Mask Wearing in Secondary. Shocking!

[palacegirl77]

Daughter has come home from first day back in Y7 today. All 29 kids in her class wore masks for the whole day. Not one of the teachers wore them apart from in corridors. What's that about?? Why aren't they protecting their students? Seems very odd to me but thought I would raise it as I'm quite frankly sick of people moaning about irresponsible children and their selfish families. So there you have it. 100% of students in masks.

@EnoughnowIthink

There are thousands of children in our schools who need to be able to see a teacher's full face for optimal learning for a whole host of reasons. If your child was hearing impaired even just a little bit, you would expect teachers to take account of that. I am a mildly hearing impaired teacher and I am really struggling with students having masks on. It's really very difficult. I can cope 'cos I'm an adult and I have no shame asking a student to repeat but imagine how that is for students who rely on being able to see all facial expressions, body language, lip reading etc. to understand what is going on.

I am fortunate that in most rooms, I am able to be 2 metres away from my students so I am happy to remove my mask on that basis. If I need to hand something out or help them then I put my mask on so they are offered the same protection I am offering them.

Interesting how this bothers you now you think it's your child who might suffer. Did you speak up for teachers when they were concerned?

It doesnt bother me - I was just surprised as much of the comment on here is that there is no way teachers can be more than 2m away and that they wanted all children in masks, im just surprised that they werent wearing them. Im not concerned, I would be happy for non of them to wear masks, but if it helps schools stay open Im also happy for my daughter to wear one (in spite of the fact I dont honestly think theyre much good if not medical grade)...

I’m a secondary teacher. All students and staff are wearing masks at all times indoors. So I am wearing a mask non-stop for 7 hours. Teaching in it. Sat in the staff work room in it. We can only take them off outdoors. Our rooms are spaced so that when o teach I am always at least two metres from the front row. Some classrooms have a protective screen up too. But we still teach in masks.

The students can’t hear me well. I can’t classroom manage very well. Lessons are very difficult and behaviour and attitude are deteriorating. Let’s just say none of us are enjoying this!

Also, the clear masks for hearing impaired students to see our mouths - they steam up with our breath and gather a pool of saliva on the foam strip at the bottom. Delightful.

Moan over

I work in big secondary..maths teacher. Students wear masks in classrooms unless they can socially distance from each other ( they cant) . Teachers are at front and always 2m apart so we can remove masks to teach. We wear masks at all other times

I have to say I'm shocked that so many teachers on here are saying they can stay 2m apart in the lesson when the idea of being able to be 2m apart from students in the classroom a few months ago was abhorrent and totally unrealistic
I must say I did think that mask wearing in class was for both pupils and teachers, maybe a naive assumption on my part.

A lot of classrooms can't be 2m apart and those teachers are wearing masks.

Some can and some teachers always said they can.

We are all wearng masks. All day. Every day. Apart from when we are released for feeding. It's not the best but it is what it is.

well it rather depends on the layout of the classroom. A lot of classrooms were rearranged to leave a 2m gap at the front door the teachers, but equally a lot of classrooms weren't because it's not possible. In my room I can be 2m away when I'm standing at the board, but not if I move away from the board. So I put my mask on if I need to leave my narrow "safe zone". I spend most of most lessons wearing a mask, because the board work part is never more than about 10 minutes.

@Wellbythebloodyhell

I have to say I'm shocked that so many teachers on here are saying they can stay 2m apart in the lesson when the idea of being able to be 2m apart from students in the classroom a few months ago was abhorrent and totally unrealistic I must say I did think that mask wearing in class was for both pupils and teachers, maybe a naive assumption on my part.

It depends on the class and the room and what is happening.

When the children are all seated and i am at my desk or at the board, I can be 2m away.

If i am walking down a corridor to my next class, or on break duty, or giving some resources out, or trying to read a student's work when they have asked for my help, or many other interactions in the day, I often cannot maintain 2m distance.

@Wellbythebloodyhell

I have to say I'm shocked that so many teachers on here are saying they can stay 2m apart in the lesson when the idea of being able to be 2m apart from students in the classroom a few months ago was abhorrent and totally unrealistic I must say I did think that mask wearing in class was for both pupils and teachers, maybe a naive assumption on my part.

Precisely my thoughts! Good news though

margaritasbythesea

In our school in Wales, we've been told everyone has to wear a medical grade mask in the classroom all the time, which is rather worrying for me and the child I support as we are both hearing impaired. We go back on Monday. It's going to be very tough.

You can challenge this:
The Wales operational guidance from 15th March actually states,

"All staff should adhere to the social/physical distancing measures as far as possible; however, we recognise that when working with younger learners this may not always be possible. In these circumstances high quality 3 layer face coverings may be worn by staff members, however, having regard to the needs of the learner will be important and a specific risk assessment may be required.

Face coverings should also be worn in the classroom by staff and learners in secondary schools where social distancing arrangements set out elsewhere in this guidance cannot be maintained, as well as in all areas of the school building outside the classroom."

So if you have 2m 'safe zone' you can take off your mask to teach, but need to wear it whenever you cannot maintain that 2m distance. The pupils will be sitting closer than 2m so need to wear their masks - something that DD is not looking forward to, and I don't blame her. If they aren't safe without masks on permanently, they should have considered rotas or increasing teaching capacity by using more staff and rooms, but that's expensive and difficult, so hasn't been considered.

I know several members of my class would struggle to hear me perfectly clearly from the back of my room, despite not having any official hearing impairment, so I'm glad that we can remove our masks to teach.

@NailsNeedDoing

Have you ever tried to teach a class (and project your voice) while wearing a mask? It’s really not very easy.

Mind your own business about wether the teachers are wearing masks or not, it’s nothing to do with you.

Can't you wear microphones like they do in Cats?

@WolfHunter

We are all wearng masks. All day. Every day. Apart from when we are released for feeding. It's not the best but it is what it is.

Isn't it dangerous though when you breathe all over each other's food? I hope you don't talk while you're eating!

Thanks for that. It is useful. I might ask for a rusk assessment to flag it up clearly more than anything else. I'm his TA and I know for a fact that we cannot hear each other with masks on even very close. I'm looking into a radio aid but he refuses to. It's hard enough to keep him engaged without this!

@bananamonster you said "The tests aren't reliable."

But the gold standard PCR test only gives a 39.8% rate of positive tests which are incorrect as this shows, www.icd10monitor.com/false-positives-in-pcr-tests-for-covid-19 so I think it's fair to say each of the 60.2% which are correct is saving lives coz those kids are not going home and infecting granny and killing their families. Be really careful saying tests are not accurate.

I’m a teacher. We’re all wearing masks to teach in our school.

From the start, our enlightened SLT have said we can wear masks if we want to when teaching. I starting wearing one in October. It’s fine. Behaviour is fine. Communication is fine. (I write any important stuff on the board, just in case. The kids have mini whiteboards and pens to use if necessary for responses to questions.) I whack the windows open and we just get on with it.

Two things would be really helpful:

1. If you, as parents, could remind your secondary school-aged children that a mask is worn over the nose.
2. You remind your children that they need to layer up - the windows are open and it’s cold. I will not be closing them, so they need to wear their thermal vests.

Look okay call me out on this one. But. If parents just wore masks at home that would help normalise it more, also give a big boost to mum not sneaking a ciggie out the window lol.

Some kids can't recognise emotions in faces too due to neurdivergence and it would be a big step forward in equity for faces to be less of a thing, and people just SAY what they mean: kids.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/frym.2016.00015

It's definitely enlightened to have the windows open all winter, can't you track how much CO2 you save a day or something and teach them that indoors is sorta kinda anthropogenic colonising against the rest of the world? Or change the long summer holiday to winter now?

Travel-based holidays are over for good so unlike the past, no-one's going to be going anywhere in the warmest months. Blue skying it here for the future don't mind me lol!

@palacegirl77

Daughter has come home from first day back in Y7 today. All 29 kids in her class wore masks for the whole day. Not one of the teachers wore them apart from in corridors. What's that about?? Why aren't they protecting their students? Seems very odd to me but thought I would raise it as I'm quite frankly sick of people moaning about irresponsible children and their selfish families. So there you have it. 100% of students in masks.

Seriously? 😐

I sometimes wonder if teachers can get anything right in the eyes of some Mumsnet posters.

Give me strength 🙄🙄🙄

I have not taught a single lesson this academic year without a mask. The teachers are idiots and should be leading by example.

And yes it requires good projection and a quiet classroom to teach in a mask so it helps having good classroom management and non-feral students.

@AllDoneIn Did you want to be more offensive?

No @Herc it really is not about being offensive but we can't have it all ways. If the pupils are in masks the teachers should be too. I literally have not taught a single lesson since September without a mask. It is do-able bar the same medical exemptions the pupils have.

I teach in a school where most of the pupils are non-feral so I'm being sincere when I say - this helps. A couple of the schools I taught in in the past it would have been a battle.

Teachers have to remove masks to teach from the front, 2m from pupils, in order to be able to project their voice and be heard clearly by every pupil, and to allow lip reading as required by students.
Teachers have to put a mask on to go near a pupil if that is necessary, and stay 'under a metre for less than a minute'.

I'm surprised that the focus, in a class room, seems to be the 2m. It's a small enclosed space with around 30 people and very few classrooms having anything like adequate ventilation. The amount of air exchange you need for 30 people in a class room (to significantly reduce the Covid risk) is staggering, windows cracked open a bit (if they can be) really is nowhere near enough.

If you're stuck in classrooms, have a look at the guidance and make sure the school gets it sorted if it's inadequate.

I wouldn't be in a room with 30 people unmasked (most of the protection is large droplets out, but it does offer some protection to the wearer)

Okay can any teacher give a reason for parents to NOT wear masks at home? Subsidised? At least while the children are awake?

Kids copy what they see, not what adults say.

@CarpeVitam teachers can do so much right! My other daughter in primary is greeted every morning by her wonderful teacher, no mask, smiling and just happy to see them all. No mask all day. My eldest in secondary wears her mask all day in spite of chronic asthma and anxiety about not being able to breathe. I was just surprised that as she has to do this the teacher doesn't, as many teachers have said in the last few days they can't possibly be 2m away from the students. If that's not the case and they can be further away then that's good news. FYI both my brothers, sister in laws and beat friends are teachers...I know how hard they work and I do appreciate them very much.