Do any teachers out there think schools should stay open?

[YouAreMySunshine123]

Just wondering if you ALL think they should be closed again?

@Venicelover

Everyone really wants the schools to be open, education is absolutely vital, BUT, if the evidence says the govt has got it wrong and it is a cause of viral spreading, then they should close.

It really is that simple.

This.

I'm primary and I think we should stay open. However, I work in a small village school and we have only had one case and only one class per bubble. I think it is much more stressful working in a secondary school at the minute so wouldn't like to speak for secondary teachers.
I do wish the NEU would stop calling for schools to be closed without even asking their members if we agree!

Pointless thread though as really it's gonna start all the bullshit and accusations levelled at teachers.

Daughter is secondary. She moves from class to class, crossing bubbles. Hundreds of students in corridors and social distancing is difficult. Either you head into the throng and get to the class on time or wait until all the children are in class and arrive late.

Her tutor group had a case of covid but open evening still went ahead and she showed groups of parents around.

@MarcelineMissouri

I’m not a teacher but am a TA. I don’t know anyone who wants schools to be closed again.

I do. It because I hate my job in a school but.... 4 weeks... , 4 weeks of no commuting, 4 weeks of nothingness.. Bliss

Crap.. I meant I don't hate my job

@YouAreMySunshine123

We really don't want them to close. The union calling for closure is one of several, and certainly not my union.

Vulnerable teachers cannot work from home or shield in nearly every school. We had 2 resign with immediate effect (we normally give notice at 3 points in the year and any notice after 1st June this year would mean you could leave at Christmas) as they were advised to not return. School could/would not accommodate this due to the budget. Those of us with ECV or CV family members just don't see them.

I really do not want school to close. I want my workplace to be safe jus tlike other work places. The best way to do this is to reduce the numbers of people in the school and moving to a rota system will do this. The Government set out plans for this but they seem to have completely forgotten about it. I want my 6th form to be treated like 6th formers at standalone colleges; part time face to face and more home learning. My 16-18 year olds are no different and are presenting a risk to me, our staff, our other students and their families. Every year group in our school has now been out at least once, with another round involving contact tracing taking place as well. If we had less students in there would be less disruption.

All I want is less disruption!

The trouble is, schools are trying to carry on as normal, but at one point before half term we had:
A third of staff off (so the remaining staff setting work in all the different classrooms and doing 1or 2 covers a week)
Half yr 11 off
1/3 year 10 off
Bits and pieces of other years off
Rising hysteria in rest of kids, just waiting to be contacted about going home.
Constant questions about whether there will be exams next year.
Moaning that it's not fair that yr10 have to do exams cos they're so far behind. Behind what?

How is that sustainable? I've got 2 kids and a dh. It's possible that I may end up doing 1 out of 7 actual weeks in school if bubbles start bursting around me.

I work in a school and don't want it to close; don't think many/any of my colleagues do, but if they did it would be because of vulnerable family members.

We'd like to stay sane, and for the children to as well.

I'm a member of a teachers' union, but let's face it, with most unions it seems to be that if there's a chance of slacking off work, they'll be pushing for it.

We can all want schools to remain open "as normal" as much as we like (and I do too - trust me, apart from anything else, teaching remotely is a right ball-ache), but it doesn't change the brutal fact that they are a major source of virus spread (with no effective mitigating procedures in place, despite what people are determined to believe).
We therefore need to accept that, unless the government chucks some support and money at schools to help them become properly Covid-secure, then the rest of the lockdown just will not work. And it will continue for much longer, fucking up even more people's livelihoods.

The fact that the vast majority of teachers on this thread (and almost certainly in rl) do not want schools to close (even though they would be at home on full pay!) tells you all you need to know about teachers' motivation really.

Wanting schools to be made safer is not the same as wanting schools to close. The majority of teachers on MN who have been saying that better safety measures need to be in place have not actually added "otherwise schools must close".

I've used this analogy before, but if your house was in danger of flooding, would you block up the front door with sandbags, but then leave the back door open?
Or would you put proper protective measures in everywhere?

I’m a teacher in a primary school, have many teacher friends.
I don’t know anyone who wants schools to close.

I’m a TA not a teacher. I don’t think they should shut but I don’t think they should continue as they are now.

@Viciouslybashed the thread hasn't started any teacher bashing from what I've seen. I am genuinely interested to hear the view of teachers. What's wrong with that? If you don't like it don't open it.

Also interested to hear from TAs!

I'm an ECV teacher. I want schools to be safe. I want to be treated like every other occupation in the country and have social distancing (rota system in secondary needed), PPE (pupils wearing masks in class), and the right for schools to have sight of a negative test result before pupils who have been sent home symptomatic come back. And tests for children based on the symptoms they get, not the adult ones, a rule which is currently hiding huge outbreaks.
If we can't do that, those same basic protections that are in place for shop workers, bus drivers, NHS staff, then yes - we should close. (Spoiler: we could do that. Rotas, kids from difficult backgrounds in fulltime, funding to get all pupils laptops).
Closing physically is not an easy option. I taught a full timetable online in the summer and it was much more work than being in the classroom. We aren't calling for this because it's easy!
I supported a tutee through the death of their parent from covid earlier this year. I don't want to do that again. I don't want someone to have to do that for my daughter because I'm ecv but have no choice but to work in these conditions.
Trust me, it is far worse for a teenager to lose a vulnerable friend, parent or teacher than to have to learn part-time online for a couple of months.

I’ve said this countless times but:

My school has 11 staff members off on long term sickness.
5 confirmed Covid positive over half term.
3 left at half term.
Then there is the day-to-day absence to consider and the periods of isolation whilst staff wait for test results for them or their family.

On an average day recently, my school can be 25 professionals down.

In turn, this leaves the remaining staff having to cover or having to join classes together, so you end up with 1 member of staff in a classroom with between 40 - 60 kids crammed in (when pupil absence is taken into consideration).

The working environment is extremely stressful and worrying. We sent pupils home daily with symptoms of Covid and parents would rather they take the two weeks off than get tested, so we never know if they were infectious.

Planning has doubled. Everything you do for class has to be adapted for online learning, so those isolating are not disadvantaged. It’s not as easy as ‘just post the same stuff online’, you have to video explanations (and one take is never enough unless you want ‘for fuck’s sake! shouted half way through) Half the time pupils don’t bother doing it, so your efforts and time are wasted.

Teachers are working in conditions that are unfair and doing work that is untenable. I am exhausted despite being on half term.

On top of that we still have to do the ‘normal job’ of data collections; reports; book scrutiny’s; learning walks and probably a whole host of things we really ought not to be doing.

Do I want schools to close? Yes and no.

No, because like most people I am also a parent and like most people I get bored seeing my four walls all day long.

Yes, because I am starting to feel anxious about work. I posted on another thread how I think ‘if I was to crash my car, I won’t have to go in’, on my way to work.

My work life balance and well-being are shot to pieces. I’m on MN constantly trying to gauge public feeling and see how other teachers are responding.

This is not a normal time and I’m not doing my normal job. My pupils aren’t getting their normal teacher or their normal learning. Something HAS to be done to help us, because I can’t keep this up.

I want my 6th form to be treated like 6th formers at standalone colleges; part time face to face and more home learning

The sixth form college I teach at is full time face to face learning. Colleges that started the year with part time blended learning timetables are transitioning back to full time. We also have no bubbles. So colleges are no less risky than schools and are lumped in with school guidance despite all our learners being in the age group with the highest infection rate.

@DBML The working environment is extremely stressful and worrying. We sent pupils home daily with symptoms of Covid and parents would rather they take the two weeks off than get tested, so we never know if they were infectious.

I doubt most parents would rather they take 2 weeks off. More likely that they can't get tests.

I'm sorry it's so hard. I hope conditions can be improved. And thank you for teaching our kids you are massively appreciated!

@DBML me too. I cried yesterday when I realised the government are still expecting me to work 90 hours a week as an extremely clinically vulnerable teacher in a dangerous environment. We have staff leaving in droves, without working out their notice period and i am on my knees. I've worked all halfterm too. I don't mind working hard, but working this hard with no thought or care for my wellbeing and safety in school? No, that's not ok.

DBML I have felt this too

@IEat

Crap.. I meant I don't hate my job

We know what you meant! Dr Freud doesn’t lie lol.

@GravityFalls

I want my 6th form to be treated like 6th formers at standalone colleges; part time face to face and more home learning

The sixth form college I teach at is full time face to face learning. Colleges that started the year with part time blended learning timetables are transitioning back to full time. We also have no bubbles. So colleges are no less risky than schools and are lumped in with school guidance despite all our learners being in the age group with the highest infection rate.

I am sorry that you are full time; none of the colleges near to us are full time and are not planning on changing that.

I don't know any other teachers who want them shut.

The education union is ridiculous and losing more and more credibility. It speaks on behalf of teachers without consulting at all.

I have left the NEU and joined a non-political union which helps with any legal issues/accusations etc but my money is not going to this political nonsense!!