covid 19-what did the teachers tell me

 COVID 19-WHAT DID THE TEACHERS TELL ME

last week i wrote this blog titled what do the teachers and school nurses really think
in the blog i had a list of question for teachers and school nurses to answer
some sent responses to my questions
then
i reached out to 10 teachers and nurses and asked them to read my blog and respond to the questions 
they were young teachers and older teachers and in between
at least one retired mid year around christmas i think because they didnt feel safe

the school districts represented were 2 rural schools 2 non white schools most were mostly white schools
5 schools were urban and some were more affluent schools
when i write teachers i also mean school nurses in the answers to the questions

i did one phone interview
the rest were responses via email messenger text or comments on my blog
i feel like they were all honest in their responses
i promised to keep their identities anonymous

i have personally been in all but one of the schools
they are from several states

one common theme that they all said was

the kids really need to be in school
many made comments like
they are missing out on so much
we worry about their mental physical and social well being

none of the schools are all virtual and none are all in school
some are hybrid

at least one school is more open with no hallways just walkways
most of the schools are enclosed with hallways
some are new schools and some are older schools

many of the schools have poor ventilation systems that may not be fixed
but ventilation is an important part of opening the schools 

should the schools be opened or should they wait

they all said the schools should be opened
but
should be done safely
some felt like their schools should have waited to open or should have gone all virtual when the covid numbers got real bad

if you are in school do you feel safe

some said they did not feel safe early on and especially didnt feel safe when the numbers got so high
most feel safer now 
at least one decided to retire since they didnt feel safe anymore

have you been immunized yet

at least 3 have been immunized

if so how does they make you feel being immunized and teaching vs unimmunized teaching

many feel more safe now that they are immunized
many feel like if all the teachers nurses and employees and students were immunized things would be much safer
one stated she felt guilty being immunized and her students and their at risk family members were not

if you were running the show what would you do

offer virtual and live classes
provide chrome books and hotspots for those without access to the internet
provide health clinics where testing could be done and immunizations can be given
at least one school has a health clinic in it with a nurse practitioner
the students could be seen in that clinic 
the students could be tested instead of just being sent home and either be quarantined 
they could be tested and know the results while at school
now many if they have symptoms are just sent home and cant come back for 10 days or a note from a doctor
provide better ventilation
provide more stricter mask compliance
provide stricter social distancing

do you know of a student that got covid from the school

most said yes

do you know of a student who carried the virus home to a vulnerable loved one

some said yes

do you know of a teacher or nurse or school employee who has caught the virus from the school

yes

several of the teachers have been quarantined
at least two tested positive
some had a shortage of subs and teachers when so many got quarantined

do you know if any that got infected that way have died

no teachers or student died but family members at home died but they werent sure if they caught it from the student or the teacher
one teacher said a fellow teacher got it and almost died

what is the school doing to protect you and the students

all have mask requirements but some dont monitor it closely while others are strict
all require social distancing
all offer either virtual or in person some do a hybrid
if students or teachers are symptomatic they are sent home and a quarantine of contacts is done
some schools provide chromebooks or hot spots if needed
all require hand washing and other sanitation methods
some closed during bad outbreak times and others did not 
some schools tried to hide the fact that there were outbreaks in the schools


in summary for the future i think

the states should require all schools to follow the new cdc guidelines closely if not 100%
the new guidelines are color tiered from red to blue
almost 90% of schools are in the red tier the most restrictive one

if school openings will be our top priority then teachers and school employees should be in the top priority category for getting the vaccines
i notice here they have been added to the list starting in march
some states already prioritize them
i personally feel like the schools shouldnt be open unless all teachers and employees are vaccinated

if things go bad like it might if there is a fourth surge or bump that will be the worst one yet then the schools should all go back to virtual

it has to be fluid going from live to virtual if needed

the teachers and nurses all are really worried about the kids well being
one worries about their teenage students who seem to go to a dark place sometimes
many worry about the kids that depend on the school for food like breakfast and lunch 
many go without meals
many younger kids are left at home in unmonitored situations

the solution starts with getting all the school employees immunized
then the students when their time comes

one younger teacher said that she felt schools should not be opened to live classes unless all teachers and employees are all vaccinated

ventilation is an important part of being safe
most schools are not well ventilated
most cant open windows or doors because of the weather

the schools and states and cities dont have the money to do all that needs to be done
they need federal money
i cant think of better ways to spend our money than on this generation of kids

all mitigation efforts should all be done like testing ventilation mask wearing safe distancing hand washing and sanitation etc

how we all act in slowing down this disease will determine whether these schools will all open
how we all act will determine how much harm will be done to our kids

what is our priority

we truly may have a generation that will have lost so much if we dont control this pandemic
some will recover some will not

a special thanks to the teachers and nurses who took time to answer my questions and follow up questions

they are the heroes we need to be talking about more

the organicgreen doctor