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.

@NebularNerd just out of interest, what other job would you feel safer in?

We have a vaccine for flu and I get it every year. And I can't catch cancer from pupils and bring it home to my parents, who are in fact, in their 90s and extremely vulnerable. I don't have to go into school and I've made a perfectly rational decision not to take the risk. All the people insisting teachers have to go back without any safety measures 'for the sake of the pupils' are being utter idiots. This is a highly infectious virus and without masks and social distancing teachers will get sick and schools will have to close. Why is this hard to understand?

Hmmm. Tbh I have many friends and family working in restaurants, who will have been doing so for a good 2 months by the time teachers go back to work.
Since Eat out to help Out all restaurants have been jam packed Mon-Weds, and still fairly busy the other 4 days (all hospitality people I know are currently working 7 days).
They are not wearing masks they are in hot little places with 50-150 people coming through per night, touching their plates, and cleaning up after them. They are not crying about it though, because they just don't have the option to sit home on full pay, so life has to go on. And I don't hear anyone else worrying for them, because yanno..half price meals.
The country is fucked. Seriously fucked. Sorry but people need to go back to work. It could be worse, we could be in Beirut or Colombia or a million other places where life expectancy is shockingly low.
We have been very lucky in the UK, we are used to pretty much zero risk. That's not life for most people. And if you really don't want to go back to school then don't. Join the ever swelling ranks of job seekers competing for ever dwindling opportunities.

so you should understand the further massive effect this is going to have on the children's mental health

And where on earth did you get the idea that we don't understand that?

because they just don't have the option to sit home on full pay, so life has to go on

Teachers did not do not sit at home on full pay. They work.

And for the billionth time, teachers are not saying that schools shouldn't open, so your "mental health" argument is irrelevant. We are asking for the same sort of protections at work that most other organisations are providing.

@CallmeAngelina what exactly do you want then? A mask? A screen? What?

@motherrunner

Same here OP. For the first time in my life I’m taking antidepressants.

No doubt the usual folk will turn up to say ‘just quit’ like it’s easy to throw away a 20 year career.

I should hope no one would be as callous to say that to you!

I work in a supermarket on the shop floor where SD has gone out they window. Plenty of people not wearing masks, hundreds of kids coming in all day without masks.... People bumping into me and touching all the products I then touch later..

I don't moan I just get on with it. Life goes on and some teachers need to realise they are no more at risk than super market workers!

teachers are not saying that schools shouldn't open

Remember the checklist, Callme.

1. They will assume that anyone arguing for the safe re-opening of schools actually wants them to remain closed

2. They will suggest that any parent unhappy with the lack of mitigation measures deregister their child

3. They will suggest that any teacher unhappy with the lack of mitigation measures resign their job

4. They will slate teachers at any opportunity.

You’re dealing with a classic case.

I don't feel safe at work. I work in a busy hospital, because I am not with covid patients I only have a mask. Nothing else. I'm scared and anxious. I assess patients and work closely with colleagues without PPE. The risk is tiny and lift has to go in. If you don't want to work then give it up and let someone else take it

[quote Back50]@NebularNerd just out of interest, what other job would you feel safer in?[/quote]
Well, prior to being a teacher I worked for many years in admin, in spacious offices with a few other adults. I imagine now those offices will be even more spaced out or the staff will be working from home.
So my old jobs for starters.

Just out of interest, why don't you think teachers should have any protection?

@NebularNerd you should have protection and to be honest I'm finding it hard to believe you are not allowed to wear a mask

If you don't want to work then give it up and let someone else take it.

Teaching is a famously oversubscribed career.

Am sure in six months it would be possible to work out a safe system for socially distanced teaching. Many kids did not have any face to face (via zoom etc) during lockdown. With tech as it is today, I don't think that is acceptable. I'm not sure all teachers have been working sine March. I'm not a teacher, but if I were going back to school to teach would not worry me. If you catch it, you catch it, we're all probably get it one day anyway.

I should hope no one would be as callous to say that to you!

Welcome to Mumsnet!

You’re dealing with a classic case.
Of course. Silly me. Anyway, I have no intention of listing, yet again, what teachers are asking for. It's been said countless times before on these threads.

@PurpleDaisies I'm sure you are not irreplaceable

I'm not a teacher, but if I were going back to school to teach would not worry me.

But you're not so you don't know.

@Back50 sorry but your suggestion that teachers should give up work and give their jobs to someone else is a bit silly.

I can teach secondary physics.
Trust me.
I am irreplaceable.

Ignore the namechanging attention-seeking troll. They’re obsessed with needing a response from teachers.

We’ve all taught one.

[quote Back50]@NebularNerd you should have protection and to be honest I'm finding it hard to believe you are not allowed to wear a mask[/quote]
Some schools are not allowing teachers to wear masks.

Masks do not protect the wearer. They need to be worn by all students and staff to be effective. This is not going to happen.

No masks, no social distancing, no screens, poor ventilation, limited opportunities to wash hands.

150 students per day.

@Stressing

Am sure in six months it would be possible to work out a safe system for socially distanced teaching. Many kids did not have any face to face (via zoom etc) during lockdown. With tech as it is today, I don't think that is acceptable. I'm not sure all teachers have been working sine March. I'm not a teacher, but if I were going back to school to teach would not worry me. If you catch it, you catch it, we're all probably get it one day anyway.

Perhaps Borris should put this in his next speech?

🤣🤣🤣🤣

Same here. DH and I are both secondary school teachers. We have lost 7 stone combined as we were both morbidly obese and knew going back to school would be a risk. Pleased we have lost weight (more to go though) but still very scared.