so sad for our young people

[Originalyellowbelly]

All the ones who have been starting their exams soon, all the work they have put in, looking forward to their futures, their proms etc. I hope something is sorted out for them to continue where they left off. These horrible times affect us all in different ways and it may seem trivial to us older ones but please don't disregard the upset they are feeling too.

It's not trivial, I have three teens myself. But even they accept that their life is merely on hold for a few months whereas adults could lose their livelihoods.

Yes it's devastating. Fortunately ds2 is finishing his course but it's all assessed by coursework so no missed exams. He has however lost his cleaning job ( zero hours contract) at his old school until they re-open.

I agree. im an NHS doctor. I know how bad this whole thing is. My dad is 86 with a lung condition and may not make it through this. But tonight I am so, so sad for my teenage dc. I had dd2 about to do A levels and DD3 about to do GCSEs both have been in tears tonight. My oldest Dc was in the middle of his maters at Cambridge which has now been cancelled and who knows what next for him. I am just so, so sad for them all. it is so hard.

It affects us all in different ways, old people, young families, children, teenagers, even our pets, none of us ever envisage something like this happening in our lifetimes, it's all so awful.

Regarding our young, we need to get a grip. Sixth forms, FE colleges, unis, etc need bums on seats. This is the model we are all apparently OK with.

Predicted and aptitudes will get99% of them in.

Don't stress.

Nah not tonight Miljea.

At 16 this is everything. This is what they have spent the last few years of their life working towards. Everything has been geared up to this point. GCSE’s and the tires of passage that go alongside them are huge moments in the life of a 16 year old. No exams, no results day, no prom or leavers parties, no emotional last day at school, no extended summer break (lockdown and isolation is not the same), no festivals or long imagined first holidays without parents. It’s shit. Really shit for them. Let them be upset, let them be angry. I’ve spent this evening cuddling DD on the sofa. I’m a frontline NHS worker but tonight this is the most important thing ever. Over the next few days I’ll help DD pick herself up and brush herself down. But for now. I’m letting her feel however she wants.

*rites of passage

I agree miljea

Yes i feel sorry for them. But really, they have it the easiest of all. They will get to uni with absolutely no problems (unless of.course the unis close due to lack of lucrative foreign students)

They can go to festivals and holidays next year.

So sorry Zachary and wrong. I found myself in tears as the long awaited primary leavers stuff vanished for dd2. No big production where everyone has a part no leavers bbq or disco or goodbye assembly. Worse for your older teens. Yes first world problems I guess but you only get these stages once. Surprised how it upset me I rarely cry

My daughter is in her last year of primary. Her leavers’ assembly, her leavers’ hoodie, her last ever primary trip, her high school induction, her high school disco... all cancelled. She’s heartbroken. She also has a couple of extra curricular activities with national comps, exam gradings etc that have been cancelled.

I’m also a high school teacher and could cry for my seniors. No prom, no last day of school. Some completely flunked their prelims, but have worked so hard that they had a fair shot in the final exam. Not now. I’m gutted for them.

In the grand scheme of things, these are minor inconveniences, but in their eyes, it’s so much more than that and so many things can’t be rescheduled.

Same here. I feel sad for them.

I feel.sad too, but my sympathy is squarely aimed at the parents trying to get through this.

Yes they can go to festivals next year or holidays or whatever but it won’t be that long summer after their GCSE’s ever again. It’s a moment in time that has been taken from them. And I’m not saying it’s on a par with a lot of other stuff going on but I really do sympathise with them because to them this is HUGE.

My dds dont think missing glasto is huge. They really don't. They want our business to stay afloat and their grandparents to stay alive.

My DDs switch between being devastated for the things they’ve lost, to feeling guilty for being upset about such minor things. They are also crying and worrying for others who are so much worse off than them. It’s a miserable time for most young people.

You clearly have much more empathetic and stoic teens than I do the . Because whilst she doesn’t want anyone to die either and she understands what a catastrophe it would be if we lost our jobs, tonight she’s really upset and I don’t intend on adding to that right now by telling her to get a grip.

I feel gutted for them, especially those who've been working their butts off and may not get recognition for upturn depending on how they get graded. I think it's fine to feel bad for them and realise it's for the greater good. Mine are too little to be affected yet, though DS won't be doing KS1 sats which I'm very happy about and he barely has a clue. They're more unhappy that they won't be seeing their grandparents for a while, but understand as they want to see them in the future.

none of us ever envisage something like this happening in our lifetimes,
Really? I've grown up knowing something like this would happen. Climate change is already happening, a pandemic has seemed inevitable for years tbh, with wildlife habitat shrinking and the extreme interconnectedness of the world. We've been getting warnings about both these things for years and years.

I am really sorry for kids missing out. It sucks. I'm planning to home educate my 4 year old when he finishes nursery, it's always been my plan, and I haven't been that happy with his nursery experience, but I still feel really sad at the idea that I might not (probably won't?) ever see his happy little face as he runs into his nursery again. Not cos his nursery was the most wonderful thing, but because I thought I knew how it would go and that has possibly been taken away. It must feel huge to some of the kids who are effectively leaving childhood and moving into adulthood, and supposed to be doing exams they've worked for. Sure it isn't the end of the world, but they're allowed to feel upset.

DD1 was about to sit Highers, she has a conditional offer for an HND so I have no idea what will happen there for her as her prelim results wouldn't be good enough and she's been really working hard at everything since then. She's one of the younger ones in her year so we were hoping she would stay for S6 and do more Highers then, but we don't want that to have to happen like this as she's got her heart set on the HND.

DD2 is in P7, they had their residential trip a few weeks ago, their school always does it so early in the year it's a pain to pay for but it's been a relief this year. They have their leavers hoodies already too but I have no idea if Friday will be her final day of primary or not and what will happen with things like prom etc for them.

DH is in a job where he'll have full pay if/when they close and I already work from home freelance so this is what's really hit me the most with the things affecting both DDs like this.

I'm a teacher. I have both Year 11s and Year 13s (as well as other year groups) and I'm devastated for them.

So many of them have worked so, so hard for these exams. I have two Y13s in particular who have really pulled their socks up since their mocks, and have gone from C/D to high B/probably A. If mock grades are used, their grades really won't reflect their current ability.

I'm also sad to miss the end of year goodbyes with my exam classes, and I'm sure it's worse for them as they're missing proms and other goodbyes.

I agree with the government's decision, but it's still sad that it had to happen.

It is very sad and I would never scoff at people feeling that sadness and expressing it. I do think there’s some slightly dramatic language over “heartbreak” but overall, I get the sentiment. This is really affecting everyone in many ways. It’s utterly crap.

You would hope that regarding exam grades, the teacher of the student who had demonstrably pulled up their socks post disappointing mocks would be allowed some input into what grade was awarded!

DD lost her job on Tuesday as a direct result of CV (small cafe, the owners can't keep it open, she'd only got the job a few weeks ago). She's in her final year at university and on Monday she was told that uni has closed for rest of the academic year. She was working to save for her masters which she was starting next year. She won't be able to do it now. And even if she could, who knows what the economy will be like? Will there be any work in her chosen field she completes it?

It's easy to say that things like first parent-free holidays/festivals/proms can be put off for a bit - they can, but of course it's a huge disappointment. However many young people who have made solid plans for their future and worked hard for years have suddenly had the carpet pulled from under them. DD has absolutely no hope of finding work in the near future and her education is on hold and a lot of people she knows are in the same boat.

Ds is the same last year at uni, hoping to go on to do a masters. In limbo. Ds2 had first holidays planned with pals and gf, both had festivals to look forward to. Now their uni education is upside down and everything is cancelled. I'm gutted for them. I don't really care about myself hope I keep my job, but I'm bloody gutted for them.