Why not masks for all in secondary schools ?

[countryroses]

Why not ?

@TopCherry

I disagree. As a teacher we wouldn't jump on a kid for figiteing with a mask or whatever we'd rather them do that than no mask at all. My anxiety would be halfed even if they just wore the same mask all day everyday and even touched it constantly compared to no mask at all.

That makes no sense. Constant fidgeting and touching will transmit just as much as having no mask. A mask only does its job if it's used properly. Zero touching. Teachers would have to enforce it and I think this is probably why it's not been brought in yet.

@TheDailyCarbuncle amen!

@Barbie222

I’ll protect myself thanks very much and would rather let kids be kids.

That's great! Could you let other secondary teachers know how you are proposing to protect yourself, beyond washing your hands now and again?

I work in primary and am happy not to wear a mask but secondary teachers should be allowed to wear them if they choose to.

Everyone who disagrees with you is whiny OP? It's not whiny to be insisting that a placebo peace of cloth should be enforced to make you feel happier?

There are different views, who knows which is right, that's of the point, but let's hope that when schools do go back they teach some critical thinking and tolerance .

I should say the vast majority of secondary school kids wear stuff that they are told to wear in the form of uniform, this often makes them uncomfortable (blazers in summer anyone) and yet they comply and schools seem perfectly capable of ensuring compliance. Given that the miss I left my tie or my blazer on the bus isn’t deemed ok in most secondary schools I don’t think face masks would be either and teachers would introduce appropriate sanctions.

I honestly think given the accept protocols around school uniform schools are the one place I can see mask wearing being well enforced and complied with if required!

I don’t know why the government is saying no to it but I cannot believe it’s because people genuinely believe there would not be compliance!

Our school had all back reception to Y8 full time and Y10 and 12 back part time before summer. Strict one way system, marked off area for teachers in each classroom. Hand washing in each room, staggered lunches etc and year group bubbles. This will continue. No cases of the virus so far. Require masks and if adult behaviour is an example, they will not be worn correctly, lunch will require the removal of masks anyway, and social distancing will be harder to enforce.
Part of the need to get kids back is social interaction with their peers. Communication is only half verbal - these kids need to see each other.

England north west here

I’m delighted that dds school is returning as normal

They sent us email saying they considered bubbles, zoning etc and found it limited teaching or curriculum so they are not doing any of it

All kids returning as normal with normal timetable

I’m delighted as are most parents

And I’m a teacher too with similar attitude

Secondary school

Communication is key
I’ve eaten out few times and can’t undetstand the waiters who wear a mask- no chance of it working in a classroom. Masks are a joke given the lack of impact currently

@CKBJ

A secondary school in Scotland has said From Monday, teachers and pupils at James Gillespie's High School "must wear face coverings indoors whilst moving around between classes". Hopefully the first of many.

Then take them on and off, making them useless.

They're not force fields! People are using them as a crutch in a panic.

@FlySheMust

Ireland seems to have its act together.

Don’t Ireland has it’s fair share of ridiculous stuff going on too.

Government Minister announces increased restrictions on social gatherings. No more than 6 people. Then the next day he goes to a golf club dinner for 80+ people.

He resigned.

@Vinoonasunnyday

England north west here

I’m delighted that dds school is returning as normal

They sent us email saying they considered bubbles, zoning etc and found it limited teaching or curriculum so they are not doing any of it

All kids returning as normal with normal timetable

I’m delighted as are most parents

And I’m a teacher too with similar attitude

You are 'delighted' there are no safety measures in place at all, in the middle of a pandemic?

@Vinoonasunnyday

England north west here

I’m delighted that dds school is returning as normal

They sent us email saying they considered bubbles, zoning etc and found it limited teaching or curriculum so they are not doing any of it

All kids returning as normal with normal timetable

I’m delighted as are most parents

And I’m a teacher too with similar attitude

That's a very brave move by that governing body, to go against all the guidance, it will be interesting to see how that goes.

@Vinoonasunnyday I wonder how they got round their risk assessment with that. I assume parents might not be so keen if the whole school has to isolate rather than just a bubble

I want masks and visors.
Someone said they have to have 3 masks per day, and bags to put them in.
Sounds perfect to me.
It will also help to stop other infections via throat, and coughs and sneezes.
I'd be interested to see how much flu etc falls if everyone wore masks and visors.

No idea how they’re doing it to be honest

No one I know has complained and most teachers are highly motivated and child led - it’s a state school but outstanding and having had two kids go thru it’s not the type of school where teachers rest on their laurels etc, complain etc

I’m teacher and can’t wait to go back

I’m guessing they’ll be hand washing and staggered breaks but all the rest is as normal inc school buses, lessons, lunch etc

It’s ridiculous

These measures were brought in to help the nhs not prevent people getting it full stop

The hospials near me are empty at the minute

Windyjuly

See to me that’s a slippery slope to wearing masks full time

Deaths by normal flu are higher currently than Covid deaths and it’s summer

Are we to wear masks to prevent kids getting a cold from now on?

@FinnyStory as a governor I couldn't have agreed to that.

@Vinoonasunnyday are they at least keeping records to help with contact tracing, as you are meant to know who has sat next to someone for more than 15 minutes?

@Windyjuly

I want masks and visors. Someone said they have to have 3 masks per day, and bags to put them in. Sounds perfect to me. It will also help to stop other infections via throat, and coughs and sneezes. I'd be interested to see how much flu etc falls if everyone wore masks and visors.

Why not hazmat suits, too? And gloves, change those every class? Why not decontamination suites for them to pass through as they come in.

We can all be alive to see how much we fucked the environment pitching all this shit out. Of course, someone else in a poverty stricken country will have to deal with all that pollution at first, but like, who cares about them? Never mind that the no. 1 killer of people is poverty, it's them and not us.

Sounds perfect to me.

I want the moon on a stick. I want a EuroMillions jackpot. I'll go to shitting in one hand and wishing in the other and see which gets full first.

FFS.

I don’t know but I’m guessing they’ll know who’s in each lesson? Most kids don’t have symptoms so are unlikely to be tested anyway so isolations I imagine will be common

To be fair everyone near me (local to Liverpool) is pretty chilled and no one is really that bothered bout Covid generally

I don’t know anyone distancing genuinely

@Vinoonasunnyday

Windyjuly

See to me that’s a slippery slope to wearing masks full time

Deaths by normal flu are higher currently than Covid deaths and it’s summer

Are we to wear masks to prevent kids getting a cold from now on?

Yes! That's exactly where we are now. Total infection elimination.

Isolations won’t be common I mean

Indeo

It’s a joke

I wear mask because I’m forced as so many

But no one I know gives two hoots how they wear it and people are kidding themselves if they think they do

^Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Not all children can wear masks. Some will mess around. But we just need most to do it & transmission risks come right down so we can keep schools open for longer & reduce risks to our families & wider community.
Surely this isn’t beyond us?^

I totally agree with this. Not every kid can and will wear masks. No one will wear a mask perfectly all day without taking it off. Maybe they'll only be worn for some of the time. But it will still reduce the transmission rate and make it more likely that schools will stay open.

Cloth masks protect other people, not the wearer. And teenagers are vanishingly unlikely to suffer any ill effects from the virus if they catch it. Badly used cloth masks can make the wearer more likely to get the virus.

Masks are uncomfortable, irritating, can cause acne, dry mouth, bad breath and other minor irritations. They interfere with social interaction and learning. But not seriously in most cases.

Which means there is a philosophical question. How much discomfort and annoyance is it reasonable to cause someone (require someone who is legally obliged to be there) to protect someone else? Teenagers have already suffered socially, financially (they will struggle to recover in their future work lives from this), educationally... All to protect sections of society that refer to them as snowflakes and have bagged all the good housing. They have already suffered for older people.

The question is, how much is it reasonable to require of them going forward? To protect others. It's easy to require altruism in others. But Brexit showed that when it's the other way round, screw the young.