If You Could Choose Any Education Option for Sept

[IDSNeighbour]

I'm getting so confused by what parents actually want to happen with schools right now (I'm not a parent, I'm a teacher). I want to know what home opinions my classes are going to be coming in from in Sept - whether they're likely to be nervous or confident, whether they will want to SD or not, etc.

I know parents aren't one hive mind but the 'loudest voice' seems to keep changing its mind. Or I hear different ones, idk.

I'm sure there used to be a board for polls and surveys but, if I wasn't imagining, I can't find it.

So, if you're up for an unscientific straw poll to help me gauge general feeling, can you post A, B, C, D or E in the thread (you can explain if you like, I don't mind!)
A - I want full time schooling as close to the old normal as is allowed
B - I want full time schooling but with safety measures such as social distancing and masks for all who can and are old enough.
C - I want blended learning (half in the classroom and half online)
D - I want to keep my child at home all the time, home school them and not be penalised (ie, I want my place back when I think it's safe)
E - I think schools should remain closed for most children for now.

@askmehowiknow and how many have lost close members of family in their household?

I'd like D because ds has been shielding until now and it seems a little unfair (understatement...) to threaten parents with fines whilst they have genuine concerns about their medically vulnerable children during such an exceptionally worrying time.

It depends on where you are I think - I live in the South East which is definitely under 1 in an area that has posted 1 case in the last week and around 3 in the last 3 weeks. A or B is absolutely fine for me.

On the stats thread it was pointed out 60% of the cases come from 41 England LAs (out of 343) those should be looking at a B or C scenario.

We cannot have a one size fits all for this because it doesnt spread evenly it clusters.

[quote monkeytennis97]@TheSunIsStillShining

"I wouldn't expect teacher to actually keep looking at his/her monitor to see if someone wants to say something, but would expect them to acknowledge if an online kid wants something. "

Isn't that the same? [/quote]
no, I don't think so.
Couple of ideas:

• instead of getting feedback of comprehension from faces, teacher could ask half way through or at the end of an idea if it was clear. If noone says anything in 30 sec then move on
• leave the last 5-10 mins of class for questions?

It would make for a bit different teaching method, but could work.

[quote zefstar76]@askmehowiknow and how many have lost close members of family in their household? [/quote]
Are you talking about community transmission? It's very low..

@Bupkis

I'd like D because ds has been shielding until now and it seems a little unfair (understatement...) to threaten parents with fines whilst they have genuine concerns about their medically vulnerable children during such an exceptionally worrying time.

I'm sure if you talk to your school you can work something out. Have you?

I tell you what askmehowiknow - you send your kids back, if you have kids, and we will choose what is best for ours.

@askmehowiknow

Please remind me how many children have died. Out of the millions who have been infected. Who will argue this disease is a risk to children? It's not.

People keep forgetting that those children live with other people (also mostly known as: Parents) and they interact with wider family as well.

I am not really worried that my 15 yr old will die. What I am worried about:

• he will have long lasting damage if he catches it (because...well... we don't really know at this point, but there's hell of a lot of evidence that this might be the case even in milder versions)
• he brings it home and I end up in hospital (as being vulnerable makes it way more likely)
• he brings it home and both of us (parents) get seriously ill. We have no family in this country and no close friendships. Who will take care of him?
• he brings it home and we all/some of us get long lasting damage

I don't think any of us would die, but having to deal with 1 non-treatable, life-long condition is enough for me. And it's not fun.

@askmehowiknow

Please remind me how many children have died. Out of the millions who have been infected. Who will argue this disease is a risk to children? It's not.

Ah, so you are using "risk to children" as meaning only deaths and discounting any of those who have/will suffer from medium to longer term health complications such as lung scaring. That makes sense - I can see how that supports your mindset now.

C/D - if classes could be kept small enough to allow for decent social distancing, then I'd be open to sending them half the week and distance learning the rest. However, I don't think that's going to be possible so I'd prefer for those, like us, who can safely keep their children home and keep up with their education, be allowed to do so without fines to help keep the staff and children who have to be in, as safe as possible. I have 3 children in 3 different years, that in my eyes, triples an already unacceptable risk.

askmehowiknow

I realise that for you this is just about children, but it really isn't.
It is about the community, school and wider.

If you could guarantee that the virus couldn't get in to school, I would be quite happy with your views on this.

But we could do this, but the government will not allow it.

At the moment the governments and your view on this is basically fuck the science, schools are going back.

You can quote numbers of those that have died and those that haven't but child infection rates increased by 40% (yes I know that its big because the numbers are low) but it still proves that transmission is possible.

B or C
Wish the government would be up front and realistic with parents and admit that A may not be possible. Then they could support all schools to work to the level of the best state schools on home schooling developing on line capabilities and enduring all kids get access to computers etc at time. Prioritise some years to be in school.

@herecomesthsun

I tell you what askmehowiknow - you send your kids back, if you have kids, and we will choose what is best for ours.

Well that's perfect! Option to send our kids back or not. Which is what we all have

"...Are you talking about community transmission? It's very low.."

1. you know this how? Nobody knows this as there is not a real TTR system in place.

1. It might be low (let's assume you are correct for sake of argument), but if you "bubble" together 150-350 kids (any london secondary) who travel by public transport, have siblings in other schools with similar bubble sizes.... Do you honestly can't do the maths of how chances grow because of these factors?

Community transmissions are now based on limited transport, limited contacts and limited indoor time.
Change the boundary conditions in any experiment and changes are likely to happen. Especially if some of these changed boundary conditions favor the virus and not us (indoor poor ventilation and no SD and no masks)

The weird thing is, in my opinion, if we just suck it up and obey the public health guidelines and rules and gov would enforce them (eg quarantine, mask wearing, mandatory online provision for quarantined kids,...) then this could be over with much sooner. We are an island after all and could have shitloads of measures in place by now....
As long as having a holiday/pub crawl/... is more important than anything...this will just keep bouncing back and forth between countries and will keep making our lives miserable.

So it appears a few people on here are now suggesting we don't allow children to go back to school because older adults may get infected. What an incredibly selfish attitude.

Just the sort who would have voted for Brexit not caring about the effect on the younger generation

@askmehowiknow

So it appears a few people on here are now suggesting we don't allow children to go back to school because older adults may get infected. What an incredibly selfish attitude.

Just the sort who would have voted for Brexit not caring about the effect on the younger generation

Its a shame that you have resorted to this.

It was a good discussion until this.

@askmehowiknow

So it appears a few people on here are now suggesting we don't allow children to go back to school because older adults may get infected. What an incredibly selfish attitude.

Just the sort who would have voted for Brexit not caring about the effect on the younger generation

Older adults WILL get infected and will die as will younger adults who are vulnerable and children too. Community transmission means everybody. Teachers aren't calling for no school but the safest school can be.

It's interesting that teachers are arguing schools shouldn't open due to community transmission. Yet another excuse...

SengaStrawberry I think that’s extremely unfair. I have vulnerable child. She won’t be at school for a while. Why shouldn’t parents of typically healthy children not be allowed to keep them off if they can? Contrary to popular belief kids can become unwell with it and some might not recover fully, that’s not anyone’s choice to make but the parents and I’m some cases where the child is older, their choice too.

A

@askmehowiknow
I'm sure if you talk to your school you can work something out. Have you?
Yes, we have been told we would be fined.

@askmehowiknow

So it appears a few people on here are now suggesting we don't allow children to go back to school because older adults may get infected. What an incredibly selfish attitude.

Just the sort who would have voted for Brexit not caring about the effect on the younger generation

Selfish is a matter of perspective, as we literally teach in my class through English.

For some, prioritising the health of other adults and the wider community over children in schools would be seen as selfish.

For others, prioritising children in schools over the potential health implications for adults and the wider community would be seen as selfish.

We are all the heroes of our own stories.

askmehowiknow
It's interesting that teachers are arguing schools shouldn't open due to community transmission. Yet another excuse...

Once again as you seem to have regressed, no-one is saying that schools shouldn't open.

@askmehowiknow

It's interesting that teachers are arguing schools shouldn't open due to community transmission. Yet another excuse...

Is the argument being made that they shouldn't open? I must have missed that - please could you direct me to that as I'd wish to challenge that?

Iamnotthe1

I think that askmehowiknow is trying to reset the discussion. As it seems that various posters don't understand how the virus could get in school, be transmitted in school and transfer to the wider population.