I'm a teacher and I'm scared.

[NebularNerd]

I don't feel safe going back to work in September. When I became a teacher I did not anticipate doing so during a pandemic. I, like many others in secondary schools, will be facing up to 150 students a day, indoors, with no protection.
I am over 40 but not otherwise in a high risk category, although my husband is and we have elderly parents who will be exposed if I'm infected, as well as young children who will also be in school and potentially exposed.
I'm not disputing the need for children to return to school at all. I'm just starting to fear returning.
Anyone else feel this way?

Genuinely interested in how that article contains health misinformation?

‘Not one recorded case of a pupil passing the virus to a teacher’ is a particularly weasel way of implying that teachers are safe from catching the virus from the kids.

‘Recorded’ - how much recording is actually going on that we can be sure that pupil-teacher transmission has been caught in the stats?

Secondly - it implies that where there are cases of teachers having COVID (and there are many, including deaths) that it had been ruled out that they caught it from a kid, where actually a lot of the time it is impossible to show who caught it from where (if you have 3 adults and two kids down catch it, how do you know who gave it to who?)

It is dangerous misinformation that will encourage teachers to take risks with their health based on the false assumption that they are safe around kids with CV.

@Ickabog

children don’t not replicate the virus the same way that adults do. Hence they are poor transmitters of disease.

Genuine question, what's the difference between a 15 year old 6ft child and a 18 year old 6ft adult?

Hopefully this doesn't sound goady, because I really am interested in the difference regarding the virus.

As parent to two teenagers who are both 6 foot + I was wondering a similar thing - how are they (17 and 15) less likely to replicate the virus than 5 foot 7 me?

Not to minimise primary at all (I'm primary and Sen) but we do need to start recognising that primary and secondary settings are entirely different.

The risks and risk management is entirely different.

Let's not even think about the teens who may deliberately spit.

Thanks noble.

that it had been ruled out that they caught it from a kid, where actually a lot of the time it is impossible to show who caught it from where (if you have 3 adults and two kids down catch it, how do you know who gave it to who?)

That does make sense. Especially given we abandoned track and trace very early on.

I think you’re very right to be concerned OP. My daughter is due to return to college next month and I’m concerned for both students and teachers. Secondary schools and colleges cannot have the control and small bubbles that primary schools can. I strongly believe online learning should be used at least part time for older students to reduce the amount of people in school/college at the same time.

And it’s pointless referring to the number of deaths due to cancer in this discussion. Canceris not a virus that can be transmitted to others

As parent to two teenagers who are both 6 foot + I was wondering a similar thing - how are they (17 and 15) less likely to replicate the virus than 5 foot 7 me?

Your age is the difference. It’s not based on height, but reaction which is influenced by age.

This research outlines different risks with different ages of pupils:

www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.08.06.20169797v1

This bullshit about no teacher catching it from a pypil/student...

1. Most went I to lockdown and closed schools before the virus spread.
2. In my small social circle I know a teacher who was pretty sure she contracted it from a pupil shortly after her parent was very ill from the virus.

Maybe there are no recorded cases because no one can be sure of who they caught it from. How can they record it if they don't have 100% certainty. So any news story claiming such is nonsense.

The misinformation referred to above is now out of date and yes, it is a particularly weasel worded article. I don't think any bus drivers or care workers have been "proven" to catch the virus at work either. Employers and the government will obviously not be interested in researching how we can prove a virus was contracted at work rather than elsewhere!

@CodenameVillanelle

Ok, I appreciate the numbers of pupils will be large but many, many of us are working in close proximity to others with minimal PPE if any and have been all the way through. If you're teaching that many then I assume it's secondary and you can try to maintain 1 metre plus distance from them - keep your classroom windows open, wear a mask and get them to sanitise their hands on entering the classroom.

Are you really a teacher?

My classroom is not big enough to keep 1m away from all the students

I do not have any opening windows

We are not allowed to wear masks

We are also not allowed alcohol sanitiser on school premises

This is why many teachers are afraid

Have loads of supermarket workers caught covid and been really ill? I don’t know. Maybe this won’t be published because it’s not in the government’s interest.

I personally would have thought they are at risk with no ppe and people in and enclosed space.

I can understand why teachers are worried.

@Gurtcha totally agree with everything you’ve said- I was just about to write something similar.

Absolutely agree with keeping things in perspective. Easier said than done I know though.

OP

I have fear for September but know I can take my kids out if it all gets bad. Teachers have no option unless they can afford not to work.

Of course teachers are scared. Yoga might help a bit with anxiety but it won’t pay the bills if they’re forced to leave their job.

Yes I'm interested in when a child stops being a child in terms of virus transmission. Wasn't there a very recent news story about staff contracting COVID from a confirmed positive child in a nursery (so, very young)
I have no control over whether teenagers hand wash. I'm hoping there'll be a strict "hand sanitise as you enter" rule, but I need to supervise this from 2m away so who knows?
I'm not entirely convinced mask wearing has no impact for the wearer. In any case if I wear one it helps protect other staff members and makes it easier for others to wear a mask. I know some children want to.

@bigglewiggle the risk is entirely different to supermarket workers.
Schools and colleges are a haven for germs. Kids and students who don't wash hands all in close proximity for hours in end, touching each others stuff and class resources, doors etc over the course if the day. It is not a fleeting and fast interaction, it is not comparable!

Of, not if!

Thanks everyone for the replies and understanding.
For me, I would be happier if at least students and staff wore masks. I know that is not a perfect solution, but better than absolutely nothing!
I may be wrong but I cannot think of other jobs where one is working with that many people in close proximity with no PPE at all.
The case in Israel disputes the idea that students can't pass it on to teachers.
Children over 11 have to wear masks now in shops etc - why is that the case if they aren't able to transmit the virus?

Teaching seems to be the only profession that has to get on with it without any PPE.

Most customer facing roles have made adaptions. Schools will not in September, all students back, no masks, no space to social distance.

We are doing enrolment next week. 2500 students sometimes with parents will be coming on to our premises next week for face to fae interviews. No PPE, no plastic guards, nothing - how is that safe?

Things to focus on:

We are testing a load more than we were in March. In many areas the cases are much lower than in March. We can track those cases.

We know more about what we are dealing with.

It's not great but I do find that helps a bit for me.

@NebularNerd - I think we need a bit more input from you about your fears, what you think might help etc. Do you have any suggestions?

My DD17 cannot use a laptop very well due to processing issues (as in mental processing) so if she doesn't go back in September and get some help then year 13 is a write off for her. I imagine there are many others in the same position.

So what can we do?

*we are not allowed masks.

We are also not allowed sanitiser with alcohol in on school premises*

Says who and why not?

Sorry OP cross post. I agree with the masks - why isn't that going to be put in place does anyone know what the thinking behind "no masks" is for secondary schools?

@NebularNerd I think you have to think about the health implications of wearing masks all day too. Eg. If you do get the virus and have lower oxygen levels due to long term mask wearing.

My daughter is 17. She has worked her first job on the checkouts in a supermarket all the way through this. At times she was scared.

She has one year left of A levels and really wants to go to university. She has worked so hard for this.

Please can we sort this out so that she can finish her education.

I am a teacher. I am desperate to get back to work as normal. I don't want the kids sacrificing any more of their education and I don't want to wear a mask. I am unlikely to catch the virus if I don't go near the kids. And if I do catch it I am unlikely to get very ill. I don't share the anxiety of the OP.