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.

@Radyward

Teachers are at the same coal face of covid as the supermarket shelf stackers working on the frontline from day 1. You dont see covid cases coming clusters from tesco. So teachers need to pipe down They had their paid months off so suck it up like every other worker dealing with the public during this crisis. I'm a nurse and I'm not shirking or calling for action and I have asthma !!!

Another load of spiteful invective.

But you could use the same argument for supermarket, pharmacy, bank staff?

Those supermarket staff who are surrounded by customers wearing masks (by 'law'), sitting behind perspex in boxes, not touching their customers (or needing to touch customers), wearing masks when in the stockroom with colleagues? Those supermarket staff? The ones who could call the police on customers who cough in their face?

Those pharmacy staff who have one person in the shop at at time, are wearing masks and visors, are behind screens, have customers who are wearing masks by law? Those ones? The ones who come into no contact at all with members of the public without PPE, and then even only for a few moments?

The bank staff who have always been behind glass, have customers who are wearing masks, who never come into physical contact with customers, who are often working from their kitchen tables? Those ones?

Just checking.

You dont see covid cases coming clusters from tesco.

Because of all my points above.

Teachers are at the same coal face of covid as the supermarket shelf stackers working on the frontline from day 1

Whilst I am sure some of those staff may feel at risk and I hope that vulnerable staff at least are getting some support, is their job really the same?

We worked from day 1 too. My school never closed and Infact was open throughout three weeks of unpaid holidays too.

Are those staff in a cramped room with at least 30 other people?

Are they not allowed to wear masks?

Are they expected to social distance?

Do they have prolonged and close contact with several other people for a number of hours each day, with nothing in place to protect them from Covid?

If the answer is yes - why? Why is there workplace operating without being Covid secure? That should not be the case if you read the business and retail advise published to work places. They should be reported for not following the rules and action taken.

Certainly my family and friends working in offices, services and retail are not experiencing that. The level of Covid secure guidelines is much much higher.

Teachers are at the same coal face of covid as the supermarket shelf stackers working on the frontline from day 1. You dont see covid cases coming clusters from tesco. So teachers need to pipe down. They had their paid months off so suck it up like every other worker dealing with the public during this crisis. I'm a nurse and I'm not shirking or calling for action and I have asthma

When were these months off? Not much compassion for a nurse. Why the competitiveness anyway, surely we should all be fighting to improve everyone's lot rather than ah it's alright because we had it shite too.

OP, there is really no point posting anything on MN in defence of teachers. Posters don't give a shit. They might say it's all about their children's education and mental health, but for an alarming many school is just a means for childcare. Maybe if they'd shared my sheer panic at watching my primary teacher OH desperately fighting to bring down a 40-degree fever they might think twice about dismissing teachers as Covid fodder.

FWIW, I don't think schools should shut and nor does he, but the lack of empathy and constant teacher bashing makes us both think fuck it, he should do something else. To the posters who will read that, shrug and say fuck off then - well, when there is the inevitable mass exodus from the profession, as there will be post-pandemic, don't come complaining when your little Johnny or Martha is being taught in a class of 50 because there aren't enough teachers to go round. You told them to quit so they did. It's on you.

I totally admire teachers and its not a job I could do, so chose not to do it.
However, we have families relying on teachers and other school staff and we need them. I was at breaking point on my own trying to homeschool 3 kids and I can't do it again. I just can't.

Your job is much appreciated and I for one try my best to support schools

@TableFlowerss

Are you volunteering. There is a teacher shortage.

‘If they’re going to die, they better do it and decrease the surplus population’ A Mumsnetter about ‘moaning’ teachers.

The union is too politicised, and shot itself in the foot.. It was more about the evil tories than dealing with the here and now and the virus.

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.

No they aren’t.

Other people who can’t work from home also need to go to work.

People are to stay home except for essential purposes. Education of children is essential. We should never have closed them last time.

And this is not why people are being asked to stay home. It’s to reduce numbers of infections by reducing social contacts.

Yeah there a screen but it’s the physical touching of the items that’s the problem.

Isn't it now coming through that surface transmission from things like shopping is minimal and the main issue is from aerosol transmission.

So the mask and screens are the critical protection here.

And it would be unusual for a check out assistant to be engaged in close contact for 15 minutes with a customer without a mask and/or screen.

Liva you shouldn't have had to home school, non of us should. So many places just go on line.

Teachers are allowed to wear masks at my school. I only take mine off if I am standing at the front of classroom explaining to a group that includes hearing impaired students who may need to read my lips. Really dont understand why you dont do the same...

I work in retail. I had no Ppe for most of the previous lockdown. I am on the shop floor so have no plastic screen between me and the customers. We have 2000 customers a day. About a quarter don’t wear masks. Many ignore the 2 metre rule. Kids run around in the store. My employer does not allow me to say anything to the customers about social distancing. Customers walk right up to me, touch me, take their masks off to talk to me. Some of them are in contact with me for longer than 15 mins. There are no windows in my section and we rely on a ventilation system pumping air from the busiest parts of the store.

Retail workers have a higher Covid death rate than HCPs, although not as high as taxi drivers.

I feel sorry for teachers. They should be allowed to wear masks.

Ultimately there is no solidarity between workers in different sectors and as Covid goes on some workers are being seen as disposable. I am sorry you are one of them.

It’s probably particularly hard for teachers as they have traditionally enjoyed a higher status than shop workers and nurses. Most people who teachers would consider themselves on the same level as are working from home or on furlough.

People should be allowed to wear masks though.

No the grass isn't greener having to nurse your patients who are dying of covid with dementia who are frightened lost half the half the ward then losing a colleague.
Yeah it's been shite, a lot of the teachers had protection in the first round of covid as schools were shut have a think about the professionals who worked throughout and will work through this wave without complaining and just getting on it with it with lower pay than teachers.

Masks, screens and ventilation.

@NannyGythaOgg - wow. How safe are you in your job?

@Userzzz

God, not this again. If you’re so terrified to do your job, find another profession. It’s that simple, really. It’s fucking pathetic the amount of moaning teachers are doing. Most teacher I know only complain about their jobs and I find it hard to believe any actually enjoy teaching children. Lazy and entitled just like most of the public sector.

You are hilarious

Not all teaching staff are on teachers pay.
Many support staff have no power in classrooms, if a teacher wants windows shut they have to go along with it.

So teaching one of the safest covid jobs there is...

@CoronaIsWatching

Just get on with it like the rest of us.

This...

You aren't the only key workers!

It's only very recently that other people got protective equipment. In the actual height of the pandemic all retail staff didn't have masks and didn't have the option to work from home.
I don't quite understand why teachers are demanding masks anyway as it doesn't protect the wearer so what would be the benef6?

@Userzzz

Aren’t you a charmer.

Question: who is going to look after, sorry teach, your child if we all bugger off somewhere else or are too ill to teach?