Fellow teachers - How are we supposed to teach with masks on?

[Anonymous]

I don't plan to lecture very much. I will assign work via Google Classroom and prerecorded videos. Instead of read alouds, I'll show a video online of the book, for example.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The same way medical professionals and all other essential personnel have managed for months.

I truly don’t understand the commitment of some teachers to the idea that they are less capable than everyone else. It doesn’t instill confidence in their judgment as professionals.

+1

You can't complain about not being treated professionally when you don't behave like a professional.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't plan to lecture very much. I will assign work via Google Classroom and prerecorded videos. Instead of read alouds, I'll show a video online of the book, for example.

Expect a lot of complaints about you to your principal. Maybe you’re just not cut out to be a teacher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My school ordered face shields for us. I’ve seen some masks with a clear piece over the mouth, I might order one of those.

This is important. So much is lost when you can't see the lips moving or read an expression.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s just a matter of getting used to it. Medical personnel do it all the time. My family has been working on wearing them more for when the kids go to school and we have all built up to a few hours comfortably in one week’s time.

I don’t understand the constant comparison to medical professionals. Pretty sure doctors and nurses aren’t walking around delivering lectures, projecting their voices to classrooms, reading aloud, teaching young children phonics, etc while wearing masks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s just a matter of getting used to it. Medical personnel do it all the time. My family has been working on wearing them more for when the kids go to school and we have all built up to a few hours comfortably in one week’s time.

I don’t understand the constant comparison to medical professionals. Pretty sure doctors and nurses aren’t walking around delivering lectures, projecting their voices to classrooms, reading aloud, teaching young children phonics, etc while wearing masks.

Yup I’m tired of the blasé attitudes by people who have no idea what I do.

[Anonymous]

Teaching young students letters and sounds without seeing their mouths and they can't see mine?? Yikes. It's huge that they see what my mouth looks like when I make a letter sound, and that I can see theirs to check how they're forming their letter sounds. And learning to blend words ("r-u-g") with little masks on? This will be interesting to say the least. Not to mention students and teachers with hearing impairments that rely on lip-reading. Schools need to provide masks with clear plastic over the mouth, or face shields.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s just a matter of getting used to it. Medical personnel do it all the time. My family has been working on wearing them more for when the kids go to school and we have all built up to a few hours comfortably in one week’s time.

I don’t understand the constant comparison to medical professionals. Pretty sure doctors and nurses aren’t walking around delivering lectures, projecting their voices to classrooms, reading aloud, teaching young children phonics, etc while wearing masks.

My coworkers and I have been caring for groups of infants, toddlers and preschoolers for months while wearing face masks. We are not medical professionals. Trust me, you'll be fine.

Those talking about them falling down-you do know you have to change them every so often, right?

[Anonymous]

The memes and videos teachers are posting about what it’s going to be really like if students wear masks make it seem like thousands of students in Asia and elsewhere are somehow superior in their ability to properly wear masks.

I worry more about speech and language pathologists and kids who need speech therapy, especially early intervention where zoom won’t cut it.

[Anonymous]

French teacher here, with a child with a severe speech disorder— there are several masks now being sold with clear plastic middles so your mouth can be seen. Buy some of them so students can see your mouth if you are concerned about them seeing your lips to teach phonics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:French teacher here, with a child with a severe speech disorder— there are several masks now being sold with clear plastic middles so your mouth can be seen. Buy some of them so students can see your mouth if you are concerned about them seeing your lips to teach phonics.

The students need them too.

[Anonymous]

Do the ones with plastic sections fog up?

Face shield for teacher doesn’t filter out airborne particles, does it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't plan to lecture very much. I will assign work via Google Classroom and prerecorded videos. Instead of read alouds, I'll show a video online of the book, for example.

Expect a lot of complaints about you to your principal. Maybe you’re just not cut out to be a teacher.

I doubt that very much. We are being told to use technology as much as possible. And the more I make prerecorded videos of what I am teaching, the easier it would be to have true hybrid instruction.

We aren't supposed to lecture in elementary school very much anyhow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:French teacher here, with a child with a severe speech disorder— there are several masks now being sold with clear plastic middles so your mouth can be seen. Buy some of them so students can see your mouth if you are concerned about them seeing your lips to teach phonics.

Have you found strategies that work to keep them from fogging up?

Special education teacher who has a few different styles of mask on order, but hears this is a concern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The same way medical professionals and all other essential personnel have managed for months.

I truly don’t understand the commitment of some teachers to the idea that they are less capable than everyone else. It doesn’t instill confidence in their judgment as professionals.

I have had multiple medical appointments over the last few months and none of the medical personnel were wearing masks while communicating with me for longer than 5 minutes.

Most appointments were via distance (telehealth). The few that had to be in person (my kids for ortho and dentist I wasn't even allowed in the exam room, and results were communicated to me via a 5 minute brief summary with a person wearing a mask, and a more detailed explanation via online portal.

The in person part of the exam only had two people at a time in the room (professional and patient) and only a minimal amount of talking.