It's best for children to be in school

[Billie18]

I'm shocked that the consensus here appears to be that schools should close. I believe that it's best for children to be in school. Also that they should not be forced to wear masks or perform any social distancing as this is a damaging for their mental and social development. A thread for parents and teachers who share this view and have concerns about the threat of school closures and forced isolation of children who are not ill.

Tbh, I’ve been staying off those threads because they do turn pretty nasty to any dissenting voices.

The problem is that this turns it into a self fulfilling prophecy: posters stay away because they CBA with the fallout, and so in turn people get the impression that most people support school closures.

So - that’s why I posted yesterday and today.

Of course it’s best that children should be in school. But they (and by extension their families) and their teachers should be safe in school. This means proper mitigation measures, which simply are not happening in many schools, and is why infection is spreading in those schools. Children who have the virus obviously shouldn’t be in school, and their close contacts should be isolating. That’s just good practice and common sense.
A two week “circuit break” around half term might have been a good idea, and there’s a case to be made for closing early for Christmas (especially as many of the traditional school pre-Christmas activities such as shows, nativity plays and Carol services won’t be happening) to enable more careful planning of family Christmas visits, but that seems unlikely, however sensible.

@Nicknacky

Aragog Yet there were posted. Never saying she wanted them closed, of course. Just the link.

I have obviously missed these.

Any idea which thread it was? I'm interested to go and have a look and see.

Welcometonowhere most posters, as they have said over and over again, support schools being more safe.

Tax Are you honestly trying to say it is only Noble who posts links? Really?!

And where have I said “all” teachers want schools closed? Feel free to point me to that error I have made.

I absolutely hated posting on it giraffe

I detest how rude you are to and about me, I hate the aggression and I hate the snide remarks about my intelligence, professionalism and general character. I loathe the snide hints about previous usernames. On a personal level, I probably should step back, except tbh, why should I, when all I have is a view that differs to yours.

I was fine in the last lockdown. Some of the children I teach were not.

Nicknacky if you have time, please do post the links to all the petitions about school closures that have been posted.

I haven't seen any.

The consensus isn't that schools should close. There are just some posters with this opinion who post about it a lot.

My own opinion is that the schools should stay open as they are now with individual bubbles isolating as needed. The exams situation in England really needs to be sorted though.

Aragog I’m sure you can understand I have no idea due to the millions of threads on the subject, but you will need to just take my word for it.

It irritated the fuck out of me so it stuck in my mind!

And since I have been provoked into that, I will hide this thread. I’m not announcing that in a door slamming way, I am perfectly calm, but it does no one any favours when the threads disintegrate. I genuinely wish you all well.

@TheSunIsStillShining

I would reluctantly support masks being worn in corridors in communal areas on an emergency basis in areas of extremely high prevalence (more than 500 cases per 100,000).

The necessity should be reviewed on a daily basis by local directors of public health and local authorities.

However, masks should never be worn in classrooms by DC or staff. They are an impediment to effective communication, which is an important aspect of learning and a skill DC should be developing in every lesson.

christinarossetti19 Please see my reply to Aragog.

Just for fun, I ask again

Please provide detailed description of how masks and SD are hindering developmental and social development?
What are the specific areas that it has an effect on?
Did you ever read up/think about these negative effects and how they can be potentially mitigated or counter acted?
Let's start with a 7 year old and a 15 year old example.

Please!

@Welcometonowhere Please don’t hide the thread, I have found your balanced input beneficial.

@Nicknacky

christinarossetti19 Please see my reply to Aragog.

But you said "Yet some of the teachers here are happy to post link after link and also post links to petitions calling for schools to be closed."

You seem clear that it was teachers, so plural, who posted and there were links to petitions (also plural) so I'm sure that you could find at least one if they stuck in your mind.

Honestly. Genuine question. I haven't seen any and I've been on and off these threads since March as well.

@StarryFire
However, masks should never be worn in classrooms by DC or staff. They are an impediment to effective communication, which is an important aspect of learning and a skill DC should be developing in every lesson.

Examples please! What skill is there to develop in every lesson ffs for a 15 year old??

I would reluctantly support masks being worn in corridors in communal areas on an emergency basis

Or we could have this without masks (and of course no social distancing per OP) and wonder why it’s all going wrong.

If best for children to be in school, but that means wider cuts to society to stop the spread in schools reaching the wider community.

IMO you can’t have schools and close contact business open, you also can’t be using elderly or vulnerable relatives for childcare

Aragog I'm sorry to hear how ill you've been, sounds truly scary.

What you describe about when you do and don't wear a mask in school sounds very reasonable and it's such a shame that such use wasn't introduced as mandatory for staff and pupils from September.

I'm sure that it would have helped suppress some of the spread.

Shoes are delaying skeletal and muscular development*. There's actual data/research about it going back 100 years. And yet shoes are mandatory and nobody bats an eyelid.

How are masks different than shoes?

*proper truth is that the incorrect shoes (can) have a negative effect mostly, but for argument's sake I simplified it.

christinarossetti19 I can’t help you, I’m afraid. I deliberately stayed away from many of the posts and didn’t comment so I can’t search back my old posts.

@noblegiraffe Yet I showed that photo to my daughter and she said her school is nothing like that. So many schools will be getting it right.

However, masks should never be worn in classrooms by DC or staff. They are an impediment to effective communication, which is an important aspect of learning and a skill DC should be developing in every lesson.

I’d like some evidence for this impediment - my students are learning just fine whilst I protect them by wearing a mask.

[quote StarryFire]@OverTheRainbow88

And unless the staff member is clinically vulnerable, there is an infinitesimally small chance of them dying.[/quote]
I don’t think you know the actual meaning of infinitesimally.