Secret Teacher: 'This is why teachers should strike if they are not prioritised for vaccinations'

All three teachers’ unions have voted in favour of industrial action if teachers are not prioritised for vaccinations. Not before the elderly or the vulnerable, but before people with far less exposure to the virus

Norma Foley, TD., Minster for Education and Science addressing delegates at the Irish National Teachers' Organisation's virtual congress 2021 which is taking place in a studio in Naas, Co Kildare . Photograph Moya Nolan

Risk. Everyone knows what it feels like. It enters our minds, at some point, every day – if only at a subconscious level. Whether it’s getting in our car or allowing our children to play outside with their friends, we’re always calculating levels of it. We know the weight of it.

Teachers are very accustomed to negotiating risk. We educate and care for other people’s children for seven hours every day. Being vigilant is part of our job. Parents must know that. I certainly recognise it as a parent myself.