Teaching during a pandemic

[NebularNerd]

I posted before going back to work about my concerns about teaching at the moment, about feeling unsafe.

Since going back I'm finding there is little/no social distancing between students and staff. No/little opportunity to clean hands as I run between different bubbles for every lesson. We wear masks in corridors which is something, but not in the classrooms. I teach secondary.

Like everybody else, I'm just getting on with it. I'm hoping we're lucky and it doesn't reach our school, because if it does the 'safety measures' won't protect staff. When we have rules such as the rule of six outside of work I just can't my head around it.

As the numbers rise once more and staff and students begin to test positive, I'm wondering what is next for schools.

How are other teachers getting on?

Exhausted because of the extra duties - have one 20 minute break a day.

I stay at the front of all my classes but I’m not 2m away from the front row.

Break times and lunchtimes and no one distances. I’m told to try and maintain a distance but how is this possible when you’re surrounded by hundreds of students?

My school aren’t mandating masks unless you’re considered vulnerable, not even in corridors.

As I have one toilet break a day that means one opportunity to wash my hands. The rest I’m relying on sanitiser.

I teach Yr 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 13.
My enthusiastic self and then I come home and cry. For the first time in my life I’m on antidepressants.

Zero social distancing possible. Knackered because of my reduced break. I’m basically not getting a break.

I'm not doing well at keeping away from the kids - it's so impractical when dealing with behaviour, handing out books, packing away ready to get to the next lesson etc.
Also not been having breaks due to staggered lunches etc.
Not sure how sustainable this all is.

I'm exhausted from the different style of teaching required to teach KS1 all sitting at forward facing desks. Plus we all have to serve and clear up lunch (which is manic) meaning we only have 30 mins to eat, and have morning playtime duty every day.

I also miss the fun stuff, singing, playing games etc, and generally being able to he spontaneous sometimes.

I'm totally wiped out already as are many of my colleagues. I'm not sure I'll last until Christmas.

I'm finding it impossible to keep away from my students, behaviour, equipment, helping them with their work. I tried just standing at the front but it doesn't work.
I'm lucky that my school is encouraging mask wearing and have sanitizer in every room, etc.
I move between 'bubbles' and we have over 1000 students at my school. Add in the r rate rising, I am scared now.

Honestly, I swing from thinking it's fine, it is what it is, I just need to get on with it to complete and total terror several times a day. I teach across year groups, about 500 primary kids a week. I can't stay 2m away from them. I feel like I did in March, when every day the news would say something else to escalate this whole thing further in my head. Meanwhile outwardly I'm pretending to everyone around me that it's safe and to the kids I'm doing my best to minimise their fear and normalise new routines so they aren't scared. I'm giving parents constant reassurance - underneath it all I want someone to reassure me. I'm definitely not a catastrophiser, I'm pretty pragmatic and sensible normally, but this is all starting to get to me now.

I feel like it's a matter of time until I get it and cause major disruption to the whole school and my family. I'm asthmatic too, but I don't even have the headspace to worry about the implications of that. Basically, I'm shit scared and simultaneously ashamed of feeling that way.

I cant socially distance from the kids. So many need you to check work, read what they have written, or just someone to talk too its not possible. Im not even trying anymore. I wash my hands once a day, when i go to the loo at dinner.

Luckily Im too knackered and busy to have time to worry about it, but fully expecting to be off sick very soon.

We have everything in place to begin online teaching immediatly in case of a closure, my only concern is how that will work if the teachers are actually sick.

Day to day in school it's never mentioned, I don't think about it. We're carrying on as normal apart from sanitizer & timings etc., although don't often get the chance to sanitize my hands before dashing off & kids rarely do. Kids are great at wearing masks which is good to see, although little point as it's not in lessons.

Kids don't seem bothered at all, and no-one is dwelling on it or seems outwardly worried. But shouldn't we be?

Then I come and watch the news. With the R rate rising I just can't see how keeping schools open is sustainable?

@motherrunner I’m in tears reading your post and feel you completely... I teach every year group 7-13 and have the same issues.

I’m also a HOD who last week was told I’d been teaching a kid with Covid and therefore have been self isolated for 14 days.

Honestly, working from home this week has been torture. Not only am I planning dept lessons that I won’t teach, I am also managing said dept, organising my cover work and teaching online to the upper year groups..

Then, an email hit today that we are to create booklets for those kids who are off and self isolating with no access to a computer and b) ensure we have uploaded our lessons onto our homework portal for those that do and are off.

Seems relentless and somehow I am working longer and harder than ever before?!?!

Anyone else?

[quote DumDaDumDum]@motherrunner I’m in tears reading your post and feel you completely... I teach every year group 7-13 and have the same issues.

I’m also a HOD who last week was told I’d been teaching a kid with Covid and therefore have been self isolated for 14 days.

Honestly, working from home this week has been torture. Not only am I planning dept lessons that I won’t teach, I am also managing said dept, organising my cover work and teaching online to the upper year groups..

Then, an email hit today that we are to create booklets for those kids who are off and self isolating with no access to a computer and b) ensure we have uploaded our lessons onto our homework portal for those that do and are off.

Seems relentless and somehow I am working longer and harder than ever before?!?!

Anyone else?[/quote]
This is what I’m terrified of! I’m also a HoD I feel very responsible for my department and want to guide them through these times. I’m also 32 weeks pregnant and having to have regular growth scans to ensure my baby keeps growing, as I have a condition that means he might not. If I have to quarantine for 14 days, I’m not allowed at to the scans and anything could happen to baby. I’m not afraid for me but terrified for my unborn child.

Also finding it more work in terms of moving around school and carrying things which is exhausting me. Toilet breaks can be difficult to as I can be teaching the same group for up to 2.5 hours and so cannot just nip between a lesson and at this point in the pregnancy it’s really hard 😳

Teacher in an Infant school. It's tiring, you can't socially distance from the children but it's so so great to be back. Taught my lovely year 1 class from last year (they are now year 2) and seriously had to get a grip of myself as it was pretty emotional all being back together after 5.5 months. Yes there's challenges, yes it's hard but I so hope we can stay open and in class.

@MrsR87 my goodness, you poor thing.

If it was me, I’d have a word with HR. You have to have access to a toilet, it’s not right otherwise. Surely someone can pop in, for example, on a day when you’re doing a long lesson to relieve you for five mins?

I think I was just so unlucky. First day back and four of us staff and 100 kids are now off for another week. Just horrendous. I just don’t believe that SLT realise how much we are doing. Realistically those booklets are going to take 1-2 hours each per year group and how many kids are actually going to do the work? I think we have to be smarter here.

@Popfan we’re all happy to see the pupils back, but hoping we can keep them isn’t enough. We need to work sustainably.
Secondary - no distancing as can’t get 2m from front row in most rooms. Running around as Y7,8,12 and 13 are in base rooms. Teaching 7-13 with the exception of 11 and 12, up with 3 Y7 classes and 3 Y8 ones. 10 min morning I break and 32min (yes really) Lunch, so no break really once I’ve sprayed desks and sorted resources to run around with. 3 after school duties per week. Children mixing in corridors despite all our efforts.
It’s madness and will lead to spread of Covid. No question.

I am already ‘end-of-term’ exhausted. I’m spending all day lugging bags of books around a large school. We have lots of extra duties. Morning break has been shortened and the day extended. Lunchtime barely exists now. We are also expected to include kids on Zoom in our lessons, which is a significant extra stressor.
I’ve been composing my resignation letter in my head all week.

@cardibach not quite sure why you tagged me? The OP asked how other teachers were getting on. I said how I was getting on. My post does not negate the posts of others such as yours. Everyone's experiences and feelings will be different.

[quote Popfan]@cardibach not quite sure why you tagged me? The OP asked how other teachers were getting on. I said how I was getting on. My post does not negate the posts of others such as yours. Everyone's experiences and feelings will be different.[/quote]
I tagged you because your answer suggested that people who were worried weren’t happy to see the children back. It read as though it was all lovely and emotional for you, overriding all you r worries and anyone still worried was not thinking of the children. Apologies if that wasn’t your position.

How are other schools doing things?

We have zones for each year group which means that teachers move for every lesson. It means we are always on the back foot, arriving when kids are already there & trying to get logged on etc. get books handed out. Massive knock on effect on behaviour as every start of lesson is chaotic. Obviously this also means there is no time to sanitize keyboards etc.

Staggered lunch/breaks/starts means if you have a full day you may get a 20 minute break all day.

Honestly don't know how I can keep up the pace.

I'm not sleeping to be honest. We are pretty much running as normal at my secondary. Our only concessions to the virus are quarantining plastic items for 3 days between usage and having two breaks and lunches. There are no masks, no social distancing and no one is using sanitiser. My colleagues are either Covid deniers or just resigned to making as little fuss as possible because the Covid deniers all seem to be SLT or aspiring SLT.

We're not in a high risk area but cases are picking up in our area and it's only a matter of time before we get our first confirmed case. There is nothing to stop it ripping right through the school. I am vulnerable and live with extremely vulnerable people. I'm trying to pretend everything is normal whilst I'm at school but at night I can't switch off and I'm finding it hard to sleep. I've thought about handing in my notice but I genuinely love my job and I feel like it would be one more thing sacrificed to Covid (we've already lost close relatives).

I just hope the government sees what's going on before it's too late - it may already be too late ...

I’m at a secondary in Birmingham. No social distancing, contact with loads of different classes/years. Constant passing things back and forward. No masks anywhere.
Now we’ve been told we can’t mix with other households, it’s absolutely laughable.

Secondary in Bolton.

I'm exhausted. We are doing everything we can to promote distancing but it doesn't work. I'm sanitising pretty much every surface I can, I'm missing every break and lunch either on duty or cleaning the room amd handing out lesson resources so that my movements and everyone else's are limited to the bare minimum. The kids are very uneasy, they know positive cases and several know people in hospital with COVID. But they still mix, share drinks and lifts to school b3cause they just don't think. It really does feel like March again and I'm waiting for 'Tier 2' to drop any minute, but knowing this shit show of a government that will come in too late.

I've just finished working now so I can have tomorrow completely off, before working all day Sunday. I've even spent every free period shepherding kids around the one way system, so I've done very little work at work!

Primary. No social distancing and some bugs passing between different bubbles already though no confirmed covid yet. Exhausted and worried about winter.

I wish teachers parents people would stop being so spineless You all know this is not sustainable stop letting the government say that schools are covid safe there clearly not there should be a walkout or something a better system needs to be in place to protect everyone

@Kmx123

I wish teachers parents people would stop being so spineless You all know this is not sustainable stop letting the government say that schools are covid safe there clearly not there should be a walkout or something a better system needs to be in place to protect everyone

You what now?

Nursery/ reception have to be ten times worse than anything else. Can't just stand at the front. Have to get on to their level to talk to them. No tables/ social distancing/ facing forward but just business as usual. Snotty noses, huge crying and overreaching episodes, cutting up their food with your face about 1m away from theirs; less for doing up their coats and taking off jumpers etc at least 5 times per day. Toiletting. Sitting on carpet in circles. I'd give anything to be in secondary instead right now! There is no personal space with preschoolers.

don't often get the chance to sanitize my hands before dashing off

You need a little refillable bottle on your lanyard - not expensive on Amazon. I am sanitising several times a lesson!