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Covid

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Original poster

A safe space for parents and teachers who want schools fully open.

255 replies

Billie18 · 01/12/2020 23:00

What it says. Children have already been impacted by prolonged school closures, individual isolation, inadequate teaching, isolation from peers and this will have impacted on their education, psychological and social development and mental and physical health. It is concerning for the majority of parents that there is a push for schools to close.

Please no derailment. This is an important issue that will affect a whole generation. There are numerous threads here about enforcing restrictions and limiting access to schools so please discuss concerns about these issues elsewhere.

OP posts:
Original poster
Billie18 · 02/12/2020 08:32

@Redbrickwall

It always amazes me on Mumsnet how many people have 3000 teachers in hospital on ventilators, yet in the real world, this isn’t happening and you’re flogging a dead horse. I’m a teacher and I feel totally safe and totally happy to be at school.
Yes. It's scaremongering. Worrying that children are being exposed to this fear. Told that they are dangerous.
OP posts:
echt · 02/12/2020 08:32

There are a few very aggressive and vocal posters that are determined to spam and talk about children being denied access to school

You are talking about yourself, aren't you?

echt · 02/12/2020 08:33

Should have said: serious question. It does seem to be the burden of your song.

Original poster
Billie18 · 02/12/2020 08:35

@echt

There are a few very aggressive and vocal posters that are determined to spam and talk about children being denied access to school

You are talking about yourself, aren't you?

Whoops! Typing mistake. Should be:

There are a few very aggressive and vocal posters that are determined to spam ANY talk about children being denied access to school.

OP posts:
middleager · 02/12/2020 08:36

@middleager

OP, can I ask what year your children are in? Whereabouts in the country are you and how many cases have you had in your school? Have your children had any isolations due to dozens of cases in school? Do you work at a school? If so, have your colleagues been blue lit to hospital yet? How many are off due to Covid?
OP, can you answer the questions I posted upthread please?
CallmeAngelina · 02/12/2020 08:36

Who has spammed your thread?

Whyarewehardofthinking · 02/12/2020 08:46

@Billie18 Scaremongering?

I teach children who have lost a parent.
I teach children who have been in hospital.
I currently have year 13 students who are too ill to work and have a bank of exams in January.

I have colleagues who have been in hospital.

We are seeing spread in school.

I have also lost a family member and have in in organ failure from COVID.

How dare you. I am honestly losing faith in humanity here. It does, however, highlight the need to me that we have such scientific illiteracy that I need to spend much more time focusing on it when teaching.

Piggywaspushed · 02/12/2020 08:47

OP , you are the one who ahs the echo chamber. You only respond to those who agree with you.

CovidPostingName · 02/12/2020 08:51

I'm a parent of children who desperately need to be in school and for their school to stay open. But actually, the only way to achieve that consistently in the long term is for schools to be safer. And the way to achieve that is to have masks in classrooms for everyone, whole class isolations rather than close contacts, and some decent money from govt for ventilation, PPE, better cleaning, etc. That's what will keep schools open more and for longer, not abandoning teachers and pupils to uncontrolled spread.

middleager · 02/12/2020 08:51

[quote Whyarewehardofthinking]@Billie18 Scaremongering?

I teach children who have lost a parent.
I teach children who have been in hospital.
I currently have year 13 students who are too ill to work and have a bank of exams in January.

I have colleagues who have been in hospital.

We are seeing spread in school.

I have also lost a family member and have in in organ failure from COVID.

How dare you. I am honestly losing faith in humanity here. It does, however, highlight the need to me that we have such scientific illiteracy that I need to spend much more time focusing on it when teaching.[/quote]
I'm so sorry Why that must be devastating.

Some of the posts on here are Grossly offensive and ignorant and seem to come from those who have clearly not been impacted by this and have no empathy for others.

Comefromaway · 02/12/2020 08:55

My daughter has had a breakdown because management at her school have at best paid lip service to Covid and have pretty much just carried on as normal. She is being denied an education because her school is not safe. Her mental health is shot. She’s in her final year.

Royalgiraffe · 02/12/2020 09:30

So here is a question to those who say they want school to be safer -given that its highly unlikely the government are going to bow to the demands/measures you're asking for - on the basis of what we have at the moment: do you think schools should remain open as they are or shut?

Comefromaway · 02/12/2020 09:34

Both my son studying a Btec at the local college & my niece studying A levels at a 6th form have been on blended learning. My son is one week on, one week off. Social distancing enforced at all times. Very safe environment. Of course those places should be open.

My daughters school should be shut. The teachers and kids are at breaking point. It’s not safe and SLT appear incompetent.

Isthatitnow · 02/12/2020 09:43

Can you answer me this, OP. Given that we know that type 1 diabetics are particularly vulnerable to this virus, and you want both sick staff and students to remain in school, where does my type 1 child stand in all that? What about the psychological impact of that on him? What about his education? Or does he not matter?

You're not going to answer that, then? Why not? Why do only healthy people matter when it comes to discussions about covid? What of those of us with vulnerabilities, or who aren't aged 20?

TaxTheRatFarms · 02/12/2020 09:45

If I were you Billie18 I’d find this thread hugely reassuring.

The teachers and parents who are commenting on this thread (and many others) want schools to stay open, with safety measures in place so they can STAY open.

Countries where children have worn masks for 40 years plus show NO social or psychological problems due to wearing masks. At all. It’s just not a thing. That’s great news for you, isn’t it, as that’s what you were worried about.

Students where I work are not traumatised by wearing masks. They’re (mostly!) mature and understand the need to keep the school community safe. Students who have a medical exemption don’t have to wear masks. From my many conversations I’ve had with students, they say things like “love it, no one knows I’ve got chewing gum in my mouth”, “It’s a bit weird but I don’t really care”, “we look like ninjas it’s so cool”. Hardly weeping, traumatised youth, is it Grin

echt · 02/12/2020 10:34

If I were you Billie18 I’d find this thread hugely reassuring

Spot on.

But she won't.

Seriouslymole · 02/12/2020 10:38

OP, I'm sorry but you are definitely posting in the wrong place. Mumsnet is a hive of fear mongering and people who revel in the drama. I will pm you. I agree with you but I am now shutting down this thread as it has made me so angry.

echt · 02/12/2020 10:45

OP, I'm sorry but you are definitely posting in the wrong place. Mumsnet is a hive of fear mongering and people who revel in the drama. I will pm you. I agree with you but I am now shutting down this thread as it has made me so angry

Daffodil
whatshalliget · 02/12/2020 10:53

Why would people be angry?

There are between 20 and 30 cases of covid at my school - between staff and students.

The school is open but with some years / people self-isolating.

While covid carries on spreading within it.

The only reason people would be angry surely is that schools have not been allowed to operate safely?

lazylinguist · 02/12/2020 10:54

Confused Schools are open. So why would you need a 'safe space'? To discuss what? To get cross about people who disagree with you? Or to rant about how cross you'd be if schools did close? Or to say that kids should be in school even if they have Covid or have been told to isolate by track and trace? Doesn't sound like a very useful safe space.

CallmeAngelina · 02/12/2020 10:57

This is bizarre! Why on earth would a thread like this make someone "so angry" they have to shut it down.
There is no "hive" or scare-mongers get that I can see.

shoofly · 02/12/2020 11:08

My 14 year old wears a mask on train and bus to school and all through the school day. It's mandatory in his school. Kids are allowed to take masks off at lunch or in playground when suitably distanced. Or if they're directed to do so in class where they can be distanced with windows open. He has missed half a day of school since September, when his year was sent home due to a positive test. The 46 kids who were identified as a close contact isolated for 2 weeks. None of them got sick. There have been a handful of other cases in school with the same outcome.
The few anti mask parents who made a fuss at the start about mandatory mask wearing appear to have got over themselves, because it appears masks are working...
My 9 year old has had 2 weeks self isolation. The home learning was fabulous, his teacher did a great job keeping kids engaged and learning while they were off.
Schools are open here, teachers are doing their utmost to keep kids going even though it's not a normal school year.
I'm in Northern Ireland

BlueBrian · 02/12/2020 11:08

What a weird thread, is the OP saying she only wants people responding who agree with her? Internet discussion forums don't work like that.

echt · 02/12/2020 11:12

What a weird thread, is the OP saying she only wants people responding who agree with her?

Pretty much.

And also slanting arguments against her flummery as bullying, AKA cueing MNHQ to shut down objectors to her random bollockspeak.

theThreeofWeevils · 02/12/2020 11:28

Worrying that children are being exposed to this fear. Told that they are dangerous
Why would you conceal the fact from them that some people, teachers included, become very ill or die from covid (other conditions are available)? And data suggest that they are indeed 'dangerous' in that they catch and spread the virus: would you rather they believed they didn't?