Do any teachers out there think schools should stay open?

[YouAreMySunshine123]

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

Someone then pointed out that not ALL unions are calling for closure but are asking instead for safer conditions. I was not aware of this as it had not been so widely reported.

It doesn't make as good a headline as saying teachers want to close schools though, hence the way it is reported. Its all about them and us, and trying to make teachers and schools the bad guys - you only have to look on MN to see that.

SchrodingersUnicorn

I am so sorry you are in this position. Please, please take care of yourself and do whatever you need to do to stay safe. Is there anything your doctors can do to help? Or perhaps even have your signed off as unable to work during the lockdown?

I don't know the answer - I wish I did.

I'm 'only' clinically vulnerable and it was a real worry of mine.

Education ministers and local politicians are calling for schools to close, because we are going into lockdown and it will only be an effective lockdown if schools also close, fact.

If schools closed for a number of weeks they should be able to be made safer conditions

@Aragog i think this thread shows that most teachers want to teach. They want it to be safer though. Which is completely understandable.

I'm NOT teacher bashing @wondersun. Maybe actually read the thread 🤷‍♀️

@Aragog

I teach and believe schools should be open, yes. I don't know any teachers or school staff who have wanted schools to close. In fact I don't know any teachers and school staff who work in schools which closed - my own school was open with full bubbles from April and throughout. We have a lot of key worker parents and vulnerable children so pretty much al staff were in worming FT, including during 3 weeks of unpaid holidays.

What I would like is safer schools and I don't understand why some parents aren't fighting for that.

Whilst their own child might be perfectly fine if they catch Covid not all will be, nor their teachers, TAs, etc. If you want your child's school to stay open longer, and have less bubble closures, etc then that is what you should be fighting for.

Make schools safer for all.

I also think teachers should continue to attend schools in lockdown

As said, most (bar 4 of us who are either vulnerable or live someone who is vulnerable) were in FT throughout the last lockdown, including the holidays. The other 4 oversaw most of the home learning, with pre recorded videos done by some of the staff in school too for us. I worked very long hours overseeing or school HL last time. A couple did PT hours at home and school (assisting with HL) due to needing to look after their own young children. All teaching staff monitored ad gave feedback on HL from their classes, but after school hours - again, all done in their own time.

I am currently off sick slowly recovering from Covid (picked up at school I should add) and I am still working. We have some class closures sill and some individual children isolating, so I am again overseeing HL, this time from the comfort of my bed or sofa. I even did some whilst in my hospital bed too!

that we should offer a combination of both live and recorded lessons with support available over this period.

We provided a minimum of 5 subjects a day, including pre recorded videos for core subjects. We didn't do live lessons as these were not appropriate for our children's ages or the school community. Our parents didn't particularly want them anyway and preferred the option of being able to do the home learning at a time which suited them, especially when they trying to wfh too.

You’re amazing, thanks so much. Get well soon x

@Fawnfour

Education ministers and local politicians are calling for schools to close, because we are going into lockdown and it will only be an effective lockdown if schools also close, fact.

Exactly 💐 nobody wants them closed, why would they?! People need to catch on to what an effective (and I hope quick!) lockdown needs to look like.

I think a lot of people driving the #closetheschools hashtag and the gov petition are parents who want to stay safe.

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/550846?fbclid=IwAR1otSNjZ6QiPIbM4Klljkw04CX9zKY_ZCIXSAnCHKUlyK02GUtpWl0arh4

I really hope when schools reopen on the other side of this, parents campaign loudly for safer, sustainable school which will require some investment. Children need schools and teachers want to teach!

There will be no campaigning once this is over. If it ever is.
People have short-term memories. Once their children finish in a phase, they're off and won't be interested.

Primary schools should stay open. Blended learning for senior pupils so they can spread out more and get a break from masks (a requirement for upper seniors in Scotland now)

@Fawnfour

If schools closed for a number of weeks they should be able to be made safer conditions

There was 6 months to make schools safer they couldn't manage it, what do you think can magically happen in a few weeks? (And by 'they' i mean government not the actual schools)

They haven’t actually tried to make them safer yet though. Saying ‘masks in classrooms’ wouldn’t take long at all.

And they won't facilitate daily temperature checks and weekly covid tests across the board, which is what I would like to see.

Just spoken to a friend who is a teacher and she wants schools open. She signed up to be a teacher so will continue doing so despite covid.

Every teacher I know (including me) want schools to remain open. I would like them safer though. At very least it should be masks for upper school pupils (and staff) in lessons, as a number of our staff are ECV and are currently afforded no protection whatsoever in small rooms for extended periods of time with students who are technically adults.

@Remmy123

Just spoken to a friend who is a teacher and she wants schools open. She signed up to be a teacher so will continue doing so despite covid.

And? Isn't that what virtually every teacher on this thread has also said?

@CallmeAngelina

And they won't facilitate daily temperature checks and weekly covid tests across the board, which is what I would like to see.

This would be great, and could lead to preventing a lot of infection through earlier identification.

My Step daughter is Teacher. She doesn’t think schools should close. She said her colleagues mostly feel the same. They’ve all worked throughout anyway.

And they won't facilitate daily temperature checks

Maybe taking them at lunch time too, to catch the ones dosed up on calpol!

I want schools to stay open. I also want decent safety measures so that we can stay open.