Going back to school-from a teacher who has Covid

[minxthemanx]

I worked flat out for 17 weeks, through Easter holidays etc, running key worker/vulnerable group at our primary. The kids had an absolute blast- we were outdoors pretty much all day every day, and scrupulous about hand washing & hygiene. First week of the summer break I had what I thought was sinusitis: the pain in my face and head was excruciating and several times I nearly called an ambulance. My own teenage DS were worried about me. Eventually it cleared up with a week of anti biotics, but my stuffed up nose and lack of smell continued so I went for a test, and am positive for Covid. No normal symptoms, had no idea. My younger DS has also tested positive and we are isolating.
By the time we finish isolating I'll have one week, then be back in school. This time not outdoors all day but squashed in a room with 30 year 6 kids, v little space between us. I haven't admitted this to anyone, but I'm shit scared. If I managed to contract Covid in a mostly outdoor small group setting, how much more prevalent will it be in September?
I'm lucky. I'm otherwise very fit and healthy. Yet that week of illness was like nothing I've experienced before, and I suffer from sinus problems every summer. I really don't want to go through it again.
I don't know what the answer is. We need to get our children back, I want to be back teaching, but I am now very very wary.
Just thought it might be interesting to hear my perspective; this virus is horrid.

Bella the pupils hadn't gone back to school yet (I assume that's what you mean) but the point for me is that pupils of that age are not required to distance at all in schools, or wear masks, and yet are clearly capable of both contracting and passing on the virus.

You obviously didn't catch in school as that's not actually possible. The virus doesn't transmit when it enters an educational establishment.

There’s no way this is linked to them actually being in the classroom, it’s too quick. This is them mixing outside of school during the holidays. The school will still have to shut though, won't it? This is the point - with no SD in schools it'll be much harder to keep them open. The system is set up to fail. It's so frustrating!

Don't assume that because you appear to have your children at a possibly shit school means it's the same for "millions" of others.

Definitely the same here and for my friends in other cities. There do exist primary schools that are not shit. But I am sure that for millions of children it has been much like at our school.

@CallmeAngelina

Yes it's scary, yes it's not going to go according to plan but we have to do it. The point is, rushing back to normal full-time as if Coronavirus never happened is not the best way to achieve the best long-term provision. All that will happen is that infection cases balloon, and schools have to shut down in a few weeks.

Anything other than everyone going back full time is going to result in the can't be bothered parents not being bothered, seeing it as optional and those children disengaging with education. This is would be a far bigger consequence on a population scale than the consequences of the illness itself. Yes there are more vulnerable (health wise) children but in a lot of cases those children have a lot of time off school anyway and already have workable alternative learning in place and parents who will put in the effort to ensure they don't lose out.

@CallmeAngelina

Stop trying to create issues And how am I trying to do that? I stated a fact - I have no idea who out of my class might have had Corona even when we were back in school during July., let alone since they all went off for the holidays. (I do know we had some children sent in unwell, however).

But it doesn’t matter if they contracted it whilst not at school as they wouldn’t be spreading it around the school. So you don’t need to know if pupils had it during the months of home schooling or over the summer holidays. But if they’ve tested positive whilst attending school (or shortly after) then it will have been picked up through track and trace and the school would know.

@Lilybet1980

I’m sorry you’ve been unwell.

I actually take some comfort from this. You’ve tested positive and strongly suspect you contracted it at the school yet it clearly hasn’t made its way through a large number of the other teachers and pupils. I actually think that’s a good sign, it indicates that it won’t necessarily infect whole bubbles (and wider).

But schools, including OPs, were not open fully before the summer holidays. OP explains the difference - outdoor and socially distanced in July, indoor and crowded in September. Also, from the time line OP described, she may have caught vivid separately to school anyway.

Not a doom-monger and hopefully it'll all be fine with full opening, but it's wrong to think that the OP's account is reassuring in itself.

@Morfin

You obviously didn't catch in school as that's not actually possible. The virus doesn't transmit when it enters an educational establishment.

We’ve just been saying this and you can’t catch it at work. You can only catch it at your relatives or in the pub (no idea how the bar staff can’t catch it though they can’t as they are at work).

@minxthemanx I’m with you, while I’d love my DS to be back at school and school to stay open throughout the next academic year. I don’t want this to be at the detriment of his teachers health.
Many people who are saying children don’t suffer badly from it are missing that there are adults in schools.

@latticechaos

You obviously didn't catch in school as that's not actually possible. The virus doesn't transmit when it enters an educational establishment.

There’s no way this is linked to them actually being in the classroom, it’s too quick. This is them mixing outside of school during the holidays. The school will still have to shut though, won't it? This is the point - with no SD in schools it'll be much harder to keep them open. The system is set up to fail. It's so frustrating!

Why would the school shut when the Covid pupils haven’t even returned to school?

@alexaenemy

I agree with *@madcow88* but do you know what it is blindingly obvious that's some schools want to shut as soon as possible until there are the strongest possible measures in place. That won't happen so it obvious that will be sooner rather than later. As much as I dread a return to home schooling I'd feel better if some thought was put into the frankly woeful provision my own kids got during lockdown and how two full time parents are supposed to educate and keep a roof over kids heads. But again no video lessons or explanations will happen just a few work sheets and frazzled parents left to get on with it whilst sacrificing the education and socialisation of millions of kids and putting mostly women out of work who will be unable to find childcare.

This!!!

I'm surprised at posters commenting that at least it was mild, you're probably immune, now you know it's nothing to worry about etc etc.

If that's the case, why bother with any precautions anywhere??

I realise that we must protect the most vulnerable. This means we should ALL avoid contracting this virus so we don't pass it on to those who are vulnerable. Isn't that what we've all been told throughout this crisis? Why must we ignore the rules when it comes to teachers in schools?

And as we all know, in some cases those who contract it will be affected seriously or die, even those who aren't in the vulnerable groups.

I'm sorry you've been through this OP and I can't see how having had Covid already should make you somehow feel better about returning in September.

Golly didn't mean to cause a heated discussion. Of course I could have got it from Tesco or whatver, but as I'd been working (sometimes 1:1) with children of frontline staff for 17 weeks, it is very possible the virus reached me that way.
I don't know the answer. I want everything to go back to how it was. Just wanted parents to knoe that as a teacher and Mum myself, I'm fairly concerned about how this will pan out in September.
And today I have the fun of the downgraded A level results for my 18yr old to deal with...

SoVeryLost interesting, so are the bar staff safe because they are working? If I take my laptop and do my accounts whilst sitting in The Nags Head do you think I will be similarly protected?

My school and many of my friends schools said primary provision was poor, I don't think it's necessary that the parents sent their kids to shit a schools and at the time loads of people complained they were on their knees.

@CallmeAngelina what is your proposal to make it safe for teachers? How do you intend to support home schooling? Are you content to crash the economy and let our children become a lost generation who will never catch up?

And totally agree @OcarinaBear

@wizzbangfizz my plan is to do a week on week off for SENIOR school, teaching in small groups week one (small groups increase attainment anyway) and week home learning consolidating the previous weeks teaching. Childcare would be provided for those seniors that couldn't be at home. It's not perfect but this would allow for SD and lessen the chance of school closure.

@Northernsoullover

Test and trace does work. IF those who are traced play ball. IF we are able to contact those who have tested positive and they are forthcoming with their movements. Given how many healthy (no health, or hidden disability problems) people can't wear a fucking mask without whining I think that's where the problem lies. I don't blame some people whose employers are utter shits and for whom isolation would cripple them financially.

The problem I think will be tracing people. We ate out at Pizza Hut on Monday. You were seated then ordered via an app, the app gave you the option to opt out of test and trace, makes a mockery of it really.

@notevenat20

Don't assume that because you appear to have your children at a possibly shit school means it's the same for "millions" of others.

Definitely the same here and for my friends in other cities. There do exist primary schools that are not shit. But I am sure that for millions of children it has been much like at our school.

"You're sure?" How about some evidence?

It really doesn't help morale when the same primary teachers (and head) who completely ignored our children until July, supposedly because they didn't have to prepare for online teaching, then announce they won't do a moment's work to prepare for the September term as they are now on holiday.

...have time to...

What are you talking about? Scottish schools went back on Tuesday. There’s no way this is linked to them actually being in the classroom, it’s too quick. This is them mixing outside of school during the holidays.

Yes, it is due to them mixing before being back at school, just as predicted.
And surely the eight pupils with COVID have been at school this week, with other pupils....and staff?

Oh wait, of course school pupils and staff are immune to COVID whilst within the walls of a school

Roxburgh The affected children have not been to school since it re opened. It does say that in the article.

But the strict social distancing that is seeming to be demanded in schools isn't happening in most places I have been too - maybe some shops. But certainly not on beaches, in holiday towns etc

Of course people will be mixing and will continue to do so - the bubble stuff is nonsensical and teachers and the majority of the general public can not be kept safe from this disease - it is everywhere! Do we really need to throw this generations education and our own economy down the pan? Not to mentioned plenty of other diseases which are not getting diagnosed due to covid - more people will die from that and the ongoing economic effects that from the disease itself.
Die of the economic effects

But the strict social distancing that is seeming to be demanded in schools isn't happening in most places I have been too - maybe some shops. But certainly not on beaches, in holiday towns etc

I can avoid those places if they seem unsafe. At work there are rights of places seem unsafe. But kids have no rights to leave school.

It's unfair that young people won't be able to distance.

If there are cases in a school the school will have to partially or fully close. This will not be up to the school; all decisions will be made by PHE.
You can bash teachers all you like but they don't get to make these decisions. Complain to your MP - it would be more helpful.
I'm sure some of the online learning was shoddy, but many schools did not have the skills, fast enough computers, adequate training or suitable platforms to do this well. Unfortunately with the governement hell bent on denying there will be a problem in the Autumn they still haven't given any resources or advice to schools to sort these problems out. It will be a mess again if schools shut. Teachers have not been asked to plan for this, they have been asked to plan to teach lessons in schools which is exactly what they are doing.

We also just had weekly sheets emailed, no interaction other than that. There were 8 key worker/vulnerable children attending. There was no holiday or after school provision.
I appreciate the curriculum was stopped etc etc bit it was still pretty rubbish.