Should schools stay open?
A tricky one to answer. I have to add I have an interest in shutting them as I am a teacher who had to give up my job in the summer because I couldn’t risk bringing the virus home to a family , so I have spent this time creating an online course for teaching parents how to teach reading plus become an online tutor so I would do better personally if schools were shut plus I have lots of teacher friends who would be safer if they don‘t go to work.
On the other hand I know how challenging it is for parents who are working, trying to keep their job in these difficult times, plus home tutoring their children and the online educational support has been ranging from excellent to some schools doing very little in lockdown. Such a wide response by schools in terms of what they provided at home, it amazed me.
Then there is the important social aspect of children missing out even if they were home educated with excellent support from school and parents.
It is not an easy answer. I live in an area where the virus has been prevalent and know about 3 primary schools and none of them seem to have had the transmitted at school, so it seems primary schools have been safe.
Primary children seem safe. What about the teachers?
Having said that I know teachers who say they do not feel at school and then go to large shopping centres for non essential shopping which surprises me.
So what can happen to keep adults in schools safe and parents the opportunity to continue to work but also keep educating children?
So that teachers like I don’t have to make that difficult decision and leave teaching ( believe me it was hard , I loved my job of 20+ years and miss it dreadfully) maybe the government could furlough teachers who are in the high risk category or live with people in that category and have supply teachers cover their classes. As said children seem to be safe. This would make it safer.
However it is not an easy decision.
Stay safe everyone.