AIBU to stand up for children and parents...

[alwaysraining123]

... and say that closing schools is not an option. Some observations.

(1) millions of children will suffer poorer mental health, educational deficits and be at risk of physical harm.
(2) if schools close now the government will struggle to get them back open.
(3) the unions are playing a highly political game preying shamelessly on people’s fears.
(4) online learning is of no use for most of the primary school years. Parents basically need to be available all day to support children.
(5) more parents are going to find themselves unable to work causing more financial hardship. This won’t affect your middle class sahps or people who can work from home as much- there are people who actually have to go out of their house to earn a living.
(6) if you’re parent and you’re worried you can keep your child at home.
(7) educational transmission of the virus is low and infection control standards can be escalated where needed.

Whatever is done we need to place maintaining educational provision for children at the heart of it. We need to make it work...there’s no other option.

@mbosnz

I understand that for some parents it must be very upsetting not to be able to palm off all responsibility for their kid's learning onto the schools and teachers. However, the reality is, that as their parents, ultimately the responsibility for their learning in somewhat unprecedented times, may end up lying in front of our doors.

Whether they achieve their learning or not, is going to sometimes be up to you, and up to them. Outsourcing the responsibility and culpability may temporarily be less possible.

So sick of people suggesting any parent that doesn't want to home school their children (for a multitude of reasons) is lazy and is just missing the childcare. It's not about that and I think everyone really knows this!

YANBU. I agree 100%

Seasaltyhair

The bubbles were closed as per recommendations.

The gov would not close that school down. Why would they? Schools don't report on parental deaths as far as I am aware?

Just before Christmas the rates here were shooting up around here 70% in a week.

Its since been confirmed there is a new strain outbreak in the area.

Its calmed now but if that does start up again with schools reopening, we will be close to Kent rates within a fortnight.

Is it worth the gamble? Especially with what SAGE have said.

At that point schools start closing themselves. And they also are then unavailable to key worker children. Because the staff have been exposed.

How helpful is that to anyone?

And the schools still end up shut. And probably for longer because the rate is substantially higher at this point.

No one 'wins' by keeping the schools open at all costs. In fact, quite the opposite. With the biggest losers being the ones saying they need the schools open most.

I home ed my 14 year old dd anyway but childmind my 5 year old gs after school. His school haven't had any cases and he was due to start play therapy before first lockdown so it was postponed and we finally arranged it for this term. If his school closes then so be it. Hes happy at home or mine but it will affect my 14 year old dd and my gs is quite demanding, in a lovely way. My dd works full-time and cannot work from home. I support her with childcare because she's a single parent and my lovely gs has had extra needs and needs with attachment issues. He was just making progress in school and managing 3 full days a week. I'm worried for his health and bringing anything back to us. Also his lovely teachers and his one to one teacher are wonderful and I would rather they stay at home and keep safe. As hard as it would be for me to have dgs everyday if schools closed I do see its for the greater good though I do worry about those children where school was a safe place for them and like my dgs were being assisted with difficulties they might have. I'm not so worried about their education at this age as they learning all the time and parents don't have to do exact school timetable at home. I also worry about those parents that cannot take the time off to stay at home with their children. They have to work, money is needed for basic needs in this life and it must be extremely worrying what they will do if they don't have family or friends that can help. X

You aren’t speaking for me at all

I wish they had closed schools a week earlier at the end of term and planned an extra week of holiday on the end of the holiday

They knew cases would go up over Christmas but didn't plan for it

DS has got 2 entrance exams next week which are now being sat at his school and we are left wondering if they are even going ahead

I do wonder where all the new cases are coming from as schools closed at least 2 weeks ago I guess people did mix over Christmas despite advice not to and we are now all paying the price.

I thought the point in closing schools now was to then reclaim the time from the summer hols if needed anyway so surely it would make no difference.

I understand that for some parents it must be very upsetting not to be able to palm off all responsibility for their kid's learning onto the schools and teachers
It’s wrong for parents to expect teachers to do their jobs so that in turn, parents can keep their own jobs - the tax of which, pays for teachers salaries? Ok then.

OP, I agree with you. Though I do wish teachers were getting prioritised for the vaccine, as that would make things much safer for them.

YANBU.

But yes, I agree that teachers need to be much higher up the vaccine priority list.

I agree with you OP. I do think teachers should be one of the very top priority groups for vaccination though. I’m worried if the schools close it will become increasingly difficult to properly open them again. There are so many knock on effects to school closure including parents losing jobs because it isn’t possible to home educate and work 50+ hours in a week. I’m not over the guilt of the first lack of home schooling while I worked. I was in the same house but in no way present. Not because I didn’t want to be but because I was in meetings and on calls all day and working to deadlines late I to the night. Furlough was not an option because work needed me - more than ever through covid. The only other option would be to resign but the mortgage still needs to be paid and the family still needs to eat. I don’t know what the answer is other than to protect the school staff with the vaccine as an urgent priority and make schools as safe as possible.

Completely agree OP. Our school has had a single case since March (staff member who has no direct contact with the children). There is absolutely no reason why schools shouldn't only close as and when it's necessary; mass closures are not justified!

YABU

You do not speak for me or my children.

The education staff want saafe working condition, this is for them, our children and families. At the moment this is not being done. Perhaps we all ask the government to do something about school safety and tell those from us for them that schools open, regardless of health and safety for those using and working in them is not acceptable.

My kids have a right to an education, not always in school and never if it puts people at risk of death or severe injury. Let's lower that risk by implementing what schools have asked for, smaller classes, masks from primary up and ventilation and get everyone back as safely as we can.

I understand that for some parents it must be very upsetting not to be able to palm off all responsibility for their kid's learning onto the schools and teachers

Explain again what the point of schools and formal education are? Or should we just all go back to homeschooling like in the pre-Victorian times, the end result being that only those who can afford it will get taught? School is not a "luxury".

@mbosnz

I understand that for some parents it must be very upsetting not to be able to palm off all responsibility for their kid's learning onto the schools and teachers. However, the reality is, that as their parents, ultimately the responsibility for their learning in somewhat unprecedented times, may end up lying in front of our doors.

Whether they achieve their learning or not, is going to sometimes be up to you, and up to them. Outsourcing the responsibility and culpability may temporarily be less possible.

So many of the ‘teachers’ on MN seem to hate and resent both the job and the children they teach. Sad really.

@bookworm14

I've not seen that at all. Every teacher I know desperately wants to be in school teaching their class or classes. We just want it to be safe for everyone.

Schools need to be closed. They are hotbeds of transmission and it has to stop.

For those who think that there have been no Covid cases in their childrens' school:

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/02/symptomless-cases-schools-key-driver-spread-covid-19

A key factor in the spread of Covid-19 in schools is symptomless cases. Most scientists believe that between 30% and 40% of adults do not display any Covid symptoms on the day of testing, even if they have been infected. For children, however, this figure is higher.

“It is probably more like 50% for those in secondary school while for boys and girls in primary school, around 70% may not be displaying symptoms even though they have picked up the virus,” says Professor Michael Hibberd of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

[quote sherrystrull]@bookworm14

I've not seen that at all. Every teacher I know desperately wants to be in school teaching their class or classes. We just want it to be safe for everyone. [/quote]
This is true of all the teachers I know in real life. On MN, not so much. I don’t believe anyone who would accuse parents of trying to ‘palm off’ education onto schools gives a shit about either parents or children. Universal free education has been recognised as essential to a functioning society since the 1870s.

@saraclara thats actually good to remember. My dgs primary haven't had any but like they say they can be asymptomatic x

So just reading around local papers in the North West tonight.

I think its worth keeping an eye on what local councils and MPs do tomorrow.

I get the feeling something is brewing.

@bookworm14

I honestly think the majority of teachers on MN do care hugely for their children. I just think after months and months of being told we're lazy and to stop whining people are at their end of their tether. I know I feel like that.

I'm tired of trying to tell people I care and am working hard and doing my damnedest for the kids.

But doing my best for the kids means my own children as well. Keeping everyone safe. I realise that safer schools are open schools.

The comment about palming our kids off 🤯
Before the pandemic parents risked fines, or even prison, for not sending their kids to school. So then it was our legal and parental duty to ensure they went to school for a proper education, and now it’s palming kids off and lazy parenting 🤔