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.

Yes working from home. I don’t dispute that they were working

Yeah you do. Own it.

How many more rounds of last lockdown teacher bingo do we need to play?

We had four year groups fully back in our primary from May half term, which meant more of us covering the Key Worker children. Then all the rest of the year groups returned on 22nd June, when the Gov't said they could (if possible), so we were teaching them, plus providing remote learning for those who elected to stay home.
Sorry if that doesn't fit the narrative of "all" teachers lazing around on their arses at home on full pay.

@noblegiraffe

Supermarket workers again. Extraordinarily predictable.

So many people arguing for a race to the bottom.

Sorry, what about supermarket workers is “a race to the bottom”? They haven’t stopped working at at point during this, had to deal with ever changing rules as they happen in real time and deal with vastly increased demand and demands . Frankly they’ve been bloody brilliant.

Very far from the bottom I’d say.

@Leflic ‘Race to the bottom’ is a criticism of the government. Not a criticism of supermarket workers, it’s a criticism of those who believe that because one group of people have to suffer, everyone does. Instead we should be fighting for safe working conditions for all.

Do you not understand the phrase ‘race to the bottom?’

Sorry, what about supermarket workers is “a race to the bottom”? They haven’t stopped working at at point during this, had to deal with ever changing rules as they happen in real time and deal with vastly increased demand and demands . Frankly they’ve been bloody brilliant. Very far from the bottom I’d say

Thats nit what that means

I think teachers should be brave.

Thanks, NotFrozen, but I think it is pretty brave teaching 500+ different kids over the week in poorly-ventilated rooms full of 30+ of them at any one time.

And i think it is hilarious that people wont touch money, but 160 exercise books every couple of weeks is fine.

@TwylaSands

And i think it is hilarious that people wont touch money, but 160 exercise books every couple of weeks is fine.

Add to that all the thread about people washing their shopping etc ... but I’m fine to touch 150 different students’ books 🤷‍♀️

I don’t see what the alternative is though? Distance learning just isn’t as effective as the kids being in school. If teachers wore masks it becomes a barrier to communication, it’s difficult to hear people talking when they are wearing a mask.

There are lots of people working and putting themselves at risk, it just seems no matter what discussion you ever have with teachers they think they have it worse than the rest of the working population.
My husband works with the general public, has worked throughout the pandemic (classed as a key worker) coming in to contact with hundreds of households every week. People coming in to his workplace with symptoms, people refusing to wear masks, his workload has doubled due to the sanitation introduced to each job he has to do, he no longer ever manages to leave work on time, he’s permanently coming home knackered. But all we’re hearing is teachers saying how hard they’ve got it, how they’ve had to adapt etc. Yes so is everyone else!

Very few people are working without any changes, pretty much everyone is working longer/harder/at more risk, just get on with it like the rest of the population!

I was watching the news on the USA presidential election - lots of news reporters interviewing people in the streets. With both parties wearing masks.
Could hear them fine.
Most other countries have secondary students and teachers in masks. They seem to manage fine.
I'm sure if your husband is complaining about some people refusing to wear masks - that means most do. If he was shut in a room of 30 people for an hour, without any masks. Then the next hour shut in with another 30 people. Etc X5 every day - well then it is comparable.

If teachers wore masks it becomes a barrier to communication, it’s difficult to hear people talking when they are wearing a mask

It works well enough in Victoria.

It just seems no matter what discussion you ever have with teachers they think they have it worse than the rest of the working population

No teacher has said this.

just get on with it like the rest of the population!

We are.
If you aren’t interested in our discussions about how to make schools safer - and therefore remain open - then don’t read them.

people refusing to wear masks

So your DH is annoyed at people not wearing masks and think this is a risk to his safety?

Hmm.

We are not allowed to wear masks in classrooms but are given visors which aren't as effective.

The mask is to protect others the visor is to protect you. The visor isn’t meant to protect others and won’t be effective at doing so

Visors do nothing.

@noblegiraffe

Do you not understand the phrase ‘race to the bottom?’

Yes. I do obviously

But the point being supermarkets weren’t the bottom. Nowhere close.

Care homes were. Buses and public transport were.

WhyNotMe40 Do you have the links to the science to back this up?

@ivykaty44

WhyNotMe40 Do you have the links to the science to back this up?

miami.cbslocal.com/2020/09/03/florida-study-face-shields-mask-valves-cant-stop-covid19-spread/

That's just one. There are others but CBA to Google for you.
Scotland have advised against visors unless accompanied with a mask, and for good reason. As have lots of other countries.

Yes. I do obviously

Your response really suggested otherwise.

But the point being supermarkets weren’t the bottom. Nowhere close.

Care homes were. Buses and public transport were.

Guess what happened in all of those places? Efforts were made to make them safer.

No one said ‘fuck the supermarket workers, look at what people working in care homes have to deal with’. They looked at supermarket workers and installed screens and limited numbers in shops and made them wear masks.

Same for bus drivers.

Care homes got PPE and testing.

But whether a teacher says ‘hang on why am I crammed in a classroom with no mitigation measures, this seems like a bad idea’ the response is ‘stop whining, supermarket workers never whined they just got on with it’.

Ah but Noble. Not enough of us have died yet, and we have had the audacity to speak up about our unsafe conditions, instead of being humble and waiting for someone "else" to notice.
When I say "not enough of us have died" what I actually mean, is that noone is keeping track, just in case it shows something they don't want it to show.
I would also like it tracked how many teachers end up sick longer than the allowed 2 weeks.

Care homes got PPE and testing as they accounted for 30% of all deaths. Care home workers are still catching covid even with the masks. Bus drivers had high death rates as well and this was before there was any effective treatment. No worker will have it as bad as key workers had it in April and March.

No worker will have it as bad as key workers had it in April and March.

You’re saying that like it is therefore reasonable to argue in favour of unsafe working conditions for other workers.

“Don’t expect us to do anything until you can categorically prove that you are as unsafe as a nurse on a covid ward in March” isn’t Employer of the Year talk.

People should be disgusted by that attitude.

No worker will have it as bad as key workers had it in April and March

Why are you trying to make this a competition? How does this help anyone?