How are teachers feeling now?

[ssd]

I've got an awful lot of sympathy for teachers in all this, I feel they've been hung out to dry. But hopefully the vaccine news and cases coming down will make them feel a bit better.
My kids have left school so I've got a general interest. .no bone to grind.

I am well aware of that.

I meant the disruption is worse.

there really is no good mentioning vaccines when we are looking at a a bunch of unvaccinated young people with unvaccinated parents.

Now that everyone is back, the disruption will continue , and continue to be swept under that carpet

ssd asked how teachers were. This is how it is. Stressful and disruptive. I can't see that changing for some time.

I feel like I've got my life back. After 2 months of not wanting to get up in the morning and log on for another day of interminable online lessons with non communicative, struggling children, things now feel more like they should. Not normal, no, but getting there. It feels like there's hope again, at least. And some of my colleagues are among my closest friends so I feel like I've got a semblance of a social life back too. Don't really feel like I'm in lockdown anymore. Pre 2020 just going to work then coming home every day would have felt like prison. Now it feels like heaven! Definitely learned not to take things for granted any more!

Masks are certainly a dampener but the rules allow for them to be taken off for a short time for activities that aren't conducive to mask wearing. As I teach drama and dance, that's most activities so masks aren't too heavily used in my lessons at all. The other restrictions aren't too bad and some might go after Easter.

@Piggywaspushed

I am well aware of that.

I meant the disruption is worse.

there really is no good mentioning vaccines when we are looking at a a bunch of unvaccinated young people with unvaccinated parents.

Now that everyone is back, the disruption will continue , and continue to be swept under that carpet

ssd asked how teachers were. This is how it is. Stressful and disruptive. I can't see that changing for some time.

Sorry for being pedantic, but why is the disruption worse? Surely its been disruptive the whole way through?

Really sad and worried to read how hard so many teachers have it at the moment, though. I hope you all start to feel better and happier soon.

Nope, palace that is ridiculous. You can test negative in the early stages whilst transmitting it around. the MHRA have not licenced lateral flow tests for daily asymptomatic testing afaik. The government, quite correctly, abandoned the plan.for now

The contacts I have heard of today do not all come from one case.

We have NEVER sent 90 home in one go so I wish people wouldn't exaggerate. That is rare.

If the government had seen fit to vaccinate school staff, maybe the daily testing might be feasible but you cannot knowingly leave people in contact with potentially pre symptomatic cases.

I do agree that it highlights exactly how many pre symptomatic and asympotmatic cases are circulating - and were before testing. That feels a like a 'we told you so ' moment . We are still getting students who are not tested when they are poorly. Our case found last week was from a student who came back into schol after a day off ill. Thankfully, she was due her LFT.

But this is not the point of the thread to be patronised and argued with by people who don't enter schools. ssd asked who were were. I said the reality was that my worklife -and my students' educations- are being more disrupted now that it was before.

No, it hasn't been disruptive all the way through in my school. We have been too complacent , in my view and this may be a lesson to us. In September to November, I think we had three or four known cases and very few SIs because of family : and the local population was massively massively testing averse at the time. . We were very lucky. DH's school had 140 cases after they shut early before Christmas.

I’m resigned to getting ill (either through covid or from whichever bug will get me once the stress lifts in the holidays) and angry that I won’t be vaccinated anytime soon. I’m worried about my own children in school and about those I teach. I’m sick of being told how I should be feeling by people who aren’t doing my job.

I know exactly how you feel, Carrieblue.

Have we actually got to the stage where posters are openly dismissing people’s actual experiences and feelings on a thread that has specifically asked for teaching and school staff currently working inside schools to say how they are feeling? Wow.

@Piggywaspushed

Nope, palace that is ridiculous. You can test negative in the early stages whilst transmitting it around. the MHRA have not licenced lateral flow tests for daily asymptomatic testing afaik. The government, quite correctly, abandoned the plan.for now

The contacts I have heard of today do not all come from one case.

We have NEVER sent 90 home in one go so I wish people wouldn't exaggerate. That is rare.

If the government had seen fit to vaccinate school staff, maybe the daily testing might be feasible but you cannot knowingly leave people in contact with potentially pre symptomatic cases.

I do agree that it highlights exactly how many pre symptomatic and asympotmatic cases are circulating - and were before testing. That feels a like a 'we told you so ' moment . We are still getting students who are not tested when they are poorly. Our case found last week was from a student who came back into schol after a day off ill. Thankfully, she was due her LFT.

But this is not the point of the thread to be patronised and argued with by people who don't enter schools. ssd asked who were were. I said the reality was that my worklife -and my students' educations- are being more disrupted now that it was before.

www.thestar.co.uk/education/sheffield-primary-school-sends-over-100-children-home-to-self-isolate-after-covid-19-cases-3167323

The was 15 kids from kids club and an entire year group - which is 90 kids. I wasnt exaggerating anything!

I’ve known whole year groups sent home as well.

That's why it made the papers, though : because it is unusual and followed multiple cases. You said one case could lead to 90 SIs.

Our year 9 case led to about 40; Year 11 30; year 12s about 15 each time.

@ssd

Yes noblegiraffe, all those things must be very hard to deal with. And the communicating through masks is hellish. I personally feel teachers have had it as bad if not worse than nurses. And there's not the same recognition. I don't know why. Maybe the media is to blame. I know nurses have had it awful ,but teaching sounds the same.

I completely disagree with this and I say that as a teacher! My DD is a nurse and she’s had it much worse than any member of teaching staff I I can think of. In the beginning of the pandemic there was little to no PPE for her to use, the stress of wards being filled with Covid patients, the extra shifts due to staff sickness, the tiredness and the fear was nothing compared to me sitting at home on the end of a PC or going into a hub twice a week.

I'm exhausted. Have been going to bed every night at 8pm.

@Piggywaspushed What do you mean? Dont enter schools? Most people on this site have children in schools? I think asking why someone thinks its more disruptive now than when cases were higher is an ok question? Also if cases are dramatically falling in spite of so many children now being tested I think that is the exact opposite of a told you so moment.

Mixed feelings. Glad pupils are back. Testing was hard going. Behaviour of some pupils is very challenging, to say the least. Worried as hearing of other schools with bubbles isolating.

Can't wait for the Easter break as genuinely been the most tiring term ever.

Not for one case chocolate. DfE have pretty much nipped that in the bud with their 'special' phone line!

A whole year group, or school, shutting down would be because of an outbreak. A schol, as happened with DH, would be when cases have got out of control : which is what keeping close contacts in schol would likely lead to (and let's face it, did , before testing)

@Piggywaspushed

That's why it made the papers, though : because it is unusual and followed multiple cases. You said one case could lead to 90 SIs.

Our year 9 case led to about 40; Year 11 30; year 12s about 15 each time.

Oh my god, do you want me to copy and paste the schools risk assessment for you? If there is one positive case in my daughters bubble (which is her year group, 3 classes) then the whole year of 90 children have to isolate. Same in thousands of schools. Im really surprised you werent away of this if you work in education??

Cases are not dramatically falling!

Having children in school is not the same as being at the chalkface, it really isn't. That's like saying I understand what it is like to be a nurse because I went to A and E.

@Piggywaspushed

Not for one case chocolate. DfE have pretty much nipped that in the bud with their 'special' phone line!

A whole year group, or school, shutting down would be because of an outbreak. A schol, as happened with DH, would be when cases have got out of control : which is what keeping close contacts in schol would likely lead to (and let's face it, did , before testing)

This is completely incorrect!! In primary its the whole bubble (which can be a year group of 90) in secondary its close contacts which as you said earlier could be 40 plus!

DfE stats say: “ State-funded secondaries have an average of 24 pupils isolating per confirmed COVID-19 case on 10 December, up slightly from 23 pupils on 26 November”

You are clearly talking about primary palace. It is a different ballgame.

I am surprised the risk assessment hasn't been changed because the DfE tried very hard to prevent whole year groups going. Those bubbles should be kept separate really. Why isn't each class a separate bubble?

And “State-funded primaries have an average of 30 pupils isolating per case of COVID-19 on 10 December”

@Piggywaspushed

Cases are not dramatically falling!

Having children in school is not the same as being at the chalkface, it really isn't. That's like saying I understand what it is like to be a nurse because I went to A and E.

In January there were 60k new cases a day. Today there were 5.5k new cases (not forgetting we are testing asymptomatic kids now). Yes cases have fallen dramatically and will continue to do so.

@Piggywaspushed

You are clearly talking about primary palace. It is a different ballgame.

I am surprised the risk assessment hasn't been changed because the DfE tried very hard to prevent whole year groups going. Those bubbles should be kept separate really. Why isn't each class a separate bubble?

I have absolutely no idea why each class isnt a separate bubble, it absolutely should be - but as you pointed out, im not qualified to speak about the whys and wherefores and I only "send my kids there".