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Coronavirus - how is it/has it affected you?

bobmac said:
Less holidays = more time in the class room
More time in the class room = more time to teach/learn the syllabus
More time to teach/learn the syllabus = less stress on the teachers and pupils
Less stress on the teachers and pupils = less need for long holidays.
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In reality, it's complicated and for many (not all) teachers, the holidays aren't the same as most of us consider time off work.
Mrs A and her colleagues need the holidays to catch up and learn the new stuff they have to teach the following term as the syllabus evolves. She's on the arts side, but part of a technology faculty. As a result, she's teaching 15 year olds about maths and mechanics that that she herself quit when she was their age. Essentially, she's using the holidays to teach herself how to teach a subject that she doesn't know to GCSE level.

I'm not preaching, by the way. The school holidays do my head in.
 
RichA said:
In reality, it's complicated and for many (not all) teachers, the holidays aren't the same as most of us consider time off work.
Mrs A and her colleagues need the holidays to catch up and learn the new stuff they have to teach the following term as the syllabus evolves. She's on the arts side, but part of a technology faculty. As a result, she's teaching 15 year olds about maths and mechanics that that she herself quit when she was their age. Essentially, she's using the holidays to teach herself how to teach a subject that she doesn't know to GCSE level.

I'm not preaching, by the way. The school holidays do my head in.
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Rather begs the question why someone who is not qualified in the subjects are teaching them.
 
drdel said:
Rather begs the question why someone who is not qualified in the subjects are teaching them.
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Normal reason is that they can't get someone who IS qualified in the subject(s) to teach them!
Still, far from ideal, but as a stop-gap...? They are, after all, qualified (one would hope) in Teaching, unlike some of my old University lecturers!
 
drdel said:
Rather begs the question why someone who is not qualified in the subjects are teaching them.
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A qualified teacher is a qualified teacher. Theoretically, you can teach a subject you have no specific qualification in, although I can't imagine you'd get the job if you applied for it.
In Mrs A's case, she is having to teach elements of physics and maths due to their applications within her technology subject. Even though the technology subject in which she is a specialist is art textiles.
 
Foxholer said:
Normal reason is that they can't get someone who IS qualified in the subject(s) to teach them!
Still, far from ideal, but as a stop-gap...? They are, after all, qualified (one would hope) in Teaching, unlike some of my old University lecturers!
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You're right; for 20yrs I ran a University Department, coming from the business sector it was like herding cats. The bickering and backstabbing exceeded anything we get on this forum by miles.

No one was allowed to teach a subject they were not qualified in to at least an equivalent academic level: normally 1 above. However you are right some where academically bright but just couldn't teach and yet arrogant enough to blame their students. Today the PC brigade has taken over and their self-righteousness is a whole new level of arrogance (actually IMO ignorance). I'm glad to gave gone back to the business world and retired fat dumb and happy (rant over!)
 
drdel said:
You're right; for 20yrs I ran a University Department, coming from the business sector it was like herding cats. The bickering and backstabbing exceeded anything we get on this forum by miles.

No one was allowed to teach a subject they were not qualified in to at least an equivalent academic level: normally 1 above. However you are right some where academically bright but just couldn't teach and yet arrogant enough to blame their students. Today the PC brigade has taken over and their self-righteousness is a whole new level of arrogance (actually IMO ignorance). I'm glad to gave gone back to the business world and retired fat dumb and happy (rant over!)
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Who are you and what have you done with the Dr Del who often complains when people are not commenting on their personal experience of coronavirus?
 
I believe the uptake of Corona Virus vaccinations amongst Teachers and Lecturers is very high, maybe it's because they have so much holiday time on their hands to consider it ?
 
SocketRocket said:
6k Infections today. What a bag of spanners this is becoming.
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Yes but we are going to have to live with this bug ongoing, so the number of cases in itself is irrelevant.

What is relevant is how many of those are unvaccinated and how many result in hospital admission and the impact on ITU admissions and ultimately deaths.

So we need more info
 
PhilTheFragger said:
Yes but we are going to have to live with this bug ongoing, so the number of cases in itself is irrelevant.

What is relevant is how many of those are unvaccinated and how many result in hospital admission and the impact on ITU admissions and ultimately deaths.

So we need more info
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Absolutely agree.

To someone who knows zip about infectious disease and immunology, it appears to me that we are entering a new phase of the pandemic, in the U.K. at least.

If deaths and hospitalisations remain flat whilst infections creep up, and remain so for several weeks when they haven’t done during previous waves, then this says to me that vaccines are doing their job - preventing serious disease and death.

I hope my uneducated guess is somewhere near accurate otherwise this mess will just continue indefinitely.
 
PhilTheFragger said:
Yes but we are going to have to live with this bug ongoing, so the number of cases in itself is irrelevant.

What is relevant is how many of those are unvaccinated and how many result in hospital admission and the impact on ITU admissions and ultimately deaths.

So we need more info
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Surely we need to get infections under control otherwise the virus stays in large numbers and will create more mutations with possibly more dangerous varients. It concerns me that if we can't keep on top of it the current vaccinations won't be effective and could we have vaccination programs big enough and often enough to keep on top of this pandemic.

Hopefully I'm overthinking but currently I find it concerning.
 
Whilst it is understandable to be concerned by a rise in cases, it is probably what was expected. Need to keep a close eye on things, but right now in context of what's going elsewhere ....


Yellow is cases, red is fatalities

aviary-image-1622842494743.jpg
UK is 3rd one down
 
SocketRocket said:
Surely we need to get infections under control otherwise the virus stays in large numbers and will create more mutations with possibly more dangerous varients. It concerns me that if we can't keep on top of it the current vaccinations won't be effective and could we have vaccination programs big enough and often enough to keep on top of this pandemic.

Hopefully I'm overthinking but currently I find it concerning.
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Which is why we need more info

Hopefully the rise in cases is among the unvaccinated, this is to be expected and would continue to be an issue until everyone has been jabbed.

If we see a rise in cases amongst those who have been vaccinated, then that is only a concern if it leads to a marked increase in hospital admissions, ITU admissions and deaths.

The scientists will need to be on the lookout for variants and adjust jabs accordingly, but that is no different from seasonal flu, which in a bad year can take 20000 people and nobody bats an eyelid.

It’s here to stay, so we need to get used to it
 
PhilTheFragger said:
Which is why we need more info

Hopefully the rise in cases is among the unvaccinated, this is to be expected and would continue to be an issue until everyone has been jabbed.

If we see a rise in cases amongst those who have been vaccinated, then that is only a concern if it leads to a marked increase in hospital admissions, ITU admissions and deaths.

The scientists will need to be on the lookout for variants and adjust jabs accordingly, but that is no different from seasonal flu, which in a bad year can take 20000 people and nobody bats an eyelid.

It’s here to stay, so we need to get used to it
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It is not like seasonal flu. Flu is usually an end of life event for the very elderly, and the great majority of the population have built up a pretty good immunity. The population impact is limited.

Covid risk is not just about deaths. It has a range of effects which will cause problems for years to come in those who have been infected.

It. Isn’t. Like. Flu.
 
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