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?

salty go for it!

@Friendsoftheearth but teachers WANT schools to reopen. We are not children haters! We want schools to reopen (and so do our unions!) but the government have been wholly inadequate in their issuing of guidance. Give my school enough money to employ extra cleaning staff, for example. The government are refusing to provide any extra funding to schools whilst throwing millions, billions at other sectors. We just want more sinks and more cleaning and some PPE in some circumstances when there is bad ventilation and no SD. Why on earth would you be against this? Let schools open in a safer way and they will stay open! I am not just a teacher. I am a mother. I want my own child to be safe and in school!

@Hearhoovesthinkzebras
Doris, 88, dementia, heart failure and hypertension. Has a fall, fractures her hip, goes into hospital.

2019: gets a chest infection and dies
2020: gets a chest infection and dies but the chest infection is caused by Covid

Either way, there's a statistically high chance that Doris is dying if she goes into hospital under these circumstances except in 2020 that's a reportable Covid death.

In addiction, let's not forgot anyone who has ever had Covid and died gets recorded as a Covid death even after a full recovery has been made

@Friendsoftheearth

The one thing that become glaringly apparent to me is that we really do need a union/committee to represent the needs of our children across the whole spectrum. It is grossly unfair that the youngest and the most vulnerable in our society have absolutely no one speaking up for them. No one representing them. They are completely stripped of rights or representation.

I will press for this in the future, because if the children had a union fighting for them in the same way the teaching union does for their paying members, we would have a much fairer and equal outcome.

Children are just little people, and are just as important as anyone else in our country.

Go and start a thread about that then, rather than taking someone else’s thread over.

This thread was about someone saying they felt scared about their workplace not having sufficient measures in place.

I feel like MNHQ should put a warning in post titles when Them4Us have derailed threads for their own purpose.

@Friendsoftheearth surely your children’s union would also be shouting out about better hygiene facilities and cleaning in schools?

Attacking teachers and their union is a really stupid way of reassuring the nervous ones
and just aggravates a lot of others

I wish some pp would stop their anti-union politics and scapegoating.

In Germany, the authorities treated the teachers union with respect instead of trying to scapegoat them,
listened to what they wanted for their members,
provided extra money and resources to achieve these measures,
let the most vulnerable teachers WFH,
so schools here have started returning ft with little drama

Cooperation works; confrontation doesn't

@Charliescar are you suggesting that all teachers should martyr themselves for the summer? I've been living my life thanks very much. If I'm expected to risk it all in September, I'll take my chances now - and yes I'll be camping right before we go back. Once we're back in September I shall continue to enjoy my weekends to the same extent as anyone who can work from home.

@Friendsoftheearth

The one thing that become glaringly apparent to me is that we really do need a union/committee to represent the needs of our children across the whole spectrum. It is grossly unfair that the youngest and the most vulnerable in our society have absolutely no one speaking up for them. No one representing them. They are completely stripped of rights or representation.

I will press for this in the future, because if the children had a union fighting for them in the same way the teaching union does for their paying members, we would have a much fairer and equal outcome.

Children are just little people, and are just as important as anyone else in our country.

I’d quite like to think that by asking for better protection from Covid that I would be speaking for those children - in that they would be safer and schools will be less likely to close. So they will have a better chance of a less interrupted education.

But no, the only possible reason why I could want a safer workplace is because I’m lazy, selfish, and refusing to work. Of course.

Are you not even allowed to wear a visor op? I don't see the issue with teachers wearing visors. Unlike masks which protect others so need to be worn en masse to really be productive, a visor will significantly reduce the wearer's chances of contracting viruses. They form a barrier for eyes, nose and mouth, do not inhibit the senses as dramatically, and your students will still be able to see your whole face, so I don't understand why this wouldn't be allowed? I choose to wear a visor at work, and I love it. Makes me feel so much safer, and doesn't inhibit my physical, customer facing role at all. I forget it's there most of the day, and quite often end up driving home with it on.

The cleaning and hygiene facilities are perfectly adequate in most schools.
The children's unions would fight for schools to open immediately on the grounds of human rights if nothing else, and may I remind you of article 26 - a right to an education.

I can’t be bothered to read the whole thread of people droning on in support. I am sick of teachers feeling they are in a special category when there are so many others who have had to continue to work in closer proximity to others. Nursery workers have to wipe their children’s arses and do a lot of personal care and there has not been a mass outcry. I assume because they’re not able to sit on their arses at home on full pay and be fully backed by a union.

You’re a civil servant (either directly or indirectly) your peers are working, the bin men are working, medical professionals are working.

I had emergency surgery recently and was whizzed into theatre with a team of healthcare professionals. They didn’t have time to wait for my COVID swab so effectively risked their own life to save mine. Nobody stopped to moan.

But teachers who are responsible for the prospects of the children in their care are apparently too precious to risk.

You might not have envisaged working during a pandemic. Did anyone? My husband has continued to work in a customer facing role throughout. He just understands that’s the nature of his role. Have we been comfortable with the risk? No. But have we realised there is little choice and unfortunately the world needs to continue to spin? Yes. We have bills to pay and his role, however insignificant in the wider scheme is essential to the operation of the business he works for.

many, many of us are working in close proximity to others with minimal PPE

Exactly that.

who is paying for the hand sanitiser?

I don’t think there is a single worker in all the land who hasn’t borne some expense from extra hand sanitizers. Are we really saying the expense of hand sanitizer is prohibitive? Arguments like this do nothing to strengthen your argument.

Visors don't work and will shortly be removed from all sectors unless you wear a mask.

[quote epythymy]@BigChocFrenzy I'm not saying the pandemic didn't occur. I'm saying that a sizeable proportion of the deaths were people waiting to die anyway. We've not had a strong flu season for several years and so the people that a good flu season would have usually killed mid winter ended up dying in spring of coronavirus.

Also the OP is not 80 with several comorbidies and therefore her risk of dying is, what, 0.05%? Roughly. Perhaps less. [/quote]
...
No, most were not going to die anyway

UK gov: Direct and Indirect Impacts of COVID-19 on Excess Deaths and Morbidity
(DHS , ONS, Govt actuary & HO)

Category A: Health impacts from contracting COVID-19

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/907616/s0650-direct-indirect-impacts-covid-19-excess-deaths-morbidity-sage-48.pdf

We estimate that from the 32,000 COVID-19 deaths registered between 21st March and 1st May,
25,000 were “excess deaths” in that they would not have occurred otherwise within 1-year

Under the COVID-19 Static Scenario (CSS),
it is estimated there would be an additional 53,000 COVID-19 deaths to March 2021,
42,000 of which would be “excess deaths”.

In total this equates to 530,000 lost Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs)
and 700,000 Years of Life Lost (YLL) over the 12 month period (21st March 2020 to 19th March 2021).

For people who contract COVID-19 and survive,
there are likely to be morbidity impacts particularly amongst those hospitalised and needing critical care, including cognitive, physical and mental health impairments.

We estimate these equate to 40,000 lost QALYs within 1-year.
The long-term health impacts are unknown.

@Friendsoftheearth please explain how you know this about hand washing facilities in most schools being adequate? I would love to see your data. And on the number of cleaning hours available to most schools?

The cleaning and hygiene facilities are perfectly adequate in most schools.

HAHAHA Great joke. You were joking, right...

Anyone who has been in a school will most definitely confirm the cleaning and hygiene facilities are basic at best, and down right disgusting at times. How many times have we seen posters say my child refuses to use the toilets because of the state of them

[quote KatnissK]@Friendsoftheearth. You are chatting grade A shit. Why the FUCK would unions want to keep schools closed??!! Really?! Unions have been asking for a safer working environment, in the same way that shops and hospitals and public transport workers have. Were you wringing your hands when shops implemented social distancing measures? Did you accuse public transport unions of conspiring to end bus travel forever when restrictions were put in place? How is what schools are asking for any different? What possible benefit would there be to anyone, especially teachers and their unions, if schools never re-opened? I completely agree that some people are going over the top with their anxiety around the virus, but people like you spouting goady and ill thought-out crap are just as bad. We need to assess risks and mitigate them as far as possible. I'm a teacher and my main concern is the thought of further lockdowns/school closures adding even further disruption to pupils' lives should the virus spike after school openings. If we can plan to keep things as safe as possible, we can stay open. Less of your hysterical "tHeY WaNt ThE sCHoOlS ShUt FoREvEr" nonsense please. [/quote]
Well said

sparkles well, use hand sanitiser then like the rest of us. Is it not completely obvious?

@Friendsoftheearth I’m sorry but you dismissed my comment by saying most schools have adequate cleaning and adequate hand washing facilities. Please provide your information on this.

My son aged 12 is very concerned about safety. If he were a member of a union, He would be supporting the teachers and asking for schools to be made safer. He does not want any of his friends or any of his teachers to get ill.

I think it would be a darn good think for the children , especially secondary level, to actually have a voice and be able to ask the government to make their schools safer.

I see some of those who are so eager to see ft schools remain open,
either totally oppose measures to enable this, or don't support demands for funding & resources

This looks like deliberate union-bashing out of political ideology, looking for a convenient scapegoat,
rather than being concerned with kids getting a ft education

@Friendsoftheearth

The one thing that become glaringly apparent to me is that we really do need a union/committee to represent the needs of our children across the whole spectrum. It is grossly unfair that the youngest and the most vulnerable in our society have absolutely no one speaking up for them. No one representing them. They are completely stripped of rights or representation.

I will press for this in the future, because if the children had a union fighting for them in the same way the teaching union does for their paying members, we would have a much fairer and equal outcome.

Children are just little people, and are just as important as anyone else in our country.

They do.

It's the teacher's campaigning for the schools to open for children safely.

I don't get why you can't understand this?

@herecomesthsun children being given a voice would be excellent. Adults like @Friendsoftheearth being given a voice as if they are speaking for children..... less so!

@herecomesthesun your son is quite right. Teachers AND children are being let down by the complete disregard for safety measures being needed in schools. It’s disgusting that some people are against schools demanding better protection for all of the people who will be working and learning there.

@Friendsoftheearth

sparkles well, use hand sanitiser then like the rest of us. Is it not completely obvious?

Why should they need to use hand sanitizer if the The cleaning and hygiene facilities are perfectly adequate in most schools.

Could it perhaps be because you're making it up, and have no proof that what you're saying is true...

I wish some pp would stop their anti-union politics and scapegoating.

If the unions are advocating blending learning, then they are alienating working parents, who’ll be forced to give up their livelihoods. I can’t support that.

If they focus on the measures that can be taken to make schools as safe as possible while providing full time education for all, then fine.