Teachers, parents and school principal in the face of Covid: Landais testify

1. Marie-Claire Merrien, school principal

“This is the big mess. “Kindergarten teacher and school principal in Labatut for four years, Marie-Claire Merrien, union member SNUipp-FSU, lives a daily life disrupted by the protocols that follow one another and the confirmed cases of Covid or contacts to be managed. “I spent the weekend communicating with the Covid unit set up by the National Education because an Atsem (Specialized territorial agent for nursery schools) was declared positive. Another being …

1. Marie-Claire Merrien, school principal

“This is the big mess. “Kindergarten teacher and school principal in Labatut for four years, Marie-Claire Merrien, union member SNUipp-FSU, lives a daily life disrupted by the protocols that follow one another and the confirmed cases of Covid or contacts to be managed. “I spent the weekend communicating with the Covid unit set up by the National Education because an Atsem (Specialized territorial agent for nursery schools) was declared positive. Another being case contact, one works without Atsem. So this morning (Monday January 10, Editor’s note), I did not do half of the planned program. “

Educational projects are “on hold”. “On the management side, I do what I can. I hope I am not mistaken in the answers given to parents. It is not easy on a daily basis, because everyone is overwhelmed. “

“Thursday, January 13, there will be five teachers out of six on strike. There is no tradition of strike but there … […] I am 57 years old, I am happy to be at the end of my career. I will not go to the end, I want to finish on the right foot. “

2. Sophie Mercadal, college professor

Professor of earth sciences and life at the college of Albret in Dax since 2013, Sophie Mercadal, 43, from the Unsa union, criticizes the ministry’s communication with “protocol changes that are made via the media and not by the system internal or official government websites ”. And “sometimes, these are press articles with paid access”.

She also deplores “insufficient protective equipment”. “Colleagues buy the masks out of their own pocket. “As for” the protocols “,” they are constantly changing, it is difficult to understand the logic “.

As a teacher, there is also the difficulty of combining face-to-face and distance learning. “There is general exhaustion. “

3. Éric Castet, high school teacher

Mathematics teacher at Charles-Despiau high school in Mont-de-Marsan, Éric Castet, who is notably in charge of terminal students with a maths specialty, will not go on strike in particular because of the bac. “The written math test is two months away. The program is strong, moreover too much, considering the timing. I cannot afford to be absent. Thursday, I have six hours of class with, in fact, the final. “

Union member of the SNCL (National Union of Colleges and High Schools) which does not call for a strike, Eric Castet adds that the staff “is doing the best”. He had up to six absent students out of a class of 35. “In high schools, it may be easier to manage, it depends on the class. I did a video on my own with three final year students who were positive. We manage. “

4. Marie Lahitette, parent of students

Mother of three children aged 15 to 20, president of the FCPE (Federation of parents’ councils) of Landes, Marie Lahitette, domiciled in Hagetmau, will participate in the rally in Mont-de-Marsan. “With protocols that change every day, the ministry mistreats everyone: management staff, nurses, teachers, parents and children” who find themselves practically “getting tested every day.”

Since Monday, January 10, “the protocol has been relaxed with only the self-tests. But I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to stick a cotton ball in a child’s nose? It is complicated. We are now told that it will be possible to pick up the children with contact cases at the end of the day. That means they stay in the class, potentially positive ”.

Marie Lahitette is worried about the maintenance of CP evaluations and exams, patent and bac, which are approaching. “The program is not changed. Reality in schools is not taken into account. “