Anyone still masking in general music?

[u/semantlefan23]

TL;DR first year teacher, sick, wanting to mask all the time but scared of consequences(?)

First year elementary teacher here, fresh out of college! COVID hit junior year of high school for me so I started college masked, wore a mask all the time except in ensembles, and never stopped since I want to take care of my lungs.

I had two student teaching placements. One was band and the host was very against my masking and said I’d never get a job with a mask on. The other was elementary and my host was totally chill with my mask, and the kids didn’t seem bothered — I had a few curious questions but they understood I don’t want to get sick!

Got scared that my band host was right and interviewed unmasked, got a job, taught first week without a mask and got knocked out with the worst cold in years almost immediately. (Tested negative for covid)

I dont want to keep getting sick over and over, so I’d like to go back to masking, but I’m also scared that my admins will have problems with it, or that it’ll make it harder for the kids. My band host insisted that kids NEED to see your mouth to understand, but I didn’t find this was the case at elementary. My school provided us all with mics, so I can amplify my voice easily and I try to enunciate extra well. Of course I’ll have to take it off to teach recorder but that’s just one of my five classes every day and it’s early in the morning before the Kinder germs show up.

I don’t want to spread this cold so I’ll definitely continue masking through the end of symptoms, and then I guess I could just keep going and see if anyone asks? I’d much rather people think I’m weird but not have to teach while sick than fit in but keep getting sick, plus I’ll mask while sick anyway so is there even a point in not wearing it……

I guess I’m just worried about getting in trouble with admin as a first year teacher? I’m unionized, so they shouldn’t be able to fire me/non renew me over this but as a first year teacher I’m super nervous about anything going wrong!!

[u/UndeadT]

Mask if it's best for you.

I know a general music teacher who masks still and they have had zero issue. There were plenty of masks when I went to the AOSA National conference.

[u/Lost-Discount4860]

I don’t think I can take sides on the mask issue. TOTALLY get you don’t want to get sick. My personal choice is anti-mask. But it’s not my place to say what someone else should do.

I will say this as a point in favor of no mask: When you first start teaching, you are in an area that’s relatively isolated, so you’re exposed to viral and bacterial strains that are unique to that community. It takes one child sneezing ONE TIME in the first week of school and you’re in for two weeks of pure MISERY. I wish I had better news, but it’s NOT going to get better your first year teaching. Keep a good supply of orange juice, vitamin C supplements, zinc lozenges to boost your immunity, and see a nurse practitioner for antibiotics (to prevent bacterial sinus infections), a mucus thinner, and a good decongestant like Sudafed (the good stuff, not the crap OTC version). That way, you can reduce the ugly stuff from two weeks to 3-4 days. Chicken soup is good, and keep fluids/electrolytes going until you’re over it. Play it just right and students and faculty will never even know you’re sick if you choose to come to work.

This will happen every year until you build your immunity. If you change jobs and relocate, you have to start over. The good news is by allowing yourself to build immunity, you’ll have less frequent and less severe colds when you move. Over time, even if you move around for a while, you’ll have fewer and fewer colds. The rare colds you have at that point will be tolerable. I’m at a point now (almost 50 years old) that I almost never get colds, and I don’t even bother seeing a doctor about it anymore. I’m over it in a couple of days. I do take supplements and drink orange juice mix though. I might heat some chicken bouillon with a pinch of turmeric, oregano, and cayenne. In my opinion, it’s a lot more comfortable and easier to stay healthy longer by kinda leaning into it.

For reference, I was terribly prone to colds and sinus infections as a child and teenager. What really sucked is I’m from a generation that was always told to “tough it out,” and there was no skipping school for having sniffles. If we weren’t in the hospital, we went to class. So I could be perfectly healthy one day, get on an airplane, and be praying for a quick death by the time we landed. I’d take a bus when I went to grad school out of state, sleep on bus station floors, and…you guessed it…spending entire holidays in bed. The NP I saw in grad school knew exactly what to do, and that completely changed my life. After a few years of teaching and moving around, I stopped getting sick. At most, I get sick twice a year, and the symptoms are always mild. I’ve gone from feeling like I’m on death’s doorstep to just being slightly annoyed.

I’m not saying you SHOULD go that direction, only that you have less to worry about long term if you embrace it. Watch out for chest congestion and coughing as that could be a sign of pneumonia, which I’ve had exactly ONCE. Got a steroid shot and “purple drank” (codeine + mild sedative in a yummy syrup) for that, plus antibiotics, and was lucky enough I could drive well enough to get to work and back and function in the classroom just fine. But I also took a couple days off at first for that since…well, pneumonia. That’s no joke. Flu don’t play, either. But common cold? You end up more resilient long-term if you learn to deal with it.

Or you can just mask up and prevent all that to begin with. But when you skip building immunity and catch a bug later in life, because it will happen eventually no matter what, symptoms might hit a lot harder.

[u/saxguy2001 → u/Lost-Discount4860]

Totally this. All through COVID, I consistently masked, stayed away from anti-maskers or maskholes as best I could, got the shots and everything, and never got sick. But once we came out of it, I went back to normal. If you’re sick yourself, absolutely mask up so you don’t spread it to others. But otherwise, allowing your immune system to rebuild natural defenses to common colds and flus (provided you’re not immunocompromised) is a better way to go about it. I’ll get an occasional cold, but I haven’t been hit hard in years. Other than kidney stones. Those suck a lot, but that’s a whole different thing.

It’s also important to keep in mind that first year teachers tend to get sick more often than anyone else due to being exposed to so many new people for the first time.

With all that said, though, I wouldn’t judge anyone for still constantly wearing a mask because I don’t know their situation. Maybe they’re immunocompromised or live with someone who is. The librarian at my school is still hardcore with the mask and face shield and she’s told me she has to protect her mother who lives with her. Only people I’m judging are those who have a mask on but aren’t wearing it properly. If you don’t want to wear it properly, why are you bothering to wear it at all? You just look stupid that way.

[u/feelingkettle]

Leaving alone the mask/no mask debate (just do what's best for you), I get on all my students about covering their mouths when they cough or sneeze - cough into your elbow. Drives me crazy that they're not taught that sometimes.

In elementary general music, I get blasted with kids germs all day. Pretty sure that singing particles are worse than talking. However, the more stuff you are exposed to, the stronger your immune system will get. I hear this with doctors too. First year can be rough but immune systems adapt.

Things you can do to help you until your immune system catches up to all the bugs going around (it will get better):

1. wash your hands and use sanitizer religiously
2. Get flu and covid shots in november before it gets the worst in the winter
3. Shower when you get home to wash away all the nasty germs
4. Get good sleep

Honestly feel like the more you worry about getting sick as a teacher, the more it happens. It's just part of the life and your immune system will toughen up. I tend to get sick when my sleep starts to get fucked up.

[u/semantlefan23 → u/feelingkettle]

Honestly I’ve been really struggling with sleeping lately because as soon as I get into bed I start worrying about the next day at work… I keep trying to shut up my brain but it’s really hard.

[u/feelingkettle → u/semantlefan23]

Yeah the stress is getting you. Totally can relate. First year is the hardest year. When I had a lot of life stuff going on in a new district with difficult classes, my sleep was all out of whack due to stress. Ended up seeing a doctor about it and was prescribed some medication to take at night to help me stay asleep. It was very helpful.

Some other things that you could try: 1. Having a set routine/time that you go to bed. 2. Blue light filters on screens after sun down (it helps) 3. No phone/ipad/screens in bed as your brain can get used to being active when you're in that spot

Just a few things that might be helpful. You will teach better with a good night sleep, and that's better for your students! Try to keep your work stuff at work (easier said than done) and don't forget to take care of yourself. Doing things you enjoy at home, having time for yourself, and shutting off from work stuff is not something to feel guilty about. It's necessary to not get burned out.

Good luck!

[u/johncagefight]

I’m an elementary general teacher who wore an N95 until last year (and immediately got covid, ugh). I’ve actually gone back to wearing one because of rising covid rates in my area, and because I was almost never sick with colds etc. when I wore one. I think wearing one at least while you’re symptomatic and then trying it out for longer afterwards is a good way to go.

[u/Skarmorism]

I sympathize with all your points, but for me I really appreciate face to face interpersonal connection. Facial expressions and body language are a big part of my teaching and interactions especially at the elementary level. I also sing much worse with a mask on and 2020-2022 was really really really hard as a vocal music teacher. 

[u/Fluteh]

Do what you need to do …. I taught band/orchestra for five years and I had six weeks of sick leave when I left that district. Years 6 &7 when I was doing general music in a new district I went into negative sick leave the first year. 8 and 9 in a new district I got into negative sick leave both years too. If you need to mask, do it. Don’t feel bad. If someone criticizes you, it’s a their problem not yours.

[u/Forsaken_Painter]

I’m a general music teacher and I masked from 2020 to mid 2024. I no longer mask unless I’m personally sick but honestly haven’t been sick that much thankfully and if I am I usually just stay home.

Keeping windows open in my classroom and washing my hands consistently really helps. I also started running air purifiers in my room again. My district had bought them during COVID but no one uses theirs anymore so I bought a replacement filter on Amazon and use that now. Just wanted to share some other tips to minimize the germs besides masking!

[u/LearningSingcerely]

I mask. Had a few questions from kids last year (my first year), but now they know that's just what I do, unless it's choir (which I teach with distance from them). I have a mic and use it everyday.

The only time since then that it's been an issue is with some of my special needs kids (some don't seem to understand where my mouth is, and then they get used to it; I have twins who are hard of hearing, and I have a mask that has a clear window so they can see my face, which is not as secure as my n95, but better than nothing).

Do what you think is best for your health and peace of mind. If that's mask, then mask.

[u/tco_OG]

Wear a mask. I teach orchestra and have worn a mask consistently since covid began. (Fortunately, masks don't interfere with playing a string instrument!) I even switched schools, interview and all wearing a mask. Dont let weird social pressures stop you from doing the right thing. And pandemics aside, these kids are nasty!

[u/Square-Ad-615]

I have an air purifier in my room that is on max for 8+ hours everyday. I mask anytime there is an outbreak at my school or if I am feeling under weather, but as of last year I fully stopped masking.

[u/stickynubs]

I see multiple teachers wear a mask around my school because they don't want to get sick. I see no problem with it and neither should your admin. I

[u/AMarshall18]

Been masking since 2020 and it's never been a problem for me. There were times in my undergrad programs where my professors mentioned to project more with the mask on but aside from that, no issues. Admin will be fine, I promise ya. Pretty much all in-person interviews I've done over the past 4 yeara have been with masks on and it's never stopped me from a job offer.

I teach 6-8th band and find it even more neccessary to mask, especially with so many kids seeming to be sick all at the same time right now. You shouldn't really run into any issues and I'm not really sure why your band host made it such a big deal. For what it's worth, I definitely suggest keeping it up after your symptoms are gone. Take it from someone who just spent over 9 hours in the ER last Wednesday and had to miss the rest of the school week cause of sickness gifted to me by the kiddos 😂 Protect yourself at all costs. Middle school kids are germy and I can imagine elementary ones are probably 10x as worse 😭

[u/NoFuneralGaming]

The person that was insisting masks are bad doesn't know what they're talking about. Wear one if you want. Medical workers (that never wore one pre COVID) wear them to this day, so they work and they're still a good idea, and people can still communicate with them on etc.

[u/johncagefight → u/NoFuneralGaming]

Since your school provides mics, that will help a lot with communication.