to think uk children in general did not have a bad experience during the pandemic

[orangeleavesinautumn]

Just read yet another post when inappropriate behaviour in a teen is put down to delayed trauma from covid times.

Having worked as a teacher in many countries, I can tell you that the conditions we called "lock down" are normal life for many of the world's children, and our children are incredibly privileged compared to most.

They didn't really suffer, they just had a slightly less ultra-privileged life for a short time. They were not more isolated and deprived than "normal" they were less isolated and deprived than normal, in a world wide sense - they were just more isolated and deprived than we have come to expect in our wealthy world.

Some may have been afraid, or bereaved, but most were not, and many enjoyed themselves enormously, more children I know preferred lock down to normal school, than preferred normal school to lockdown - and I have asked literally hundreds of children!

Can we stop telling them they are disadvantaged and traumatised now please!

Seems optimistic. How would that work?

Yeah, where did the current grandparents go so wrong in raising such parents lacking in resilience?

I completely agree with this. The children who suffered in lockdown due to neglect, poverty, abuse or poor mental health are hardly going to share it in a class full of children. Especially if the majority are breezily talking about what a great lockdown experience they had.

You would say would you?

Secondary Schools were still masked up until spring of 2022.

Primary Children were bubbled until the same time, not allowed to play with friends in other classes.
I think Primary staff were masked 😷 until spring 22 too.

That is not normal by anyone's standards. Yes there was a element of Scottish willy waving but we weren't that far behind England

I would say yes, my experience is of England and rules there. I’m not that knowledgeable about Scotland and understand it was harsher but I was fairly preoccupied by what was going on outside my own front door at that time.

By the end of my dd’s reception year (started September 2020) I helped on a school trip - I don’t recall wearing a mask even on the coach but might have done and the two reception classes were definitely mixed on the coach. The staff were never masked at school bar a couple who clearly chose to be. We (parents) were masked at drop off/pick up until some point near the start of 2022.

My only child is autistic and being in year 3 obviously did not have a phone. He was home from March with only me. He was so low and depressed it broke my heart. No contact with friends, I didn't know any parents personally so couldn't even facilitate phone calls.

It took until year 5 for him to build up his confidence with friends again, let alone all the time getting used to school again.

It severely affected my child. He did not enjoy himself enormously.

I can't believe your attitude as a human let alone a teacher. You have no idea how many children struggled with online school-especially seeing peers with essential industry parents in the class behind teacher!

No one has told my child he was traumatised or disadvantaged by the lockdowns...but he and his peers were. You cannot argue, as a teacher, that a weeks holiday in term time hugely disrupts learning but the massive experience of covid lockdowns didn't. Ridiculous.

In my opinion they did and sadly the so called 'new normal' looks to me like business as usual. Like nothing ever happened.

@whatsinanameeh if its any comfort I found kids just didn't know how to hold a conversation over the phone. Girls were better than boys though.

My oldest was 9, we tried getting him to call a couple of friends both times they giggled at the novelty of using the phone but couldn't hold conversation.
The one person he did have a decent gibber to was a wee girl- they showed each other their soft toys over via whats app.🧸

Once he stopped eating i caved and bought an Xbox but to get him chatting to other boys but I appreciate not everyone is in a position to spend money like that at the drop of a hat.

@TortolaParadise I’m sorry you feel like that. As a teacher, my colleagues and I are working hard to get the children back to where they should be. So not exactly business as usual.

@ redfacebigdisgrace Teachers have always worked hard to close the learning gap so that is business as usual. What I see is no post pandemic acknowledgement of long covid for staff or pupils or acknowledgement of the increase in general pupil unwellness. I see closed windows, poor ventilation, unwashed hands...This is what I mean when I say it looks like business as usual. In my area Covid is on the rise with lots of colleagues and children off.

Who is testing for Covid any more? How do you know kids are off with it?

We’re definitely more aware of general hand hygiene and ventilating rooms but more to avoid any bugs rather that Covid in particular.

That was @TortolaParadise

Some people still test. Tests are still available in stores. There are still people with compromised immune systems. They did not suddenly get better when the media reports stopped. Some people also still wear masks. Attendance is one of my roles I am aware.