Need advice on how you're doing it...

[Jet888]

Hello all,
I'm a primary teacher on maternity leave who has been in the very fortunate position of not actually having to go into school at all during covid. (Remote teaching during pregnancy. ) Now I'm going back at Easter and I'm feeling very, very anxious. (Not like me. I'm usually a very pragmatic, 'just get on with it' person.) I'm so nervous about bringing something home to baby and husband. I thought I was going into year 5 but instead told year 2 which makes me more nervous as I know they're less good at personal space and the whole managing coughing/sneezing thing than older children, obviously. I really need to hear some reassurance and advice from teachers, please. How do you stay socially distanced from year 2? How do you manage group work/ support individual kids / marking / teach well and effectively, whilst keeping yourself safe and minimising risk?
I'd really appreciate not being attacked or flamed by anyone on here or told to just 'suck it up'. I'm genuinely feeling so worried I'm struggling to sleep already and have posted for some real advice about what teachers do who have been in school. Thankyou so much in advance.

Could you talk to your colleagues about what they already do? What expectations of children are? I hesitated before replying because I don't want to worry you more but honestly before Christmas we didn't distance from the children. Where teachers have had do it more strictly to for specific reasons, they and the children have found it very hard (and that's upper primary). In infants, you can ask children to stand back from you, not give hugs if you do normally, really encourage wearing velcro shoes not laces etc but ultimately you end up getting fairly close to zip up coats and help with work.

All through the pandemic I've felt those people who have been out and about at work have been much more relaxed than those who have been able to stay at home and I think it's because it is just not possible to keep up the anxiety levels long term - the situation very quickly becomes normalised. The only people I knew who chose to send their toddlers straight back to nursery in June were teachers, doctors and nurses, everyone else felt the risk was too great. I do wonder if you might feel a lot better when you're actually in work. Remember, if cases are say 400/100,000 that means 4/1000 people have the virus - the vast, vast majority do not and many primary schools got through the autumn term with no or minimal cases.

Things are obviously different now. It might be there are stricter safety measures when children go back. If it's not until after Easter you can also spend lots and lots of time outside. Hopefully cases will drop in the warmer weather.

Wishing you all the best. I really hope you can enjoy the rest of your leave without worrying too much.

I'm secondary, not primary, but unfortunately the reality is that in school you won't be able to fully socially distance from the students. Secondary students can't really manage it and there isn't enough space. And Y2 will need more actual physical interaction.

Unfortunately, I don't really know how to reassure you, because it won't be possible to completely distance from students, and I think you have to accept that reality when you go back. Will your head let you wear a mask to teach?

Hopefully we will be in a much better place in terms of case numbers by the summer term as a lot more people will have been vaccinated.

Thank you both so much for replying and your kind replies. I know you're right and it's probably the anticipation of knowing I'm going back that is making me nervous. When I go back il have to just get on with it. I just remembered actually that my cousin has had to go in and teach everyday and she has 2 extremely vulnerable people at home with her so she must have been feeling a million times more anxious than me and has still kept going. Time to put my big girl pants on I think!

I teach Year 3 and cannot distance at all. Aside from zipping coats up/applying plaster/opening snack pots etc, you simply cannot help a child with their learning from a distance.

It’s a huge cause of anxiety, because my in laws (early 70s) look after our two year old four days a week. Once they are vaccinated - FIL has received his appointment for Saturday - I will finally sleep properly again.

I am pregnant too, which is another complication, but we’re so short staffed at school that I can’t not do my KW care rota days without it having a huge impact on others’ workload.

I honestly think that once you’re back in you’ll just get on with it during the day. Yes, it will be hard at night when you’re worrying incessantly and I really do sympathise, but the best we can do is wash our hands a lot and hang on until most of the vulnerable are vaccinated.

I teach Year 2. Distancing doesn't happen. We make some token efforts like desks in rows and individual pencils etc, but the reality is you're working with 6 year olds. They don't understand even though they can parrot the rules back, and neither should they really. You just have to get on with really! By Easter hopefully cases will be lower and teaching with the windows open will be much bearable!