Scottish teachers- how is it going?

[sonicbook]

Just that really. Just checking in to see how things are! Not sure if there is an existing thread. Apologies if so!

Hard going.

Sanatising/ washing hands is routine now, however it does take up loads of teaching time.

Finding it near impossible to teach while attempting to socially distance from pupils.

Staggered breaks/ lunches mean you never see half of the staff.

Head of education for my LA sent an email out criticising teachers for not distancing from each other resulting in a ‘ridiculous’ (her words) number of teachers off sick which might result in tough budgeting decisions later in year.

So yeah, peachy.
😂

In all honesty I am glad to be back and loving seeing the kids, however feeling unprotected and like it’s only a matter of time before school has covid case.

The phrase “building the plane as you fly it” springs to mind.

Yes I'm increasingly worried about the internal blame culture towards teachers as well.

Lots of people off sick in our school too.

Not loving it and worried about the SQA classes .

Yes received that delightful e mail too. So now if we become ill from covid it's our fault..

Yes that's definitely the vibe. If we catch it it's our fault and we mustn't have social distanced with the other adults properly. Couldn't possibly be from an asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic 16 year old in our classrooms 🤷🏾‍♀️

Yip kinda demoralising. Would really like to know how many teachers have tested positive.

Being back in class is great, but that was never what worried me.

SD is a joke no matter how hard I try the younger pupils 5 months out of school just don't get it. And I feel awful reminding them but less awful than I would if I had a positive test ...

Seniors are better but the SQA lack of info is bothering them but it's bothering me too.

Lonely, isolation working through breaks and lunches as they are staggered. Which can mean a break then 20 mins later lunch then teaching constantly till home competing with the racket of other year groups out as the windows are open.

Kids have coped with sanitising, wiping down desks fine ,but sense them losing the commitment that was there in the first few weeks.

Definitely feeling the blame will fall on us no matter how well we follow protocol.

Head of education for my LA sent an email out criticising teachers for not distancing from each other resulting in a ‘ridiculous’ (her words) number of teachers off sick which might result in tough budgeting decisions later in year.

This. I was personally offended by that email. The insistence to blame the teachers I expect from others, but the bloody head of education??

Much the same as others here. The kids aren't bothering. 20% maybe, wearing masks. They're barely wiping down their tables any more and because I've been instructed to put the desks in rows I can't get round the class to check. And because they're all facing me if anyone has it it's definitely coming my way. And it's lonely, even if you have the same break as others you're meant to stay away from them. I was feeling pretty positive about being back until the last few days. It's all been a bit much today.

What LA is this? It's a very poor choice of words!

I'm nursery in a school setting. Just started at my setting and it's been rather lonely having breaks myself. Work with the nursery children is as normal as we're outdoors so distancing is easy. Constant handwashing has the children moaning.

Not really had absence from children bar them being tired. One staff member has been off with a heavy cold.

Lots of lovely treats of hot chocolate and chocolate to try and keep on staff wellbeing x

Taking some solace in fact that a lot of teachers seem to feel the same way.

I'm taken aback by how tired I am, and can't seem to identify a reason why, but I think it must be all the wee extras adding up.

Having the same issues as others with pupils clearly being a bit switched off from hand sanitising etc, and the constant reminders to do it and to put the wipes etc in the bin is monotonous.

The wee pleasures of sitting sharing a blether over lunch are gone as I usually have a different lunchtime to rest of department, and as my room is being used when I am not teaching I need to eat in our base, but we aren't allowed more than two people in there, so there's often nowhere to be.
It is lovely being back in front of the kids, but we are being asked to maintain information available for pupils who are absent on Teams and although it's not the same as blended learning, as we aren't posting full lessons etc, it the uploading of work and instructions all adds up.

And yes, same issue with the lack of clarity from SQA.

Never felt so in need of the September weekend, and a bit worried about what that might mean for how I will feel in the long post October break stretch to Christmas.

We got the message about social distancing too, but it's impossible, I have close to 30 S6 pupils in one Higher class and it just feels... full.
All this, and I avoid talking to non-teachers about work as I think they will think I am just having a moan about being back at work. I am glad we are back. It is just really really hard at the moment.

No September wknd here battle on through till October. Our previously November Inservice has moved so after October no reprieve till Christmas.

I don't know how we will do it.

Ah, as I typed that about the September weekend I was aware that not everyone gets it, but I am usually envious of neighbouring authorities as they get one in November instead, I didn't realise neither was happening in some places. You have my full sympathy

Anyone else feeling like there October planes will be cancelled like everything else this year? Contact tracers in 4 schools in my authority, despite this pupils becoming increasingly lax about hand hygiene, wiping down and masks. Management doing nothing but then reminding us to "respectfully remind" pupils of the protocols.

Tired, not sleeping well, lonely and worried.

I did get a proper laugh when my post lock down bahookie triggered the automatic hand sanitizer dispenser at my door in the middle of a restorative chat involving a pupil and a depute

Pretty stressed here. Feels more like November rather than September. Trying to get through content with my Nationals but struggling for time already and still no confirmation from SQA about how the exam will look next year (if it even happens). No Covid cases yet, but resigned to it happening at some point over next few weeks. Behaviour starting to slip and non compliance on masks and one way system.

Just wanted to jump in and say thanks to all you teachers. My DS is in S6 and I’m hoping he can have his exams next year and am so appreciative of all his teachers. There seems to be sense of all in it together with his fellow pupils and their teachers all wanting to get through the year and the work but concerned about how it’s all going to pan out. I imagine the pressure is immense and the uncertainty very frustrating.

Also got that email - just what I needed at 5 o'clock on a Friday afternoon after a week for constantly second guessing whether I was doing right by my pupils, colleagues and family. The apology email wasn't much either - just along the lines of "I'm sorry if you were offended".

Loving seeing the kids again but totally resigned to the fact I'm going to get ill and just praying its not too bad. There's no way in the world to do this job from 2m away. Now it's very clear that if we do get sick it will be firmly on our shoulders and our fault which just makes me feel more anxious. If god forbid something bad happens, I can see the council refusing to pay out anything to my family as it's my fault I got it.

While I'm hoping it doesn't happen, I can see blended learning being brought in soon. Part of me doesn't understand why it hasn't been already. At least with half a class I could safely close a window or two - luxury! Stay safe folks

Lonely, isolated and so very tired. I'm just a TA rather than a teacher but am finding this so tough. The camaraderie that made our school special has gone, replaced by lunch alone often with nowhere to eat but my car as our school is tiny. Distancing is impossible with primary kids. We are freezing with all the windows open and our hands are bleeding with the awful soap. Kids cannot read our facial expressions with masks on, neither can they hear me!
So close to giving up.

Also resigned to getting it and terrified I won't be able to look after my own kids (family hours away).

The attitude of some makes me angry too- 'the schools must stay open no matter what.' Deaths are low, there's no danger , there's little transmission in my area'...blah blah blah.
So glad to be teaching face to face though and do not want blended learning. Just wish the rest of society would support us more (pp above - thanks for the kind message ).

Yes i have also been impressed with the can do attitude of my DS3s teachers (and DS1s college tutors). It seems to be rubbing off on him too as he seems to have decided to no longer be last minute Larry about his work and is getting good results. I think it's going to be interesting the knock on effect on assesments going forward. I think the changed timetable with quadruple periods has also helped DS3s learning although it is tiring.

I'm not a teacher but my dc and a full class in his year (but not his class) have been self isolating for 2 weeks. The teachers have been amazing, the one working / self isolating from home does a live lesson each day on Teams and answers messages from dc throughout the day. My dc own teacher who is still teaching the rest of the class in school has been setting and marking work each day too for her self isolating pupils. What a shift they're putting in.

Would it be strange to email the head teacher to say thanks for their efforts, it's not gone unnoticed? I'm not sure if it would be out of place to do that?

@invisimama it would be lovely to do that. Parents rarely let the head know when they're happy so it would be a great boost for both the teachers and the head.

@Invisimamma To reiterate, that would be such a welcome thing to do. It's pretty rare that we get good feedback. Just copied and pasted emails from the crazies at usforthem.

And nothing from SQA about what the fuck we are supposed to be teaching. We have been teaching this year's exam classes since May - nearly 4 months of teaching time - and still no confirmation of what is happening with exams. Pupils are stressed as, having had predicted grades, they feel every test counts.

And I miss seeing colleagues. We have a lovely close knit department but I miss other colleagues.

Thank you all of you
I feel so emotional when I think that you’re going through such shit to teach our little people.

Thank you.