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Original poster

This will never end will it

60 replies

SleepingStandingUp · 09/09/2020 00:13

DS is in yr1. How will he ever get a decent education with schools having to close so much? There's only so much teachers can transfer online as a moment's notice. What happens when these kids get to secondary school and they've missed essentially years of education? I'm so worried they won't academically be anywhere near where they should be at 11 unless the parents can pay for additional tutoring. And then what about the babies, who aren't even 1? How will they even learn the basics when they're in and out of school from one month to the next? Will we just adjust our standards? Will formal education to extended? Or will the gap just widen and it be accepted that more and more kids will leave school barely literate and numerate because they didn't years of education at home whilst parents worked or otherwise inadequately supported their home learning?
And most of them will never get to do all the normal kid stuff. The school trips, holidays, big family parties. No meet ups with 20 cousins or whole class parties.

I feel so sick thinking about the life our kids are going to get and yes I know it's better than them or their parents etc being dead. We shielded DS all summer long. But what sort of adults will we create, not being allowed to touch other people being parents and siblings, not doing all the stuff that cements friendships, not getting a consistent education

OP posts:
JayDot500 · 09/09/2020 00:23

It won't end, but we will learn to live with it. First we wanna know if a vaccine is possible. We'll know by end of this year, or early 2021. That's what most are holding on to.

InFiveMins · 09/09/2020 00:26

@JayDot500 thoroughly depressing to hear the "we will learn to live with it". I'm not sure we will - people are seriously struggling mentally with this. I don't want us to learn to live with it.

HalloBrian · 09/09/2020 00:36

My guess is that lockdowns will be steadily increased over winter. There will be more disruption and disappointment. And there will be more cases and more deaths again.

In March/April we will start coming out and then stay out, even if cases rise again.

primabloodydonna · 09/09/2020 00:37

no, it is the end of humanity.

primabloodydonna · 09/09/2020 00:38

I dont really think that OP BTW. It will end.

JayDot500 · 09/09/2020 00:41

[quote InFiveMins]@JayDot500 thoroughly depressing to hear the "we will learn to live with it". I'm not sure we will - people are seriously struggling mentally with this. I don't want us to learn to live with it. [/quote]
'We will learn to live with it' doesn't mean it'll always be the menace that it is now.

It won't disappear, especially not overnight. But with a decent vaccine, it will be regarded just like the flu, or measles... Or maybe it'll disappear, like smallpox.

Original poster
SleepingStandingUp · 09/09/2020 00:46

@JayDot500

It won't end, but we will learn to live with it. First we wanna know if a vaccine is possible. We'll know by end of this year, or early 2021. That's what most are holding on to.
Learn to live with what though? Letting it go and people doing from it or closing things and opening things and people losing jobs and education and don't from poverty and depression?
OP posts:
Original poster
SleepingStandingUp · 09/09/2020 00:47

My kids are never going to go to school properly. How do I pay home school 3 kids until good knows what age? Even if the vaccine works there won't be enough to go around. They can't even handle the testing right now, they're not going to manufacture enough vaccine for everyone.

OP posts:
kittensarecute · 09/09/2020 00:48

Op I agree. Seriously considered suicide several times this year. I've lost everything good and enjoyable in my life.

ParlezVousWronglais · 09/09/2020 00:49

I'm not sure we will

So then what? Do you think this is the end of the human race?

Is this how it ends?

Original poster
SleepingStandingUp · 09/09/2020 00:56

@kittensarecute

Op I agree. Seriously considered suicide several times this year. I've lost everything good and enjoyable in my life.
I'm so sorry you're having such a difficult time @kittensarecute. Do you have any support in rl?
OP posts:
sosew · 09/09/2020 00:56

So, to take heart most countries don't start formally educating their kids until they are older than ours. This is particularly the case for Scandinavian countries which I think all start at 7. Google the comparative results - it's pretty clear that kids are sponges and catch up easily as they mature.

I am, however, much more concerned about the mental health impact on our kids, in not socialising, having clubs, play dates, seeing family and the impact on kids of the stress we are all baring.

ChavvySexPond · 09/09/2020 00:57

Sooner or later we'll get a change of government and/or an effective covid strategy involving a test and trace system that is fit for purpose.

Then it will end. Or at least be well enough controlled that normal life can resume. (Zero Covid)

In the meantime don't support nonsense government back to school plans and write to your MP insisting our children get a realistic plan to continue their education in the time of Coronavirus.

Original poster
SleepingStandingUp · 09/09/2020 00:58

@sosew

So, to take heart most countries don't start formally educating their kids until they are older than ours. This is particularly the case for Scandinavian countries which I think all start at 7. Google the comparative results - it's pretty clear that kids are sponges and catch up easily as they mature.

I am, however, much more concerned about the mental health impact on our kids, in not socialising, having clubs, play dates, seeing family and the impact on kids of the stress we are all baring.

But their education system is structured around that, ours isn't. Unless you rewrite the entire curriculum, or extend education by 3 years, kids in the UK can't just not learn stuff they need because in other countries they're not at school yet.
OP posts:
Original poster
SleepingStandingUp · 09/09/2020 00:59

@ChavvySexPond

Sooner or later we'll get a change of government and/or an effective covid strategy involving a test and trace system that is fit for purpose.

Then it will end. Or at least be well enough controlled that normal life can resume. (Zero Covid)

In the meantime don't support nonsense government back to school plans and write to your MP insisting our children get a realistic plan to continue their education in the time of Coronavirus.

So only another 4 years at best
OP posts:
ChavvySexPond · 09/09/2020 00:59

And can we all stop being so defeatist and fatalistic and just do the things that work in other countries instead of acting like there's nothing anybody can do and everybody has it as bad as us.

They don't.

They do have test and trace systems that work though.

Cheers.

catsarecute · 09/09/2020 01:04

I am pretty worried about the virus and am fully expecting it to be a very long and hard winter.
But I don't think it will be this bad for ever. There's hope...
We might get a vaccine
They might get a really good treatment
They might extend testing capacity and track and trace to the extent that we can control it really well that way. There's talk of rapid response saliva tests for example.
Things feel bad now, and I know testing capacity is inadequate and test and trace isn't working properly. But thinking back to March, at least there are more tests available now than there were then, at least there are attempts to trace contacts etc. It is a bit better than it was then.

I don't have much hope for schools being consistently open over winter which I know will make things hard for lots of families.

I do think schools need to be made safer, urgently, and I don't think the current guidance is good enough. But I think kids can catch up one way or another.

We just need to keep up the social distancing/masks/handwashing, and be as careful as we can.

Kittensarecute 💐 so sorry you are feeling so awful, hang on in there (good name by the way).

This too shall pass, stay safe

Original poster
SleepingStandingUp · 09/09/2020 01:05

@ChavvySexPond

And can we all stop being so defeatist and fatalistic and just do the things that work in other countries instead of acting like there's nothing anybody can do and everybody has it as bad as us.

They don't.

They do have test and trace systems that work though.

Cheers.

I didn't vote for the current govt, I can't vote for a new one for 4 years, exactly how would you like me to fix the test and trace system or change our policies for those of other countries?
OP posts:
Shockingstocking · 09/09/2020 01:09

Why are you discounting the probability of a vaccine next year, OP? Is it interfering with your catastrophising?

The most successful countries don't have formal education at 5. If you're worried, you can actually teach much more successfully at home in a few hours a week if you have the time and you clearly have internet access.

Calm down.

user1481840227 · 09/09/2020 01:26

As far as I'm concerned learning to live with it means that life will go back to normal. Schools won't keep shutting, normal kids stuff will resume like kids trips, parties and so on.
I think there will only be lockdowns if something extreme happens like on the scale of Italy.

NewFactsEmerge · 09/09/2020 01:28

My kids are never going to go to school properly

Of course they are. You think schools are going to be closed for the next 10 years??

TooTrueToBeGood · 09/09/2020 01:31

My parents generation grow up during a world war. They came through that and we will come through this which is nothing in comparison.

Heffalooomia · 09/09/2020 01:33

It is awful but it's early days still, we will get better treatments and a better understanding of the virus I feel certain of that
a vaccine? well... who can say but we will start to make inroads, things will get better and we will find ways to cope
I found I rely on the radio a lot but I know some people prefer to avoid the news and talk radio

AfolMummy · 09/09/2020 01:34

Even if you have an efficient test and trace system, you need a compliant population that you can trust to isolate for it to work, who understand why they need to help protect their communities and have faith in their leaders....

JKRowlingIsMyQueen · 09/09/2020 01:34

It will end when they stick us with a rushed, half assed vaccine. Make that as you will.