Schools closed until March/April? (part 4) **Mod warning in OP 22/01**

insullation wrote: »

I don't understand what teachers expect....There are hundreds of thousands of people working away on the front line and else where where who are going about their daily work and just get on with it and just take as much precautions as they can.

It's not just about teachers though is it? it's about students/school staff/student's families/teacher's families...or don't they matter?
You can't compare teachers either to medical staff/shop workers/delivery drivers etc
It's a stupid arguement...

penny piper wrote: »

It's not just about teachers though is it? it's about students/school staff/student's families/teacher's families...or don't they matter?
You can't compare teachers either to medical staff/shop workers/delivery drivers etc
It's a stupid arguement...

It's been done to death at this stage...

insullation wrote: »

I don't understand what teachers expect....There are hundreds of thousands of people working away on the front line and else where where who are going about their daily work and just get on with it and just take as much precautions as they can.

Ok, let's look at two of those statements:

1) There are hundreds of thousands of people working away on the front line.

Indeed there are. I applaud them. However, when nurses and doctors chose to enter the profession, they accepted that they would be working with people with diseases, some of which would be contagious. It is part of their day-to-day jobs. They have adequate PPE gear (obviously rightfully so), and proper training and facilities. Schools and teachers have none of these.

2) Take as much precautions as they can
I would rephrase this to "take as much precaution as their workplaces allow." Supermarket workers do not work in close quarters with one another (I worked in a shop like this for years during college, speaking first hand here). They are not spending more than 15 minutes in close contact with any of their customers. They are provided with a protective screen at every checkout. That is what their workplaces allow.

The above two sentences do not apply to the vastly different scenario in my classroom, where there is 28 of us shoved into a small space with little to no social distancing. There are children that need me to sit with them as they struggle. If I am to maintain social distancing, I cannot help these children in the classroom. At present though, I CAN help them on Zoom. I am able to talk to them one-to-one, using online resources and PPTs, as well as concrete manipulative they have at home, to help them understand. These children are benefiting more at present, as they are able to use these manipulatives and get the attention that I can't give them in school without breaking health and safety protocols.

Stop comparing teachers with frontline staff who are doing amazing and essential work that cannot be done remotely. If they want to term us frontline though, I'm fine with that. Now give us frontline protections, frontline vaccination prioritization, etc. Until then though, stop.

thomasdylan wrote: »

It's completely bizzare on here the way teachers will continually downplay the risks of Covid for the many many people who have to go to work in different areas. Then they'll act like teaching is the risk equivalent of Laika being forced onto Sputnik II.

I never once spoke of the risks of COVID. I spoke about precautions taken in different workplaces. There is a difference.

thomasdylan wrote: »

The last similar global pandemic to Covid was over 100 years ago. This was absolutely not an expected part of a healthcare workers career.

On the PPE point, it has often been repeated on here that HCW have had adequete PPE. Masks were only allowed to be used when with patients two months after the first Covid case arrived in the country. There were big PPE shortages until the end of the summer and what PPE was there had to be adjusted because it didn't fit. Things are better now, but HCAs and nurses are probably still one of the highest risk jobs in the country.

It's completely bizzare on here the way teachers will continually downplay the risks of Covid for the many many people who have to go to work in different areas. Then they'll act like teaching is the risk equivalent of Laika being forced onto Sputnik II.

Speaking as a qualified nurse, dealing with infectious contagious illnesses was made perfectly clear to us during training, it would be part and parcel of our work, TB AIDS PUOs . We were also made aware that the appropriate ppe would be provided. Indeed last March the PPE was not considered adequate so a huge order was sent to China of which 60% was considered suitable with the first batch that arrived.

There have been epidemics over the years the last great one was the Aids epidemic which when it first occurred the HCWs gowned gloved and masked up in the beginning as they were unsure how it spread.

I can also remember when CJD first came to the fore, we were gowned up to beat the band, especially when dealing with burrholes post surgery but that slowly changed as we understood it more.

So dealing with infectious diseases is part and parcel of HCW's work and is one we are made aware of. Anyone entering the profession who is not aware of ths is in the wrong profession in my opinion.

No one here downplays the risks associated with other professions in fact most people who arent teachers downplay it for teachers and tell us to get on with it

PeterPan92 wrote: »

Source?

Www.kiteflyinggrapevine.ie

thomasdylan wrote: »

The last similar global pandemic to Covid was over 100 years ago. This was absolutely not an expected part of a healthcare workers career.

I'm sorry but that's completely untrue, in the last 2 decades we've had bird flu, swine flu, Ebola, SARS but to name a few, if you work in a medical field the threat of transmissible diseases is very real and should be taken into consideration as a day to day precaution if that's a career you wish to follow.

Zaney wrote: »

During the AIDS epidemic, did teachers demand the same ppe as medical staff? Did they refuse to teach in a classroom setting due to risk of infection? As you rightly say, and I am old enough to remember, in the early days there was a lot of uncertainty about how it spread.

Now I am not comparing AIDS to COVID, but ask because you brought it up.

I think it’s a pointless comparison to be honest.

During the Aids I worked as a nurse then so can happily comment on the ppe at the time.

Aids is not an airborne contagion as we now know, Covid is airborne. So I hope this helps I do know children who had HIV were ignored by parents who campaigned to get them out of the schools, and teachers were against this.

It isnt a pointless comparision when you take into account the early days and WHO and CDC have also made comparisons to early day of AIds epidemic so they dont think it is a pointless comparison.

MarshmallowPop wrote: »

I think everyone needs to relax. Children will be back to school in no time.

On another note, the DES are one shower of devious SO and SOs. Two weeks ago, they were classing all pregnant teachers as high risk and could work remotely in the short term and during the phased reopening. It even came out in a circular from the DES.

On Thursday gone past, the DES have now changed their tune and are classing pregnant teachers as high risk but safe to return to work.

They obviously used it a carrot on a stick for the return to work but removed it when the reopening of schools was set in stone!!!

Where is that said?

Irish Independent today Trinity College Professor Tomas O'Ryan said
"new varient more infectious among children than previous strain"..
He also said "schools are only safe when the community around them is safe"... B117 strain is more dominant in Ireland..

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

Ohh interesting. Sneaky fcukers.

I think the one thing we can all agree on is that that management and communication of the situation as a whole has left a lot to be desired.

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

They said one thing to get over an obstacle/hurdle and then at the first opportunity they withdrew it.

I've just emailed our CEC rep asking are they aware of this.

are we any bit surprised.

I'm utterly convinced after hearing of special schools fully returning next week that this whole "phased" reopening is sham, they will bring in a small number for a few days and then fully reopen everything under the pretense that they phased the opening and it was safe to bring everyone back as normal.

Whatisthisnow wrote: »

https://twitter.com/eoghanymurphy/status/1363781381495603200?s=19

Schools Cannot Open

oh ffs