It’s every supply teacher’s worse nightmare. You wake up in the morning feeling unwell. You have a full day of teaching ahead and all you want to do is curl up in a ball. You drag yourself out of bed; get yourself ready, feeling hideous (“but think of the children!”) and get yourself out of the house. As you drive to work, you feel worse and worse (“but please think of the children!”). You send a text to Ellis saying that you are feeling unwell just as a heads up.

“Mate, what are you doing going to work then?”

What was I doing?

I had woken up with awful hip pain, headache, and sore throat. I felt so tired. But I didn’t want to let Ellis, the school, or the children down. I could push through it. My morning lateral flow was negative after all.

I lasted 15 minutes.

As I rang Ellis, tearfully, to say that I was having to go home, I was very lightly scolded.

“Your health is more important”, he chided gently, “if you aren’t feeling well, it’s ok. It happens. You need to rest and recover, there’s no point pushing yourself because you’ll just get worse.”

5 hours later, I tested positive for Covid.

You may have been there too. The rush of guilt, worry, failure. Frantically thinking about writing supply notes even though YOU are the supply. Worrying about letting everyone down. How did this happen? How will Ellis be when I tell him? What will the school think of me?

“Mate, it happens. There’s nothing you can do. Just rest and focus on getting better”.
He’s totally right.

When working in schools (along with many other occupations too), sadly, Covid is an occupational hazard. We do all we can to avoid it, but it is around more than the media or Government would care to admit. And Covid is a unique virus- almost like a fingerprint. There are similar whorls and swirls, but each person has it uniquely. There is absolutely no point rushing it or comparing yourself with others. You must stay in your own lane, listen to your own body, and forget everything else.

This is reason #432057 why I am eternally grateful I work for Thrive. Since the minute I was unwell, Ellis has checked how I am; liaised with the school I’ve been on long term placement with and reminded me to concentrate on getting better. No pressure, no nagging. Just genuine concern for my welfare and wellbeing. Ellis reminded me that being ill doesn’t mean I don’t care about the children- quite the opposite.

Children deserve us at our best (or almost best- we aren’t robots!) but we can’t pour from empty cups. That is what makes Thrive such a special agency, and for the first time in my teaching career I feel genuinely at ease about being ill.
No worries. No stress. No sense of urgency. I will get back to work when my body gives me permission to do so.
And that’s ok.

Becky
Thrive Edu. Supply Teacher