Are your children looking forward to going back?

[likeamillpond]

Thinking back to my own school holidays which admittedly were a LONG time ago.
I remember just before going back there would be a mixture of excitement tinged with sadness. Sadness that the long holiday had come to an end.
The children have had an extra long 'holiday'this year. so I imagine it must be really tough to go back.
No doubt there'll be those who are desperate to interact with other children.
By the same token there must be lots who have been content to stay home.

Looking forward to school. Not looking forward to tests, masks, pointless rules (have every sympathy).

My kids (8 and 12) are really looking forward to going back. They want to see their friends and people other than us and learn with real life teachers. They are utterly fed up with screens.

I’m a bit more sanguine, knowing that there’ll be very likely more disrupted learning - we’ll be at risk of getting Covid again and I’m expecting another lockdown. The kids are happy though.

Ds16 not looking forward to no longer being able to chat/play video games during lessons.

Mine are looking forward to seeing their friends, but not the rest of it.

Both mine do not want to wear masks all day. I think it's the wrong thing to do. I would have used half term to vaccinate teachers, or delayed school until next term so that teachers could be vaccinated.

Breathing through fabric all day is awful, ridiculously unhealthy to suck fabric fibres into the respiratory tract all day. But hey it's the party line.

School shouldn't be 'soulless and unsocial', even with the restrictions. Guidance is that clubs and activities should resume and that children shoukd be able to socialise normally within their bubbles. Totally understand the nerves but I think they will find they still have fun.

We have no formal lessons tomorrow at all - whole day of well being, social time and physical activity.

one is, one has not been away from school other than self isolating.

DD, Year 13, does not want to go back. She has been happy doing online lessons at home.

Could not say any part of this term has been a 'holiday'. School starts at 8.45 and goes to 3.45 with an hour lunch break, and loads of homework. She's just going it online at her desk.
But she is feeling a little apprehensive. Wondering if the friendship dynamic will be the same. Plus having to actually get up and dressed as opposed to walking five feet to her desk in her jammies!

@constablecummings

Y12 DS looking forward to it very much.

Also very worried about not having any friends left as hasn't been in contact with anyone since December (started new school in September and friendships were not that well established).

Personally I am not looking forward to 2 months of tests that have been deferred, meaning he won't see daylight now until April as he'll have to spend every evening and weekend revising. I guess he can have a few hours off at the start of the Easter holidays, before he starts revising again for his Y12 exams...

Maybe school should focus on the mental health of the kids rather than their test scores, but instead they send emails about mental health and organise a few more tests.

The main problem is (and I’m speaking as a teacher) I have nooooooo idea about mental health. I’m not trained in it; I’m not familiar with it; I don’t know how to address it.

I do know my subject; exams; assessments and other teacher things.

Society kind of palms more off on us, than we’re really qualified to deal with.

@manicinsomniac

School shouldn't be 'soulless and unsocial', even with the restrictions. Guidance is that clubs and activities should resume and that children shoukd be able to socialise normally within their bubbles. Totally understand the nerves but I think they will find they still have fun.

We have no formal lessons tomorrow at all - whole day of well being, social time and physical activity.

We are doing 1 hour extended form time and back to it.

We are not running clubs or extras. I don’t think many of the staff are feeling particularly generous when it comes to running the extras and giving up more of their time anyway, after the weekend’s announcement regarding longer days and shorter holidays.

We have also got some very stretch social distancing rules and all pupil year groups will be separated at break and lunch onto different yards or pitches.

Our head is very strict on masks as well and believes in them 100%. We all have to wear them all day long. I think soulless is possibly a great way of describing this return.

Thank god it’s only 2 weeks.

Oh, that does all sound a bit miserable totallyfedup Definitely not like that here, we're having a great day.

What announcement about long days and short holidays?! I saw a few suggestions posed but nothing more concrete and I assumed it wouldn't actually happen.

My ds in was super excited yesterday. He woke up at 7am, came I to my room half asleep and told me he was mistaken and didn't want to go back to school lol

Straight back into it DS school. 2 big tests announced at the weekend for the next fortnight, plus doubtless others will be announced now lessons are back in-person.
Of course I don't expect teachers to be mental health experts, but that kind of test scheduling is just misery.

Both mine are really looking forward to going back.

DS1 Year 11 is sick of online lessons. DS2 Year 10 looking forward to seeing his friends.

Both need to get out of the house particularly DS2.

I doubt this will last after a few early mornings waiting at a wet bus stop .

I am really going to miss them however. Haven't had to get involved in homeschooling at all, they have both just cracked on, and I have loved hanging out and having chats with both of them during the week days.

It is so difficult to know what to do for the best though constable .

Where I teach, we only go up to age 13 and very few children have got imminent exams. So we've been able to do a range of activities, have them outside for large portions of the day, and include tasks that are supposed to allow us to pick up on those who might be experiencing mental health difficulties. But, for older children, the academic pressures are significant and teachers will be criticised whichever one they prioritise. Even with younger children and having had full, live online timetables both lockdowns, we've got a few parents who are upset that their children are missing English and Maths today. You can't please everyone!

And yes, as you say, we're trained in education, not psychology. We have, I think, three teachers with mental health first aid certificates in the entire school. Whereas we are all required to do a normal first aid course. The balance isn't right.

Asked mine what their favourite bit of going back to school today was....apparently it's hometime

Mine are now confirmed for going back next week.

8 year old back full time and overjoyed.

12 year old only getting one day a week and quite upset that is all. Cross his sister is getting to go full time and pissed off he's stuck with 4 days a week of homeschool

Well, DS (Y11) has been back in for two days and has come home utterly fed up on both of them.

He's found it very difficult being back in uniform, back in regimented routine, back sitting working in silence with teachers (according to him) in every lesson telling them how vital it is that every single piece of work they do now counts...

I understand the pressure on staff - but if they could not break my kid in the next three months I'd be grateful.