How are you feeling?

TheValeyard · 18-09-2020 12:10pm #1

So, we are now back a couple of weeks.
How are we feeling about things?

After two weeks these have been my thoughts:

Management did a great job with changes to get the schools started and make it safe as possible.

Students are very subdued and there seems to be little life in the schools. Staff and students just appear to be going through the motions.

Still have a sense of dread about this winter and whether we will remain open. Not optimistic about that.

Finding myself very tired today, but probably just starting back, getting used to changes, takes a bit of time to get going again.

I really miss my classroom and the lack of extra circular in the school is really noticeable.

Students have been great when it comes so wearing masks, wiping desks and cleaning hands. Definitely making a genuine effort. Fair play to them.

mirrorwall14 · 18-09-2020 2:53pm

Asthma is so bad I’m off today and onto a course of steroids. I think that’s a combination of lots of things though

Talking constantly through a mask. Teachers aren’t just wearing them, they are teaching through them. I have a mic from amazon thank god or I’d be worse (note I’m not anti mask and I’m pro wearing them considering our class sizes just acknowledging It’s not easy)

The heat. It’s been so hot everyone is tired and lethargic

The kids are very quiet. This makes classes very difficult as you are constantly trying to get them going

Management have done their best in most areas. Even with that some staff and students are oblivious to it all. We even have staff moving chairs closer than 2m in the staffroom with no masks on and people eating lunch. Some rooms are really just too small for social distancing or don’t have any ventilation bar the door. All the tape needs to be redone, didn’t even last two weeks. We tried classes in the PE hall on the balcony. You couldn’t hear a thing with two PE classes downstairs, to the extent teachers were typing the instructions on the board. That’s been rejigged.

Internet is killing us right now. It is so difficult to teach lessons without books, take roll call etc. It adds to the wasted time every class. Do I have internet? Try a reconnect. If not then out comes the phone, tether to the phone. Then on top of that hooking in projectors (there’s about five different set ups in our building) and reminding students to clean down their desks. It’s mental and exhausting and it’s every forty minutes

I’m wrecked. Planning is different. Preparation is different. We’re on the move with no classroom. It feels really stressful I might get covid (high risk). And watching school cases come up causing yearly quarantines is giving me heart attacks about leaving cert music and HL LC maths. How are we going to get the course done if they are in and out for the year.... so yeah. Super tired already

Treppen · 18-09-2020 3:51pm

Getting through it.
Zero craic.
Few students and teachers out for whatever reason which is to be expected.
Parents are starting to request better explanation of topics that are put up on class teams.... So it's gonna be back to making videos again i reckon, and all that involves.

ethical · 18-09-2020 8:42pm

Students doing their best,adhering to the new mask wearing norm.But some have suffered from being out of school since March 12th.
Very little in the line of sport yet .....eventhough the students are playing team sports with their clubs for the past few weeks!!! Come on schools!!!

No socialising for teachers,always running with piles of books,materials from A to B,thoughtless management,stupid meetings,no mention of them being part of CP Hours.Some schools have decided to take a day near the end of Sept "because they were back a day early,albeit in an Zoom meeting!!!.One school had a 1hour return to school meeting and are getting a days holiday for it,fair play to them,its a voluntary secondary school.
Other schools had Zoom meetings from the 1st week of August and are not getting anything!!!

Disappointing the way staff are over looked,mental health is paramount to a good atmosphere but unfortunately the ETB are more concerned about an insurance claim,with the water stopped in staff kitchen,microwave and kettle taken away and the fridge unplugged........the feckers are only interested in the bottom line....and the Golden Circle are looked after astonishingly well,they can appear in Head Office to conduct interviews and have their new devices plugged in to the H.O. internet provider and they get their travel expenses also.

The use of the "extra" hours were abused in many schools in how they were distributed amongst low hour staff.( all schools did not benefit from extra teachers Ms.Foley but maybe got a few extra hours)
One Teacher Union had a survey ,(completed now I think),it will have very interesting things to say when it is reported on in the coming week or two.

Treppen · 19-09-2020 12:03pm

We got a small fridge and microwave put on in our extra staff room?

Remember the luas guy who took a case because he had no fridge to keep his lunch fresh.

mirrorwall14 · 19-09-2020 12:43pm

We have fridge. Microwaves away due to queuing but some staff just lifting them out to use them....

acequion · 20-09-2020 12:16am

Treppen wrote: »

Getting through it.
Zero craic.
Few students and teachers out for whatever reason which is to be expected.
Parents are starting to request better explanation of topics that are put up on class teams.... So it's gonna be back to making videos again i reckon, and all that involves.

I think parents will have to [ever so nicely] be told PFO! Extra demands are beyond absurd in the current extremely difficult working environment.

Teachers really have to grow a pair this year and look after themselves, even if that means disappointing others. Do remember that highly stressed, exhausted people have below par immunity!

It's exhausting and we're only two weeks in!

rainbowtrout · 20-09-2020 12:48am

We have the use of our staffroom, but I would say there are enough seats for about 40% of staff, so if you can't sit on a seat you can't go in there. Actually this hasn't been an issue because people are largely staying out of the staffroom and I presume staying in their own rooms a lot (I know I am). I'm definitely going in there a lot less, and there's never more than 3 or 4 people about at most when I do go in. Some teachers I don't see from one end of the week to the next. We have a lot of new teachers and I still don't know who is who for some of them, because some of them look alike and with masks it's difficult to tell the difference, and because I rarely see them I never get to speak to them. None of them are in my department. We are still in our own classrooms (which is nice) and the students move about. Everyone of my classes is in my lab this year and normally I'd be grateful for that, it's the first time it's ever happened, but because I'm not moving for any class this year I'm not on the corridor as much so I see less people.

I've been exhausted the last two weeks coming home in the evening. I find teaching with the mask on all day tiring (but necessary). Part of it is dehydration I think. While I wouldn't be one for making sure I'd have 2 litres of water a day etc, I'd have had a bottle of water on my desk so drank some of it on and off through the day, and I'd have probably had one or two cups of tea in the staffroom, but don't do that now.

Students are quite subdued. Hard to have 'craic' with a mask on. Lunchtime supervision is more trying. Before it would be a quiet 40 mins, now much of it is spent asking students to put their masks back on and to social distance. Have to let a roar at a group at least once or twice on a lunch duty. We've had a case in the school so absent rates are up this week. Getting on with teaching but it is all mentally draining.

2xj3hplqgsbkym · 20-09-2020 12:20pm

rainbowtrout wrote: »

We have the use of our staffroom, but I would say there are enough seats for about 40% of staff, so if you can't sit on a seat you can't go in there. Actually this hasn't been an issue because people are largely staying out of the staffroom and I presume staying in their own rooms a lot (I know I am). I'm definitely going in there a lot less, and there's never more than 3 or 4 people about at most when I do go in. Some teachers I don't see from one end of the week to the next. We have a lot of new teachers and I still don't know who is who for some of them, because some of them look alike and with masks it's difficult to tell the difference, and because I rarely see them I never get to speak to them. None of them are in my department. We are still in our own classrooms (which is nice) and the students move about. Everyone of my classes is in my lab this year and normally I'd be grateful for that, it's the first time it's ever happened, but because I'm not moving for any class this year I'm not on the corridor as much so I see less people.

I've been exhausted the last two weeks coming home in the evening. I find teaching with the mask on all day tiring (but necessary). Part of it is dehydration I think. While I wouldn't be one for making sure I'd have 2 litres of water a day etc, I'd have had a bottle of water on my desk so drank some of it on and off through the day, and I'd have probably had one or two cups of tea in the staffroom, but don't do that now.

Students are quite subdued. Hard to have 'craic' with a mask on. Lunchtime supervision is more trying. Before it would be a quiet 40 mins, now much of it is spent asking students to put their masks back on and to social distance. Have to let a roar at a group at least once or twice on a lunch duty. We've had a case in the school so absent rates are up this week. Getting on with teaching but it is all mentally draining.

I agree it's very difficult to teach and very tiring. On Friday we had a confirmed case, she texted her friends/ close contacts in school. They had hugged her, been in her house etc.., but were told by mngt to stay in school unless they were contacted by HSE to say they were close contacts.
So I had to sit 2 metres from these close contacts for an 80 minute class in a little prefab.
I feel so upset and angry that teachers are just supposed to grin and bear it and not complain because we have such a 'handy' job.

rainbowtrout · 20-09-2020 12:57pm

Aiden Wrong Mineral wrote: »

I agree it's very difficult to teach and very tiring. On Friday we had a confirmed case, she texted her friends/ close contacts in school. They had hugged her, been in her house etc.., but were told by mngt to stay in school unless they were contacted by HSE to say they were close contacts.
So I had to sit 2 metres from these close contacts for an 80 minute class in a little prefab.
I feel so upset and angry that teachers are just supposed to grin and bear it and not complain because we have such a 'handy' job.

I agree. I can see the distance between my students in class, and ensure they are wearing a mask etc, but I know they are mixing at lunchtime and outside school hours without masks - I live in the town where I work and I see them out and about together. It seems highly irresponsible of the HSE to suggest that suddenly these students are not close contacts because the contact didn't take place in the school. I have no doubt that it's the same for my school.

joebloggs32 · 20-09-2020 1:50pm

acequion wrote: »

I think parents will have to [ever so nicely] be told PFO! Extra demands are beyond absurd in the current extremely difficult working environment.

Teachers really have to grow a pair this year and look after themselves, even if that means disappointing others. Do remember that highly stressed, exhausted people have below par immunity!

It's exhausting and we're only two weeks in!

You must be really finding it exhausting as we have 3 weeks completed!

joebloggs32 · 20-09-2020 1:59pm

As others have said there is almost zero crsic in class now.
All the students are just lifeless. Its like teaching drones, even the new first years who would normally be bursting with enthusiasm are mute. Its going to be so hard get to know them compared to other years.
We staggered the school day for half the school, and with the extra supervision taking place the staffroom is dead too.
It reminds me of my younger days when i worked on a production line in a factory. Turn up, clock in, work at your station for the day and clock out on the way home.

rainbowtrout · 20-09-2020 2:26pm

joebloggs32 wrote: »

It reminds me of my younger days when i worked on a production line in a factory. Turn up, clock in, work at your station for the day and clock out on the way home.

Yes, our place is like a ghost town by 4:05. Typically there would be people knocking about, having a cup of tea in the staffroom, winding down after the day, doing a bit of photocopying, sorting out paperwork, catching up on emails, phonecalls, maybe correcting some work etc in the staffroom. Now it's just out the door, no hanging around. So many of the informal conversations that take place in the staffroom tell us what is going on with students and staff and all of that has disappeared.

byhookorbycrook · 20-09-2020 2:47pm

We have staggered start / finish / break times . This means that all staff are doing an extra 20 minutes a day. There are staff members that I haven’t seen since the staff meeting before we opened .

There’s no swimming , no music ,no GAA coaching etc. and while the children are happy to be back , they miss mixing with the other class of their year. Yard areas are clearly delineated, so they stay with their own class . The children who normally look forward to helping with the infants can’t . We have no station teaching , no in-class support , no shared reading or maths . Then there’s the constant hand washing , at least 6 times per day x 30 children .

Two children I teach were coughing and tested so when I developed a sudden and awful cough , tightness in my chest and being “ high risk “ the GP referred me immediately .

I was tested on Friday , it’s very unpleasant - when the swab hit the back of my throat , I started to gag . If I had eaten beforehand , it would have been really unpleasant for the lady swabbing .
Results earlier show “ no evidence ,” but I’m still coughing . It’s not clear if I can return to work with a cough , some information says you must be 48 clear of symptoms before you return - this cough could last another fortnight .
Will need to talk to the GP tomorrow and get her imprimatur for Tuesday .

Like the children , I’m glad to be back , but it’s a little bit constrained and a lot less fun . Some of the children and parents are quite anxious , but there an undertone of anxiety just below surface across the board .

gaiscioch · 20-09-2020 2:54pm

Good thread idea. We should be keeping an eye out for each other a bit more because there are fears and anxieties bubbling under the surface for a number of teachers particularly about what they might bring home from the school environment.

Anyway, I feel for anybody who doesn’t have the space of their own classroom. I’m not quite sure why some schools decided to move the teachers as, due to subject options, most students at senior cycle are mixing anyway regardless of what class they might officially be in. I’d imagine it’s unusual to have many students having the same teachers for each of the seven/eight LC subjects. Even at JC there are a couple of subjects which are optional/choices.

There’s still a cohort of “fidgety” kids that you know you’re going to have to repeat the same thing to again and again - cover your nose/don’t pull the mask down when you’re talking, etc. Two weeks ago one group decided it would be fun to play a “covid game” where they touched a face mask and then touched another one to “spread” covid. Ah, Ireland’s future.

I haven’t visited the staffroom at all, and I spend most of the time in my own room with the windows open, although for the first time I decided to go for walks outside around the area and that’s a refreshing break (especially in the recent good spell). I start each class with a reminder to everybody that we need to avoid a Lockdown as everybody will suffer so keep masks on and distance. They need that reminder, that focus. It is tiring having to repeat it so many times throughout the day.

The summer academic results were the poorest in living memory so this is a concern for the now 6th years who are playing catchup, and we know some of them will be lost without the structure of school if we close again. Generally, the kids are really compliant and the management are leading by example with following the one-way system, etc. So fair play to all.

Anyway, it’s certainly the oddest, most subdued year. Everybody is conscious we could close down again so many students are being forced to act more mature than their age. Like many others here, school is surprisingly tiring and in my case it’s probably because I’m giving far more exams to senior classes (and thus spending much, much more time correcting work) so that they’re prepared better if we have another lockdown. I also sense the psychological element - always being on our guard regarding distance, speaking through a mask all day, constantly reminding kids, and so forth - is draining us. And this is before the flu season, when more demands on staff for S&S from absences will diminish our energy levels further still. On the whole, though, I’m relieved to be back; even if it is clinical having masks on everybody, it’s more preferable than online classes.

Wildly Boaring · 20-09-2020 3:05pm

My sympathies teachers.

Keep the chins up, youve a tough draw here.

If I may, some insight from the construction industry.

It gets better.

We're back since when, May?

The first few weeks were incredibly subdued.
Everyone was on edge and there was no craic at all.

I work on a very large site. We wear masks full time and strict social distancing.
There's been plenty negative tests and I think 3 positives but no close contacts testing positive.

The atmosphere improved gradually after the original lethargy. There were several arguments over distancing and hygiene. But it's reached a point where 90% know how to act as second nature.

You guys are at the worst point. Getting used to communicating professionally with masks. Dealing with insufficient canteens etc. The facilities at my work place have very gradually been brought up to standard. We got used to the masks.

We only had to deal with a few weeks shutdown. You e got kids back who've been off for months.

Hopefully in 2 or 3 weeks you'll be back to your stride.

thefasteriwalk · 20-09-2020 6:13pm

I am exhausted. Being on high alert all of the time is so draining, even though the students have been great for the most part. I am over six months pregnant and I get straight into bed when I get home, himself gets me up for dinner about two hours later then I have a shower and go back to bed until I get up for work the following morning. I am really not sure how long I can keep this up for.

shesty · 20-09-2020 6:55pm

As a parent, my 6 year old is actually a little bit more worried about Covid since she went back.We didn't say much while she was home, but the constant hand washing and that in school is worrying her a bit, she can see things really aren't normal.Cannot be helped but it is sad.

Additionally, to you all......life is no craic right now, as an adult anyway.There is no spontanaeity in anything.Every activity (particularly for adults) is so rigid and monitored and just devoid of any social element, that it is soul-destroying.I am not back in the office yet but even if I was there would be nobody allowed around me, nobody to eat lunch with, nobody to talk to.I might aswell stay at home on my own, at least I amn't worrying about who I walk near or who touched the door before me. Everything is planned and executed to the nth degree, right down to where you stand and who you talk to....the fun is just gone out of life.It is pretty horrible, truth be told.No wonder students are feeling the effects of that, and are fairly quiet.I really really hope we get through this at some point in the near future, and I am sure we all appreciate everything more when it happens.

TheValeyard · 25-09-2020 5:03pm

AHHHHH Friday

Wine shall be had.

Treppen · 25-09-2020 9:26pm

TheValeyard wrote: »

AHHHHH Friday

Wine shall be had.

No Friday evening circular to mull over, yay.

WorriedTeacher · 25-09-2020 9:55pm

How am I feeling?

Had a chuckle (if only it weren’t so serious!) when Pearse Doherty appeared on the RTÉ news last night, talking about Donegal going to level 3, for some reason the cases have gone through the roof since the beginning of September??. 🤔

I happen to be working in one of the hard hit areas of the county, I don’t think there’s been enough magic dust poured over the pods in my class to protect us all....

thegreatescape · 25-09-2020 9:59pm

I'm still feeling pretty overwhelmed if I'm honest. A lot of changes to get used to and definitely missing the community aspect that always existed in my staff room. With the lunch system my school is operating I rarely see some people and when I do it's a fleeting conversation in the corridor. Trying to use the weekends as much as I can to relax.

maynooth_rules · 27-09-2020 1:47pm

The exhaustion I'm feeling in the car on the drive home is like nothing I have experienced before with teaching. It seems like a small thing, but not having your own room just adds to the difficulties of each day.

Where are people getting their masks? I'm struggling to find one that I like

khalessi · 27-09-2020 8:17pm

maynooth_rules wrote: »

The exhaustion I'm feeling in the car on the drive home is like nothing I have experienced before with teaching. It seems like a small thing, but not having your own room just adds to the difficulties of each day.

Where are people getting their masks? I'm struggling to find one that I like

etsy JoannaAguiardDesign irish company

https://irish-face-masks.com/

found a few other ones on etsy

spurious · 28-09-2020 8:47am

I got some from a woman (firstfan) on adverts.ie
https://www.adverts.ie/member/737227/ads

Alqua · 28-09-2020 5:20pm

Another adverts seller - I got these:
https://www.adverts.ie/makeup-skin-care/face-masks/20731646

I find the adjustable ear loops great. They are pretty heavy, though!

Panga · 03-10-2020 11:05pm

I'm feeling totally let down by our government, our unions and our management. We've been sent back to the classroom with less than adequate protection. We are exposed to this virus on a daily basis. We are denied testing as the HSE has changed the criteria of what makes a close contact for teachers. We are being pressured into delivering lessons in class and online at the same time. We are having to stay away from our families as the risk of infecting them is too great to take. We are spending everyday trying to keep our students safe and putting our own safety last. We do our best because that's what we always do. We problem solve, we put our students first, we keep going... but this time it is asking too much.

Cell1e · 04-10-2020 3:41pm

I feel the same as you Panga, so let down by the government and unions and management. I also feel like we are not allowed to complain, that no one cares.

My first concern is my own health and that of my husband and we are both so stressed and worried with me going to work every day, everyone else are told to limit their contacts and my contacts have been greatly increased. Its hard to be told teachers and students aren't going to be protected like other members of society, that we have to keep meeting up in large groups even through level 4 and 5 of a pandemic.

I just love being with my students, its lovely to see them back but the pressure of keeping them safe, when numbers are rising, with windows open and very few of the lovely social activities they are used to in school, its wearing me down.

Some days I'm just happy and glad to be alive and other days I just want to cry and cry.

I feel confused and guilty as if I'm being selfish in wanting to be safe but I'm so worried for myself, I'm also worried for my students, I walk around the whole day with antibac wipes in my hands cleaning everything I touch and trying to ensure my students aren't touching their faces and noses or each other, that they wash their hands, that they are busy and happy and challenged.

If anything happened to them or my husband I don't know how I could manage the guilt.

Then you are told to look after your mental health and ring someone for counseling and while its good to vent, nothing changes, you go back to the same scary workplace with the same pressure and feeling like the government has thrown us all under the bus.

Panga · 04-10-2020 6:11pm

Cell1e wrote: »

I feel the same as you Panga, so let down by the government and unions and management. I also feel like we are not allowed to complain, that no one cares.

My first concern is my own health and that of my husband and we are both so stressed and worried with me going to work every day, everyone else are told to limit their contacts and my contacts have been greatly increased. Its hard to be told teachers and students aren't going to be protected like other members of society, that we have to keep meeting up in large groups even through level 4 and 5 of a pandemic.

I just love being with my students, its lovely to see them back but the pressure of keeping them safe, when numbers are rising, with windows open and very few of the lovely social activities they are used to in school, its wearing me down.

Some days I'm just happy and glad to be alive and other days I just want to cry and cry.

I feel confused and guilty as if I'm being selfish in wanting to be safe but I'm so worried for myself, I'm also worried for my students, I walk around the whole day with antibac wipes in my hands cleaning everything I touch and trying to ensure my students aren't touching their faces and noses or each other, that they wash their hands, that they are busy and happy and challenged.

If anything happened to them or my husband I don't know how I could manage the guilt.

Then you are told to look after your mental health and ring someone for counseling and while its good to vent, nothing changes, you go back to the same scary workplace with the same pressure and feeling like the government has thrown us all under the bus.

Yes, I can relate to everything you've described. The only way I am getting through each day is not to think ahead, at all.

Cell1e · 11-10-2020 2:54pm

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40062857.html

This article has me all worried and upset again. This guys keeps insisting on keeping schools open at all costs. I don't feel safe, I feel sick with worry, why are the politicians insistent on pushing the schools to stay open at all costs?

Why aren't teachers at least being asked what we think?

The way this is going the costs are going to be the mental and physical health of a good many teachers.

With the numbers the way they are right now I was so sure we would be heading into some type of blended or home learning.

Its really hard to keep going like this.

How are you feeling?

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