Ireland's Calling for Normal Life to Return, thread number 5

[eggandonion]

Unlinked because I can't remember how to do it, and can't find Help thing.

The support she would need would include help finding, buying, and moving into a new, smaller place. Basically this would involve searching, making a decision for her, and doing 100% of the heavy lifting in every sense of the word. Nobody can do this for her right now.

That all sounds as if I am completely exasperated with my mum - but I am not that far gone. She has great strengths but also a few blind spots.

Dsis and I are hoping that when all this is over she'll have enough money in the kitty to afford some nice holidays - she's never really traveled and really loves snowy mountains and art, so we're thinking maybe she would like to go to Switzerland and Italy - and a new (automatic) car.

My mother can be impetuous and not see the bigger picture. She moved house a few years ago. It was difficult as she was putting in offers on a whim and not thinking things through.

Regarding schools, anyone who has a child of school-going age knows how quickly a gastric bug or a cold goes around a classroom, particularly in primary school. Our schools are overcrowded with poor ventilation. This new variant is more contagious. We need to protect our teaching staff and SNA's and our children. I'm sure teachers would prefer to be in school.

I read a parents article in the Irish Times today, her child needs a lot of care. He is peg fed.
The poor mum has other kids, her ds is finding being at home hard. But, having had a relation with a lot of special needs, I think he'd be safer at home.
This is a no win situation.

Exactly. It's a no win situation.

So the Special schools are not reopening nor are school for SEN pupils.
I bet they wont have funding pulled.
Because we are not in a major city we are opening for 5 children and that's just two families. Is it worth it when you think of lighting and heating, and three of the days only have 2 children in.
Still at least there's not 20 children in. Risks are reduced substantially by only having 2 families in. Feel a little better about going into work on Thursday now until tomorrow night that is.

@Iblinkedandiamold

So the Special schools are not reopening nor are school for SEN pupils. I bet they wont have funding pulled. Because we are not in a major city we are opening for 5 children and that's just two families. Is it worth it when you think of lighting and heating, and three of the days only have 2 children in. Still at least there's not 20 children in. Risks are reduced substantially by only having 2 families in. Feel a little better about going into work on Thursday now until tomorrow night that is.

So I presume you're SET? Surely you guys aren't expected to go in? I really would query that with the INTO, it seemed like you guys were included with the special schools and classes.

Unless I have the wrong end of the stick here and you aren't in ROI.

Sorry what is ppe for in schools ?? Is it not effective enough ?? It was in December. Teachers are not the nations baby sitters and are so they claim at the front line ( making them on.the same footing as nurses and doctors ) I work as a health care professional in a ward of 30 + patients and 30 + staff in + out per shift. Little social distsncing happens with patients. Full ppe is worn if covid + patients,other wise masks only worn and not the n95. We are just about all vaccinated with dose 1. We have worked right through all this. Parents working outside the home are at breaking point trying to hold down jobs pay mortgages ,pay increased childcare if they can get any and home school. Like my working environment is high risk and we have just got on with it. Gardai,hospital admin cannot work from home as cant lidl and aldi staff. I mean on the one hand,teachers want to be classed as frontline but wont do the frontline work. Kids are struggling not just educationally . So ye all sit at home on laptops. Thinking yourselves mighty, screaming unsafe. Try being in the back of a garda car with a spitting adult or on the wards like real proper front liners and see that we arent stopping / dying in droves ( as ye seem to think ) there is no choice for us and rightly so. Why for teachers ? I honestly havent heard of 1 child admitted to T street with covid in need of icu - correct me if im wrong. It is disrupting all our lives and us at the coal face every day as is the lives of the lads in the NCt centres and Tesco. What are the stats of kids and teachers with covid to back up the lack of safety. Just keep screaming unsafe and there will be a lost generation

But you know who has covid and who doesn't, @Radyward, and when your patients' condition warrants you have full PPE. Teachers don't have this luxury and they are dealing with a wide variety of personalities and in many cases young people with a need for a physical outlet for their energy, and perhaps also a tendency to disregard rules.

Your high risk patients are not, I presume, defiant small children. Your working environment features patients in beds or on stretchers, sick people who don't have the energy or interest in getting up and causing a ruckus.

Again, if you think any school setting would be school as normal, you can think again. The experience would be very jarring for the children if done properly, and dangerous for the children, the teachers, and all the families connected with the school if not done properly.

Where I live, the schools had an opt-in after Christmas for in-school learning after being locked down since March 2020, and about half of the students opted in. About half of those opt-ins have now opted out because it was not at all what the children were used to or able to cope with. Complete social distancing of the sort that is necessary in order to keep teachers and children safe in an enclosed setting is upsetting for children.

Did I mention that in order to provide adequate ventilation, the classroom windows are kept open, rain, hail, sleet, cold wind, snow notwithstanding, and the children must wear winter clothing and outerwear, boots, gloves, scarves and hats in order to keep warm, and they are not allowed to move around their classrooms? And lunch outdoors, no playing tag or ball or skipping or hanging around chatting together, regardless of weather.

The point of keeping children out of circulation is to keep all the people they could infect safe - their parents, siblings, grandparents living with them, some of whom will be vulnerable. It is also important to keep teachers and teachers' families safe. Teachers are not an expendable resource.

All this 'lost generation' and 'parents at breaking point' talk is laying it on a bit thick. Honestly, lots more heat than light in your post there.

And I think you need to withdraw this:
'Thinking yourselves mighty, screaming unsafe'.
It's not OK to sarcastically disrespect entire cohorts of people.

This isn't a competition.

Sorry what is ppe for in schools ?? Is it not effective enough ?? It was in December.

If I am reading this right, then I am concerned that a HCP has posted it.

PPE is to protect others in your environment from covid that you may be carrying.

Whatever was being done by way of precautions in schools (or in any other sector of society) clearly wasn't enough in December, or Ireland wouldn't have the terrible covid stats she has.

Sorry what is ppe for in schools ?? Is it not effective enough ?? It was in December.
I'm sure you've noticed what's been happening in the last month. And, no, it wasn't effective enough in December either.

So ye all sit at home on laptops. Thinking yourselves mighty, screaming unsafe.
Aren't Nphet practically begging people to stay at home if at all possible? It is unsafe.

@Radyward
When in school my 11 year old is in a room with about 24 other 11, 12 and 13 years olds (5th and 6th), as well as his teacher. They occupy the same room continuously for almost 6 hours a day if the weather is inclement. The teacher is the only one wearing a mask.
How is this effective PPE in schools?

Well. Will there be no effective education for yrs ????????.? Is that what you are saying ? Sure could any public servant send emails ? This is not sustainable long term for you all to be at home . Teachers are on very dangerous ground with the public.
Wear full ppe then ? Tesco wirkers havent s clue who is + or not. Im beginning to think young healthy teachers have just got themselves at the front of the vsccination q as parents are being held to ransom with family lives a misery.
All children are falling behind. Any attempt to extend the school year will be another union battle .
Being put on pup. Will make school very safe !!
In thus terrible pandemic. Its all shoulders to the mast to alleviate the crisis whether it be health staff. Public servant staff etc etc and it is a crisis for childrens schooling. They are being sacrificed with not aword or credence given to workers unlikee the uk. Essential workers kids, vulnerable kids. ans SEN are all in school.

The parents in our school who want to keep kids at home are the ones who dont work.who are never off social media and hang around the school gate for an hour at 915 !!

Your thread popped up on Active, I'm dropping in from Scotsnet to say we've got the exact same thread running over there covering the exact same mix of serious discussion and mundane nonsense. Although we've not had in-depth discussion of hot presses yet, I'm going to go and start that this morning. We're so bored and short of interesting things to say, any new topic is welcome.

Sending solidarity from Scotland (and I'll leave you to get on with your own discussions now)

I know banging the PUP drum must be fun - this is kind of like watching a toddler with a saucepan - but you know public servants can't be put on PUP, right?

That's more for the benefit of anyone else reading than that particular poster tbh.

Waves at Scotland, I was supposed to be going to Scotland in April.
I am currently hating Norma Foley and worrying about all education, this is no way to live.

Its completely depressing. It is no way to live. I mean vallance was just on sky news reiterating what we all know. Even after vaccination soc. Distancing etc will still be ongoing.like its just so hard on everyone but me taking a pop at this school situation is true too.like TG my children arent special needs beacuse those parents must be at the end of their tether . It's just awful ' Where is the living with covidmantra from the govt.??? The whole world has stopped. God help you if you have a suspicious lump.. maybe public sector sitting at home should be on pup as less productivity? Sharing the financial load and burden we are all going through or going to face??. Theres an idea. Not enough Fingers are being pointed at the govt who havent done enough prep for the usual winter surge- like we have treatments now with dexamethasone and know more about the disease. And still no let up.its sooooo depressing it really is

Waving at scotland too #nicolasturgeounwholeotherthread

There is an article today in the Irish Examiner about the importance of ventilation and how it hasn't been part of the Irish government's response to date, in relation to schools, meat factories and other crowded settings.

'Outdoors is like the sea, the virus is more diluted. Indoors is like a fishbowl, the virus is trapped and more concentrated'.

My dh is public sector and working as hard as ever. My ds is public sector and working hard from home, he is in Dublin with a long commute and finds he is working during what should be travel time. One daughter is working in hse disability services,and has been working from home for about 5 days since March.The rest has been in her workplace including many weekends.
I'm not buying the lazy public sector.

Me neither @eggandonion and I have 3 teachers (primary school) in my family and I've never felt as sorry for them. People go on about teachers having a cushy job and all the 'long holidays' etc but the reality of it is so different. Even before covid, unless you actually know a teacher well you've no idea what the job involves. I have one sibling at the moment with a 1yr and 3yr old trying to teach her young primary school class with a DH who's frontline so not around to help with the kids. Its a nightmare. She's so upset. She gets so much abuse from parents you wouldn't believe it. Constant messages about their little johnny. And then there's the worry about the kids she doesn't hear from and knows why. Plus the endless paperwork and red tape. It's easy to diss teachers and tar them all with the same brush but honestly if people think it's such a cushy job they should have gone into that profession themselves! I know I couldn't ever teach, I just don't have the capacity.

At the end of the day, we're ALL stuck in this shite situation and we're ALL doing our best to muddle through it.

@Radyward stop slinging mud at a whole cohort of society, it's very unfair and it's upsetting to read quite frankly. I come here for a bit of light relief, for distraction, for a chat and comradery and I'm not feeling it now

Im a cs and we have been busier than ever. The pandemic has prompted a trend to make a particular decision that has made our team busier than ever. Im off atm. Needed a break. Waterford whisperers and the journal would never believe it!!

Any time I have had to contact public sector, boring things like prsi contributions, I get an efficient response. My boss is equally impressed, trying to work out assorted business support schemes.
My dh phones colleagues quite often, they all seem to be answering their phones and on top of their jobs.
I think people working from home, with all kinds of family settings around them, are doing brilliantly.
I enjoy my work, I miss it. I don't like PUP, I am grateful for it. And my dog won't go out, it's too wet.

I had a mother ring me wanting me to take her child. The child is really hard to handle and really needs routine, I've been hit, spat at, cried on by the child but the mother is at home not working and he has no diagnosis of anything, he's not in the vulnerable category either so we've had to say no.
We have no PPE whatsoever. Sure the kids would rip them off you either in fun or by accident.
Have to say when the heat is pumping in the school our room is very hot even with the window wide open.
I just want to get back to normal now. I loosing motivation to do anything. I have a pile of paperwork to do.