They do their best to make everyday school life as normal as possible in times when not much is normal. They are still criticized. Our author once asked how it feels to be a teacher. Here are the answers from our four teachers.
How are you with the current situation at school?
"High school, 900 young people, 100 employees – the same worry every morning: Who is going into quarantine today? How can I do exciting, funny and, above all, cooperative lessons despite the distance, masks, fixed places, etc.? We have some classes in quarantine , plus a number of individual kids in family quarantine – who is there today? Does anyone know why XY is missing? Then the crowded S-Bahn trains and buses every day … "
"I'm fine with it. Only the uncertainty as to when and whether the schools will be closed and the related preparatory measures are extremely complex and take a lot of time."
"There is a feeling of powerlessness and there has been no more planning security – for weeks. It gets down to business. You come to school every morning and don't know how the day will go. You can't make any binding agreements (neither with Colleagues, still with the students). Every week a new decision is made as to which security level the school will slide into. Then you have to react and restructure as quickly as possible.
"I'm insecure. Basically, I think it's good and right that we are in classroom lessons and that measures are taken. It is difficult to explain the changing changes to the children in a meaningful way. At first we constantly insisted that they put on the masks outside, although They sit next to each other in the classroom without, now they wear masks in the classroom, but they are allowed to take them off outside. The separation of the years is also problematic in many places, not because the students defend themselves massively, but because they simply want to move around Running across the areas or putting the food in your mouth on the way from the bistro to your area and removing the mask. It is exhausting to point this out to you every time, every day and every break. "
What are you worried about?
"When will I get the virus? With two children at different schools and two parents at different schools, there are four people in the household with around 200 social contacts a day – but the big one will not have a child's birthday, and so will rugby training ?! It's infinitely more work and leads to lack of sleep and irritability. My boys write Christmas wish lists and I'm still light years away from Advent inside. In addition, worrying about my grandparents and the husband with a heart defect … "
"I don't see my own health as being more or less at risk than in the supermarket or on the train. And regardless of that, I'm healthy and therefore don't worry about myself."
"I'm not afraid for my own health. I'm worried about my students. Internships are hard to find for the ninth grade, exam dates are getting closer and apprenticeship projects have to be canceled. If the school closes again, there is insufficient digital networking. Pupils who need more intensive supervision simply slip away from the teachers. "
"I'm less worried about myself, even if I don't feel well protected. I worry that it will not be enough despite everything. That a child will still carry the virus to school, symptom-free, and not so mildly I am worried about the children who are not doing well, who are suffering from the effects of the pandemic, who do not know what to do with their energy because their recreational sports are canceled. Children may not get help as quickly as they need them, because the responsible institutions that stand by our side as a school (especially with regard to social education workers and the like) have different rules and higher sick leave. Some students have sick relatives and high-risk patients in their families or make themselves worries about parents. For example, because they work in the healthcare sector and they are feeling the increasing burden or because the parents are not doing well economically. "
How do you assess the situation at the moment? Are the measures taken sufficient?
"In certain parts of the city there are apparently hardly any cases, which is why the authorities say everything is okay. At other schools, 12 out of 30 classes are in quarantine and nothing is okay – but we ventilate to the last window and each get two Masks – find the mistake! And above all, all information from the RKI, information from the school management, requests from the Parents 'and Students' Association are completely ignored. "
"Yes, the measures are sufficient and help to protect everyone. A relaxation is now given, since we no longer have to wear a mask on the premises."
"Some measures leave you speechless. Inquiries to the Senate Administration as to whether you are allowed to take part in the divided lessons (half class size divided into A and B weeks) are rejected, but you should completely restructure the timetable in the shortest possible time, so that not too many Schoolchildren start and finish lessons at the same time. Masks are to be distributed in schools. Where are they? At least not with us. During the summer holidays, the Senate Administration published an information brochure on the topic: "Learning from home" … the students * inside are already three months at home at this point … "
"Some children do not wear their masks correctly, and they too have to be instructed to put them on correctly, sometimes several times in an hour. To do this, air them every 20 minutes. The responsibility that we ensure that these measures are observed is great At least that's how I feel myself. Because if I didn't make sure that a child who later tested positive was wearing his mask properly and thus should have infected someone, that was almost my responsibility. You have to pay attention to the distances between each other Difficult. During the breaks, I would have to constantly tear students apart. Although there are mainly students from the same class, mostly with masks, but not always with the necessary distance. Many colleagues take this responsibility to protect the children from one another , serious and always make sure that the masks are worn and that the distances are kept, but we him remind a lot more than usual. "
What's going well?
"The work with the school management team. The willingness and ability of the children to suffer. We have loaned devices to everyone who needs them. We started as a complete college with a digital learning management system, we are doing advanced training, etc. – the crisis has accelerated technical training, but there is no time to think through this new culture of digitality and not just replace the handwritten essays with typed ones. "
"The children adhere to the rules on the premises and in the buildings very well. Unfortunately, we often see groups of pupils who only really implement the measures in front of the school gates. For this, police checks have already been carried out at some schools, so that the way to school as well runs correctly. Otherwise it works and the lessons are largely normal. "
"The cleaning staff do their best, disinfect door handles, bathrooms and computer rooms around the clock. The school management tries to reach, collect and support all colleagues. The work is transparent, all information (if available) is passed on as quickly as possible. Classes and teachers are immediately quarantined. "
"I think most of the students are happy to be in school. The teachers, too, tend to hope that we will continue to attend face-to-face classes. Lessons in themselves work and digitization is progressing in larger steps than it did before . There are now many opportunities that we can use. I am not worried that my students will have to miss important subjects or my high school graduates. I am very optimistic about that. "
What do you wish for
"That the authorities give the schools the freedom of choice to switch models if the management deems it necessary and helpful (in consultation with the health department). That the work of the school management is more widely recognized. Time for exchanging ideas and working on ideas that the digital possibilities can be integrated into the school / teaching in the long term and sustainably. Honest reporting: Nobody wants to close schools completely, we want change models with "only" 400 people on site every day instead of 1,000. And privately: sleep in, read and Red wine 😉 "
"A uniform regulation regarding all matters within the school and a final announcement regarding the means to be used to look after and train students in quarantine. An announcement would also be good when teachers really have to stay at home. Right now everyone has to stay at home if you cough once. If that were done, all schools would be closed tomorrow. "
"That not everything is blamed on the teachers if something doesn't work. Most of the people I know have a bigger workload than before Corona (for different reasons) and put a lot of effort into the children and the lessons.
"The situation is difficult for everyone. I would like less bureaucracy and more security from the authorities. I now have a laptop from the authorities, but I can only use it to a limited extent. With half of the laptops given out, video conferences do not work. Most teachers complain that they cannot use the devices precisely for their purposes, and stay with the private devices, on which we are not allowed to do a lot for data protection reasons. "
What is your impression of the children?
"The children lack their sport. Despite all the restrictions, however, they also have some fun with digital learning and the phases at home with longer sleep and less stress help. Especially the" quiet and hard-working "students benefit from independent learning."
"The children, especially those in the upper grades, are annoyed and heavily stressed. The failure of course and class trips harms learning together for the Abitur – there is little course cohesion and a lot of group formation. In addition, many feel deprived, as most classical school things (graduation ball, meetings outside of school, parties, etc.) do not take place.
"It is difficult for everyone to wear the masks all day long. Many have headaches because they hardly drink. They have to be warned and reminded again and again. Food and teaching material must no longer be exchanged. Before that is firmly in the mind, it takes a lot of time. The constant change in the timetable also causes confusion. Sometimes there are up to three changes in a week. "
"Basically, I believe that you currently cannot please anyone. There are good reasons for and against face-to-face, hybrid or home instruction and each of them is important, justified and applies to many children. I am satisfied with our implementation in the school, the school management is open to problems and suggestions and makes improvements if necessary. The colleagues are also very committed here and we support each other well. It's just that there is often a lot going on in normal operation, now there is a lot, what also arises. "