2021/2022 School Year

I have a question for my fellow vaccinated teachers and professors: do you feel any more secure as we kick off this new school year? Specifically, do you actually trust the vaccine to shield you from catching something while you're on the job? Does knowing there’s a much lower chance of you passing anything along to your colleagues—especially the older faculty members—make you feel more at ease? Also, how would you feel about students or undergrads going maskless during class if everyone could prove they were vaccinated? Does a student's vaccination status even matter to you? Would you prefer if everyone just dropped the masks, or would you rather everyone keep them on regardless of their status? Honestly, once you've had your shots, does any of this even weigh on your mind? 😁

Personally, I find myself feeling somewhat indifferent. It has been quite a while since I received my second dose—so long, in fact, that I almost forgot I even had it—so I don't exactly feel "super-protected" or anything. I haven't changed my habits much; I'm still being cautious just as I was before, and I plan to keep it that way as the semester begins. I share an office with some of the senior professors; though I'm more of an outside contractor, I still feel a sense of responsibility because, I suppose, I'm not entirely sure how much weight to give the data suggesting that vaccinated people spread the virus less frequently. As for the students' status, I really don't lose any sleep over it. We'll stick to social distancing and masks, and frankly, I was never particularly worried about catching something before, so I'm even less concerned now. It seems a bit silly to me to start questioning whether students are vaccinated or have already recovered just to sort them into seminar groups (even though the Department has left that option open). I don't think those kinds of measures are necessary, and it would be absolute chaos to overhaul the existing schedules just to form new groupings.

All in all, it looks like we’re just going to carry on as usual, following the same routine we've used for physical education classes throughout the pandemic—distancing, masks, hand sanitizer, and frantic ventilation until we're all shivering from the drafts. It’s hardly ideal when we end up freezing our heads off just to keep the air moving! 😬

nimblelynx7 said:Since you work in education, I take it you're illiterate too. Please tell me you don't teach English?

You just wrote an independent complex sentence without even using a comma to separate the main clause from the subordinate clause. 🙂

I'm just quoting this so there's a record of it. 🥳

Hannah Stewart said:I have a question for my fellow vaccinated teachers and professors: do you feel any more secure as we kick off this new school year? Specifically, do you actually trust the vaccine to shield you from catching something while you're on the job? Does knowing there’s a much lower chance of you passing anything along to your colleagues—especially the older faculty members—make you feel more at ease? Also, how would you feel about students or undergrads going maskless during class if everyone could prove they were vaccinated? Does a student's vaccination status even matter to you? Would you prefer if everyone just dropped the masks, or would you rather everyone keep them on regardless of their status? Honestly, once you've had your shots, does any of this even weigh on your mind? 😁

Personally, I find myself feeling somewhat indifferent. It has been quite a while since I received my second dose—so long, in fact, that I almost forgot I even had it—so I don't exactly feel "super-protected" or anything. I haven't changed my habits much; I'm still being cautious just as I was before, and I plan to keep it that way as the semester begins. I share an office with some of the senior professors; though I'm more of an outside contractor, I still feel a sense of responsibility because, I suppose, I'm not entirely sure how much weight to give the data suggesting that vaccinated people spread the virus less frequently. As for the students' status, I really don't lose any sleep over it. We'll stick to social distancing and masks, and frankly, I was never particularly worried about catching something before, so I'm even less concerned now. It seems a bit silly to me to start questioning whether students are vaccinated or have already recovered just to sort them into seminar groups (even though the Department has left that option open). I don't think those kinds of measures are necessary, and it would be absolute chaos to overhaul the existing schedules just to form new groupings.

All in all, it looks like we’re just going to carry on as usual, following the same routine we've used for physical education classes throughout the pandemic—distancing, masks, hand sanitizer, and frantic ventilation until we're all shivering from the drafts. It’s hardly ideal when we end up freezing our heads off just to keep the air moving! 😬

What exactly is bothering you? Is it the lecture hall or the faculty lounge?

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Amanda Diaz said:Alright, I’ll break this down so simply even an average American schoolteacher could follow: my advice was to demand everything in writing—specifically, if they're actually planning on sending him home every single day. If they did that, the government would lose that lawsuit in a heartbeat if they were just trying to avoid educating him. But let's be real, that's never going to happen in actual practice.

That scenario only exists in the wet dreams of your typical American teacher.

They can certainly ask, but they aren't going to get anywhere.
It would be like asking the administration to hand out individual written confirmations to every single person every day—like getting a signed note saying you won't be allowed into class unless you're wearing specific shoes.

Just read the student handbook and call it a day.

And since you want to play hero, why don't you try walking into a venue where they require a COVID-19 vaccination card and demand they give you a formal, written document personally stating you aren't being admitted without it? Let us know if you actually receive that paper and if you manage to get inside. Then, feel free to sue the government.

The whole point of my argument here is that we are looking at parents whose own instability is making life unnecessarily difficult for their child, which is something that can have lasting effects on a kid's development.

mellowskipper said:What exactly is bothering you? Is it the lecture hall or the faculty lounge?

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The office, mostly. It’s quite small in terms of square footage, and we can't really keep all the windows open all the time because the draft gets absolutely terrible—papers just fly everywhere the moment someone opens the door. Most of the professors are older, nearing retirement, and dealing with various health issues. Plus, I have a pretty long commute to campus on the intercity bus, so I suppose I could pick up something there as well.

I guess I was asking more generally, though; I'm curious about how everyone working within the system is actually feeling. I recently shared a statistic suggesting that one in five educators in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County has contracted Coronavirus, so it does seem like a rather risky environment.

Hannah Stewart said:I have a question for my fellow vaccinated teachers and professors: do you feel any more secure as we kick off this new school year? Specifically, do you actually trust the vaccine to shield you from catching something while you're on the job? Does knowing there’s a much lower chance of you passing anything along to your colleagues—especially the older faculty members—make you feel more at ease? Also, how would you feel about students or undergrads going maskless during class if everyone could prove they were vaccinated? Does a student's vaccination status even matter to you? Would you prefer if everyone just dropped the masks, or would you rather everyone keep them on regardless of their status? Honestly, once you've had your shots, does any of this even weigh on your mind? 😁

Personally, I find myself feeling somewhat indifferent. It has been quite a while since I received my second dose—so long, in fact, that I almost forgot I even had it—so I don't exactly feel "super-protected" or anything. I haven't changed my habits much; I'm still being cautious just as I was before, and I plan to keep it that way as the semester begins. I share an office with some of the senior professors; though I'm more of an outside contractor, I still feel a sense of responsibility because, I suppose, I'm not entirely sure how much weight to give the data suggesting that vaccinated people spread the virus less frequently. As for the students' status, I really don't lose any sleep over it. We'll stick to social distancing and masks, and frankly, I was never particularly worried about catching something before, so I'm even less concerned now. It seems a bit silly to me to start questioning whether students are vaccinated or have already recovered just to sort them into seminar groups (even though the Department has left that option open). I don't think those kinds of measures are necessary, and it would be absolute chaos to overhaul the existing schedules just to form new groupings.

All in all, it looks like we’re just going to carry on as usual, following the same routine we've used for physical education classes throughout the pandemic—distancing, masks, hand sanitizer, and frantic ventilation until we're all shivering from the drafts. It’s hardly ideal when we end up freezing our heads off just to keep the air moving! 😬

I don't really feel any more secure than I did last year, I guess.
I've had both doses. I still wear a mask at school, in the grocery store, on public transit, and so on.
Personally, I think we should probably all stick to wearing masks while the numbers are still all over the place.
As for those COVID-19 vaccination cards, they seem a bit silly to me; they feel like an administrative category with an expiration date, and I'm not really sure what to make of how long immunity actually lasts since every state seems to be running its own show with policy.🙄
I don't have any intention of getting a third or eighth dose.
I don't have a cabinet.😁

Hannah Stewart said:The office, mostly. It’s quite small in terms of square footage, and we can't really keep all the windows open all the time because the draft gets absolutely terrible—papers just fly everywhere the moment someone opens the door. Most of the professors are older, nearing retirement, and dealing with various health issues. Plus, I have a pretty long commute to campus on the intercity bus, so I suppose I could pick up something there as well.

I guess I was asking more generally, though; I'm curious about how everyone working within the system is actually feeling. I recently shared a statistic suggesting that one in five educators in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County has contracted Coronavirus, so it does seem like a rather risky environment.

Are they vaccinated? And are they wearing masks?
If that's the case, then the conversation is over. If they aren't, then why does it even matter to you? You’ve done everything within your power.

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wanderingbadger44 said:They can certainly ask, but they aren't going to get anywhere.
It would be like asking the administration to hand out individual written confirmations to every single person every day—like getting a signed note saying you won't be allowed into class unless you're wearing specific shoes.

Just read the student handbook and call it a day.

And since you want to play hero, why don't you try walking into a venue where they require a COVID-19 vaccination card and demand they give you a formal, written document personally stating you aren't being admitted without it? Let us know if you actually receive that paper and if you manage to get inside. Then, feel free to sue the government.

The whole point of my argument here is that we are looking at parents whose own instability is making life unnecessarily difficult for their child, which is something that can have lasting effects on a kid's development.

Of course the school has to provide a written explanation when they're interfering with his legal rights.

If I get a subpoena to testify in court, for example, and they tell me at the door that I can't enter without a COVID certificate, I'm demanding that in writing. They are obligated to provide that documentation.

And just to be clear, I'm not "venting." I'm just saddened by the fact that we have so many fools forcing kids to wear things that offer zero actual health benefits. It's sad enough that parents are trying to handle things in a way that probably won't even work. But what saddens me most is the fact that our children are being educated by arrogant ignoramuses like you.

There is nothing I dislike more than watching someone on a forum try to take down another user simply because of their grammar or spelling. It usually happens when two people with opposing viewpoints get into a one-on-one debate and realize they aren't going to see eye to eye. Instead of actually addressing the argument, one person tries to act superior by implying the other is uneducated or illiterate. Personally, I’ll be the first to admit my writing isn't perfect, but honestly, the nuances of the English language matter about as much to me as they do to most people in this country. I'm not here to play linguistic games 😁
My paycheck arrives regardless of how I structure my sentences 👍

mellowskipper said:Are they vaccinated? And are they wearing masks?
If that's the case, then the conversation is over. If they aren't, then why does it even matter to you? You’ve done everything within your power.

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It’s really just two grumpy, old-school professors—they remind me of those sour old guys you might find working the furnace at a Muppet factory. They seem to spend all their time grumbling and spraying disinfectant everywhere, whether it's actually necessary or not, while giving us "outsiders" these judgmental looks. I honestly can't say why they decided to pair me and a younger colleague with them; I suspect it's perhaps because they don't know what else to do with the newcomers, or maybe just because nobody else wants to deal with them. 😁

I suppose I should remind myself that I don't need to feel this pressure or carry any guilt. As long as we have our masks and maintain some semblance of distance, I think we'll manage to make it through the season just fine. 👍

wanderingbadger44 said:They can certainly ask, but they aren't going to get anywhere.
It would be like asking the administration to hand out individual written confirmations to every single person every day—like getting a signed note saying you won't be allowed into class unless you're wearing specific shoes.

Just read the student handbook and call it a day.

And since you want to play hero, why don't you try walking into a venue where they require a COVID-19 vaccination card and demand they give you a formal, written document personally stating you aren't being admitted without it? Let us know if you actually receive that paper and if you manage to get inside. Then, feel free to sue the government.

The whole point of my argument here is that we are looking at parents whose own instability is making life unnecessarily difficult for their child, which is something that can have lasting effects on a kid's development.

I mean, you've got a point there, but maybe "unstable" is more about how society itself is broken—teaching kids that appearances are everything and that hypocrisy is just how the world works.

If you don't feel any safer from the virus, what was the motivation behind getting vaccinated in the first place? If you're still just as worried about ending up on a ventilator, then perhaps the only thing the shot actually added was more anxiety over potential side effects...

I mean, they tell us we still need to wear N95 masks and keep sanitizing everything, but if being vaccinated doesn't provide a real sense of security, then what was the whole point of doing it...

nimblelynx7 said:Since you work in education, I take it you're illiterate too. Please tell me you don't teach English?

You just wrote an independent complex sentence without even using a comma to separate the main clause from the subordinate clause. 🙂

This is gold! 🤣

Hannah Stewart said:I have a question for my fellow vaccinated teachers and professors: do you feel any more secure as we kick off this new school year? Specifically, do you actually trust the vaccine to shield you from catching something while you're on the job? Does knowing there’s a much lower chance of you passing anything along to your colleagues—especially the older faculty members—make you feel more at ease? Also, how would you feel about students or undergrads going maskless during class if everyone could prove they were vaccinated? Does a student's vaccination status even matter to you? Would you prefer if everyone just dropped the masks, or would you rather everyone keep them on regardless of their status? Honestly, once you've had your shots, does any of this even weigh on your mind? 😁

Personally, I find myself feeling somewhat indifferent. It has been quite a while since I received my second dose—so long, in fact, that I almost forgot I even had it—so I don't exactly feel "super-protected" or anything. I haven't changed my habits much; I'm still being cautious just as I was before, and I plan to keep it that way as the semester begins. I share an office with some of the senior professors; though I'm more of an outside contractor, I still feel a sense of responsibility because, I suppose, I'm not entirely sure how much weight to give the data suggesting that vaccinated people spread the virus less frequently. As for the students' status, I really don't lose any sleep over it. We'll stick to social distancing and masks, and frankly, I was never particularly worried about catching something before, so I'm even less concerned now. It seems a bit silly to me to start questioning whether students are vaccinated or have already recovered just to sort them into seminar groups (even though the Department has left that option open). I don't think those kinds of measures are necessary, and it would be absolute chaos to overhaul the existing schedules just to form new groupings.

All in all, it looks like we’re just going to carry on as usual, following the same routine we've used for physical education classes throughout the pandemic—distancing, masks, hand sanitizer, and frantic ventilation until we're all shivering from the drafts. It’s hardly ideal when we end up freezing our heads off just to keep the air moving! 😬

I feel pretty secure because I've been vaccinated, and I actually had close contact with the virus shortly after (I didn't have symptoms, so I didn't bother testing). I mostly wear a mask, even though it drives me crazy. Most of the kids are wearing them too, though some don't—usually the ones who just recovered from it.

I'm just pushing through and waiting for this whole thing to blow over, just like everyone else. 🤷

urbantinker8 said:I don't really feel any more secure than I did last year, I guess.
I've had both doses. I still wear a mask at school, in the grocery store, on public transit, and so on.
Personally, I think we should probably all stick to wearing masks while the numbers are still all over the place.
As for those COVID-19 vaccination cards, they seem a bit silly to me; they feel like an administrative category with an expiration date, and I'm not really sure what to make of how long immunity actually lasts since every state seems to be running its own show with policy.🙄
I don't have any intention of getting a third or eighth dose.
I don't have a cabinet.😁

Look, just listen to the experts, otherwise you're basically going to end up just like me, someone who isn't even touching that first dose.😉

Susan Martin4 said:I was reading another thread where they mentioned FOX reported about 2,000 infected students. Does that mean we're looking at nearly half of all active cases?

That’s exactly why they push stories about how many people are infected rather than how many are actually sick. It's a way to make everything look way more terrifying than it really is.

Hannah Stewart said:It’s really just two grumpy, old-school professors—they remind me of those sour old guys you might find working the furnace at a Muppet factory. They seem to spend all their time grumbling and spraying disinfectant everywhere, whether it's actually necessary or not, while giving us "outsiders" these judgmental looks. I honestly can't say why they decided to pair me and a younger colleague with them; I suspect it's perhaps because they don't know what else to do with the newcomers, or maybe just because nobody else wants to deal with them. 😁

I suppose I should remind myself that I don't need to feel this pressure or carry any guilt. As long as we have our masks and maintain some semblance of distance, I think we'll manage to make it through the season just fine. 👍

Honestly, they would be watching your every move even without the Coronavirus. It’s just how their minds work.
If I were you, I wouldn't give them a second thought. Unless, of course, they happen to sit on the tenure committee at our university. Then you're in trouble.

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Piggy, are you actually worried that being vaccinated means you won't end up infecting them—assuming they're all vaccinated, of course? I mean, based on how they're constantly disinfecting everything in their path, it seems like they are. It really goes to show that they're just as terrified as everyone else; it’s honestly frightening to see what they've done to people.

wanderingbadger44 said:They can certainly ask, but they aren't going to get anywhere.
It would be like asking the administration to hand out individual written confirmations to every single person every day—like getting a signed note saying you won't be allowed into class unless you're wearing specific shoes.

Just read the student handbook and call it a day.

And since you want to play hero, why don't you try walking into a venue where they require a COVID-19 vaccination card and demand they give you a formal, written document personally stating you aren't being admitted without it? Let us know if you actually receive that paper and if you manage to get inside. Then, feel free to sue the government.

The whole point of my argument here is that we are looking at parents whose own instability is making life unnecessarily difficult for their child, which is something that can have lasting effects on a kid's development.

Man, people have been incredibly quick to throw out diagnoses lately whenever they run into someone with a different opinion. 🙈 "Unstable," huh? Is that what we're calling it now just because they don't follow the crowd?

Here’s what the actual experts are saying: Major Study: No clear or reliable evidence that masks in schools are actually effective.

Let's try listening to science instead of politics for once.

Austin Garcia said:If you don't feel any safer from the virus, what was the motivation behind getting vaccinated in the first place? If you're still just as worried about ending up on a ventilator, then perhaps the only thing the shot actually added was more anxiety over potential side effects...

I mean, they tell us we still need to wear N95 masks and keep sanitizing everything, but if being vaccinated doesn't provide a real sense of security, then what was the whole point of doing it...

I suppose I got vaccinated in the hope that most people would see it as a logical, sensible decision during these crazy "new normal" times we've found ourselves in.
I went ahead with it because my daily life involves being in contact with hundreds of people for hours at a time.
I chose to get the shot mainly to minimize my chances of catching a severe case of the illness.

But I guess I'm not entirely certain, mostly because I'm still interacting daily with hundreds of unvaccinated people, which means I might still end up bringing this virus home to my unvaccinated kids. And please, don't start with the whole "but kids have mild symptoms" argument, because I really don't care about that—I just don't want my children to get sick. Period.
I'm uncertain because, honestly, it seems like there isn't much clear information out there regarding how long immunity lasts for those who were vaccinated.
And I'm also uneasy because, thanks to a massive crowd of unvaccinated fools who had the option but passed on it, we're basically leaving the door wide open for new variants—variants that my two doses might not even protect me against.