Teaching Summer School During Covid #1

One week of summer school down. I will admit it felt nice to be back with students and they were very happy to see each other. It does feel like just a matter of time though before someone becomes ill since it is so hard to actually follow all the rules.

Today, I want to talk about face coverings. Many teachers and some students are wearing face shields. My sister-in-law is an ICU nurse and she says that face shields are never worn alone, always with a mask. It concerns me that people think they are being safe but are not truly. 

My county just released the guidance for schools returning in the fall and face shields will only be allowed if they have a drape that tucks into the shirt.

The students in my class all wear masks and are trying but I still say a zillion times a day, "Your mask needs to be over your nose."

I would never show this at school but I laughed out loud when I saw it. Gotta try to have some humor in these crazy times.

The best advice I can give it to try wearing different masks to see what fits and feels most comfortable. You need to wear it for an extended period of time because I thought I was fine but after an hour I started to feel pain. If the students had masks that fit better it would really help cut down on the nose issue at least. I have heard other teachers have issues with students taking them off during the day and I did see a class walk down the hall the other day and the last 4 kids had no mask in site. 😟

I know one teacher who is petite and has tiny ears and she struggles to keep her mask on securely, just like the kids. They make some that adjust behind the ear that seem to help some.

 I have an ear pain issue with my left ear (that is a whole other undiagnosed issue) so many masks really bother me and I ended up with headaches/migraines 3 times this week. The most comfortable for me is the mask that buttons to the headband so it isn't on my ears at all. I'm not usually a headband person but it looks like I may be rocking this look more often.

This one has the pocket for a filter which feels safer to me but it does make it harder to hear me than say a disposable mask. I talked a lot for a lesson yesterday and it was pretty hard to enunciate, the mask going into my mouth and feeling it get wetter and wetter. Gross. Side note, I am also breaking out some which is not normal for me. I guess my skin doesn't like the mask either.

During lunch they are allowed to take their masks off to eat. It is very hard to keep them apart during free time like this.  Also, they don't remember to put their mask back on when they are done so you have to go around on mask patrol. 

That reminds me, yesterday a boy asked if he could eat his breakfast before class started. I said yes since we have a half hour period of free time during the drop-off and temperature check time. He took off his mask and I was just about to say that he should go sit outside and of course...he sneezed. A movie played in my mind of that graphic we've all seen of the droplets spraying across the room. 

So like I said, I know we are all trying our best, but with kids and such an extended amount of time together, it just seems inevitable that Covid will spread throughout schools.