Teachers welcome vaccine but remain cautious

“I’m constantly around people at school, and the spaces are crowded. I know I’m not really protected from COVID-19. I take that risk every day I go to work,” says Leila Emdon. She’s just one of thousands of teachers who will be vaccinated in the coming weeks. While she and many of her compatriots cannot wait to get their jabs, they are adamant that they will continue to be vigilant in the classroom.

Emdon teaches history, English, and life orientation at Claremont High School in Cape Town. She’s excited to get vaccinated as her school’s routine and environment has been turned upside down by the pandemic.

“We have 500 pupils, and we are a low-resource government school. Before COVID-19, our normal class sizes for Grades 8 and 9 were 35 kids in a class. Grades 10 to 12 had about 22 to 25 kids in a class. We would each have our own classrooms,” she says.

“The building is quite small, with quite small classrooms, so when COVID-19 hit and we had to create a one-metre space between each desk, we couldn’t accommodate all the pupils in each classroom. Plus, the campus in general is small, there aren’t a lot of common spaces, and there isn’t a school field. So, matrics come to school every day, Grades 8 and 9 come only two and a half days a week, and Grade 10s and 11s four days a week. We also split the classes, and teachers move around to different venues to keep the kids from moving around.

“What this means for teachers is that we’ve had a big curriculum to teach in a very short period of time. We’ve had less teaching time and contact with our kids,” she says. “We also have to move around constantly. It can be quite stressful always being in different venues, spending the whole day running around with your bags and books. Also, we don’t have a normal timetable, so some days we have no break or a very short break. It’s erratic. I used to have one Grade 8 class, now I have two. So I have to teach the same thing twice a week, which is extra teaching. We also can’t do group work or interactive things because of social distancing. It’s really taken a toll on teachers at my school. We want to go back to “normal”, but still with COVID-19 protocols in place.”

In Johannesburg, where the pandemic has battered the community from all sides, teachers feel that the vaccine can’t come soon enough. “I feel truly blessed and am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to be vaccinated as a teacher,” says Yakira Jacobson, who teaches kodesh at Yeshiva College Primary School.

“I teach 40 children a day, and to have a level of protection gives a sense of relief,” she says. “I have always said that I became a teacher to be in the classroom, and this is a positive step to ensuring that the education of our pupils happens there and not behind a screen.”

Jacobson started teaching only this year, and so she’s taught only in a pandemic. While it has been a “baptism of fire”, “the major impact is the inability always to be in the classroom and the need to be online. Teaching should take place in the classroom as that’s how you are able to have the most impact in your pupils. It’s difficult to ensure that everyone is focused and working when online. However, it’s still of utmost importance to keep to all the safety protocols that have been in place since the beginning, and this won’t change in my classroom.”

Tzilla Tannenbaum, who also teaches kodesh at Yeshiva College Primary says, “It feels quite surreal. I felt like I should be saying a brocha, and I actually did afterwards. I feel so privileged that I was lucky enough to receive it, and I was in awe of the efficiency at Discovery [medical aid]. I pray that this allows me, my three children, and all the other children who I teach every day to remain at school where we belong. I also hope that all my friends and family that I love can be vaccinated soon, and we can all be safe.”

She says it’s the little things that she has missed the most as a teacher. “It’s hard not being able to have close contact with the little ones – to give a high five to celebrate an achievement, or a little cuddle when they are sad. It’s also so hard to sing and teach new songs with a mask on. Although the children are amazing, Zoom is so hard! Please G-d, the vaccine will allow us all to stay on campus and feel slightly less anxious.”

For many teachers, not much will change in their classrooms. “I’ve been vaccinated but I haven’t changed my teaching whatsoever,” says Aliza Amy Lefky who teaches at Hirsch Lyons. “I’m still as cautious and maintain all the COVID-19 protocols.”

Keren Munnell, who teaches Jewish Studies at King David Victory Park (KDVP), agrees. “I was vaccinated, and I’m feeling relieved! In terms of protocols like masking, social distancing, and sanitising, I most definitely won’t let my guard down as it’s still possible to pass it on to others who aren’t yet vaccinated. My teaching practice won’t change, but I’m certainly feeling a lot more protected and calm if I do get COVID-19.”

Shelley Segal, who teaches Grade 1 at KDVP, says, “I had COVID-19 during the first wave, and I’m absolutely petrified of getting it again. The vaccine will reassure the parents in my class when we return to school. I think it’s the correct thing to do, as one cannot replace teaching in person. Knowing I have done my bit for my community makes me feel better.”