning COVID. But everyone thinks they're an expert on how schools should run, simply based on the fact that they went to one themselves, or worked in one 15 years ago for a couple of years. It's why these threads are so busy, why there is such a lack of understanding, and why there is so much hate and ridicule, resulting in defensive answers from school staff. Because they see it as people answering with fervour but seeming to have no REAL understanding.

Curlyhairedassassin - thank you for your reply. A huge number of parents are in the roles I gave examples for and a huge number fall into different vulnerabilities, along with general anxiety even if they have no specific vulnerability. I know I see a fair few posts from police officers and prison officers on here, but they haven't made threads complaining about the situations they're put in, for which there is no ability to safeguard themselves. The members of the public/residents don't often wear PPE, don't maintain respectful distances, don't follow enforced hand washing and so on.

Schools probably can't ever achieve being covid secure, due to their nature, but they are more covid secure than many places who haven't and cannot shut so far since the pandemic begin.

Perhaps it is simply that other sectors need to follow the teaching staff example and be vocal and threaten to strike because they are spat at and have to grab and restrain people who are trying to assault them or others or have to sit and cuddle crying babies with snot falling out their faces and no one is working out the impossible ways to prevent it occurring

Leave and find another job with 3 months holiday a year and a pension.
No ones keeping you there

Churlish, and mistaken. All employers have to offer a pension.

@CurlyhairedAssassin

I don't think I've seen a single thread started to protest the expectations in the pandemic on a Police Officer, Social Worker, Prison Officer, Probation Officer and so on. They are continually in the firing line of mixing at close quarters with others who could easily infect them and not being able to wear PPE within their roles/work environment. Nursery staff are another example of workers who just seem to be getting on with it. I also don't think I've seen much verbalisation from NHS clinical staff, who just accept they have a role to play and seem to get on with it.

I've already suggested why that is. It's because nearly all of us on MN are parents, hence we all have kids going through the school system. Many of us parents are also school staff, so we have an opinion from that point of view also. There is even a "Staff Room" section! Hence why schools are discussed so widely on here. It's a parenting forum and schooling is a major part of parenting. We are all invested in it.

I have a lot of family members who work in law enforcement or NHS. Believe me there IS a lot of anxiety, lots of awareness of the risk. They wouldn't be coming on a parenting forum to discuss it, would they, though? I personally have never worked in a hospital, I have never been an inpatient in a hospital, I haven't even needed to visit anyone in hospital in a long time either. I've never worked for the police, I have never through childhood and my teen years had anything to do with the police, nor have my family, other than discussions amongst themselves about work at family parties etc. The specific processes at work are for them to understand. I couldn't offer a valid opinion if they DID post on here about their work processes concerning COVID. But everyone thinks they're an expert on how schools should run, simply based on the fact that they went to one themselves, or worked in one 15 years ago for a couple of years. It's why these threads are so busy, why there is such a lack of understanding, and why there is so much hate and ridicule, resulting in defensive answers from school staff. Because they see it as people answering with fervour but seeming to have no REAL understanding.

Well I've earned something new today, only people who work in schools have kids.

Scooting have those other workers had many threads on MN and in the press attacking them or campaigning for less safe working conditions for them?

Scootingthebreeze: Yes, you're right, I do think that other occupations need to be more vocal. From people I know working in other risky occupations, there is also an element of just feeling forced to get on with it, like it or not. When they get home they don't want to particularly discuss anything about their working day and what is wrong with the processes, even with their family, because they just want to switch off completely and forget about the shift they've just done.

As do school staff, I suspect, but they come on MN etc and can't help but see all the threads from parents giving opinions about schools and what is wrong with them surrounding COVID and infections etc. Perhaps the best thing for school staff is not to get drawn in and to stay off MN for a while as it doesn't help your ability to switch off from the stress of the working day when it's in your face all the time in the evening too.

All employers have to offer a pension

Not a defined benefit one.

I work in a school and mine is defined contribution. Do defined benefit pensions even exist anymore??

I'm disgusted to read some of the comments here. It makes me really sad that some people have such little respect for the people who educate our children.

There are lots of us doing jobs in difficult circumstances at the moment, and probably not many jobs where people can say they feel completely safe.

It's not a competition but this thread was started by a teacher who is quite rightly feeling really concerned. She doesn't want to close the schools, or give up her job, or sit at home doing nothing.............she just wants some adjustments that will make her workplace safer, and she is fed up of some people constantly having a go at teachers.
Thank you teachers, you are appreciated

I'm disgusted to read some of the comments here. It makes me really sad that some people have such little respect for the people who educate our children.

There are lots of us doing jobs in difficult circumstances at the moment, and probably not many jobs where people can say they feel completely safe.

It's not a competition but this thread was started by a teacher who is quite rightly feeling really concerned. She doesn't want to close the schools, or give up her job, or sit at home doing nothing.............she just wants some adjustments that will make her workplace safer, and she is fed up of some people constantly having a go at teachers.
Thank you teachers, you are appreciated

I'm a teacher. Mines a defined contribution

I'm a teacher. Mines a defined contribution

Noblegiraffe - in many instances they are attacked in the media and there are plenty of ways to make their workplace safer, but it would inconvenience the general public too much so it doesn't happen. So the staff safety is compromised instead. Pandemic related, there is no ability to make them less safe as they are already at pretty much maximum exposure! I saw a media report recently where an officer was dealing with an incident and the mask he had tried to wear to comply with the shopping centre rules (he was responding to an incident in Bluewater where masks are compulsory) kept slipping down his face as he tried to talk to the person being told to leave. The comments were crucifying the officer for not wearing a mask properly - the comments ignored that he would probably rather not be stood there with a scrap of fabric slipping on his face dealing with someone giving him grief over the pandemic. Wearing a mask and reasoning with members of the public do not tend to go hand in hand and impede the ability to do a sensitive job

*I work in a school and mine is defined contribution". Sorry, I was getting confused with something else. It is the LGPS which is indeed defined benefit. There have been quite a few changes a few years back though so not as generous as it once was.

I work in a school and mine is defined contribution. Do defined benefit pensions even exist anymore??

Well I've earned something new today, only people who work in schools have kids.

Your sarcasm is misplaced, as that's not what I said.

Well I've earned something new today, only people who work in schools have kids.

Your sarcasm is misplaced, as that's not what I said.

It sounds like a lot more could be done to make schools safe without closing them.

If you've already had Covid, what are you worried about?!

All employers have to offer a pension

Not a defined benefit one.

There have been quite a few changes a few years back though so not as generous as it once was.

Still significantly more generous than defined contribution, generally speaking.