Testimonies of teachers and parents: COVID-19 measurements and resumption of activities

Several people testify about the recovery, following confinement / COVID-19 deconfinement in France: education in question.

Nathalie, kindergarten teacher and mother of two young children

Happy and disappointed

"I am both happy to reconnect with the students and very disappointed to see such a restrictive health protocol that is impossible to implement. In nursery school (especially for children of Small Section-Medium Section), back to school jeopardizes a real recovery. Unions at risk of being followed by alert teams. And if these children resume despite everything, what psychological impact will have this experience of a school completely different from that in which they began to take bearings?

Pedagogy and content

For what educational gain, since we will have to ensure above all the sanitary level and that we will not be concentrated in the same way on the contents ?

For the parents, what a real gain compared to other childcare solutions given the alternation rate mentioned (1D / 1D or 2d / 2J or a week / a week)?

Institutions, organisation, concertation

The dialogue between the various actors institution / town hall / directors / teachers is very slow to set up and rightly in my opinion for our area still on a well deserved vacation (because we worked and "schooled" at home at the same time for 5 weeks) ; but suddenly the recovery on the date of 12 for the first students is probably premature in the current state of thinking: the meeting between our IEN the town hall and the directors does not take place until next Wednesday and therefore all the team thinking that we nevertheless have upstream by email will perhaps be swept away ...

Mother with two children and father telecommuting

As for my own children, like other parents I’ve talked to) : there are still too many uncertainties about the operation to come to wish to put our children as soon as this recovery: luckily my husband tele-works and can ensure a presence at home.

However, on the issue of educational follow-up, he will be alone, with his extra job, Therefore, it’s not ideal; concerning parents who have no choice, it’s obviously anxiety-provoking because, I already pointed it out above, the reflection, and therefore the information, is too slow to get a reassuring idea of ​​the recovery…

Awaiting clarification

As far as we are concerned, as parents, my husband and I will not hand over our children as soon as the proposed takeover because there is still too much vagueness in the organization, we will wait to see what happens in the first week before making a decision… – N. T. –

Chrystelle de Araujo, accounting, mother of three, New Aquitaine, Right bank of Bordeaux

As it stands, I don't plan to send my children back to school. But the school did not resume, we don't know how the school is going to be organized. Fifteen children per class maximum, and who will keep the other half? Or ?

At one point, I will have to resolve to put my children back in class, because i don't have time to go home school, but the later the better… – C.A. –

François, business manager, father of a child, Germany

I am worried about the effects of confinement for fragile populations, with a real risk of dropping out, not to mention the potential violence. On the other hand, this also requires real support measures from the educational community to protect teachers, accompanying, children and family. – F. C. –

Marie, teacher and mother of two, New Aquitaine, Right bank of Bordeaux

This is a reflection of my state of mind at the moment and I'm not really proud of it…
End of the seventh week of confinement and I realize that in fact I am in the midst of a teenage crisis…Not lifted before noon, I eat junk food at any time, very basic hygiene, I hang out in my pajamas, cleaning and storage become accessories since no one is expected. Hanging on my phone, i watch anything, and I broke all the sudoku records ! And the job!? Bof….what's the point…I do not know how to do it ….

I just read the health protocol sent to schools, it's worth its weight in peanuts ! It’s even worse than I thought… respect of a meter between everyone so no distribution of material, lesson, copy etc… No correction of notebooks at once, no book loan, painting equipment, balloon… how sad, our students will be like in prison without being able to play with their friends ! – M.R. –

Virginie, elementary school teacher and mother of two, New Aquitaine, Right bank of Bordeaux

Our children are strong and reasonable

“I find that this confinement is particularly difficult for children, we ask them a lot and with their child's eyes and hearts, they do not understand everything and are particularly strong and reasonable. Both for my children and my students, what stands out is that they miss their friends, that time is long and that home school is “worse than at school”.

Mental Health

So i'm enough to take over for their sanity because they need to play, to interact, to learn, laughing, of running, to discover. And to be honest, I miss class too, normal life too. 😉

“We were treated like less than nothing”

Sanitary level, I am worried. I am a volunteer for the children of caregivers and we were treated as less than nothing while the system was reduced compared to what is looming with the start of the new school year. 12 May : no masks, cases of colleagues infected in a school in our constituency who have been silenced and children not entering the system who have had “pass straight” of the inspector… brief from volunteer with conviction, I found myself doubting going back there.

Lack of recognition

How to get back into class without feeling considered? I see this return to class as a great daycare, to allow parents to return to work. The worst for me is this notion of “volunteering” students !
How to ensure educational follow-up with half-groups, which in addition will not be complete due to the parents' choice to put their child in school or not ?
We advance with those who are there ? We drop the others ? Ah, non: educational continuity must be ensured from a distance ! That is to say ? I class a small group, I have to follow on my mailbox at the same time, for those who stayed at home ?

The gift of ubiquity: face to face, but also distant…

I take care of the barrier gestures of those who are present. Yes “garde” the half groups of my classy colleagues ? I watch the “recreated” where my students should not cross other groups… I have to find a potion to split before the 12, I see no other solution.
I do not highlight the fact that I too have children, not in the same town, so with a different operation. How will I do if I am asked to put my daughter who is in CM2 on Tuesday morning and Thursday afternoon in class (because that’s his group’s schedule) while I will be in my school ?

Infernal complexity: close to a retraining

In short, all this seems to me of an infernal complexity and if still the child and his well-being were at the center of it all, but it seems to me that this is not the case.
I am preparing to resume my BAFA diploma for this end of the school year and put my teacher cap aside.

Disillusionment

So much for the main lines. I also think that the children who were unable to reach during the class period, at home, will be the same who will not come to school… i hope i'm wrong…” – VLB –

Testimonies collected by Valérie Doulevant