Masks to go in schools?

Newbie20

From reports today, they are suggesting that masks could be gone when we come back after midterm. Just wondering what teachers thoughts are on this? I’ve no strong feelings either way to be honest but possibly some older teachers mightn’t be too comfortable with the change.

Dickie10

if ssome teachers feel they still want them grand, all about choice now.

Leftwaffe

Give people the choice. See the unions are proposing the keep them for the foreseeable future. What a joke they are. Wanted schools closed in January too don’t forget and look what happened… Nothing.

I hope the government and NPHET have the cop on to remove them this Friday. I’ll actually give them credit for once if they do.

solerina

I will continue wearing mine, the rooms are so small in my school that we are all crammed in, all windows will now be opened twice as wide with none of the students wearing masks.

Random sample

Mine will be gone. I can’t wait.

I have followed the public health advice all through this, I will continue to do so.

noplacehere

VHR so mine stays until the community numbers are lower. To be fair our school have created a large outdoor area for staff so I am getting mask breaks in a safer space

Dickie10

our principal seems to hinting at wanting staff to continue to wear them. advising parents of the school wanting to keep students wearing them

Leftwaffe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118656345#Comment_118656345

He/she is powerless. No teacher can be forced to wear one as there is no legal basis for it. Any principal who tries to force this in teachers might quickly find themselves in the headlines. Although maybe that’s what the principal wants, showing their good character and all that….

Dickie10

yea i suppose pressure will come on teachers without ever saying anything. our staff is very placid about these things dont ever want to rock the boat. i will wear it around the corridor and whip it off in classroom . ill do that maybe for a 6 weeks

Great to finally have the choice. Have to say, teaching for me has lost its joy and spark the last 2 years, so much fun has been sucked out of it. The promise of no masks, smiley faces, extra curriculars back and sitting altogether in a staffroom again actually makes me excited for the first time in a while.

I also see that the Voice for Teachers page on Facebook has been quickly deleting any comment on at least two posts from any teacher saying anything negative about masks or not wanting to wear them. Really gone down the rabbit hole.

Leftwaffe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118656791#Comment_118656791

You can do what you want, do it for the next six years if you like. This is the great thing about it. We all finally have freedom to make a choice.

Leftwaffe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118656893#Comment_118656893

Mad thing about it all is that when the requirement goes, nothing will happen. There won't be any discernible jump in cases. There won't be students 'dropping like flies'. It will just be normal.

This is akin to the time the teachers unions wanted to stay closed after Christmas. We stayed open (rightly so) and everything is fine. People need to just get on with it now ffs. A bottle of cop on wouldn't go a stray.

NIMAN

I have 2 kids who wear masks in primary school, and they have no issue at all with them.

But there are some kids in the school who have been absent since the masks came in, their parents refused to send them to school (and can I add that one such child told my child that they didn't mind wearing a mask, so the parent was only being thran to make a point, messing with their kids education into the bargain).

But I would prefer my own not to have to wear them, so any relaxation of the rule, be it Feb 28th or whenever, will be welcomed.

Random sample

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118656893#Comment_118656893

The admin there seem to really have gone hardcore since Christmas. I don’t understand it.

leftwaffe, I really feel you are misrepresenting what the teaching unions asked for in January. They asked for a couple of days to figure out what the situation was. Our school was down 20% teachers and management were teaching full days. It was a crazy couple of weeks. We managed, but I don’t think it was wrong for the unions to ask for the end of that week to allow principals to figure out their own situation.

We have high numbers in our school again in the last two weeks. I don’t think it would be unreasonable of a principal to look at their own situation and make a call on it, I would have thought that is what leadership is about.

joebloggs32

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118656893#Comment_118656893

I only followed VFT on Twitter as I am not on Facebook. The last few months I found that it was becoming quite toxic so i stopped follwong it.

joebloggs32

I will be ditching mine but will keep the windows open, there's a lot more than covid to catch in a crowded classroom. I'm recently "recovered" from covid so it does nake it easier for me to leave off the mask.

I was amused though last week by a colleague of mine who is anti vax getting very upset that masks were going to be removed!

Leftwaffe

Anyone receive word from their management about masks yet? Just curious. They’re gone on Monday aren’t they? Not after Monday?

Random sample

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118690974#Comment_118690974

We had an email last Friday saying we’d be told in good time if there was a change….

As far as I’m concerned it’s no masks monday, but I’ll bring one just in case.

maude6868

What will be the situation with windows and doors, will these continue to be left open?

Random sample

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118691789#Comment_118691789

This isn’t changing. And hygiene isn’t to reduce either, the extra cleaning money is there til Easter.

2011abc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118675028#Comment_118675028

Long gone myself too.

Bananaleaf

How are folks getting on with no masks? In my school we are back to insanely high absences - this past week was one of the worst I have had in a long time. Was so exhausted that by last class I couldn't teach and I had to put on something for them to watch. Not long up as I went straight to bed when I got home.

Panga

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118769978#Comment_118769978

We are experiencing a lot of absences (post primary) after every teenage disco. A high number of staff have caught covid since the masks came off.

School is exhausting now the expectation is for everything to run as normal, PTMs, open night, taster days.... plus we're still asked to post work online for absent students.

Bananaleaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118770879#Comment_118770879

Yep, same here. Have never been as stressed out and tired. We have had a number of post holders resign their posts too since Christmas which is interesting

Leftwaffe

Once you don’t have to isolate if you get it those absences will clear up. That’s coming soon I’d imagine.

Newbie20

Got Covid myself on the first week with masks optional, seems to be rampant at the moment. As said above, soon there will be no isolation period.

The worst thing to come out of Covid in teaching is the online expectancy. It will always now be expected that homework /class notes go online and this is all extra work. The one good thing I would have liked to keep was the online Parent Teacher meetings but of course it looks like that is going back to normal too.

rainbowtrout

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118769978#Comment_118769978

I'm off with covid at the moment. It's been ok, just like mild flu, cough and cold, a bit tired. Staff in my school are dropping like flies at the moment. I know there was about 5 out including me on Friday, and I suspect a few more will probably test positive before paddy's day. It's rampant in 1st-3rd years.

Comer1

Posting everything online is double jobbing and therefore unreasonable to expect. That's why it's only optional in our school.

TheValeyard

We had a spike before and just after Christmas, which a lot of the school were affected. I thought that would be probably it. But again, a rising number of staff and students are absent this week. Particularly interesting it is the staff (fully vaccinated) but we're also infected back at the beginning of the pandemic.

Bananaleaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118776796#Comment_118776796

I hope you feel better soon.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118776903#Comment_118776903

It is double jobbing and it is unreasonable to expect. The work is rarely done too, which is frustrating. Interesting that your principal says it is optional. In our place, posting online is the minimum expected.

I came home on Friday and just cried with the sheer exhaustion. It is so hard going in there every day and not only having your own classes to teach, but to post work online for those not in and then to also stand in for colleagues who are out. I am really hating the job at the moment.

We are STILL not back in our base rooms either

rainbowtrout

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118786349#Comment_118786349

Ya, I'm back to normal now. It's been a long hard slog with all the in and out from staff and students so this long weekend is welcome. I think there are 9-10 staff out in my school at the moment.

TheValeyard

We just post homework and notes given in class to Teams. Firm foot went down when they tried to make us live stream to students at home while teaching a class.

Teams is handy when compared to email table tennis with students.

solerina

Huge amount out in work today, both staff and students, the mask optional rule is definitely having an impact !!