How are teachers actually feeling at the moment?

[ermmm2021]

Just in general really? How are you all feeling knowing you have to go back or not go back to school tomorrow? About the amount of news you've got?

It's hard enough being a parent right now so I'm trying to imagine the position you're all in to remember you have little control of it all and you all have feelings too.

I'm angry our school have not given any information or responded to any concerns but I'm guessing you may not be in a position to.

Sick of teacher bashing. Sick of people and politicians who have cut funding and closed support for parenting and mental health now suddenly pretending they give a shit and that’s why schools should be open.

I’m relieved I don’t have to mix with six groups of 30 in small, poorly ventilated rooms next week. Of course I’d rather teach in person but schools are not safe.

I find it such a weird thing when people say “I’m not worried about covid”. Do people not realise that hospitals are now on their last legs, and if you need treatment for anything else you’re fucked. Let’s hope all those ‘not worried’ and those they love don’t require emergency/hospital treatment of any kind whatsoever over the next months.

Absolutely fucking terrified. CV (borderline ECV with multiple conditions but not shielded). Tier 4, our hospitals are overwhelmed but my DD is expected back on Monday and me the week after.
Online teaching is more work (did it all summer). But I would rather that than die.

thoughts with teachers, school staff and HTs in a difficult position.

are they are NEU union teacher who are planning on going in? or are you all refusing as per the union line?

@SaltyAF

I'm feeling pretty fucking sick of months and months of teacher bashing, having had to work in dangerous, crowded conditions.

I've utterly lost my enthusiasm for my job. The bashers will tell me my mental health is clearly not what it should be (they're right and it's down to them) and that I should leave (I'd love to but I can't afford to).

The upshot is that you've got a miserable teacher, and I'm not alone, who doesn't want to teach but whose pupils will be stuck with them for the 20-odd years until I can retire. I never used to feel like this but I won't forget how we've been vilified either.

I've stopped caring that people are angry with us. It's just boring background noise now.

My feelings exactly.

I’m fed up with the uncertainty and constantly wondering if there will be yet another u-turn.

Insulted by our Government’s approach to schools and school staff. Utterly frustrated by their seeming inability to plan ahead or take decisive action in a timely manner instead of waiting till there is no other option.

I can feel fairly confident that if I, DH or the DC get Covid (if we haven’t already had it), we’ll be ok. I can rationalise that risk to myself and we just stay away from anyone we might be a danger to.

Mostly I’m really worried that DH has a crash on his way to work or my dad has a heart attack and there won’t be a hospital bed for them or the treatment they would get at other times because our hospitals are so overstretched.

Between our household (two teachers and two children) we cover seven schools in a week. I am terrified I'll pick something up from one school and between us we'll pass it to six other places. We are fit and healthy ish, but other people I work with are not and the thought I might infect them is horrid. The safety measures in place are laughable, because you can't make a small space with 33 people in it covid compliant. You just can't. I also don't understand why we've spent so much time training in how to teach remotely and spent so much money on it if we're then not going to use it.

As a secondary teacher I feel safer in the knowledge that we will have fewer kids in for these first 2 weeks after the xmas break. I think this should be afforded to all Primary colleagues too. Particularly in tier 4.
I feel that I have actually experienced 'fake news' /propaganda for real now. The photos used in the media of students socially distanced/westing masks in classrooms. All lies.
I feel parents have been taken in by 'covid secure' and worry that some children with underlying health issues become very unwell .

I'm no more worried about myself than I was last term, but I do wonder who to trust on all this!

Not a teacher but secondary school support staff.

I’m ok about going back but this holiday has been hard mentally as a result of the complete lack of respect shown to us by our government. I spent half of it worrying about what was going to be announced and when (for my school and also my DC’s), and the other half working to help deal with the fallout. So it hasn’t felt like a proper break yet again. I have had two clear weeks off since March and I’m tired, but will always do what needs to be done. Perhaps that’s what the government are banking on but that doesn’t make it right.

I’m worried about some of our pupils being at home for so long. We have great pastoral care in place but the safeguarding issues as a result of the last lockdown were still huge.

Tentative plans at our school were to have support staff administering tests. If that is confirmed I will do it, but I will be scared for many reasons.

I have a primary age DC who will be going in as a key worker pupil from next week. I’m very grateful for this but worried about how long the school closures will last and the impact on her academically and socially.

Good luck to everyone

Want to be in school as hate online zoom teaching. I became a teacher to interact with children and be able to respond to them, adapt to help them etc which is all ten times harder via a video call and seesaw app.
That said in schools reality is little social distancing within the bubble and it spreads so easily. Tiny bit relieved I don't need to worry about the risk or choose as I'm tier 4 and closed in London.
Really looking forward to normality coming back... one day!

I wish there was some way of skill sharing and swapping between those of us who are depressed and anxious about not being in school and those who are depressed and anxious about being in school.

I know it couldn't work. But it would make a lot of people, teachers and parents, feel better if we could pick whether to be a physical or a virtual teacher and have children and classrooms assigned to us accordingly.

I think (I don't know for sure) that if I took a straw poll of teachers and parents where I work it probably woukd be about 50:50 preference for online vs physical. So there wouldn't even be a need to switch around schools. Obviously subjects and ages of children woukd make it difficult though.

@Lifeispassingby

Btw most teachers will be going back even if schools only open for KW and vulnerable pupils. They don’t get time off to sit at home.

Some do. A friend of mine started up a baking business as she had much more free time during lockdown. She had to stop in September as she was "going back to full time work".

I’m extremely anxious. Last term was really hard on my mental health and the last couple of days I’ve been a wreck.

I am a senior leader in a primary school. On a personal level, I have an ECV toddler at home which is the main reason for my worry.

We are also in an area where primaries have been closed by the government. What must have been the new variant ripped through the school in the last week of term, I count myself very lucky to have not caught it. As it is we are going to struggle to staff even KW and vulnerable provision as so many staff are either positive or living with someone who is. Luckily we do have weekly testing (organised by our council, not the government).

As SLT there has been a constant worry about whether we have done enough, whether a child or staff member could have been better protected from the virus, even though we have done everything allowed by guidelines and more on top (all our staff have worn masks since Sept).

I am annoyed that yet again my entire weekend is taken up with meetings and work as we scramble to respond to yet another last minute announcement by the government.

I am worried. SEN teacher so social distancing and masks are a no even if we were allowed. I'm mainly worried for my husband's mental health. If we could afford it I would leave with immediate effect.

Sick of teacher bashing. Scared. Demoralised. I've given the job my all for years and the public hate us no matter what we do.

Sloth Same.

I do feel for so many of you. You're in a heartbreaking situation.
@slothpaw I'd like to think that the public at the moment are able to see through what this gov are doing and have some empathy for you as human beings too. I certainly don't think you're hated.

I want to keep my own children off but I worry the teachers might be opposed. It's reassuring to hear the views on here that you're also sympathetic towards parents. Such a complete and utter shit show. Feel so sorry for you all.

@SaltyAF

I'm feeling pretty fucking sick of months and months of teacher bashing, having had to work in dangerous, crowded conditions.

I've utterly lost my enthusiasm for my job. The bashers will tell me my mental health is clearly not what it should be (they're right and it's down to them) and that I should leave (I'd love to but I can't afford to).

The upshot is that you've got a miserable teacher, and I'm not alone, who doesn't want to teach but whose pupils will be stuck with them for the 20-odd years until I can retire. I never used to feel like this but I won't forget how we've been vilified either.

I've stopped caring that people are angry with us. It's just boring background noise now.

This is how I feel, too.

I still love teaching though and nothing beats a class full of teenagers! They make me laugh every day.

@ermmm2021

Just in general really? How are you all feeling knowing you have to go back or not go back to school tomorrow? About the amount of news you've got?

It's hard enough being a parent right now so I'm trying to imagine the position you're all in to remember you have little control of it all and you all have feelings too.

I'm angry our school have not given any information or responded to any concerns but I'm guessing you may not be in a position to.

Fed up with the amount of teacher - bashing from people who aren't interested in listening to what the reality is like in schools and just draw their own assumptions.

I have been following the threads with the views of hospital staff. I don't tell them what it is like in their hospital. I don't tell them they are generally lazy even though my personal experiences in hospitals have been poor. I don't denigrate them. I listen and learn from what they are saying.

Oh yes and I am a parent too. The teacher bashers forget we have our own children. Regardless of my own work situation, I want my own children at home - with DH is fine- as our area is so so bad.