Stay at home [“stay alert”], protect the NHS, save lives; the only three short sentences that matter now. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, we have seen our lives change dramatically.
I am a male Primary school teacher, who up until lockdown was teaching a class of thirty Year 4 children (aged 8-9 years old), and this is how the lockdown has halted me and my minions.
When Coronavirus cases and deaths started rising in the UK, I quarantined myself on the 16th March, a couple of days earlier than when the government closed the schools. Teaching is now non-existent, and all the work that I am being told to do is paperwork, which is the part of teaching that every teacher detests. A list of jobs were emailed to me, and I immediately made two lists in my head:
“List 1, I need to do this. List 2, LOL get f**ked mate I ain’t doing that sh*t.”
List 1: data input and updating SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) profiles.
List 2: planning for the final term of the year, organising trips and sorting a display. Everything in list 2 has not been done until date.
Due to Covid-19, I have been going into work once a week to look after the children of NHS workers, and children that have an EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan), so those that are vulnerable. Those days are quite fun, even though I am essentially babysitting. But it’s good to see my work peers and hear their thoughts and opinions with things that are going on, and just to have a laugh.
With all my work being paperwork-based, my motivation has taken a steep decline, and along with that so has my routine. Normally, my days were super-organised: up at 06:45, at school by 07:30, classroom prepped, briefing attended, become happy Mr. Suman (even though I’m grouchy af) for the children at 8:50, children out at 15:15, gym by 17:00, and in bed by 21:30; along with all the watering and feeding that I need. But now, gone are the days of waking up at 06:45, and now my days are spent on Call of Duty: Warzone trying to get a Warzone victory up until 03:00 am.
As for the children in my class, their learning has not stopped, but has drastically slowed. The only contact that I have with them is fortnightly phone calls to see how everyone is. When talking to their parents, they mention they are holding up well and dealing with the situation well. The question I am asked the most is “sir, do you know when schools are going to be re-opened?” Unfortunately, I’m just as clueless as the parents and the politicians on the TV.
My minions are loving their time at home, they’re watching TV and playing games all day long. As a school, we have sent out work packs and set up online platforms to access work, and I myself have provided useful websites and log-ins that can be used; but when I have asked the children from my class if they’ve done anything, there is an awkward silence and then a shy remark of, “oh…yeah I have started but I haven’t finished it yet…”. I can’t be mad at them, if I was a kid and I was given time to stay at home, I would just watch cartoons all day. But I have to give credit to all the children in my class, they’ve all been logging onto the websites and doing the tasks that I’ve set.
My biggest concern is the massive gaps in knowledge for all children across the UK, they have missed a month of learning, 22 days of school and 132 hours of lesson time. But who knows how much time we are going to spend in lockdown? How much more time is going to be missed? What about children that are in Reception? Some of those children are going to school for the first times in their lives, some of them are learning English for the first time, learning to count; they may go into the next year with a huge chunk of knowledge missing. But school is not just about learning, the social aspect is also important, children go to school to spend time with their friends. Just like adults and teens are missing socialising, so are the children. One rule that I live by when teaching is; whatever you’re feeling, your children are feeling the same but double or triple the amount. If you’re excited to go out on the fields in summer, well they’re more excited than you. Pissed off about the rain? Well, they’re more pissed off than you. Looking forward to a party at work because you’re not teaching all day? Well, they’re looking forward to it much more than you because they’re not learning.
In all of this, the ones that are going to suffer the most are the children in the education system right now. They’re going to have a massive chunk of knowledge missing, but returning to school too early could potentially cause a second wave of this devastating virus. As a teacher, I personally feel that schools should stay closed until September, even with all the implications that I have mentioned; lives are more important, and learning can be caught up with. I’ve just got to work my arse off when we return.
About Me:
Hi, my name’s Hans, and I'm a Primary school teacher from Birmingham. Becoming a teacher has been a worthwhile journey, and it feels good knowing that I'm influencing and changing the adults of tomorrow.
During my spare time, I enjoy going to the gym, shopping for trainers at all hours of the day, playing on the PS4 and working on cars.
Life motto: go with the flow
If you have any questions about teaching, you can contact me via email: sumanhans95@gmail.com
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