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?

What inaccuracies??

Im coming face to face with 600 people a day.
Visor only.
No ventilation.
No open windows.
Guests need help with the menu.
I cant serve people from 2m away. Obviously. My arms are not 2m long.
Im handling things people have had in their mouths. Hundreds of times a day.
Not touching books is just daft.
I agree its not a competition but another perspecive might help some people to feel less like the victim when they realise others are working in the same or worse conditions.
And have been throughout.
My sister works with disabled adults.
My brother works in a residential childrens home.
Both earn much less than a teacher does.
As do I.
We have no choice.

@Scoopstroop

I work as a waitress i only get a 20 min break if i work more than 6hours. 11 hour shift is 20 minute break. I and my colleagues are exhaused from eat out to help out. Teachers not touching books is ridiculous.. Im touching things people have had in their mouths. I get that teachers are worried and stressed. You probably should be. But other people have been working in the same or worse conditions throughout. I cant afford to not do my job with a smile. Ive just spent 5 months on 50%what i usually earn. Be worried. Just don't think you're the only ones or the most hard done to.

I am a TA and the blame game in educational settings is the problem. Heads are worried because as soon as you have even 1 case it will somehow be our fault for not sticking to the rules. The rules are ridiculous and every school’s interpretation of them is different. I am not allowed to touch a child’s equipment be it pen, pencil, ruler etc. How is that possible? It’s not. They drop things. You pick it up. Sen child requires help, you help them. I have helped in one way or another about 20 different children today, did I have time to sanitise/ wash hands in between each one? No. One of my jobs is to check supplies of toilet roll, soap etc. Today I had to pick up used hand towel from the floor of the toilets because the children had missed the bin. I had to fix a malfunctioning soap dispenser. I have had to help unscrew tight water bottle lids to refill. At the end of the day I picked up pens, pencils from the floor. I am not the least bit worried about any of these things because it’s a normal part of my job and I did this before and it didn’t bother me and it doesn’t now. I am however made to feel that I am doing something wrong now by doing these things because you know Covid. It sucks and I just roll my eyes and carry on.

My DC are back 2 weeks there has been a positive case in both of their schools not their classrooms. yet Thankfully teachers are wearing masks and visors in the classroom.

might help some people to feel less like the victim when they realise others are working in the same or worse

How about just leaving this thread to be about what is going on in schools, as was intended. Lots of people here are interested in that from their child's perspective. At the moment parents aren't allowed in to classrooms to check things out, and the government has been lying about what is possible.

Start a thread asking about experience of working in a restaurant if you want people to talk about it.

Then people who do other jobs can come in and post about how they had it worse, and how you shouldn't play the victim. Or maybe they won't. If you're lucky.

Im not playing the victim.
I can't afford to.
Thats the point.
I work in shit conditions or me and my child rely on food banks or starve.
Not touching books and moaning about breaks is ridiculous.

cassgate thank you for doing your job and getting on with it, ta's dont get nearly enough cedit or pay.
Im grateful to all the staff at my sons school, hes better off there and im not a teacher.
I just feel like some of you need to check your privilege.
You're not working in perfect conditions but neither are millions of others people.
You're not unique or at extra risk.
The difference is your job of educating our children actually matters.
My job matters to me and my ability to pay bills but people eating curry out of the house is not of national importance for years to come.

Please go away and start your own thread.

I am extremely anxious to return to work via agency. How is it helping anyone if teacher is anxious to teach? I believe the system should change to avoid closing schools. The virus is highly contagious so the only way is by creating smaller bubbles, which means that children are at school only for few days and online teaching for rest of the week. It is not ideal for parents and economically less sufficient, but better than closing schools all together. The government approach of opening all schools at the same time and not following quarantine for those visiting countries abroad caused the hotspots in schools.

Whoever said they feel end of term exhausted has it spot on. I've got a constant worry in the back of my head and am struggling to sleep (not helped by small people waking me up when I do finally drift off).

I am also fed up of SLT asking us to do even more than we already did. I'm meant to assess every child for every subject (primary, like the old APP system), have my displays done, plan and teach a full curriculum plus focus on the children's worries and mental health, prepare for 2 weeks isolation at any moment (create printed packs, learn to use teams, sort out resources for myself), and create booklets (different to the above ones) for the children who are already isolating. It's not sustainable and if it weren't for my mortgage and the fact I used to enjoy my job, I wouldn't be there.

One year group at my school are already all at home isolating. The thought of bringing covid home doesn't worry me so much anymore though, I've reached the point where part of me wants to have it and get it over with.

The whole thing is a farce; it's just impossible to follow the guidelines. Kids forget books, pens etc. I have to give them paper or they'd just sit there all lesson with nothing to do. We have no text books so I have to hand things out. A pupil gets stuck or wants you to check something...There's zero SD; it's just impossible with 30 teens in a room. I've just resigned myself to the fact that if I'll probably get it.

I've just cried with exhaustion on to my poor DH, and we're only a week and a half in. He thinks I should pack it in and I'm starting to think he's right. I will give it another week or so though.

I have a teaching student starting on Monday (I'm not mentoring them, they are just in my classroom) and have literally no idea how to use them. Usually they would work with a group, sit with the children, take a group out for a game or a particular task, etc but that is going to be difficult. So it feels like just another massive stress.

My school is trying hard to keep staff safe- kids in masks in corridors, we aren't handing out or collecting books in a pupil has to do it, sanatizer in ever room and corridor, staff can teach in masks if they want to, 2 meters from kids at all times ( which is impossible on the corridors), pupils in year group bubbles - but we go between all the bubbles so not great.

I think it is inevitable that at some point I will get it - we've a number of pupils off already waiting for test results and a member of staff. Sadly, I'm just hopping it doesn't hit me too bad but with my asthma who knows. 🤷‍♀️

@Scoopstroop you had a choice to earn more by seeing the value in education and training yourself into a professional job. You chose to not do that.

Typical mentality of the ‘woe is me’ brigade who almost certainly are the former examples of kids who we currently teach who don’t follow the rules and put us in danger.

We just want to do our job. We can’t. Thats what we are paid to do. I sat next to the Covid infected boy last week because he’s low ability and needed me to explain something 121, I won’t apologise for that as it is my job. But it isn’t safe.

@DumDaDumDum, that’s a pretty unpleasant thing to say.

@Splendidseptember

Part time rota has really helped. Student in 2 days work from home for 1 so most staff work from home 2 days a week, thins out students and staff around the site.

In class, staff already saying they are chilly and not opening windows. Students also complained about open windows.
Some students are very dilligent washing hands etc, gelling, masks. Some are not. Hopefully enough are to balance the others out. Masks in corridors.
However, the bottom line is we all end up with 15 and over students in a airless cramped room, breathing all over each other.
The hand-wash is a placebo. Clean hands will not stop the aerosol emissions floating towards you from a students infected respitory system!

Which country is this?

We are teaching wearing visors and have to add masks when within 1m. Mandated across our MAT.

We’re sanitising tables in between every class.

Our days are longer and on 3 days a week I teach lessons back to back for 3 hours to three different groups. because of the staggered breaks/lunches. That’s on top of 3 other lessons in the morning, and tutor time.

3 hours doesn’t sound a lot to a non teacher, but the level of organisation it takes, the entirely different way each grouo needs me to approach the lesson, the cleaning and anti baccing all the kids hands on entry, different lesson times because of the staggered day, a squished curriculum for Y10 - al through a visor and mask is just....a lot.

We also have some very anxious kids and parents. One year group is self isolating so we’re remote teaching them, some teachers are waiting (and waiting, and waiting) for tests (Or are self isolating because of the children at school they’ve been in contact with) so they are live teaching classes from home.

My timetable has changed already because a vulnerable member of staff won’t be back for a while so I’ve picked up another Y11 class.

The exam board have changed their mind twice in the last 48 hours about what my subject are even teaching Y11.

My school are fantastic - the whole team - support staff, teachers, SLT, site team...but honestly we all feel like we’ve been back for a term and it’s been a week of all children back.

Some of it is just the cognitive overload of so much new stuff, some of it is that there is just going to be more to do - and we were already working at capacity before covid.

@PablosHoney or maybe it’s just realistic? Absolutely fed up of people, who don’t teach, thinking that we have it easier than others. More often than not, it’s the people who didn’t take advantage of the free education that this country offers that spout lies/hatred about those that do/see it’s worth and how hard teachers work.

@dumdadumdum I know you felt attacked but there was a depressing level of prejudice in that comment.

@Greyhoundgirly again, only honesty based on what I’ve seen working in a classroom for the last 15 years. Incredibly fed up of parents/children who place no value in the free (and lets be honest, amazing!) education we get in this country.

Invariably, it is these people who grow up, end up in a minimum wage job and then have the audacity to comment on this post (saying should stop complaining/we are better off than others because they are so low paid!)

Especially when the OP has put it up to compare school opening experiences of teachers post lockdown...

I work in a school and yes it’s hard work but criticising other people’s perceived lack of education is not cricket.

I'm not a teacher but my OH is and he's exhausted after the first week back. His primary has brought forward morning drop-off to stagger the years so he's now doing a much longer day but has only a 10 min lunch break where he has to go outside to stuff down a sandwich because the kids are in the classroom eating and the staff room isn't being used. He can't wear a mask because it impedes teaching and it's a nightmare trying to keep the kids at arm's length because they forget about SD. I honestly don't see how it's sustainable but his view is that they just have to get on with it because what else can they do?

Also higher learning to get a degree is not free.