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

[Anonymous]

I am also not buying a microphone and speaker for my class and figuring out how to rig that up with a mask on-just stop. I'm done with the expectation that teachers sacrifice money, time, their health, basic necessities like bathroom breaks-it's enough already. We need to stop coming to the rescue and let people see what their taxes actually fund. Period.

[Anonymous]

I’m in an ES setting. I will record videos of read aloud so that students can actually hear the story. I hope to persuade my principal to purchase a document camera so I can show the book, since students will be spread out. For our discussions and activities, I will also have the questions written out to help those who cannot understand me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SOmeone posted a link to the humanity shield. It’s expensive but I’ll try that if my district says it’s okay. I’ll deduct it from my taxes.

That’s not how taxes actually work. You get a $250 teacher credit max for classroom supplies.

And it will be a classroom supply this year.

[Anonymous]

I am also not buying a microphone and speaker for my class and figuring out how to rig that up with a mask on-just stop. I'm done with the expectation that teachers sacrifice money, time, their health, basic necessities like bathroom breaks-it's enough already. We need to stop coming to the rescue and let people see what their taxes actually fund. Period.

I can understand your frustration, but you know very well that it will be on you if the students can't hear you and thus fail to understand the lesson. Get a pop-star style mic that clips on your head, or the earbuds that have a mic in the cord.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SOmeone posted a link to the humanity shield. It’s expensive but I’ll try that if my district says it’s okay. I’ll deduct it from my taxes.

That’s not how taxes actually work. You get a $250 teacher credit max for classroom supplies.

And it will be a classroom supply this year.

I always spend at least $250 on school supplies for a school year... so this would be too expensive out of my own pocket.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
This is a perfect example of why the quality of schools has plummeted. Teachers just follow orders. But they also are clueless, and don’t understand why parents are so unhappy with their child’s education.

My school is a 1:1 Technology Initiative school, and we are supposed to be integrating technology ALL the time, which I believe is one reason parents were quite happy with distance learning over the spring. I don't expect any complaints if I continue to use technology in the classroom when we return, especially if it makes my lessons more interesting and accessible for the children.

[Anonymous]

I went to hand out diplomas and yearbooks today. Talking to the other teachers, especially with the AC going, was difficult to understand each other. It got me thinking how speech therapy sessions would work too- seeing one's mouth move is a big part of that. We also have dual language which I can see also being extremely challenging.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I am also not buying a microphone and speaker for my class and figuring out how to rig that up with a mask on-just stop. I'm done with the expectation that teachers sacrifice money, time, their health, basic necessities like bathroom breaks-it's enough already. We need to stop coming to the rescue and let people see what their taxes actually fund. Period.

I can understand your frustration, but you know very well that it will be on you if the students can't hear you and thus fail to understand the lesson. Get a pop-star style mic that clips on your head, or the earbuds that have a mic in the cord.

The solution isn't going to be me making more purchases. The buck stops here. Teachers need to take stand-the government needs to fund education. Not teachers.

[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 feel bad saying it but this really succinctly explains how I’ve been feeling the last week or two. I’ve been going to work, with sick patients, since this all started and at first of course I was scared but ITS MY JOB and I did the best I could with what I had. Teachers seem to be saying they aren’t capable of coming up with creative solutions and seem apprehensive (understandably) about things like masks and standing further away from others than they are used to, but the long winded public social media posts about it just make them sound like they are downplaying their role in society and their skill set.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I am also not buying a microphone and speaker for my class and figuring out how to rig that up with a mask on-just stop. I'm done with the expectation that teachers sacrifice money, time, their health, basic necessities like bathroom breaks-it's enough already. We need to stop coming to the rescue and let people see what their taxes actually fund. Period.

I can understand your frustration, but you know very well that it will be on you if the students can't hear you and thus fail to understand the lesson. Get a pop-star style mic that clips on your head, or the earbuds that have a mic in the cord.

The solution isn't going to be me making more purchases. The buck stops here. Teachers need to take stand-the government needs to fund education. Not teachers.

I hear your frustration but as a doctor, I purchased my own n95s at the beginning of this just like I routinely purchase supplies I need to do my job better (new stethoscope this year for example- around 280 dollars). It’s a global pandemic. We all need to do our part, including teachers!

[Anonymous]

I think people are overstating the difficulty. I'm a special ed teacher, and right now its ESY online. I've been wearing a mask for part of the day, because I want my students to get used to seeing me that way. The kids still understand me, and I still understand them. I've been challenging my students to wear a mask, and they've done fine as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to hand out diplomas and yearbooks today. Talking to the other teachers, especially with the AC going, was difficult to understand each other. It got me thinking how speech therapy sessions would work too- seeing one's mouth move is a big part of that. We also have dual language which I can see also being extremely challenging.

Yes, I’ve noticed with a mask on I always have to speak louder and annunciate better to my patients but you do get used to it, very quickly. This is not a big hurdle. I recommend one of the clear masks, for speech therapy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SOmeone posted a link to the humanity shield. It’s expensive but I’ll try that if my district says it’s okay. I’ll deduct it from my taxes.

That’s not how taxes actually work. You get a $250 teacher credit max for classroom supplies.

And it will be a classroom supply this year.

I always spend at least $250 on school supplies for a school year... so this would be too expensive out of my own pocket.

Same. I guess the PP doesn’t so the shield fits in her budget. That $60 is a lot of stuff I’m not buying that my students won’t get from home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I am also not buying a microphone and speaker for my class and figuring out how to rig that up with a mask on-just stop. I'm done with the expectation that teachers sacrifice money, time, their health, basic necessities like bathroom breaks-it's enough already. We need to stop coming to the rescue and let people see what their taxes actually fund. Period.

I can understand your frustration, but you know very well that it will be on you if the students can't hear you and thus fail to understand the lesson. Get a pop-star style mic that clips on your head, or the earbuds that have a mic in the cord.

Agree. There has to be some adaptation ability here. Kids can’t lose in person schooling until there is a widely available and widely used vaccine- that could be 2 years and then what if most people refuse to get it (like the flu vaccine)? School is not out for the next few years. It’s scary, but, buck up! Work on solutions just like medical professionals and grocery workers etc have been doing

[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.

1) get a clear mask , and 2) as a peds physician I spent most of my day talking to patients parents while their kids scream in their laps, so yes, I have learned to project my voice.