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
-SWAB - school workers against bashers
-SWOT - school workers opposing teacherbashers
-STARS - schoolworkers together against ranting + slurs

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

Yes, with my 20 minute break the only time I will have an opportunity to wash my hands is between 12.40-1. I think I’ll have to rely on sanitiser. I’ve never worn rubber gloves but suffer from raynaurds so not sure if they’ll affect my circulation. I’m going to have to be very conscious of not touching my face!

@noblegiraffe

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 agree this is a problem, the solution is better hand washing facilities and opportunities. Most gloves are not designed for use with sanitiser and it will dissolve them. If we were to introduce gloves in school they'd need to be changed at least every hour, and you should wash your hands between changes.

Gloves would need to be changed regularly.

Can you just rub your hands with sanitizer while wearing the gloves?

I agree they will be sweaty and horrible after a couple of hours though.

Most gloves are not designed for use with sanitiser and it will dissolve them

Cross post! But if you are using the gloves to protect your hands against the regular sanitizer use rather than germs, would them dissolving be an issue?

@Flagsfiend

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.

I don’t do any of those things, so that’s ok. I’m treating them as skin that’s not really skin, if that makes sense? I’m less likely to touch my face wearing them, but appreciate not everyone is. I’d rather wear and sanitise gloves for a few hours than sanitise my hands every 15 minutes. I can’t overstate the horrific effects of 70% alcohol on sensitive skin applied with that regularity (and that’s the regularity I feel comfortable with in a work setting). It’s not just “ooh, it makes my hands a bit dry and itchy!”. It’s deep cracks that bleed and swollen hands too painful to drive home. So gloves essential in my School Kit.

@saucery that's fine, you sound like you understand what they do and don't do. Although you may find all-day wear also causes problems with your skin. I just have seen so many people misusing gloves that I really don't want them suggested as a solution, as I feel they cause more issues than they solve.

Lakeland do good latex free gloves. Disposable and lightweight.

That’s why I said teachers could take them off when teaching from the front and able to social distance. Hearing issues was a poor example I gave for student exemptions as you’re quite right they don’t need to be exempt. The other example I gave was sensory issues as I can see masks being a real struggle for some.

A pair of gloves per classroom movement could be handy. Eg put a new pair on at end of lesson and wear to get across the school and to protect you whilst wiping down your desk, board remote etc and then dispose of them.

I’d want to wear gloves while using dettol wipes or cleaning spray anyway.

@noblegiraffe

I’d want to wear gloves while using dettol wipes or cleaning spray anyway.

Maybe we should all carry round a pair of marigolds - they are more appropriate for cleaning (and it's more environmentally friendly as they can be washed and reused).

Me too noble. My hands were in such a state from over washing, antiseptic wipes and sanitiser. I’m hoping degree educated teachers should be able to learn how, and be trusted, to use gloves effectively or the profession is more screwed than I thought.

Can’t cope with cracked, open sore hands again on top of everything else.

@TheHoneyBadger

Me too noble. My hands were in such a state from over washing, antiseptic wipes and sanitiser. I’m hoping degree educated teachers should be able to learn how, and be trusted, to use gloves effectively or the profession is more screwed than I thought.

Can’t cope with cracked, open sore hands again on top of everything else.

I think the problem with this is effective use of gloves requires you to wash your hands every time you change them. Wearing gloves doesn't actually remove the need to wash hands.

Wearing gloves all day is vile. For years ( before I was a teacher) I had a role where most of the day we had to wear disposable gloves, obviously they were binned every couple of hours/ breaks etc, but I tried numerous varieties and They all make your hands sweat like mad, and make any eczema worse.

I’m not sure I’m explaining clearly so I’ll give it another go.

If I don’t wear gloves for a period of an hour I have to wash or sanitise my hands 4 times.
If I do wear gloves for a period of an hour I only have to wash my hands once, on removal.

This does not mean I use my phone, pick my nose, hug colleagues, clean the pupil toilets or anything else I wouldn’t do without gloves on in a highly contagious environment whilst wearing gloves.
It purely means I cut out 3 hand washes in that time, which means I might only have 1 or 2 open sores on my hands instead of 10 or 20 by the end of the day.

Now, if working in a primary school means dermatitis that is out of control and potentially very detrimental to my health (as it’s not just Covid that can enter via open cuts on my hands) then that might be something I have to consider further down the line.
But for this period of pandemic, where my normal handwashing is increased by at least 4x per hour, I intend to wear latex free gloves. I’m not asking the school to buy them, even if there is a case to be made for reasonable adjustments due to a health condition. But I will be wearing them if I feel it is necessary.

The gloves will almost certainly make your dermatitis worse, much worse @Saucery, that’s all I am on about, having been in a position where I had to wear them all day. Latex free or not your hands will sweat if in gloves all day. ( Though why are you washing your hands 4x an hour, i missed that bit?)

It’s the nature of my role, Rosieposy. Frequent contact with a large proportion of the children in school and equipment they have handled. Plus SEN work with children who cannot regulate their saliva, have toileting needs and no concept of social distancing. Lots of hugging, getting really close to show you their work etc.
A normal day means handwashing every hour plus at usual breaks. If a child is unwell with anything else like a cold or a sick bug then you can tell and they would be sent home anyway. It’s unpleasant but not the end of the world to get norovirus, you just do your best to step up the handwashing.

With Covid19 the stakes are much, much higher. After every contact from a child I need to wash my hands.

If I’m covering a class for the afternoon I wouldn’t wear gloves. There would be no need.

I don’t find wearing gloves for a few hours on and off worse than washing them every 15 mins. I can even stick some hand cream on for a while.

www.tes.com/news/coronavirus-teachers-trust-being-squandered-misleading-dfe?fbclid=IwAR2jXqnzWMbdY05LczSkyQyDkU7phRz7CRD26GZ1pT1djnKw_O241MP05Qc

noble get thee over to the Daily Numbers thread. there are some stats on teachers being presented as A Good Thing (Germany) and I am unconvinced.

That article is depressing, piggy .

It is isn't it tad...

I am enjoying the nawsut thread

I do admire dom's chutzpah! I am staying away because the elderly teacher gets right on my wick. I really really really hope she needs the help of a union sometime.

Nasuwt thread? Gimme more clues!

On the corona board.