Sunningdale teacher faces uncertain time

FOR Sunningdale resident and pre-school teacher, Tara-Mia Freeman, school shut downs have left her without a job to do. And while this has not affected her income yet, she is uncertain of what lies ahead. Schools closed on 17 March after President Cyril Ramaphosa called for the country to take precautions against the deadly coronavirus.

Despite her concerns, Freeman supports the idea to shut down schools. She works at an uMhlanga based pre-school with Grade R learners.

“Just with the flu, you can see that when one sick child comes in to school, everyone gets sick. We don’t want to risk it,” she said.

The precaution is of particular relevance for very young children, said the teacher.

“Children put things in their mouths and then another child will pick it up. As much as we clean and wipe everything at the end of the day, you can’t stop it, so it’s a big safety precaution,” she added.

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Another concern the teacher had before schools shut was thatshe couldn’t keep track of each child’s circle of contact with family and friends.

“We don’t know where the children’s parents are travelling or if any family member has travelled. We don’t have any way of knowing this, so it’s better to be safe rather than sorry,” she said.

“I get sick if parents send their kids to school anyway, so I’m exposed to so many little ones who don’t really know to put their hands in front of their mouth when they cough and such, so I was definitely concerned that parents would unknowingly send a child to school when that child had been in contact with someone who had been overseas,”she added.

The teacher hoped to return to work on 14 April when schools were expected to reopen, however, this date was negated by the nation wide lockdown which will continue until 16 April. With uncertain times ahead, finances are a concern.

“It definitely will affect me financially if parents want to stop paying fees and schools then withhold salaries. I’ve seen an influx of parents online who don’t know what to do. There’s a lot of panic as to where their children will go. People can’t afford to pay a nanny or au pair. So that’s a big struggle for parents, especially those who are single or away from their families,” she said.

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She is using her time off to focus on her studies toward her Montasouri qualification and TEFL course.

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