The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly had an impact on everyone. Unfortunately, it has had a disproportionate impact on the Black community. 

As a Black teacher, this pandemic has left me with mental and emotional scars. The experiences inside and outside the classroom have been hard. In March, schools were closed which meant we moved to remote learning for the foreseeable future. Some of the British public assumed this meant most teachers were home taking an extended holiday. We were not. 

Being a Black teacher, sometimes you are reluctant to speak up out of fear of being seen as “difficult” or “trying to disrupt the status quo.”

Anonymous

I spent a lot of time in school with vulnerable and key worker children – many who were Black or from ethnic minority backgrounds.

Black teachers were encouraged by the union to express that they were unsafe in schools. However, being a Black teacher, sometimes you are reluctant to speak up out of fear of being seen as “difficult” or “trying to disrupt the status quo.”

This meant many Black teachers didn’t even look into their risk assessment, or even mention their concerns due to fears of repercussions.  

Black teachers often find themselves working in schools with children that come from the same communities they do. At the time, I was working in a school which was 80% ethnic minority children, this meant our numbers of key worker and vulnerable students (who continued attending school) were high. This put me and my other colleagues (who were also predominantly Black) at the frontline, and it left us more exposed to this deadly virus. 

Black teachers and teaching assistants ended up in ICU, and our school did not even tell us directly. We heard about it from other staff members.

Anonymous teacher

Not only during the first wave of the pandemic were Black teachers dealing with the virus, but Black teachers were also dealing with the pandemic of racism. On May 25 2020, George Floyd, was killed by a police officer. We had to watch the horrific footage over and over again as he lay with someone’s leg on his neck.

Despite our own distress, Black teachers across the globe had to find the strength to navigate conversations around white privilege, police brutality and Black Lives Matter with our students. Many schools also showed what they really stood for. Some were reluctant to speak out on these issues, leaving Black teachers feeling isolated and unsupported. 

A recent article by TES has suggested that in some areas of the UK, teachers are 333% more likely to catch COVID-19 but what is the rate for Black teachers?

I work with a diverse group of people. But my Black colleagues have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Black teachers and teaching assistants ended up in ICU, and our school did not even tell us directly. We heard about it from other staff members.

I have also witnessed the impact on my Black students, with one ending up in intensive care for over four weeks. 

The government want you to believe that teachers and students are more than safe in schools. We are not. Corridors are full, bubbles mix, and masks are not effective when students squash them into the pocket of their blazer and wear them the next day. Hand sanitiser and hand washing can only do so much. 

Schools are now “closed” again, but the reality is many of them are open for key worker and vulnerable children, with teachers putting themselves at even more risk of infection.