Wish I wasn't a teacher because of Covid

[NebularNerd]

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.

I will also gladly get out of teaching if I can find an open door, @NebularNerd. I'm not sticking around to be treated with contempt.

Morning!

Spent an instructive twenty minutes reading the thread: lots to think about!

I really like the comments along the lines of ‘I’ve been treated really badly at work, so why shouldn’t teachers be?’. Very good point. You should fight to make sure they are not treated better than you. A hill to die on.

Special shout-out to @onedayinthefuture, @Backtobasics5 and @WouldBeGood . Outstanding work!

Here's my updated list:

that makes you sound really thick’, ‘you’re much more likely to survive than not.’, ‘ I just can't believe the attitude of some teachers’, ‘I don't normally comment on teacher woe is me threads, but I know too many people actually out there dealing with people, and have been for months when teachers are still on their break!’, ‘paranoid nonsense’, ‘paranoid and bonkers’, ‘I'll leave you to your mad fantasies.’, ‘Teachers are not special.’, ‘ I think you have a pretty good deal. ‘, ‘If you can’t accept that children’s education must be prioritised, then maybe the profession is not for you.’, ‘the future of children in this country is lost,’, ‘It’s just a minority who expect other professions to take risks, while they take none themselves,’, ‘No sympathy from me I’m afraid, that they’ve had the luxury of shielding for 6 months and are now complaining about having to go back to work in a relatively safe environment’, ‘A lot of my family work in hospitals and can’t get over the attitude of SOME teachers.’, ‘I’d hate to think of a teacher passing on their anxiety to children’, ‘an air hostess could have a terrorist onboard and if the plane crashes that's it.’, ‘Just trying to point out that I've never seen so much whining here from teachers. It's a disgrace.’, ‘Honestly if it was making me that worried I would give my job up and search for another.’, ‘ If it wasn't for Covid, a teacher would have a very low risk profession’, ‘ I think some people do need to get over it and it’s an insult to others without PPE. Teachers are under an illusion that they have it harder than anybody else yet the majority have WORKED FROM home.’, ‘ I suggest you just get on with it’, ‘I don’t think the virus is how the Gov have made out to be.’, ‘Are all the teachers falling dead in Scotland??? Because from the teachers POV on MN you would think so.’ ‘Go and get a different job if you concerns are not what you can overcome’, ‘we will all die eventually but the chances of dying from Covid are pretty low and minuscule for young otherwise healthy people.’, ‘Life threatening? Really? Do you worry about getting flu from the children? I think you are over exaggerating the risks....’, ‘ For goodness sake people need to get a grip. The risks are miniscule’, ‘I think people need to accept the risk that comes with people facing jobs or they need to leave if they feel they can’t do that.’, ‘Flu has a much higher death and infection rate than Covid!’, ‘there is no perspective on the teacher threads. The complaining is way out of proportion to the risk’, ‘Teachers aren’t dropping like flies in Scotland.’, ‘Why should teachers be any different to everyone else?’, ‘I think teachers need to stop moaning if they want to stop @teacher bashing”. The risks are very small.’, ‘Seriously get a grip. You've said yourself that risk of transmission is low, what makes teachers so different to nurses, supermarket staff, delivery drivers etc?’, ‘Why can't you provide your own ppe as I have? Absolutely ridiculous’, The amount of hand wringing on here from teachers gives us all a bad name’, ‘perhaps you should consider being signed off work if you cannot rationalise the risks involved’, ‘What about the supermarket workers who have been in close contact/no PPE throughout the pandemic. The hospital workers who have been exposed? Bus drivers.’, ‘This virus needs to be lived with.’, ‘you either suck it up or don't go in’, ‘I'm not sure what else you want to happen’, ‘This is so out of proportion it's unreal’, ‘Are you scared of flu?’, ‘they don't put people on ventilators as much’, ‘Sick of this shit’, ‘This fear only seems to have gripped Mumsnet’, ‘This is not the bubonic plague’, ‘children have suffered the most throughout all this and if you (teachers) can't see that then maybe you should take up a different career’, ‘these teacher on here are wetting the bed every night about a tiny risk.’, ‘mental health in children has always been there’, ‘what other job would you feel safer in?’, ‘they just don't have the option to sit home on full pay,’, ‘It could be worse, we could be in Beirut or Colombia’, ‘ I'm sure you are not irreplaceable’, ‘Any comment from teachers about the restaurant workers working 7 days currently? ‘, ‘If you are that scared/anxious of the virus then please do resign’, ‘you're talking like you're the only people on earth who are at risk of COVID’, ‘Think of the children ‘,

Will NO-ONE think of the children??

Incidentally, The Times reports today that those who minimise coronavirus, including those who show no empathy and refute mask wearing have been shown in a study to have classic narcissistic and sociopathic traits. Sometimes even psychopathic.

@MilesJuppIsMyBitch

Morning!

Spent an instructive twenty minutes reading the thread: lots to think about!

I really like the comments along the lines of ‘I’ve been treated really badly at work, so why shouldn’t teachers be?’. Very good point. You should fight to make sure they are not treated better than you. A hill to die on.

Special shout-out to @onedayinthefuture, @Backtobasics5 and @WouldBeGood . Outstanding work!

Here's my updated list:

that makes you sound really thick’, ‘you’re much more likely to survive than not.’, ‘ I just can't believe the attitude of some teachers’, ‘I don't normally comment on teacher woe is me threads, but I know too many people actually out there dealing with people, and have been for months when teachers are still on their break!’, ‘paranoid nonsense’, ‘paranoid and bonkers’, ‘I'll leave you to your mad fantasies.’, ‘Teachers are not special.’, ‘ I think you have a pretty good deal. ‘, ‘If you can’t accept that children’s education must be prioritised, then maybe the profession is not for you.’, ‘the future of children in this country is lost,’, ‘It’s just a minority who expect other professions to take risks, while they take none themselves,’, ‘No sympathy from me I’m afraid, that they’ve had the luxury of shielding for 6 months and are now complaining about having to go back to work in a relatively safe environment’, ‘A lot of my family work in hospitals and can’t get over the attitude of SOME teachers.’, ‘I’d hate to think of a teacher passing on their anxiety to children’, ‘an air hostess could have a terrorist onboard and if the plane crashes that's it.’, ‘Just trying to point out that I've never seen so much whining here from teachers. It's a disgrace.’, ‘Honestly if it was making me that worried I would give my job up and search for another.’, ‘ If it wasn't for Covid, a teacher would have a very low risk profession’, ‘ I think some people do need to get over it and it’s an insult to others without PPE. Teachers are under an illusion that they have it harder than anybody else yet the majority have WORKED FROM home.’, ‘ I suggest you just get on with it’, ‘I don’t think the virus is how the Gov have made out to be.’, ‘Are all the teachers falling dead in Scotland??? Because from the teachers POV on MN you would think so.’ ‘Go and get a different job if you concerns are not what you can overcome’, ‘we will all die eventually but the chances of dying from Covid are pretty low and minuscule for young otherwise healthy people.’, ‘Life threatening? Really? Do you worry about getting flu from the children? I think you are over exaggerating the risks....’, ‘ For goodness sake people need to get a grip. The risks are miniscule’, ‘I think people need to accept the risk that comes with people facing jobs or they need to leave if they feel they can’t do that.’, ‘Flu has a much higher death and infection rate than Covid!’, ‘there is no perspective on the teacher threads. The complaining is way out of proportion to the risk’, ‘Teachers aren’t dropping like flies in Scotland.’, ‘Why should teachers be any different to everyone else?’, ‘I think teachers need to stop moaning if they want to stop @teacher bashing”. The risks are very small.’, ‘Seriously get a grip. You've said yourself that risk of transmission is low, what makes teachers so different to nurses, supermarket staff, delivery drivers etc?’, ‘Why can't you provide your own ppe as I have? Absolutely ridiculous’, The amount of hand wringing on here from teachers gives us all a bad name’, ‘perhaps you should consider being signed off work if you cannot rationalise the risks involved’, ‘What about the supermarket workers who have been in close contact/no PPE throughout the pandemic. The hospital workers who have been exposed? Bus drivers.’, ‘This virus needs to be lived with.’, ‘you either suck it up or don't go in’, ‘I'm not sure what else you want to happen’, ‘This is so out of proportion it's unreal’, ‘Are you scared of flu?’, ‘they don't put people on ventilators as much’, ‘Sick of this shit’, ‘This fear only seems to have gripped Mumsnet’, ‘This is not the bubonic plague’, ‘children have suffered the most throughout all this and if you (teachers) can't see that then maybe you should take up a different career’, ‘these teacher on here are wetting the bed every night about a tiny risk.’, ‘mental health in children has always been there’, ‘what other job would you feel safer in?’, ‘they just don't have the option to sit home on full pay,’, ‘It could be worse, we could be in Beirut or Colombia’, ‘ I'm sure you are not irreplaceable’, ‘Any comment from teachers about the restaurant workers working 7 days currently? ‘, ‘If you are that scared/anxious of the virus then please do resign’, ‘you're talking like you're the only people on earth who are at risk of COVID’, ‘Think of the children ‘,

Will NO-ONE think of the children??

@MNHQ, thank you for the deletions over recent days but this is what we're up against on here. I don't see it in wider society, so why is it acceptable on Mumsnet?

Thanks @MilesJuppIsMyBitch for collating them, you take the edge off it.

Well done miles Jupp, I can’t believe what this thread turned in to

I am genuinely wondering whether a certain lobby group had a spelling bee containing the word minuscule a few weeks ago. It is one of my favourite pedantic corrections so at least some progress has been made on the spelling front.

Thanks, Jupp. The comments on MN are beginning to rival those in the Daily Mail comments sections - and DO NOT jump down that rabbit hole!!!

Loving your work, Miles

It’s true, teachers famously never think of the children. I’m personally in the job for the chance to regularly solve quadratic equations.

Yeah, I mean who knew that kids nowadays are suffering with their mental health?
Thank Christ for the know-it-alls on here pointing it out to school staff.

I get what your saying but with 14 weeks paid holiday. The last 6 months working from home or very limited hours in schools and a really good salary I struggle to sympathise totally.

Every child that goes to secondary school will be exposed and therefore so will their families.

It's not exactly working a covid ward with rubbish ppe, 12 hour shifts for weeks on end, less pay and watching people die now is it!

What would you rather do?! Covid wards, night and day shift patterns, 5 weeks annual leave on less than 28k or teacher, 14 weeks annual leave, 35k a year 9-5 or home working to mark books. I know where I'd rather be and it's in a school teaching! It's a vocation.

Thanks for adding to my resource @wherestheotherone

‘14 weeks paid holiday.’ ‘It's not exactly working a covid ward with rubbish ppe, 12 hour shifts for weeks on end, less pay and watching people die now is it! ‘, ‘It's a vocation.’ ‘The amount of hand wringing on here from teachers gives us all a bad name’, ‘perhaps you should consider being signed off work if you cannot rationalise the risks involved’, ‘What about the supermarket workers who have been in close contact/no PPE throughout the pandemic. The hospital workers who have been exposed? Bus drivers.’, ‘This virus needs to be lived with.’, ‘you either suck it up or don't go in’, ‘I'm not sure what else you want to happen’, ‘This is so out of proportion it's unreal’, ‘Are you scared of flu?’, ‘they don't put people on ventilators as much’, ‘Sick of this shit’, ‘This fear only seems to have gripped Mumsnet’, ‘This is not the bubonic plague’, ‘children have suffered the most throughout all this and if you (teachers) can't see that then maybe you should take up a different career’, ‘these teacher on here are wetting the bed every night about a tiny risk.’, ‘mental health in children has always been there’, ‘what other job would you feel safer in?’, ‘they just don't have the option to sit home on full pay,’, ‘It could be worse, we could be in Beirut or Colombia’, ‘ I'm sure you are not irreplaceable’, ‘Any comment from teachers about the restaurant workers working 7 days currently? ‘, ‘If you are that scared/anxious of the virus then please do resign’, ‘you're talking like you're the only people on earth who are at risk of COVID’, ‘Think of the children ‘,

I get what your saying but with 14 weeks paid holiday. The last 6 months working from home or very limited hours in schools and a really good salary I struggle to sympathise totally.

12 weeks unpaid holiday actually. But how could you have got around the unparalleled luxury of allowing us to go to school to supervise KWV children, teach Years 1, 2, 6 and 10 and teach.and assess online? Furloughed us?

You should train to be a teacher. Here's a link www.ucas.com/postgraduate/teacher-training/ucas-teacher-training-apply-and-track

Where do you get that salary figure from @wherestheotherone

Wrong thread

Oh no it wasn't

@wherestheotherone It's usually a good idea to get your facts straight before quoting shit on a thread full of teachers.
As has been pointed out a gazillion times on MN over the years, teachers are NOT paid for their holidays over and above the statutory 5 weeks that is standard for many others.
HTH

@wherestheotherone has embarrassed theirselves.

Can use the internet to come on and have a pop at teachers but has failed to Google teacher’s pay and conditions and holidays. Oops!

All your unfactual crap aside, nursing is also a vocation.

It’s not a race to the bottom though. All employers should make all reasonably possible changes to ensure the safety of their staff, the difficulties in the nhs in the early stages of the outbreak shouldn’t be the point of comparison for everyone else.

I think teachers are just feeling that the same protections don’t apply to them, despite evidence showing older children can spread the bug.

I don’t see why they can’t have Perspex screens around teachers desks, 2m clear teaching area, and wearing masks if they have to approach children more closely. We all want the schools to open and stay open, without ppe/distancing measures teachers are at risk themselves, and potentially at risk of becoming super spreaders all round the school if they’re contacting 100’s of children a week without protective measures in place.

Well judging by my social media this weekend alone, parents are still going to be dosing their children up on calpol.
Teachers are absolutely right to be worried because they don't have a choice but to teach children of (small minority, not all!) parents who don't want their day disrupted.

@Shitfuckoh

Well judging by my social media this weekend alone, parents are still going to be dosing their children up on calpol. Teachers are absolutely right to be worried because they don't have a choice but to teach children of (small minority, not all!) parents who don't want their day disrupted.

Could you imagine the uproar if a teacher ‘dosed’ themselves up? Yesterday there was a thread where a poster wrote about her teacher friend who had symptoms and who was considering not getting tested and returning to work. So irresponsible but it shows the levels of selfishness we are dealing with.

@motherrunner
I missed that thread but yes, it really does. I thought people on my social media were actually quite sensible but seeing some comments to a few status' this weekend, has opened my eyes even more to what teachers are going to be dealing with.

Oh I forgot nursing was a vocation and we signed up for this when nurses were scared about having to look after covid patients.

😂😂😂 I'm not at all embarrassed. I hope you all enjoy your time back at your job, working and contributing to our society as it should be.

I wish my children's teachers had been as responsive to his requests for help during lockdown. Sadly they were not. Family members who are teachers tutored them while my DH and I watched old and vulnerable people die on covid wards while we had no treatments to offer them.

Said family members have told me multiple times about their pay, how they will not leave the profession because the conditions are unmatchably preferable (two of whom come from other professions and retrained). They were so bored during lockdown, and watched us work ourselves into the ground which is why they offered to help teach our children! They agree with us that schools need to go back full-time for the sake societies children and their future.

My children have been massively let down by their teachers over the past 6 months. No contact, sloppy lesson distribution which has been both factually incorrect and not amended for homeworking.

We all need to just get on with our jobs. We decided to do our jobs, now let's do them well. If you don't like it leave.

stairway, you spectacularly missed my point there.