Schools re-opening
I have read many comments suggesting schools should return as Covid does not affect children similarly to adults. This does not make any mention of teachers, headteachers, teaching assistants, office staff, dinner hall staff etc who are all adults & are all in close proximity to children daily. There are many adults in every school & before schools return safety procedures need to be implemented to ensure the safety of both the children and adults.
As a teacher I would imagine it to be virtually impossible to social distance in a school. Being in a classroom with children all day, even a smaller amount of children, adults will be susceptible. It is not uncommon for children to share materials, put things in their mouth, pick their nose, sneeze without shielding etc (in fact, all of these events happen on a daily basis). It would be impossible for any adult in a school to avoid these germs.
If a child is upset or distressed it is my job so support children through difficult times. Doing this from 2 meters away would be ineffective.
When a child is injured it is the job of the dedicated first aider to support them, possibly cleaning & bandaging cuts and grazes. Another situation which happens daily & would be impossible to distance in.
Also I'd be interested to learn what the supervising adult should do should a child have a toileting accident. Again, another situation where it would be very difficult to distance.
There seems to be a lot of opinions from people who, possibly, do not understand the day to day interactions which take place in a school. If a child required help & support in their learning I may need to talk them through their work, model an example for them, observe what they are writing/how they work things out, sit with them for support, help them to keep on task etc. Teaching & social distancing in near impossible alone, regardless of all the other non-teaching duties we face EVERY DAY.
In my opinion schools should only be returning with a very limited number of children thus ensuring that social distancing can take place effectively where possible, especially as some classrooms are very small.
PPE needs to be provided to keep the adults safe on a school as there are many, many daily occurancrs that cannot be dealt with at a distance.
Why the contribution is important
I think my opinion is important as it is the opinion of someone who works in a school on a daily basis and understands what interactions take place on a daily basis.
by HollyFrancesca on May 11, 2020 at 01:52PM
Posted by AlJones May 11, 2020 at 13:59
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Posted by RuthBradley May 11, 2020 at 14:02
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Posted by Stargazer1960 May 11, 2020 at 14:06
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Posted by Feriface May 11, 2020 at 14:48
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Posted by Cheryl May 11, 2020 at 15:22
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