Asking too much of teachers?

[DomDoesWotHeWants]

It's looking like masks are going to be a requirement in shops and possibly other indoor venues.

Yet teachers are expected to teach - for hours at a time - in confined, poorly ventilated spaces, with no social distancing. They have been told they do not need PPE. If I was still teaching there is no way I'd go into a room crowded with teenagers and not wear a mask at the moment.

Teachers should be allowed as much protection as possible not thrown under a corona bus because Johnson wants them for child care so their parents can go back to work.

I really can't understand why it's going to be compulsory in shops where meetings are fleeting but not in schools which are crowded and have people crammed in for hours.

Does the right of children to go back to school over rule the rights of of school staff (teaching and ancillary) to be as protected as possible?

This means they should be allowed to wear PPE, if they choose, and secondary children should be wearing masks as happens in some other countries. In some countries younger children also have to wear masks in school.

The safety of teachers has been ignored by Johnson and his chums in their urge to get people back to work and the cry of "back to normal" is taken up by those ignorant of the facts about the virus.

Teachers have been made out to be the bad guys almost from the beginning - as can be seen from many bile infested threads on here. They deserve better.

To be fair to @OverTheRainbow88, that was a particularly whiny comment "I've just finished marking between 5 and 6 thousand pieces of work done during lockdown". Sounds like OP has ~100 kids in her classes (12 weeks, 6000 pieces of work, presumably 1 thing per day); 1 hour per kid = 100 hours, that's 2 slightly busy weeks of work for many other jobs. Not much for 12 weeks of catch-up. No idea why she wasn't marking anything so far during lockdown, if she's catching up because of being off sick then that's tricky but clearly it's a one-off.

Come on then, rainbow. I'd like a can-do solution to how I am meant to mark 5-6000 pieces of work in a week (25-30 hours of work). When we have been told to vacate the premises whenever possible? And it now transpires that we are not meant to take books home (and in some schools, not actually mark at all, not that we've been officially told this).
It wasn't a moan, and I have done the task anyway, as I think it's important for children to have feedback on all the (fantastic) work they did at home.
Come on. I'm all ears.

MRex and what is your job?

For your information, MRex, we have been marking work emailed to us all through, but much of it has also been sent in in paper form now too. It's quite hard to differentiate what has been commented on already however.

@CallmeAngelina - I won't give a specific role as it's outing, but IT.

She didn’t talk to me a few times about how much work she is doing... it’s every single day, like every morning before school, during lunchtime, we have 3 PPAs at the same time a week, just to name a few

I’ve probably given her 5 different suggestions a week of how to manage her time, for a year. I’ve given her my whole year 7- 13 schemes of work, I give her examples of reports I write, and UCAS references, I sat by her at her year 10 parents eve, even though I didn’t teach that year group, I covered her break duties because she looked stressed.
So yes I do find it irritating, and I don’t think that makes me a bad person.

@SquashedFlyBiscuits

I totally agree with all your suggestions, they would be great!

@CallmeAngelina

What subject do you teach?
What year groups? Then I will have a think 👍🏾

How could I have done that on the school premises outside contact hours? Sounds like a moan to me

Sounds like a question to me

@OverTheRainbow88 it doesn't make you a bad person. I think everyone has felt like that from time to time. I can think of a few teachers in our school who sound similar to your NQT.
But is is part of the job to guide new teachers and support them. Just as it is part of the job to mark work.
Asking people to stop moaning when they are discussing concerns they have is not adding anything to the discussion.
So. Face masks with a plastic part to show your mouth. What other solutions would work?

@CallmeAngelina

Come on then, rainbow. I'd like a can-do solution to how I am meant to mark 5-6000 pieces of work in a week (25-30 hours of work). When we have been told to vacate the premises whenever possible? And it now transpires that we are not meant to take books home (and in some schools, not actually mark at all, not that we've been officially told this). It wasn't a moan, and I have done the task anyway, as I think it's important for children to have feedback on all the (fantastic) work they did at home. Come on. I'm all ears.

I didn’t think you were moaning @CallmeAngelina. It’s a genuine question.

We have also been told not to take work/school books home and to mark at school. We’ll be doing morning duty from 8, a break duty, a lunch duty and then waking pupils off premises and supervising til 4.

I will just make it in time for morning duty after dropping my own children off and then I leave school at 4.15 to collect them for 5 from their after school club. That’ll mean I can only mark in my 3 PPAs a week. I fear I’ll be falling behind from the very start especially as Yr 11 and 13 are having mock exams in the first 3 weeks of term.

I will, as always, try my best 😊

Hand cleaning stations outside tutor rooms so kids clean hands on arrival

Wearing gloves when marking books that have been to kids home, then cleaning your table once finished marking them at your home.

More vulnerable teachers could wear face visors, these are totally see through

Easier for secondary teachers but trying to keep the keep 2m rule

If windows don’t open, leave classroom doors open for some ventilation

Some lessons could be taught outside weather permitting

If a kid in a bubble has tested positive the whole bubble self isolates

I’m not a covid expert but there are some ideas!

@Whitestick

Thanks Pooie, sorry if I was snippy. (I seem to be snippy a lot these days, wonder why!!)

Ha! I know the feeling...

@OverTheRainbow88 I like the idea of wearing gloves. We’ve been to only mark at school. I’ll ask my head if I can do this,
as (if you see my previous post) marking in just my PPAs will be intense.

Easier for secondary teachers but trying to keep the keep 2m rule

Why do people keep saying this? My primary school kids’ classroom is about twice the size of mine. The idea that I can stay 2m away from the kids while teaching just because secondary kids have less tendency to hug teachers is just weird. I’m less than 2m and probably less than 1m from a kid at all times in my classroom.

It was a suggestion, I don’t think it was a weird thing to say, as I’ve not seen your classroom before. If 2m isn’t possible 1m is ok according to our great leader 🙄!

I guess older children have more of a social awareness, so may be easier during break time etc.

@OverTheRainbow88

Hand cleaning stations outside tutor rooms so kids clean hands on arrival

Wearing gloves when marking books that have been to kids home, then cleaning your table once finished marking them at your home.

More vulnerable teachers could wear face visors, these are totally see through

Easier for secondary teachers but trying to keep the keep 2m rule

If windows don’t open, leave classroom doors open for some ventilation

Some lessons could be taught outside weather permitting

If a kid in a bubble has tested positive the whole bubble self isolates

I’m not a covid expert but there are some ideas!

I do agree with lots of those.

I want the government to fund the hand cleaning stations. I want the rules to close bubbles after one case, not two as the guidance states.

I am really looking forward to having the door open to my windowless room and then having everyone on reception complain about my 18 and 15 rated films!

Rainbow, I like the idea of hand cleaning stations outside tutor rooms. At the moment our children all go and wash their hands which takes a long time!
I do like all of those ideas. I understand that a lot of teachers wouldn't want to take books home anyway at the moment. But as motherrunner said, everyone will try their best. If I had the choice I would keep the books at school and stay longer to mark them (our head has made that compulsory anyway!)

Apusskidu, I wouldn't bank on them closing down bubbles even after 2 cases, to be honest.

@CallmeAngelina and then we have the issue of children not being tested. We have had four children with symptons but none have gone for a test.

Yep. I had a child return yesterday after having been off for a sore throat. I'm afraid I insisted the HT came and took their temperature straightaway.

Did they have a temperature?

Thankfully no, but then not everyone with COVID does, so who knows?

Our school are going to take the children's temperatures when they arrive in the morning in September. I know the government are saying it's not an indicator of covid but it'll make staff feel better and probably some worried parents.

Can the school not send the child home and demand a negative test before they return if they have covid symptoms? I thought that was expected. Or is there an issue that "just a sore throat" isn't listed as core symptoms?