How do you guys and gals keep from getting sick? I’ve been god damn sick 5 times since January. I’m a special edu teacher. As a guy who works in the elementary school setting all the kids come up and touch me or want to talk to me since I’m a dude. I love it and enjoy the young kids but at the same time I cannot stand getting sick. Go to bed at 9 and wake up at 5 am to workout. I get to school at 7:45 and then stay till the bell rings and go to track practice as I coach till 5. After that I’m done. I average about 450 tss the past 4 weeks in 8 hours. I’m a single guy who lives with his girlfriend. No kids. I just don’t get how I keep getting sick when I eat in moderation sleep a decent amount and mostly consistent with my schedule. I also wash my hands at school 4 times a day plus. I’ve been keeping track of it.
Anything that works? I’ll do anything just short of putting my head up my ass ( I’m not that flexible).
I’m not sure this always works, but as teachers we will always be coming into contact with so many different pupils who’ve been to so many different places that if there’s a bug going around then you’re sure to pick it up.
I think I would just suggest keeping a close watch on personal hygiene. Without trying to sound rude, I reckon that there’s a lot of germs on pens,rulers, calculator buttons, door handles etc. I don’t think you’ll be able to avoid touching those places, so I would just say to limit the transfer, so don’t touch your face/mouth/eyes when you’ve been teaching a class. And then wash your hands before you eat or drink (keep your water bottle out of reach of kids, in a staffroom if you can).
Not rude at all! I’ll try to stick to using my own pen and not sharing it and keeping more distance from kids during the day. Touching my face is something I need to get better at. Thanks!
It is rumored that sex increases testosterone. That rumor is good enough for me. My wife (the teacher) just rolls her eyes when I tell her it will help keep hormones level. I try…
I found I have built a level of resistance up over the years, so I tend to get a milder version of what’s going round. I watch out for a tell tale sore throat that starts when my immunity is dropping. This, I think, is why I can’t do more than 2 high intensity sessions a week (including SS), because I need to keep my immune system robust.
I don’t know if vit D tablets help, but I like think they do.
Another teacher here… and yes, very tired. This time of year is the worst for me for fatigue- the long stretch with almost not days off leading up to spring break.
Waiting for summer anxiously.
School hours are 8:15-3:45… i wake up and train from 5-7, parent a bit (kids are self sufficient age), and am in bed after parenting some more by 9.
Another teacher here - in year 8 and I do not work outside of school much anymore. School day is 8:30-3, but I end up at school most days around 7am and get most done before school so I can leave right away at the end of the day.
Current routine is when I get home with the kids about 3:45 I change and we all head down to the trainer. Kids get 60-90 minutes of Netflix as I ride and wife finishes up work. They are young enough that this works for now and the days I don’t ride they are asking me to so they get their screen time, hah.
Not a week after posting this and routine is all out the window… I am in MN and schools are closed until at least March 27th - my district until April 6th with spring break. We are currently planning as if students will not be back in school at all this year and everything will be distance learning. So much for not working at home, haha.
Something similar here in UK.
Schools have been closed, but are apparently staying open to provide childcare for key workers.
(I am happy to do my part and I’m happy to continue teaching as normally as possible so that children are taken care of so that workers can continue doing whatever they need to do, like nurses, fire service, power stations. Not sure if I am meant to stand at the school gates with a register and only let in the key workers’ children?)
Definitely a time to rethink the training plan…
The government is saying schools need to remain open for children of key workers and those children with EHC plans - since we are in a special school, that means all our children.
We can’t do that with so few staff.
School heads are trying to get clarification.
I just need to get out on the bike…
21 year secondary school teacher in Richmond, CA here. I began TR back when the pandemic shut down the schools. I no longer had my 30 mile a day commute and was unsure at the time of the wisdom of riding outdoors. I bought a smart trainer and got to work, doing a high volume plan that is still going (I started the first week of specialty last week). School started online again this week, and I am now two days into trying to fit my workouts into my school day. During the summer I tried to them mid morning, but now am having to do them throughout the day. For me, teaching is draining in a way that can feel similar to physical exhaustion, but different. Maybe this is the parasympathetic response that Coach Amber often talks about. Being in front of a screenful of black boxes with names on them is surprisingly stressful! So we’ll see. I might have to back down to mid volume if I can’t keep up, but so far so good.
