To think this class should be closed?

[Jenster03]

I'm a part time primary teacher and in the space of two weeks, 14 children have tested positive out of 30 in my class.
We've had 2 or 3 return in that time, but more and more are testing positive. Now my teaching assistant has it.
AIBU to think we should be sending the class home and remote learning? How would you feel if you were a parent of a child in my class?
Oh, and I'm pretty anxious about my level of exposure too!

@unvillage

I'd like to know what "tightest restrictions" *@PurpleOkapi* saw, because I certainly haven't seen them in the UK.

Good luck with your kids' schooling when teachers quit or die in droves. My union is reporting terrifying numbers of people wanting to leave teaching directly due to the handling of covid. Hope you're good to homeschool!

Why would vaccinated teachers “die in droves”? You’re being hysterical.

The vaccines have broken the connection between the virus and death. Even before the vaccine teachers were not a high risk group for covid mortality. It was always the case pre vaccine that people under retirement age mostly had mild disease.

@wherethewildthingis

No, I am not on about in the school holidays. I know quite a few teachers and teaching staff who did not go into school at all during lockdown one, and had minimal time in school in lockdown two.

And I know quite a few teachers who did go in.

No disagreement there, a lot did, some didn't.

@wherethewildthingis

I have a lot of sympathy for teachers but I am against closing classes and children losing any more education time. I also think you lose sympathy by insulting parents, suggesting we only want kids in school to keep them off our hands. This pandemic has been dreadful for children. Because of a virus that won't even make them ill, they have lost a year of education. The impact on children's mental health has been severe. And many children have suffered really severe abuse, much more than usual, due to being at home. More children have been killed due to abuse than in any other year. Add to this the impact on parental mental health and pushing more children into poverty because parents cannot work. I do understand its difficult to be a teacher and work in an environment with close contact. But I find it difficult to see teachers, who should care about children, being so dismissive and often sneery about their needs.

Never have I seen a teacher sneery about children's needs.

I wouldn't be too bothered now, but I was pregnant earlier this year and would have felt very worried back then. I hadn't had the jab pregnant so was relying on my children not bringing it home (I gave birth before the vaccine got to my age group and it still wasn't recommended for pregnant women back then). Now though I wouldn't be too concerned, if anything the d and v bug we all had that whipped it's way through the entire class/school made us far more ill than covid would. School doesn't close for d and v (a couple of children were sick in class so gave it to those nearby etc etc...). I am obviously aware covid is still a risk to those who are vulnerable, I'd assume any vulnerable parents would keep their children off during such an outbreak anyway.

@lughnasadh

There's no point in sending them home. When you consider siblings, childminders, after school clubs etc. they'll all be mixing with the rest of tbe school /community outside of teaching hours anyway.

They're better off getting it over with.

Pretty much everyone who can be/wants to be vaccinated has been.

No! Literally no. This is the reason the UK is such a shit show. And it’s children that are the real victims.

Some chn are really suffering. Some will get long Covid. Some are dying. You should be absolutely ashamed of yourself for this ignorance. It isn’t jst adults that matter. Children catching Covid is bad for children.

@ImUninsultable

Schools are not the only places with close mixing or high case numbers.

Doesnt change anything. Covid is not going away. This is now life. Nothing anyone can do.

This! Lots of other industries with higher number of workers and COVID cases. Get on with life!

I agree that we shouldn't close all classes, but it seems sensible to close this one class a week early.

The thing is, Covid-19 can be quite nasty as well as really benign, even for kids- one of my teens had a nasty bout, like a bad flu and has been exhausted since then, so not all children will knock it off. Same for adults.

It is a bit like flu- if half your class has flu, your TA has flu and then you get flu, you can't carry on functioning because some of you are too ill, just the way it is.

The issue isn't about it not causing death/hospitalization, it's about the fact that if you get a big outbreak in one place, then that place ends up not functioning, whether it be in a supermarket, packing factory, school or whatever, because some of the people are still quite ill! Covid can floor people for a few days...even if half the people don't get floored, 1/4 of the workforce ill at once is too many for most places to keep going.
Right now, the OP's class isn't getting taught really, half aren't there, the other half are staggering on, I'd rather have proper public health containment measures, shut the class for a week, then half term week, then back with masks on.

We have so many students/staff off right now (uni), the students didn't want to wear masks and here we all are! So predictable!

@wherethewildthingis

Is it all right to balance the tales of evil uncaring parents with tales of teaching staff who made it very clear they were enjoying a long free holiday during lockdown, or are you going to throw daffodils at me if I do?

For example the teaching assistant at my child's school who posted on social media how much she was loving lockdown life and being able to concentrate on her kids. While I was struggling to do her job alongside my own.

Or my teacher friend who happily told me, in the 2020 heatwave, that he was spending all day with his kids on the beach?

Teacher and TA who both posted, in second lockdown, that people shouldn't be selfish and use keyworker school places unless they absolutely had to. When that was directly contrary to the local authority policy at that time which was to get as many vulnerable kids as possible into school.

I could go on but I won't! Teachers are not all saints either. They are a mixed bag like everyone else, some have indeed worked selflessly through all of this. Others have made it clear they loved the time off and would like some more. That's why people are a bit weary now of these type of threads starting again.

Ah ok. Teachers who spent a day at the beach now need to repent. Heaven forbid they have any fun or look after their own children.

Do you have the same feelings about people who were furloughed or nhs staff who got free food?

If people really wanted children to SAFELY get an education, then they would moderate their behaviour and provide safe learning environments. Less community transmission means less school transmission. No hepa filters, no proper testing and contact tracing in schools, means spread in schools. Not doing any of this as it’s expensive and inconvenient plus sending chn into school shows that it isn’t really about chn s best interests and education but about interests of adults (parents, businesses, politics etc)

This may be a relatively mild virus for children. Technically so is measles. Some chn will be hospitalised, some will get long Covid. Some will die.

The ignorance on this thread....

And contracting Covid doesn’t mean you are immune!!!! Jesus!!!! Bangs head on wall.

@borntobequiet

And the 400 unmasked secondary kids crammed into each house assembly, and then let free to mix with the 3 other houses of 400!

I was told an unmasked kid with a temp and cough would be waiting in my tiny office to go home!!

Problem is if you close every class and workplace with those levels we'd effectively be back in lockdown.

I get it's scary. I'm lecturing to big classes and it's spreading like wildfire with students and staff. I have students who tell me all their 5 kids have it but the rules are they can come in. Pretty sure dd has it but I have to come to work. Only a matter of time before I get it but I've had my vaccines so just hoping will be OK.

Thank you all for your replies. It's interesting the range of opinions here.
Whilst I do agree that remote learning is very disruptive, I'm talking about a few days then half term to slow the spread and reset a little.
At the moment it's becoming very difficult to support children both in class and at home.

I'm also concerned that staff getting it is going to cause a real headache as it could take a while to shake off.

I do feel like our safety isn't really being taken into account. Viral load is high and our CO2 monitor is constantly red. It's all well and good letting it rip round kids but it seems unfair to expose school staff so heavily.
I don't understand the comment either about not accepting a job so heavily exposed. I accepted the job 9 years ago...

They're better off getting it over with.

FFS, this view is so stupid.

Give your own kids diabetes, sure. I want mine vaccinated.

Chicken Pox parties were stupid too.

It's all well and good letting it rip round kids

Gone right off you now @Jenster03 - if you don't care about the kids and their families, I think you should be exposed too out of fairness.

It is terrible it is being spread at all.

Also many of the youngest years aren’t being taught well or by specialists as so many teachers are out and those that are in are getting redeployed to exam classes learning key stage 3 doing jack shit really!

Yawn. People with no understanding of a dangerous disease running rampant in our communities want to move on.

I’m a teacher off work ill at moment. Had a positive LFT but negative PCR. I was told cover was awful yesterday. My first class of the day wasn’t even covered as there was t enough staff. In the end the school admin team sat in with some classes. This is the reality of schools at the moment. It really is just childcare at the moment which is fine is parents are happy that no learning is taking place.

www.google.ie/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/virginia-child-covid-death-schools-b1932393.html%3famp

Just putting this here. The story of a mother’s rage at selfish parents after her child died of COVID. But it’s ok, right, as statistically it’s rare? So, although some children will die, it’s highly unlikely to be YOUR child. That makes it ok. For You! That is the definition of selfish.

I agree that we need to start living with this virus. What should be happening is people wearing masks, social distancing and hand washing. I have stage 4 cancer that is terminal but with maintenance treatment I can hopefully live well with my cancer. Those extra years matter I recently got Covid it was mild and I got over it . The downside is that I had to delay treatment. So every potential exposure causes me great anxiety.
I'm not the only one living with its anxiety and it would be great if there was more understanding in society

Unfortunately to the thick 'living with covid' means ignoring it.

@rrhuth

It's all well and good letting it rip round kids

Gone right off you now @Jenster03 - if you don't care about the kids and their families, I think you should be exposed too out of fairness.

It is terrible it is being spread at all.

Well I mean it more in the sense that that is obviously the government's strategy. It's clear children aren't as badly affected by it so they want it to rip round kids.

I absolutely agree..

My DS is secondary. it went crazily through his school .. He did avoid it but I wished they had shut for a week.

He had one lesson just 5 pupils in. one lesson teacher did a live and class lesson combined as there was over 50 % of the class off. The numbers have dropped now and seem to have come out the other side.

I do think they are going to the herd immunity approach

In my job I meet lots of people from around the world.. I have been told by a few people that they are watching with intrest in their home country our approach to covid.

@wherethewildthingis - children can’t get an education at one of our local schools as so many teachers are off sick, no cover so school has closed.

YANBU. At least 10 students in Y11 have it at my daughter's school and that's just the ones I know about and some of the teachers have it too.
Am really concerned about how much infections are going up. I have been double jabbed but I know a few people (also double jabbed) who have ended up quite ill with Covid but not hospitalised
I really feel for you OP but I also think the government are going to do everything possible to avoid schools closing again