Thirteenth Republic - School’s out for summer, no more pencils no more books!

[StaffAssociationRepresentative]

You are most welcome to this school staff support thread to get us through stressful times. It is meant for school staff. Baiters and bashers can jog on somewhere else.

If you are NOT staff and just have a general education query please start your own thread.

You can play here only if you are a member of one the following groups-

-ABBA - anti bashers and baiting association
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-SWOT - school workers opposing teacherbashers
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Other requirements for staff room entry include the ability to find the staff room, the ability to find a clean mug in the staff room, knowledge of the photocopier codes, and the ability to sniff out where the toffee vodka is hidden.

If you are fed up with cakes and biscuits there is now a cheeseboard on offer

If you come with a stick to beat us with then please do so elsewhere and not in the staffroom

I'm dreading masks to be honest. Another thing to behaviour manage. I need to lip read to hear. Breathing through them all day is difficult, especially when needing to project your voice. Kids with hearing impairments will suffer. I'd like to know how other countries manage masks all day.

Not minimising it, but how many kids with severe hearing impairments are in mainstream school, and how many lipread?

We have had a few over the years at my school, mostly with hearing aids.

Did wonder about the sharing of the mic packs we used to wear for a couple of students, mind! Shared out across all staff all day...

I don't think there is a good answer here, sadly.

The severe ones with aids won't be such a problem. It's the ones who use it and we/they don't even realise. (I was one of those children!)
Non verbal cues are also such an important part of behaviour management, no mouth or nose makes that a lot more tricky.

Yes , I agree with all that. I do also think public health takes priority in the short term. In Germany they take masks off in the classroom and wear them in corridors etc.. I think that sounds a compromise?

The mask thing is going to become the big issue before Sept. Especially if ‘Us for Them’ is going to push hard against them

Yes. Some of the comments they’ve left on Twitter Union pages are frightening! I wonder how many of them are returning to workplaces that aren’t Covid secure?

That does sound a good compromise. Ours aren't moving apart from y10-13 so the corridors won't be as crowded as they could be.

Masks on corridors and on transport seems like a good compromise and still means students can learn. I just can't contemplate the battles with wearing masks!

@noblegiraffe I think I'll be about 1500. All the social distancing measures feel like a bit of a waste of time! I'm dreading sept. No practicals we don't have enough text books to keep them within bubbles. Carrying all my crap all around the school. Oh and we can't boot the naughty kids out to another room any more so not sure what I'm going to be like with my bottom set

But transmission is most likely to happen in the classroom isn’t it?

You know, the enclosed, poorly ventilated space where they are all facing us because it’s too unsafe for them to face each other?

I can’t see it being harder to enforce than uniform tbh, but of course would need SLT back up which is always the downfall with such things.

I agree that transmission is most likely in the classroom. However wearing a mask for hours a day isn't going to be pleasant for anyone. Do they really do this in other countries beyond health care?

I think it probably isn't in a German classroom, perhaps? they sit more frequently at single desks, class sizes are smaller an there is less expectation on teachers to patrol and help out. It's very formal form the front teaching.

I keep thinking it might be like going back to when I began teaching when we literally told, kids what to do and sat down at our desk with our feet updoing our marking while they worked.
How times change!

That genuinely was a lot less stressful!

The women in charge of Them for Us definitely all WFH.

I'm dreading sept.

Me too, hedgehog. I just can’t see it as being anything less than awful. I’m particularly worried about how physically tiring it will be moving after every lesson to a different part of the site, and just mentally, all the changes, the hyper vigilance and the constant speculation.

I agree that transmission is most likely in the classroom.

Which is why it would seem pointless, to me, to argue for them in corridors but not classrooms, especially given bubbles, zones and one way systems. It’s the classrooms that have no other mitigation in place.

@Hercwasonaroll

I’m hearing impaired and I’ve been thinking about this. The students can wear masks but clear visors should work for staff which should help hearing impaired students. We’re also putting written instructions on the Power Points and considering the placement of students in the classroom. All my hearing impaired students are I. The front row- as long as we have been made aware of their needs.

I know someone who signed the u4T petition locally and they are lovely but i guess quite ditsy. SAHP and kids going into yr2 and yr r. Over 40 though.
I think it's a bit of a clash between glass half full/empty people.
England is really going to stand out as only one not putting money into safety measures (more needed than catchup as less time in school is more catchup needed anyway. )
I think italy and fr going with masks for the older students.
I can understand the desire for working parents and older kids, but i find the pushing for full time and normalacy from some groups quite selfish as it means those that do need the education (exam years) are likely to be very disrupted and i dont really think they should be sacrificed for early primary (KW childcare excepted).

Florida is a bit crazy as i think home schooling but the rest of the economy open.
Did they say what r schools took up as if by sept we are already close to 1 if schools are 0.3 say it will tip over quite a bit.
I was watching masked singer usa and if they can sing like that (with a mic) then things can be done to make people heard

My feeling is that in the classroom it’s the students (who can’t social distance elbow to elbow) who need to be wearing masks. Teachers need to be wearing them in corridors and when they need to be in close proximity but when teaching from the front of the class could take them off. Kids with hearing impairments or sensory issues etc could be given exemptions but sat with as much distancing from other pupils as possible.

Apologies for absence I went away for a long weekend and swam in the sea at last

I wonder what measures we can put in place ourselves to manage the September crisis?

I’m going to be teaching in 7 different classrooms with only a 20 minute break. I’ve bought a trolley and a massive flask. I’m also buying that rucksack - was it @noblegiraffe who suggested it? A packet of antibacterial wipes on me at all times.

Anything else I could do?

Do you think we can ignore guidance and wear masks? What could school do?

@TheHoneyBadger, that sounds heavenly!

Gloves in case of unavoidable touching?

It's not the kida with the hearing impairments who don't need the mask. It's the staff and anyone they speak to!

@Saucery

Gloves in case of unavoidable touching?

Gloves don't help, your skin is already covid-proof. You just need to wash hands, and gloves make people do this less which means they are just spreading any covid on surfaces around more.

I’d still rather touch vomit, blood or snot with gloves on, thanks, Flags.
I always carry them, even before Covid.
Scenario being child sick all over desk and on their exercise book. I’m not touching that without gloves for anyone, nor can I leave it until the end of the day for th caretaker to shift their arse and clean it up.

Also, my skin isn’t Covid proof as I have dermatitis (not helped by all the cleaning wipes), meaning I frequently have cracks in the skin.

The problem with ‘just wash your hands’ is that teachers do not have the time or facilities to do this properly and regularly.

Hand sanitiser will have to do, I guess, but some teachers might prefer wearing gloves and regularly handsanitising those instead of their skin?

I fully agree if you are doing a particular task that gloves can be valuable. But I have seen people remove gloves, wash hands, and then replace the used gloves onto their hands. Gloves would need to be changed regularly. I feel most people are unlikely to do this and it gives them a false sense of security - people in supermarket wearing gloves who pick up items, then use their phone or touch their face still wearing the gloves. Or worse cough into gloves and then touch things :(

I'm not sure gloves would help with dermatitis if worn all day either, I used to wear them as I worked with chemicals and they used to make my hands very sweaty and cause issues with my skin.