Covid in Scotland: Teachers asked to work in Glasgow care homes as staff hit by Omicron

Primary school teachers have to think on their feet and literally "muck in" when required to do so. I've cleaned bums and vomit, patched up wounds, stabilised broken bones and used an epi pen. I've administered medication at lunchtimes and also cut up food.
I'm sure with their quick thinking abilities and organisational skills many teachers could do the actual caring type jobs standing on their heads if they wanted to. It remains to be seen, however, whether many would rush to do this given the current circumstances.

I think the sympathies of all of us should lie with the staff who are in care services who must be working horrendously long hours with little support.
I agree Casdon that teachers especially will have some empathy with those working in care services. The two jobs centre around welfare and are probably two of the very few jobs in which workers spend time worrying about themselves, mainly because they have very needy people relying on them.

Your Country Needs You!
Resulted in many putting the needs of others before themselves, doing whatever they could to ease the suffering of those worse off than themselves.

As a former nursing sister, I knew what I was signing up for in my chosen career
If part of the remit for teachers is to be qualified to care for others in their chosen career, it makes sense, asking those who can, would they come forward. Even if half of those being asked if they can assist come forward, it is better than no assistance from that quarter.

DD1 now caught covid from her 8 year old who caught it in school last week of term. She is a teacher and there are lots of her colleagues now affected - she is self isolating till after new year now!

Kalu

Your Country Needs You!
Resulted in many putting the needs of others before themselves, doing whatever they could to ease the suffering of those worse off than themselves.

As a former nursing sister, I knew what I was signing up for in my chosen career
If part of the remit for teachers is to be qualified to care for others in their chosen career, it makes sense, asking those who can, would they come forward. Even if half of those being asked if they can assist come forward, it is better than no assistance from that quarter.

Errrmm, no! Teachers are paid to teach. Hopefully, they're caring, but care work is something else.

Josieann

Primary school teachers have to think on their feet and literally "muck in" when required to do so. I've cleaned bums and vomit, patched up wounds, stabilised broken bones and used an epi pen. I've administered medication at lunchtimes and also cut up food.
I'm sure with their quick thinking abilities and organisational skills many teachers could do the actual caring type jobs standing on their heads if they wanted to. It remains to be seen, however, whether many would rush to do this given the current circumstances.

Secondary-trained teachers aren't trained to be babysitters.

Casdon

This is about Scotland growstuff, so the English system is not relevant. The Government website says that ‘DBS adult first is a service available to organisations who can request a check of the DBS adults' barred list. Depending on the result, a person can be permitted to start work, under supervision, with vulnerable adults before a DBS certificate has been obtained.’ So that wouldn’t be an issue.
Of course it’s far from ideal that the care system is so on its uppers that asking Local Authority staff to work in their holidays is necessary, but it’s optional, and I think the sympathies of all of us should lie with the staff who are in care services who must be working horrendously long hours with little support.

I admit I don't know how the system works in Scotland and, to be fair, there might have been changes in England over the last few years. However, part of my role some years ago was the administration of DBSs and I know that a teacher's DBS wouldn't cover any other role. The "barred list" is something else. Apart from that, teachers aren't trained to work with vulnerable adults.

Secondary-trained teachers aren't trained to be babysitters., neither are primary teachers.

Neither are carers.
Our job is to support people to keep the skills the have, and hopefully build on them.

Marydoll hear, hear. Growstuff what an unpleasant and unnecessary comment. And I speak as a retired secondary teacher.

Grandmabatty

Marydoll hear, hear. Growstuff what an unpleasant and unnecessary comment. And I speak as a retired secondary teacher.

Suit yourself!

And I speak as someone, who initially trained as a secondary teacher and converted to primary, when I returned to teaching after having my children.

Cleaning up bums and vomit and helping cut up food is babysitting. Secondary school pupils can administer their own epi-pens and, if not, a member of staff will be trained.

growstuff

Cleaning up bums and vomit and helping cut up food is babysitting. Secondary school pupils can administer their own epi-pens and, if not, a member of staff will be trained.

That's only a tiny part of our job.

Cleaning bums is only a tiny part of our job.
Just an incidental, really.

I wasn't actually talking about secondary school teachers growstuff, my post opened with the words "primary school teachers" and I was alluding to these teachers throughout.
Primary school teachers aren't trained to be babysitters either, and I think many would take offence at that suggestion. Primary school teachers do those extra caring acts mentioned in addition to teaching, just as GagoJo spends additional hours consoling or cajoling her teenage charges. It is called going above and beyond. It might be once a month in a primary school there is a toilet accident, once a term a child pukes in the classroom, once a year there is a broken bone, once every 5 years an anaphylactic shock, but primary teachers are usually ready to deal with it when it happens because they have good practical skills.

MissAdventure

Cleaning bums is only a tiny part of our job.
Just an incidental, really.

But a very important part to ensure the dignity of those we teach and babysit.

Every single thing we do is important.
It's a whole package deal.

Exactly Marydoll, Grandmabatty and MissAdventure a tiny part.

Grandmabatty

Marydoll hear, hear. Growstuff what an unpleasant and unnecessary comment. And I speak as a retired secondary teacher.

Neither are nurses! However, I took on that role as I sat with critically ill/dying patients. It was the least I could do for them!

What an unsavoury post of nitpicking Growstuff We obviously hold different values when required to put the suffering of others before ourselves.

Never the Twain shall meet, it seems.

I’ve got the message that you don’t think it’s appropriate and wouldn’t be prepared to help growstuff, but we have to hope that where is a will there is a way, and that others will be prepared to overcome the not insurmountable issues including DBS and support carers - because what’s the alternative if people don’t come forward?
In reality the only alternative for many is that they will be admitted to hospital. That’s the worst possible solution for them and for anybody else who needs medical treatment.

Casdon

I’ve got the message that you don’t think it’s appropriate and wouldn’t be prepared to help growstuff, but we have to hope that where is a will there is a way, and that others will be prepared to overcome the not insurmountable issues including DBS and support carers - because what’s the alternative if people don’t come forward?
In reality the only alternative for many is that they will be admitted to hospital. That’s the worst possible solution for them and for anybody else who needs medical treatment.

Hear, hear.

MissAdventure

Never the Twain shall meet, it seems.

Doesn’t stop me living in hope that the Twain join forces for the greater good.

Having taught in both primary and secondary schools, I found teaching and generally running a primary class much more exhausting!