We're having 2-3 teachers a day catching CV19 DFE You're not keeping us safe

[Anon12345678910]

Look at the image from www.bmj.com/content/370/bmj.m3223
I've circled where we fall in classrooms. It's time for face coverings in classrooms. I don't want to loose any colleagues or my own life.

When mumsnet becomes a negative teacher bashing forum, it does lose its charm. Btw, I am not a teacher, which is why I get the wide view of parental attitudes across the entire school. Most parents have zero comprehension of what has to go on behind the scenes for a school to function.

@notevenat20

When MN becomes a teacher's common room it does lose its charm.

Or perhaps you mean that we're doing a good job of explaining how it is in schools? Have you run out of arguments?

Dear me. Well, I have been out all day, teaching, you know...in a mask (which is sensible) and with my learners in masks, which I asked them to wear (and on occasion, pull up over their noses). I could do this because my managers are no longer trotting out the mantra that our classrooms are magically Covid repellent, and they’re working from home nice and safely, so wouldn’t be able to intervene anyway.
Of course the idiotic refrain on this thread over the last couple of days has been that teachers are infecting each other (and not being infected by students) as they won’t wear masks, despite the constant reminders from teachers that they (in the majority of cases) haven’t been wearing masks because they haven’t been allowed to, and would rather do so. It has been useful though, because anyone reading the thread can easily spot the nonsensical circularity of the argument, as well as the vicious hounding of a poster whose only mistake was to trust that other posters would take her at face value as a human being whose experience cast some light on the impact that Covid can have on someone unfortunate enough to come down with a nasty dose of it.

@notevenat20

When MN becomes a teacher's common room it does lose its charm.

I thought you had some good points and I respected your posting style until now @notevenat20 - what is that supposed to mean? Your opinion of your school still stands, but I reserve the right to offer my opinion too, and so do others here.

Your opinion of your school still stands, but I reserve the right to offer my opinion too, and so do others here.

It's when the conversation veers into agreement about how non teachers don't understand anything about the schooling their children are getting and misunderstand the most basic aspects schools.

I feel for you all working under those conditions. Despite mask wearing by all school staff and older students in Irish secondary schools and colleges the majority of positive cases have been students & health care workers printed today.

It's when the conversation veers into agreement about how non teachers don't understand anything about the schooling their children are getting and misunderstand the most basic aspects schools

No-one has said that.

I’ve watched my school crawl along by it’s fingernails this past two weeks.

6 year groups out isolating, multiple confirmed cases of Covid in all but one year group. Staff off, either sick now or isolating. We are in an area with over 500 cases per 100,000 people. It feels like madness.

As a teacher, I’m keeping my own year 11 son home now. I am wearing my mask religiously and trying to maintain SD with our remaining year group. 3 year groups are due back on Friday, just in time to come back for the last week risking a Christmas isolation.

I have cancelled all family Christmas plans as it no longer feels safe. I have disappointed my parents who haven’t seen us for ages and even more so, my grandparents who are in their 90’s and who think this might be their last Christmas. I was hoping the schools might switch to online learning for the final week, to make Christmas possible for us, but our LA is refusing.

So, there you are.

But...I’m under no circumstances isolating. No fucking way. Unless I personally am on my death bed, I’m going out to pick up my M&S Christmas order; I’m going to go to have Christmas Eve dinner at the pub; outside of meeting up with my own family, who I intend to keep safe, I’ll be doing whatever I fucking please. That’s how bitter I feel right now and I just couldn’t give a shit about anyone else.

You know what, DBML? I really don't think I blame you.
According to many on these threads, it seems it's every man for himself these days.

@DBML

I’ve watched my school crawl along by it’s fingernails this past two weeks.

6 year groups out isolating, multiple confirmed cases of Covid in all but one year group. Staff off, either sick now or isolating. We are in an area with over 500 cases per 100,000 people. It feels like madness.

As a teacher, I’m keeping my own year 11 son home now. I am wearing my mask religiously and trying to maintain SD with our remaining year group. 3 year groups are due back on Friday, just in time to come back for the last week risking a Christmas isolation.

I have cancelled all family Christmas plans as it no longer feels safe. I have disappointed my parents who haven’t seen us for ages and even more so, my grandparents who are in their 90’s and who think this might be their last Christmas. I was hoping the schools might switch to online learning for the final week, to make Christmas possible for us, but our LA is refusing.

So, there you are.

But...I’m under no circumstances isolating. No fucking way. Unless I personally am on my death bed, I’m going out to pick up my M&S Christmas order; I’m going to go to have Christmas Eve dinner at the pub; outside of meeting up with my own family, who I intend to keep safe, I’ll be doing whatever I fucking please. That’s how bitter I feel right now and I just couldn’t give a shit about anyone else.

100% they can run and jump if they think I’m isolating over the Christmas holidays after working my backside off all term. No way.

It's when the conversation veers into agreement about how non teachers don't understand anything about the schooling their children are getting and misunderstand the most basic aspects schools.

Because it's true based on the majority of comments here.

I was hoping the schools might switch to online learning for the final week, to make Christmas possible for us, but our LA is refusing.

You’ve cleared something up for me @DBML

Our school is trying so hard to shut itself down. It never wanted to open up. This all feels so politically driven as though they’re constantly trying to prove a point.

It’s like an invisible fight and the kids are bearing the brunt of it.

If the school isn't closed, then kids aren't 'bearing the brunt' of anything that the school has control over.

"It’s like an invisible fight and the kids are bearing the brunt of it."

How? If the schools ARE open, how are the kids suffering?

Our school is shutting all classes in close succession. One after another. Each week.

The kids are bearing the brunt.

DS’s class has been shut 3 times now.

No reasons are ever given. We just get this generic email telling us we must lock our child up again.

It’s starting to feel surreal. On the one hand we’ve got the government taking more and more control of our lives. School is starting to feel like a part of that.

No reasons are ever given.

It truly is a mystery, that school trying to shut itself down for no reason.

If your child's class has been shut three times, it will be because someone in it has tested positive for Covid 19. Perhaps you've heard of it?
It will NOT be about anyone trying to prove a point.

FFS.

@Dustballs

Our school is shutting all classes in close succession. One after another. Each week.

The kids are bearing the brunt.

DS’s class has been shut 3 times now.

No reasons are ever given. We just get this generic email telling us we must lock our child up again.

It’s starting to feel surreal. On the one hand we’ve got the government taking more and more control of our lives. School is starting to feel like a part of that.

You do realise that the orders to close don’t come from the school don’t you? You do realise even staff in schools are not told who is positive for data protection reasons?

The only invisible fight is the one teachers have trying to navigate the invisible barriers put up by the DfE. Then they have the hatred from parents, like they are part of the conspiracy and they enjoy this yo-yo learning.

"no reasons are ever given"
"You've told me off for no reason"
"The school never sent any work during lockdown"
" We only got a couple of twinkle sheets"
"I can't get my child to do the work"

• all things we've heard many times.

I had some parents absolutely spitting that I'd set no work. Except I had loads of sent emails with worksheets, PowerPoints, BBC Bitesize links, oak Academy links. And it was also all up on showmyhomework.
But yeah, whatevs

I’ve read some of the comments on here and actually find them quite depressing. The lack of respect from other professionals towards school staff is quite sad. DH works in a school and since September they have had each class isolate at least once each and have been closed altogether for 2weeks as too many staff off isolating etc. He has returned this week and is now praying that he doesn’t have to isolate again so that he can attend his DF funeral at some point in the next few weeks, I am doing the same as I work in a nursery and keeping everything crossed that I can attend the funeral with him

@Dustballs

Our school is shutting all classes in close succession. One after another. Each week.

The kids are bearing the brunt.

DS’s class has been shut 3 times now.

No reasons are ever given. We just get this generic email telling us we must lock our child up again.

It’s starting to feel surreal. On the one hand we’ve got the government taking more and more control of our lives. School is starting to feel like a part of that.

@Dustballs - you mean you aren’t getting the DfE standard letter, or some kind of explanation about staffing shortages, just a message telling you it’s your child’s class’s turn to have a couple of weeks off again? That sounds a bit implausible. Are you sure you are not unfairly blaming schools for a pandemic?

@Dustballs

Our school is shutting all classes in close succession. One after another. Each week.

The kids are bearing the brunt.

DS’s class has been shut 3 times now.

No reasons are ever given. We just get this generic email telling us we must lock our child up again.

It’s starting to feel surreal. On the one hand we’ve got the government taking more and more control of our lives. School is starting to feel like a part of that.

You mean you REALLY haven't worked out it's because of coronavirus cases, either amongst the students or amongst staff??

@Dustballs
My school couldn’t wait to open back up and for a while we were doing fantastically. The kids were happy; staff were grateful not to be gaining anymore lockdown weight. We came back determined to get our kids caught up and put on quizzes and games within the classes for a more social feel to the day.

We got our first Covid cases and we became cautious. Extra cleaning; extra monitoring; reassuring the kids. It started to become more mentally draining, but we were still doing fine.

The the cases began to rise. A student got really sick, hospitalised. Pupils began to worry. Everyday, year groups going off...coming back for 2-3 days and going off again. Groups of kids testing positive. Staff sick and off for long periods of time.

It became really hard to teach some kids online and others in school. Double the work. Really tiring. Told exams cancelled and later that January exams still going ahead, but haven’t seen all of that year group together in about 7 weeks.

Weather turned, classrooms freezing, hands so cold I can barely use my keyboard.

We feel exhausted. Mentally drained. Unsafe. Guilty. Worried for the learners. Cold. Unhealthy - catching every cold and sniffle going. Like I’m doing a terrible job. Can’t teach effectively with some in and many out.

This isn’t a case of ‘we fancied a few days added to our holidays’. Any time given now would be paid back. But with a school full of cover supervisors, few kids and fatigued, overwhelmed staff, I can’t say it’s much fun.

we are a prep school in the south west, age 3 to 13
no cases in our school
years 7-8 wear masks
all staff wear masks in public areas and it's optional in class.
bubble are NOT allowed to mix at all
Incredible amounts of hand washing and social distancing.

@whattodo2019

Exactly what we were doing. But we are a valleys secondary (11-18) school in Wales, which is currently hit really, really hard. Lots of workers in a local factory became sick and passed in on to their families. I think luck and area make a huge difference.