Got our first state-sponsored staff swabs
Aug. 28th, 2020 10:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
olorielAfter the summer holidays, the powers that be decided that people who work in education are entitled to a free COVID test every two weeks, no symptoms required - every odd week if you're working in a school, every even week if you're working in a kindergarten. (In the meantime, people who work in healthcare aren't tested unless they're displaying suspicious symptoms...) Kindly, the town where my school is located has organised for the medics to come to our school, rather than all of us having to make appointments at our respective general practitioners individually.
On the plus side, every adult working at my school had a negative test result.
On the minus side, either the medics administering the swabs really want to discourage us from doing this for funsies, or they're getting paid for being brutal. I have no other explanation. Actually felt like I was coming down with a cold (or something more sinister) all the rest of Wednesday (which was when they swabbed us). Gag reflex tested to the max. As for the nasal swabs, you know those history lessons where they tell you how embalmers in ancient Egypt removed the brains through the nostrils? For some reason, I was reminded of that...
- - -
In spite of rising numbers, our darling state minister has decided that students of any age are no longer legally required to wear a mask in the classroom come next week. (They are required to wear one in the schoolyard, because, despite being in the open air with enough space to physically distance if only they'd bother to, four different classes meet in the schoolyard.) In theory, schools can individually decide to stick with obligatory masking. In practice? We shall see what our management decides on the weekend. (If there's any year to put you off the ambition to get into school management, this year is it. The work is ALWAYS gruelling and not worth the slightly higher pay, but this year, they honestly did the work of several school years in a few short months.)
Apparently, pediatrists are now calling for teachers to wear masks to protect the vulnerable children. Not to be all teacher on main, but we are able to stand two meters away from the first row of students; the students, even if they aren't sharing a desk with other students (as many are), are at the most one meter away from the kids at the desk next to, behind and/or in front of them. But surely it's the teachers who are going to carry the virus into their classes. (It's always those naughty teachers.)
This week was a bear - two sets of parent-teacher conferences, one day of seminary plus another one and a half hour online session, and of course our regular teaching. Am v. tired.
Did have a highlight today, though! One of our most challenging (TM) students participated really well in English class! I knew he could do it, but he normally doesn't, for a variety of reasons that I don't yet fully understand. But today, from the first to the last minute, he was paying attention, contributing to the classroom discussion, leaving his classmates alone, completing all his tasks and even writing things down without special invitation. Honestly, it was a dream. And yet, he was (or acted, anyway) surprised when I praised him for his good work. The other kids in his class, when you praise them, they're proud or a little smug. But he just blinked and went, "Really?" Yes, really! - Hope he doesn't find the praise too embarrassing. If he worked like that every lesson, he'd be an A student (and run into a lot less trouble, too).
In short, the school year is up and running. For Julian, too! He started school now, too. I hope I'll manage to post about that - not holding my breath, though!
On the plus side, every adult working at my school had a negative test result.
On the minus side, either the medics administering the swabs really want to discourage us from doing this for funsies, or they're getting paid for being brutal. I have no other explanation. Actually felt like I was coming down with a cold (or something more sinister) all the rest of Wednesday (which was when they swabbed us). Gag reflex tested to the max. As for the nasal swabs, you know those history lessons where they tell you how embalmers in ancient Egypt removed the brains through the nostrils? For some reason, I was reminded of that...
- - -
In spite of rising numbers, our darling state minister has decided that students of any age are no longer legally required to wear a mask in the classroom come next week. (They are required to wear one in the schoolyard, because, despite being in the open air with enough space to physically distance if only they'd bother to, four different classes meet in the schoolyard.) In theory, schools can individually decide to stick with obligatory masking. In practice? We shall see what our management decides on the weekend. (If there's any year to put you off the ambition to get into school management, this year is it. The work is ALWAYS gruelling and not worth the slightly higher pay, but this year, they honestly did the work of several school years in a few short months.)
Apparently, pediatrists are now calling for teachers to wear masks to protect the vulnerable children. Not to be all teacher on main, but we are able to stand two meters away from the first row of students; the students, even if they aren't sharing a desk with other students (as many are), are at the most one meter away from the kids at the desk next to, behind and/or in front of them. But surely it's the teachers who are going to carry the virus into their classes. (It's always those naughty teachers.)
This week was a bear - two sets of parent-teacher conferences, one day of seminary plus another one and a half hour online session, and of course our regular teaching. Am v. tired.
Did have a highlight today, though! One of our most challenging (TM) students participated really well in English class! I knew he could do it, but he normally doesn't, for a variety of reasons that I don't yet fully understand. But today, from the first to the last minute, he was paying attention, contributing to the classroom discussion, leaving his classmates alone, completing all his tasks and even writing things down without special invitation. Honestly, it was a dream. And yet, he was (or acted, anyway) surprised when I praised him for his good work. The other kids in his class, when you praise them, they're proud or a little smug. But he just blinked and went, "Really?" Yes, really! - Hope he doesn't find the praise too embarrassing. If he worked like that every lesson, he'd be an A student (and run into a lot less trouble, too).
In short, the school year is up and running. For Julian, too! He started school now, too. I hope I'll manage to post about that - not holding my breath, though!
no subject
Date: 2020-08-29 02:33 pm (UTC)And I hope your challenging student has discovered a taste for participation.
no subject
Date: 2020-08-30 03:41 pm (UTC)I hope so too. It would be so good for him (and, let's be honest, make my job so much easier).
no subject
Date: 2020-08-30 02:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-08-30 03:40 pm (UTC)This completely disregards the fact that students, even if they actually didn't interact with any other students, are kids who probably live with adults, possibly including adults who belong in the high-risk category, among whom the kids will nonetheless walk unmasked. I'd be less annoyed and confused if the number of cases had continued to go down, but to nobody's surprise, they've gone back up during/after the summer holidays. I can only assume that this is some kind of experiment and the students (and their families) are the guinea pigs. :/
no subject
Date: 2020-08-30 05:26 pm (UTC)I can only assume that this is some kind of experiment and the students (and their families) are the guinea pigs.
It sure sounds like it. I'm sorry. *hugs*
no subject
Date: 2020-09-03 01:36 am (UTC)I'm glad to hear you're alive and (relatively) well.