The president of the Hanover Teachers' Association isn’t convinced a week of remote learning will give them any more time to prepare.

On Tuesday, the province announced most students will participate in one week of online classes before heading back to school on January 17th.

As part of the announcement, Education Minister Cliff Cullen noted this should give schools additional time to implement enhanced safety protocols to ensure safe in-person learning.

HTA President Kevin Martens is not convinced.

"I don't actually agree with the idea that it is extra time. The workload is actually going to be increasing to do remote learning. This is something that we did for a while about a year ago but every new idea that a teacher was planning to teach in person now has to be reworked to a remote presentation, practice and exploring so it actually creates an increase in the workload."

From what he has been hearing, Martens says most Hanover Teachers feel comfortable returning to the school setting.

"I feel that the teachers feel safe. Public health and the Hanover School Division have done a lot to create a safe workspace for us. We do have about 94% of our teaching staff vaccinated and those that chose rapid testing are doing that three times a week as well so, teachers are also doing everything that they can to create a safe workspace for the students."

With all that said, Martens notes many teachers are worried about how the high COVID-19 numbers in Manitoba could affect staffing and possibly create a teacher shortage.

"We have been struggling to fully staff schools this fall and everyone who can be at work is jumping in to cover jobs when needed. I think their hope is that by calling for a short period of remote learning maybe we won't be facing those shortages."

Martens says remote learning is difficult for teachers, parents, and students but the HTA understands the vital importance of keeping students safe. He notes there are a few things parents can do to help teachers out.

"One of the best things that parents can do for us is to create a consistency for their child at home as well just like if they were in school. The teachers are going to continue the learning with their students so students being engaged as much as possible, just like they would in school is going to be really important for us."