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?

And a big factor in this is parents being responsible and not sending in children with symptoms.

Schools sending home children with any symptoms and being firm with parents about negative test before return.

Which adds more dimensions because obviously we don't parents economic status and job risks and they may feel bullied into going to work and hoping child just has a cold or whatever.

None of this is easy. It's a pandemic. But it relies on a huge selflessness of society which seems to have evaded some of the British people.

But I worry about those who think it's just flu and government are over reacting etc as I do for those who are genuinely still terrified about leaving their homes and catching it whilst walking around an almost deserted street.

You can wear a face mask and stand at a distance from the children for most of the class.

Teachers aren't allowed to wear masks, that's kind of the point they are making.

You can open up the windows

Many schools don't have opening windows. My sister works in a new build and windows don't open as part of an environmentally friendly ventilation system (not air conditioning).

@Rosewhite12 how do I stay 1m away when the front desk is touching my knees ? And I'll be there for 5 hours. In 5 different rooms. With 5 different sets of students. I will be the only one wearing a mask. Because my own DD will be working in a hospital and I feel I have a responsibility to not infect the front row. Or the next one who will not be 2m away. Most of my students feel the same way and have asked me if they can wear a mask to protect me. Kids get the way to minimise risk.

rose, what bit of us not being allowed to wear masks did you miss?

Yup @Fedup21I can envisage a few of slt making lives hell for some.

The stress that causes I believe is a main reason for quitting, next job or not lined up.

The pressure from all sides will be too much for many, and it doesn't help I suppose knowing no-one gives a shit as long as school is open. Parents and carers should be behind schools and realise they are being sold a lie. They should be questioning why for them to sit in their office they can wear a mask, yet another industry cannot.

To come in contact with a person for a short period of time like in a supermarket, we wear a mask. It's not like we are stood staring at a shelf for an hour!! To sit on a bus, train, tube wear a mask, but not in a school. And for your kid to get too and from school, even if they are on public transport for 10 or 50 minutes over the age of 11 they have to wear a mask.

Open windows 😂😂😂(they don't open more than 2cm so kids can't jump out of them). Keep 2m away 😂😂😂 (rooms are too small). Hand washing lots 😂😂😂(sinks 1 between 60 in our school). Sorry have to laugh or I will cry.

www.forbes.com/sites/williamhaseltine/2020/07/31/new-evidence-suggests-young-children-spread-covid-19-more-efficiently-than-adults/#12b79cae19fd

"New evidence suggests young children spread covid more efficiently than adults"

Some research showing the opposite to that already posted. Guess nobody really knows yet unfortuantely.

I'll be going back into a class of 60 four year olds, so will be interesting. I have worked in school throughout and although I am apprehensive I can't actually see any other workable solution either, I have three children of my own who I do feel need to be back at school.

You won’t be getting up close to students for longer than 15 minutes at a time. You can wear a face mask and stand at a distance from the children for most of the class. You can open up the windows. Children with symptoms will have to isolate, lowering the risk of the virus coming into the classroom in any event. The ones that do accidentally bring it in will not be showing symptoms and therefore will not be coughing and shedding the virus everywhere in great quantities. If you are reasonably healthy and don’t get viral overload, the actual risk of death is less than 1%.

-Lessons are usually at least 1hour, there is no room to be 1m away from children in most classrooms.
-Government guidance says no face masks.
-Windows usually open an inch or so on safety catches, especially upstairs, if the rooms have windows at all.
-We all know how many parents dose up their kids on calpol and send them in any way.
-I’m not worried about death, I’m extremely concerned about long term illness or health damage.

All of your points would make me feel less worried but as you can see, all your points have no basis in the reality of schools.

@Rosewhite12 you really haven't read the thread have you - there are not many airy classrooms with widely spaced desks.
My classroom could ideally fit 20 kids but my classes are all over 30.
I also teach drama in that room too. My windows open only a couple of centimetres and wherever I stand in the room I am closer than 2m away.
We have been told no PPE.
Parents will send kids in that are ill - they always do.
As PPs have said - it's not a race to the bottom, we are not claiming to be worse off the other key workers - we would just like protection and for the government to look at data and examples from schools worldwide

@CarrieBlue I really don't think parents know what they are sending their kids into.

I'm a teacher, although reception, so although no chance of social distancing within the classroom, won't be having different classes every hour. I have been in at least 3 days a week during lockdown, with class sizes not too far off the size of the year group I'll be having (usually our low intake numbers are a huge issue, but this coming academic year they're actually a blessing); so in a better position to most, and not feeling too worried yet, but we will see nearer the time. If the weather stays nice for a while longer there's plenty we can do outside, but I appreciate this isn't possible in secondary. Have you spoken to your colleagues about how you are feeling? As every school set up will be different etc it might help to speak to those who truly understand?

Me too. There have been 65 teacher deaths the government is lying!

@Piggywaspushed

rose, what bit of us not being allowed to wear masks did you miss?

I think this is the biggest but people are always missing.

The big thing teachers and school staff are concerned about.

There are Covid secure guidelines for pubs and cafes and shops etc. There's screens and shields and face masks.

But teachers have categorically been told they cannot have that.

And there is no logical reason.

And the unions have been made out to be hindering our children's education for asking for more conservation for a safer return.

Are masks actually banned in schools in the UK? And mandatory on public transport?

Makes no sense. What are the unions doing about it? Can you ask for the risk assessment on it, if the classrooms are that small?

In practical terms, the visors allow for lip reading/seeing expression but do block sound, while masks block sound to a certain degree and also hide the face obviously. And mics for every teacher would be expensive. But doable.

Masks for students is definitely doable.

Wow, such sympathy.

@Rosewhite12

As a teacher, you may be in a room with lots of students, and so you may have a slightly increased risk of getting the virus. However you don’t have much extra risk of viral overload. You won’t be getting up close to students for longer than 15 minutes at a time. You can wear a face mask and stand at a distance from the children for most of the class. You can open up the windows. Children with symptoms will have to isolate, lowering the risk of the virus coming into the classroom in any event. The ones that do accidentally bring it in will not be showing symptoms and therefore will not be coughing and shedding the virus everywhere in great quantities. If you are reasonably healthy and don’t get viral overload, the actual risk of death is less than 1%.

By comparison, nurses, doctors and care workers working directly with people who are sick with covid and are therefore shedding vast quantities of the virus have a much higher risk of viral overload. Even with PPE the risk to them is far greater. And you don’t see them complaining.

Most classrooms, the first two rows of students are within 2 metres. A part of teaching has to include moving around the classroom. Teaching assistants sit along side students for long periods of time, they cannot support whilst 2 metres away.

Some pupils, including those over 11 require support for eating and toilet, staff are within close contact for periods of over 15 minutes.

Have you bothered to read the guidelines from the government for schools opening? Had you done so, you would also see that SD isn't important, nor is the need to wear masks. Kind of what the main conversation is about tbh. Masks in school. = no. from government.

Windows open? 🤣That is funny.

Child with symptoms? Many does their children with calpol to lower their temperature before they send them to school. Temperature = stay the fuck at home.

Child ill in school - parents shocked, and oh no, not realising child has already grassed parent up. No-one around for a few hours to collect sick child.

Child wakes up next morning, no temperature so back in school. Child should be off until they clear 24 hours without requiring anything to bring down temperature. Same with adults.

How many people has that child been into contact with?

Maybe they aren't complaining because they unlike teachers are allowed to wear PPE. Let's tell NHS from tomorrow no PPE for you, in fact we don't need to. The nation was behind them when there was shortages!

@commentatorz

OP if you're so scared, why dont you resign and let someone else teach the children?

You’ve made your application for teacher training then? What an unhelpful comment.

@commentatorz 😂😂😂who would you suggest ? Teacher shortages are already hideous. But I'm getting close. I'll go back into banking - I felt less hated

@NebularNerd

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?

Schools going back in September is very reminiscent of hospitals at the beginning of the pandemic. When everyone else was locking down, we weren't allowed to wear masks on the ward and there was no social distancing. We had no social distancing and no PPE except covid wards. Gradually that changed to masks with patients, better PPE, more social distancing and then masks everywhere in the hospital.

I remember the boards here were full of terrified NHS workers wanting to resign as they felt (quite rightly) unprotected so I think people should empathise with you. I genuinely think that schools will have more and more rules put on them like hospitals did and quite quickly.

@Rosewhite12

As a teacher, you may be in a room with lots of students, and so you may have a slightly increased risk of getting the virus. However you don’t have much extra risk of viral overload. You won’t be getting up close to students for longer than 15 minutes at a time. You can wear a face mask and stand at a distance from the children for most of the class. You can open up the windows. Children with symptoms will have to isolate, lowering the risk of the virus coming into the classroom in any event. The ones that do accidentally bring it in will not be showing symptoms and therefore will not be coughing and shedding the virus everywhere in great quantities. If you are reasonably healthy and don’t get viral overload, the actual risk of death is less than 1%.

By comparison, nurses, doctors and care workers working directly with people who are sick with covid and are therefore shedding vast quantities of the virus have a much higher risk of viral overload. Even with PPE the risk to them is far greater. And you don’t see them complaining.

There is so much wrong with this post. RTT

We are not allowed to wear face masks
Classrooms are not big enough to sd from students
Research shows may be more infectious when not showing symptons
Windows do not open in most classrooms
Parents bring children in with symptons or every other kind of illness
Risk of death to many teachers is higher than 1%

I would like to see data comparing risk with no ppe with asymptomatic people and wearing ppe with symtomatic people . Have you seen ny to be able to state the risk?

@Rosewhite12

As a teacher, you may be in a room with lots of students, and so you may have a slightly increased risk of getting the virus. However you don’t have much extra risk of viral overload. You won’t be getting up close to students for longer than 15 minutes at a time. You can wear a face mask and stand at a distance from the children for most of the class. You can open up the windows. Children with symptoms will have to isolate, lowering the risk of the virus coming into the classroom in any event. The ones that do accidentally bring it in will not be showing symptoms and therefore will not be coughing and shedding the virus everywhere in great quantities. If you are reasonably healthy and don’t get viral overload, the actual risk of death is less than 1%.

By comparison, nurses, doctors and care workers working directly with people who are sick with covid and are therefore shedding vast quantities of the virus have a much higher risk of viral overload. Even with PPE the risk to them is far greater. And you don’t see them complaining.

This post is typical of people who have no idea what schools buildings are like, what the guidance says and have not even bothered to read any of the previous posts explaining why what they’ve suggested should happen, can’t and won’t happen.

and let someone else teach the children?

Who? Where are these qualified teachers champing at the bit to get back in the classroom? You know there’s a critical shortage of teachers, right? We don’t have enough for the kids already so encouraging the ones we do have to leave seems particularly dim.

And you’ve been told this before but keep wheeling it out like you completely lack the critical faculties to engage with information instead of parroting sound bites.

@commentatorz

OP if you're so scared, why dont you resign and let someone else teach the children?

Even before Covid there was already a huge shortage of teachers. The teaching profession has a huge recruitment and retention problem, and in addition to this any teacher who resigned today would still have to work until Christmas.

I’m struggling to understand why “schools” are saying your can’t wear a face mask given current government guidelines no one could be disciplined for insisting on wearing one. As for the potential problems like talking, breathing etc etc trust me think you’ll find that all is healthcare staff are very much still breathing and communicating perfectly well with our patients.
My kids return on Thursday this week and fully expect their teachers as do I to be wearing a face mask. Secondary school the kids will remain in the one class with teachers rotating as per subject.
Windows can be open and masks changed at least every 4hours.
The issue will be for kids like my ASD dc who requires additional support with her teachers usually being close to explain things. My dc however has been told that this will not be happening. I also do not expect her to socially distance from her friend group either.
I do however understand the anxieties of returning to your workplace after being away for 5 months.