School - how worried are you 1-10?

[ChanceChanceChance]

I'm finding it impossible to settle on how worried I am about school, about whether my children will pick up covid there and how worried I am if that happens.

If you were to put your worry on a scale 1-10, with 1 being 'no more worried than a normal year' and 10 being 'terrified', where are you?

I think I'm going for an average of 6 right now.

1 for their health.
5 for my own health (vulnerable teacher)
7-8 for the disruption to education
9-10 for exam chaos and university entrance next year

1 but watching my DD really struggling to reintegrate with her schooling is breaking my heart a little and I’m really worried what would happen if the schools may have to close again. I can’t go through that again.

6-7

1 for COVID

About an 8 for the inevitable isolating due to winter sniffles (mine is at school nursery so I predict it’s going to be awful), difficultly getting a test, possibility that school could close altogether...

9 various reasons. Mostly because all their grandparents are over 70 and have health conditions which make them vulnerable. Both DJ and I have conditions that make us sit in the high risk category should we get covid. They dont have any other family, so should we fall poorly, its concerning who would care for them.

I'm also concerned the impact of losing one or more of their family members to this would have.

@AriettyHomily

1 for them getting sick

10 for the massive headache constant sickness isolating etc will cause. We've been back 4 days in primary in. Single form entry. 2 classes already sent home.

This

1

Oh dear I veer from 8 - 10

If cases rise locally or if there are any cases in school, we will pull ds out.

7
I'm not worried about them getting it so much, more me, as I'm already not in great shape with slipped disc and ptsd.

Also recent research from US shows long covid most common in women aged 40-49 which is me.

About 6/7.

I think it's inevitable that dd will probably pick it up in school at some point. There is no social distancing and the school has already had cases. I'm not really worried about her catching it, as she is very low risk. However, if she gets it, DH and I will get it too, and I don't fancy our chances half so well - we're both in the vulnerable category, though neither of us were shielding.

I'm trying to keep it in proportion, I know that the odds are still pretty good at our ages, even in the vulnerable groups. And life does have to go on, so we have to learn to live with the risk while taking steps to mitigate against it.

My main source of anxiety is the very high proportion of people who have essentially gone back to normal, who are taking no precautions at all and who think they can do whatever the hell they like. They are exposing all of us to much greater levels of risk, but there is nothing that I can do to control this.

5 - for him catching it not that bothered about him getting it, but worried about being a social pariah for class having to isolate
10 - about schools potentially closing. DS 14 is so much healthier and happier with regular exercise and regime, I have panicked moments everyday when I think how it was in lockdown trying to help him with stuff, whilst simultaneously wfh.

I should point out that I’ve had long Covid (recovered now) and I’m pretty sure my children have had Covid too as they had symptoms at the beginning of my illness (I was tested but they weren’t).

Also recent research from US shows long covid most common in women aged 40-49 which is me.

Didn't know that. It's me too.

8

Worried about them getting covid and it's impact = 2-3
Worried about their education = solid 10

1. Not worried at all about covid. More concerned about disruption of education.

@ChanceChanceChance please don’t take this the wrong way but that sounds like me prior to Prozac!
Disclaimer I have anxiety and depression. I’ve gone through CBT too. But the Prozac is key.
I’m worried for me. (Immunosuppressed abs poorly controlled asthma.)
BUT we live fairly rurally. DH WFH. I rarely do anything other than dog walking. So the only risk is school. Eldest is old enough to see few people in a day. 6th form.
Youngest? In a smallish school. Drilled at hand washing.
What else can I do?
I have done a mental risk assessment. They’re better off in school (who have staggered start times and different break arrangements etc.)
I understand why this time is worrying though.

1

6 as I'm a teacher.

Honestly I'm about a 1 on worried whether they will get it, but a 7 or 8 in the headache it will cause every time they have to isolate.

We gavent sent back to school. If in school id be 9 or 10

Covid = 1
Disruption to education and negative impact on dc's mental health = 10

I think about a 4-5 for THIS week, but rising there after.

I'm vulnerable (T2D, 51, overweight) & very worried about getting it, as I don't react well to medicine & I was very unwell with the blood pressure drugs & combo of insulin/glucose after a small op (the op itself was fine).

(Day pupils at majority boarding school - majority international students from all over!)

Not looking forward to the inevitable time out when they get a temperature but happy they are back