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Original poster

Wish I wasn't a teacher because of Covid

952 replies

NebularNerd · 27/08/2020 20:08

In my family/friends circle, I am the only one who will be face to face with 150+ people per day with no PPE, no social distancing, nothing.

I have one relative who is not expecting to return to the office this year.
Another who now only works in the office two days per week, in a building where numbers are severely restricted, one way systems, spaced out desks etc.
Another friend who is also able to wfh for the foreseeable future.

I can't help but think that had I made a different career choice I would not now be faced with contracting a potentially life threatening virus and passing it on to my clinically extremely vulnerable husband or elderly parents.

I will go to work and try to ignore what's going on in the world and do my best. But I wish I could be made to feel safer - screens, masks, fewer pupils, something.

I hope I'm worrying for nothing, but it is getting difficult to sleep at night.

OP posts:
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WhyNotMe40 · 28/08/2020 16:27

@stairway

Whynotme40, working in a hospital is now very safe, but it wasn’t during the peak and it won’t be during another peak.
So why.not support our efforts to reduce transmission in schools to help.us not get a second wave?
stairway · 28/08/2020 16:30

Whynotme40, the government should provide extra funds for schools for supply staff to enable clinically vulnerable teachers to work from home. I think there is a limit to what the government can fund.

WhyNotMe40 · 28/08/2020 16:34

I did say what I'd like Grin I know it's a pipedream.
I'll settle for reducing numbers in classrooms - especially older years, and masks.

WhyNotMe40 · 28/08/2020 16:37

It's crazy that they won't find anything for schools when they've just paid a pr company an awfully large amount to persuade us that schools are safe. Instead of giving schools that money to make them safer.
And money for eating out. Did weatherspoos take part I wonder?
Money to their mates companies to provide PPE when it was nothing to do with PPE and had very few assets, and seem to have not provided adequate PPE anyway I think?
Funny how they can find funding for what they want....

Original poster
NebularNerd · 28/08/2020 20:02

Latest government guidance:

Based on current evidence and the measures that schools are already putting in place, such as the system of controls and consistent bubbles, face coverings will not be necessary in the classroom even where social distancing is not possible.
Face coverings would have a negative impact on teaching and their use in the classroom should be avoided.

Not only are face coverings not recommended, they should be 'avoided', even if there can be no social distancing.

In response to those who have said that teachers should just wear a mask.

And as the science says, in secondary, the students transmit the virus just as adults would.

OP posts:
WouldBeGood · 28/08/2020 22:44

So.... what to do?

ineedaholidaynow · 28/08/2020 22:45

Looking at rotas for Secondary schools for high risk areas per latest guidance.

Imsosorryalan75 · 28/08/2020 22:48

I'm surprised there are so many arguing against ppe provision in school for staff and children. I'd be (and am) actively campaigning for as much ppe as possible in schools based on the fact that that schools will stay open longer and I dont have to go back to homeschooling.

Original poster
NebularNerd · 28/08/2020 23:20

@Imsosorryalan75

I'm surprised there are so many arguing against ppe provision in school for staff and children. I'd be (and am) actively campaigning for as much ppe as possible in schools based on the fact that that schools will stay open longer and I dont have to go back to homeschooling.

Thank you for your support.

I think there needs to be more of a unified campaign, and I would happily be involved.

The unions seem to be nothing so it seems that teachers, parents and students need to speak up to keep everyone safe.

OP posts:
ineedaholidaynow · 28/08/2020 23:28

The new guidance seems to be pushing masks more

wawawawawa · 29/08/2020 02:30

I’m a teacher in Australia and apart from a few weeks when the virus first arrived we have been at work every day.
The numbers are still low here but it is scary. We are just waiting for it to get to our school. Until there is a confirmed case in your school it is business as normal generally. People don’t take the virus seriously. We are still in the phase of “it’s just a flu, this is ridiculous “.
The other primary school closed for cleaning yesterday. It is getting so close.
The anxiety for me is terrible and I feel silly as well. I have conditions that make me scared I will die.

The conditions they have put in place are dumb. The kids can play before a and after school together but are restricted to a small time limit at lunch and only in their age group. We have classes that are taught together in groupings of around 60-90 students at a time. That’s ok?!?

They can play recorders, clarinets and saxophone but not sing or trumpets?

No bus trips to sports grounds because they will be sitting too close...but they sit like that in class?

The idiocy of the rules makes it scarier because they don’t know what they are doing.

No masks unless there are parents picking up students is my favourite. Apparently the parents will give us the virus. Their kids who we share exposure to are irrelevant.

It’s crazy. I’m scared. I will probably die.

HeyBlaby · 29/08/2020 03:04

'It’s crazy. I’m scared. I will probably die'

Oh come on.

echt · 29/08/2020 03:37

What state/territory are you in, wawawawawa? Not Vic as I am, clearly.

CayrolBaaaskin · 30/08/2020 06:49

@wawawawawa - we will all die eventually but the chances of dying from Covid are pretty low and minuscule for young otherwise healthy people.

Flaxmeadow · 30/08/2020 12:29

I'm sure all those retail staff wished they hadn't been working, back when the virus was spreading much much more than it is now. They had no PPE or screens and dealt with many more people than a teacher

The spread of the virus is nothing like it was back in March and April

Hangingbasketofdoom · 30/08/2020 12:47

Schools didn't close till the end of March did they? I can hardly remember. They certainly didn't close in February!

Flaxmeadow · 30/08/2020 12:58

It was announced that schools would close on the 16th of March. All schools were closed by the 20th

FrippEnos · 30/08/2020 12:58

@Hangingbasketofdoom

Schools didn't close till the end of March did they? I can hardly remember. They certainly didn't close in February!
Schools closed on Friday 20th March.

IMO the government were trying to wait till all schools were on their Easter break.

Appuskidu · 30/08/2020 13:02

@Flaxmeadow

It was announced that schools would close on the 16th of March. All schools were closed by the 20th
It was announced Wednesday 18th and schools closed two days later.
FrippEnos · 30/08/2020 13:07

Just to add to Appuskidu it was announced after schools had shut for the day on the 18th

Original poster
NebularNerd · 30/08/2020 13:08

@Flaxmeadow

I'm sure all those retail staff wished they hadn't been working, back when the virus was spreading much much more than it is now. They had no PPE or screens and dealt with many more people than a teacher

The spread of the virus is nothing like it was back in March and April

I wish they'd had protection then too.

Now they do.

Why does what happened in March have any bearing on what is happening NOW to teachers?

OP posts:
loulouljh · 30/08/2020 13:13

Life threatening? Really? Do you worry about getting flu from the children? I think you are over exaggerating the risks....

Flaxmeadow · 30/08/2020 13:15

Why does what happened in March have any bearing on what is happening NOW to teachers

Because the infection spread was much higher back then
Retail, police, social workers etc did not have the measures in place now
Less was known about the infection back then
The risks are far far lower now
We did not have multiple threads on "scared" retail etc staff back then

Mistressiggi · 30/08/2020 13:16

I get the flu vaccine every year because I do worry about getting it from children, actually.

FrippEnos · 30/08/2020 13:18

Flaxmeadow
We did not have multiple threads on "scared" retail etc staff back then

Nope we had multiple threads on tinpot jobsworths stopping people from going in to the shop because the numbers allowed in the shop were reduced.

So some people were complaining about the protections that retail workers have/had.

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