School return will fail

[covidteacherscotland]

Okay so we have been back to school for a week! Great? No. Definitely not. Some thoughts on why this will be a disaster:

16 and 17 year olds are not children.

Social distancing is impossible. Genuinely impossible. Children will not or cannot stay out your space.

There is no PPE in school at all and staff are not protected in any way.

Children don't give a shit about washing their hands.

We've been doing double periods instead of single to minimise movement. This means that we are stuck in a room with 30 17 year olds with few or no windows as the respiratory droplets add up.

Educating your child is impossible if you can't go near them.

Our time management and pupil progress relies on us being able to give feedback to children formatively as we teach. To mark jotters as we go. We can't do this now.

I think that because infection is so low we'll be okay for a while - a few weeks - then the shit will hit the fan.

PrivateD00r

You don't live in England then. Both my DD and nephew were in their final year at different unis and had no on line lectures, so that's at least two universities that didn't do it for all students. I watched the select committee discuss this and there were clearly a lot of unis that provided poor on line teaching, from the evidence given

@Hearhoovesthinkzebras

PrivateD00r

You don't live in England then. Both my DD and nephew were in their final year at different unis and had no on line lectures, so that's at least two universities that didn't do it for all students. I watched the select committee discuss this and there were clearly a lot of unis that provided poor on line teaching, from the evidence given

No I don't. sorry, I had no idea not all unis did this. The unis here (I am in contact with them all in a work capacity) always did provide some online lectures, I had no idea that not all unis did this. It is great! Definitely the way forward as obviously having hundreds of students together won't be ideal!

I am sure there are plenty willing to teach

Erm, no, quite the opposite. No idea why

I didn't think we could buy N95 masks though? If we can I would think they would be extremely expensive (disposable so would need a lot) and I think they need to be properly fitted?

Thank you re police officers. That was my impression..that they just get on with it. With all due respect that's what I believe teachers should do.

As a fellow teacher, I feel we do the profession no favours with threads like this. It's all been said and said and said again. The loud complainers make us out to be resisting getting back to the classroom, on the back of already being cast as lazy throughout the pandemic. I find it embarrassing to be honest.

I'm not looking forward to teaching next term simply because of all the Covid restrictions will make it alien and wierd and harder than it would usually be, but I do want schools to be open and I do want to be doing the best we can for our students. I very much look forward to getting back to The Real Normal.

It's embarrassing to want to do your job safely? Okay then.

@Mistressiggi

I didn't think we could buy N95 masks though? If we can I would think they would be extremely expensive (disposable so would need a lot) and I think they need to be properly fitted?

You do need to be fit tested for one yes.

@BlusteryShowers. Thank-you.

Yet another thread that generates ill feeling when we should be supporting each other.

Op knew exactly how this thread would turn.

@covidteacherscotland I'm fully supportive but was trying to make the point that many posters will view your industry as having good working conditions, pension, plenty of time off, and a union with a consultative dialogue in the public sector.
It's very well to say the zero hours workers can report their grievances but the employers are supplying big retailers whose supply chain ethical team will audit the firm before appointing them as suppliers. Primark, Asda, whoever, they all will accept that the factories operate at the bare legal minimum provision for staff.
So two industries with equal concern over safety, PPE, etc. But one edges the other in terms of access to support, the chance to query unfair practices without fear of reprisals, job security and benefits.
Hold on to that thought, use your union. Simply put that's why you might not get universal sympathy on this forum, fair or not.

It has taken me 10 minutes to find medical grade N95 masks for sale. Ok 10 for £35 so a little pricey but if I was that worried I would pay and face visors add a little extra so don't give me the I can't get PPE shit. If the school isn't providing you have a choice IMO you either supply your own or resign no need to get hysterical like I said.

N95 masks are not effective for everyone. Around 20% people in my team, failed the fit test.

Thank you. So would need to be employers who did it really.
No one is resisting going back, embarrassed teacher, for anything other than health reasons. It's not wrong to want people to be safe. I'd think it was pretty important actually. I (like the OP) am back at school already, so hardly resisting a return.

absolutely agree about police officers who are doing an amazing job in such difficult circumstances. In my job in mental health I often work closely alongside the police.
And about the conditions in schools, whilst I agree the buidlings are in may cases not ideal , I can ssure you the NHS buildings often used , especially for things like mental health, are not usually exactly ideal either!! And given I do a lot of home visists, let me just say that a lot of the homes I go into you wouldnt really have fancied being in pre-pandemic, never mind now.

Yet another thread that generates ill feeling when we should be supporting each other.

I've no idea what you mean by this. I'm quite literally asking why teachers aren't being supported.

N95 masks are not effective for everyone. Around 20% people in my team, failed the fit test.

Im totally intrigued by this? What does it mean?

covidteacherscotland I’ve got mask re-fitting next week. Not all of the higher grade masks for all faces shapes, especially females who generally have narrower faces. So we have to be socially fitted for them.

@Kettledodger hysterical? Lol.

The fit testing is quite a complex process, but yes it’s about face shape and the seal of the mask.

@loulouljh

Thank you re police officers. That was my impression..that they just get on with it. With all due respect that's what I believe teachers should do.

Why should they? The Health and Safety at Work Act still applies.

N95 masks only work if they seal properly to your face.

If you have an odd shaped fizzog it's possible you'll never get a proper fit, no matter how many makes/sizes you try. So you go for the nearest thing and hope for the best

@Nicknacky

covidteacherscotland I’ve got mask re-fitting next week. Not all of the higher grade masks for all faces shapes, especially females who generally have narrower faces. So we have to be socially fitted for them.

So you have a protective mask then? So more than teachers have?

@Nicknacky that's genuinely really interesting. Also very interesting that it's generally women who are losing out! Who does the fitting? Is it an NHS professional or a trained Police Officer?

Did you not say you were basically back to normal with no protection though and now all of a sudden you've got one of these masks? I'm not trying to be a dick but surely you can see that you are then afforded at least some protection that we're not?

Hear No, Like I said I have one available for Covid positive incidents.

Other than that it’s just the normal paper masks but I don’t wear them all the time. Only when necessary.