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- I am being fired, unvaccinated teacher says
The Tapanui woman is no longer able to teach because she has not been vaccinated against Covid-19.
Mrs Livingston said she felt so strongly she should be able to choose whether she was vaccinated or not she was prepared to lose her job.
‘‘I’m about freedom of choice.
‘‘It’s my body. I am well and I don’t want a jab.’’
She had not given up teaching, she said.
‘‘I’m being fired.’’
That was devastating, she said.
‘‘My right as a teacher is being taken away.’’
Mounting pressure from others had made her consider getting vaccinated, she said.
‘‘I don’t believe for me that [getting vaccinated] will make the stress go away.’’
Some colleagues who did not want to be vaccinated had done so, which concerned her.
‘‘They’ve taken it for their love of the children and they don’t want to let down their community.’’
The way the issue was dividing the community and how people were treating each other was another concern.
‘‘This democracy we live in appears to be eroded.’’
She always wanted to be a teacher but after leaving school worked in a bank.
Many years later in her late 30s she trained as a teacher and had been teaching for the past 16 years.
It was not the salary that attracted her but
‘‘that ability to shape and form young people’s skills and learning’’.
‘‘[I] absolutely adore and love teaching.’’
After finishing a stint as Waikaka School acting principal earlier in the year, she had been relief teaching.
Yesterday, about 100 people attended a rally at Gore’s Eccles St playground to show their support for teachers.
Waikaka School teacher Lisa Miller was at the rally.
Mrs Miller said being vaccinated was the right choice for her.
‘‘I’m here today to support my colleagues’ right to choose.’’
The mandate had caused unnecessary division in the community and brought stress into people’s lives that could have more impact than Covid-19, she said.
Vaccine facts
- The Ministry of Health recommends that all eligible people get vaccinated, saying clinical trials found the Pfizer vaccine gave 95% protection against the symptoms of Covid-19.
- More than 7.2 million doses of the vaccine have now been given in New Zealand.
- At least 92% of eligible people in the Southern DHB region have had their first vaccine dose.
- At least 83% of eligible people in the Southern region have had their second dose.
How does it work?
The Covid-19 vaccine stimulates your body’s immune system to produce antibodies and other proteins that will fight the virus if you are exposed to it. This reduces the risk of getting infected and if you do get Covid-19, it means you could have no symptoms or will have much fewer, milder symptoms and recover faster.
— Ministry of Health
- by Sandy Eggleston
