It feels like people on MN are willing schools to close

[Marcellemouse]

Lots of threads being really negative about schools reopening. These have been largely started by teachers, the latest one being about a gagging order on the BBC. My 2 and every other DC I know are thriving on schools opening again. DS actually stands a chance of doing well and getting back on track with GCSES. DC are happy and animated again. Their teachers have been fantastic, I'm massively impressed. Friends of mine who are secondary teachers are positive and happy to be back teaching in school instead of home learning. I just get a different vibe in RL than on MN about schools. What's the reality?

What a deliberately contentious thread.

You should be grateful to teachers, not making totally unfounded accusations about the type of thread they start.

@helpfulperson

I dont think it's that they want schools to close, they just want proved right about saying schools going back would be a disaster.

I would have been very pleased to be proved wrong and for my kids to have skipped happily back to school with no worries about them closing again.

What I would actually like now is for schools to work as well as possible, and we could still get improved measures in place to either keep them open better or help parents who can/ want to educate at home or both. It would be really good to put this in place before schools are in even more of a crisis than they are now.

And it would be reassuring for the children if our leaders appear to be organising things well for them, rather than allowing another year of education to drift into rudderless chaos.

Our experience with our schools has been very positive. They are working incredibly hard to deliver as normal a school day as possible and are doing a brilliant job. I don’t k is anyone in real life who is keen for schools to close. We’re all willing them to stay open as long as possible.

I definitely don't want the schools shut again, my children love seeing their friends and teachers again, and I can work back in the office, it was really difficult with no childcare and WFH.

At this stage, I think roughly half the threads on Mumsnet are bullshit started by trolls and bots.

@Atthecopacorona

I keep hearing about schools closing and it seems to be secondary schools. With most young kids being asymptomatic, and the new who guidance basically saying asymptomatic people don't spread the virus. Maybe parents need to parent their teenagers better?

How can 'better parenting' prevent the spread of a highly contagious virus amongst people who can't socially distance, can't necessarily wear masks in enclosed spaces, have limited handwashing facilities and are in bubbles of 100ish other people?

@noblegiraffe

All I’ve seen is teachers posting concerns about safety measures in schools being responded to by posters saying OMG YOU WANT SCHOOLS TO CLOSE when they haven’t said anything of the sort.

God knows enough posters have claimed it of me and it’s total bullshit.

This.

@IrmaFayLear

There’s Hysteria of the Day.

Back at the beginning posters were screaming about people going out for a walk being akin to murderers. Or buying some clothing from a supermarket being selfish and imperilling others.

All through the summer there was a merry band of posters (just look back at the number of threads) warning of thousands of teacher deaths if schools reopened. One regular thread starter (can’t remember his name) started a new doom-laden thread every single day banging away trying to scare people.

Now it’s universities and those pesky students under attack.

Meanwhile, in the real world, pupils - and the teachers I know - are pleased to be back and keeping fingers crossed.

Alternatively there is Hyperbolic Post of The Day...

I know people in real life, in and out of DC class who would prefer blended learning with smaller bubbles and were anxious about returning children to primary school with no mask/class or more sized bubbles/young children not social distancing. I think the majority of people who wanted blended learning or extra safety measures on Mumsnet don’t want schools to close, they just want a bit of extra security. The studies we based reopening schools in tended to have much smaller bubbles and tighter restrictions in society in general, so the current situation isn’t evidence based in regards to any of that - only that young children lack spacial awareness and are less likely to suffer seriously, they are passing the virus on though the amount of spreading is yet to be fully understood. I also know of parents who want their child in school and aren’t concerned about the current regulations without test and trace performing well. So, I suppose my real life experience is similar to my experience on Mumsnet. Actually, I think I might have read more conspiracy posts on Mumsnet than I’ve heard in real life, but that’s unsurprising as it’s a bigger community.

I am glad you posted this thread as that is how it seems on MN!!! It's like they want them too so trey can say it knew this wouod halon' 'so glad I didn't send my child back to school' bollox

Also a lot of primary schools have closed with positive cases in our area, less secondaries, but that’s going to vary hugely from place to place, I imagine.

I am waiting for them to close, but that's not the same as wanting them to close.

But it's natural when people feel rather 'will it, won't it happen' to think about it a lot, and therefore discuss it a lot.

I do feel that all through this process I've been two weeks ahead of the government, so I firmly expect to be wanting the government to close schools shortly before they do (if it happens).

I didn't get my personal first choice which was part time in part time home. I appreciate it wasn't a popular choice, but I would have preferred it, as I would rather have a guaranteed half than only a half chance of a whole iyswim.

Doesn’t anyone here remember that bloke posting a scary thread most days of the summer?

People were in a right froth (quite understandably) over his daily dose of doom. I don’t know what his agenda was but it was relentless for a while.

I don’t know anyone who wants schools to close

I know plenty of people who would like schools to be given funds and resources in order to be able to increase h&s measures.

I know lots of people who would like schools to be given funds to improve buildings / create temporary classrooms / hire more staff. That’s probably pie in the sky though just some cash to help pay for the cleaning and hand sanitizer would be a start at least

@IrmaFayLear

Do you mean ClimbDad?

If so yes I remember that poster

Ah, yes, that’s the name. My memory is awful...

Anyway, just search for his threads and you can see who was rooting for schools not to open.

Yet more teacher bashing.

I hope they go on strike just to piss you whingeing fuckers off.

They wont close because im prepared this time! I have working printer ink AND paper no WAY are schools closing now

Doesn’t anyone here remember that bloke posting a scary thread most days of the summer?

So one person? Amongst many, many other parents and teachers just wanting some measurements put in place.

Oh do stop the teacher bashing. It's pathetically transparent.

No teacher wants schools to close but they do want to feel safe. Not a big ask, is it?

It's hysterical posters screaming that teachers want schools to close that is actually happening. They don't.

Now shut up about it.

I don't know anyone who teaches who wants schools to close.

I know many people, me included, who think the government have handled the situation in schools awfully and they should be held to account for their failings.

I also think there's a lot of people who hear people discussing issues in education and selectively choose to present that as 'everybody on here wants schools to close'.

Oh, thank god I found this post. I was losing my mind with the other thread where the overwhelming sense was that the government are evil for allowing schools to reopen, with no-one thinking of the absolute importance of schools staying open. I see schools as being as essential as supermarkets and care homes.... no-one has suggested that they should close.

Obviously, if this virus was affecting children the way it affects the elderly, we'd have a very different conversation, and clearly those who have vulnerable DC will be having a different POV

*measures

There are certainly posters on here jumping for joy every time they gleefully report the bursting of a bubble. Smug that they'd forecast it.

Ignoring the many schools, fully open and coping extraordinarily well with the changes.

Yes I would also like to see the option to allow parents to home school this year. Without risking a fine. Surely this would benefit many.

I don't think anyone wants schools to close but we all accept that at some point they might close temporarily either partially or fully and sometimes several times over, this often gets confused with people hearing "school closure " meaning it to be closed for 6 months again. I really hope I'm not being naive to think that that will never happen again!