Teacher has major concerns about school opening plans

Craig Bakay | Aug 26, 2020

“Bill,” (not his real name) has 20+ years of public school teaching under his belt, the vast majority of that as a full-time teacher for the Limestone District School Board. During his tenure, he has primarily taught the lower primary school grades. He also has two children of his own in the Limestone system.

To say he has concerns about returning to school Sept. 3 is putting it mildly.

When asked if anything stands out as his biggest concern he doesn’t hesitate.

“Definitely class size,” he says. “No doubt.

“It’s crazy. Any other business limits the number of people/customers in the building but we can be up to 50 people and no masks.

“Tim Hortons employees have masks and shields but with us it’s ‘let ’er rip.’”

He says that to his knowledge, Denmark and Sweden have capped class size at 15. But he’s not absolutely sure of that and that brings up another concern of his — how much information the school board has provided its teachers.

“It really sticks with me,” he said. “I had to read that information in the news.

“I know more as a parent than as an educator.”

However, he is an educator and since many parents know that, he’s had to field a lot of questions from concerned parents.

“I’ve been bombarded with inquiries,” he said. “Like everybody else, we’ve had to look at the Limestone Frequently Asked Questions.

“As an employee, I didn’t know answers.”

As an example he said they bought his daughter a lanyard to hang her mask on while she eats, but that doesn’t fly apparently.

“They have to bring paper bags to put their masks in,” he said. “Apparently there’s a choking hazard with lanyards.”

Which brings up another concern.

“Also, coat hooks and lockers aren’t allowed,” he said. “Students will have to bring everything they use to their desks.”

Just how that will look when boots and snowsuits are needed remains to be seen.

“Nobody has looked past the fall,” he said. “We’ve been told we can take classes outside but that only works until it gets cold and also it brings up concerns about how much easier it is for students to run around and get distracted outdoors.”

And class discipline is also an issue.

“At least once a year, we’ll have an issue where some kid loses it and we have to clear the classroom to get them settled down,” he said. “How will that work? Do I stay with the one student or do I lead the class out to . . . where?”

And then there’s the issue of air quality. Very few schools have sophisticated air quality control and even fans have been banned from fear of spreading germs around.

“I have two little windows that open a crack,” he said. “I’m going to be wearing a mask and face shield and I’m worried about the possibility of passing out from heat stroke.”

And, he’s worried about his own physical health.

“And, is everything covid?” he said. “What if I wake up with a sore throat?

“I spend most of the year with the sniffles of some sort.”

And that leads to wondering if their will be supply teachers to take over if he has to isolate.

“We have trouble getting supply teachers at the best of times,” he said. “And now, the retired teachers that used to do a lot of it can’t because they’re the cohort most at risk for covid-19 complications.

“There have been times when I’ve had to go home at noon and the lunchroom monitor has had to watch my class. What’s it going to be like now?”

And what about hand washing?

“If we have 20 kids all having to spend two minutes washing their hands in one sink, that’s going to be 40 minutes a day each time.

“Where is that lineup going to go?”

He laughs when asked about the 500 nurses the province plans to hire for schools.

“There’s almost 5,000 schools in the province,” he said. “Where are the nurses going to come from?”

And he’s worried about Day 1.

“I should make it clear that I think the KFL&A Health Unit has done a wonderful job,” he said. “I feel safe about where I live but I’d be lying if I said I feel safe about the first day of school.

“I can guarantee you that on the first day there will be at least one student who thinks it’s funny to tell everyone he has covid and will go around coughing on everyone.

“The kids will probably want to trade masks too.”

And he’s worried about coping himself.

“Our union has discouraged us from taking mental health days,” he said. “This while they’re telling us to look after our mental health.”

And how does he apply shared learning techniques, even to the point of giving kids gold stars on their work for immediate feedback.

“What about shop materials, musical instruments?” he said. “How do you implement play-based learning?

“And to boot, I have to learn new math. Every teacher does. Why now?”

He also worries about busing issues. Not only are many bus drivers of an age where they have to concern themselves about this but even if schools use cohorts for classes and activities, that is all negated by bus contact.

“All the cohorts go out the window the minute a student steps on the bus,” he said. “They may have their bubble of 10 people but on the bus, they’re exposed to every other kid’s bubble.

“Busing is a disaster waiting to happen.”

Still, he’d feel a lot better if the school board would tell its teachers what’s expected of them.

Asked for what advice he’d give the board, he said: “Communicate, communicate, communicate.

“We’ve got all these blanket ideas but no specifics.”

And while he does try to reassure himself that things will work out because of the low rates of infection in our area (“I think things will go south elsewhere first”), there is one nagging thing he can’t get out of his mind.

“God forbid a student under my care gets this disease and dies,” he said. “Or takes it home and a grandparent dies.

“Nothing is normal for schools any more.”