Anti-lockdowners pretending to care about kids again

[noblegiraffe]

So it's all over the news about how nearly 400,000 kids are having to isolate because of covid cases in schools. Complaints about how disruptive to education it is and to the mental health of the children involved. This disruptive isolation must end as soon as possible.

Contrast to last November when nearly a million kids were self-isolating in a week. Do you remember the headlines, discussions and outrage about that?

No, of course you don't. Because back then, the solution to so many kids isolating was to put more mitigation measures in schools and attempt to stop so many kids catching it.

Now they can argue that it doesn't matter if all kids catch it, they're all over the 'terrible' isolation figures which are less than half of those last year.

I'm SO done with people only caring about kids and education when they think that they can use them for their own benefit.

If these loud voices could be used to talk about things like the cuts to pupil premium, the pitiful covid catch-up funding, the critical shortage of teachers, the unsafe state of schools, the massive waiting lists for CAMHS and SEN services, then maybe I'd believe them when they claim to care about children.

How are people still not seeing that supporting schools to improve mitigation actually helps more children to stay in school in the long run?

@sherrystrull

Because there doesn’t need to be any mitigations whatsoever in primary school. Did we have any for flu? No we didn’t.

Children are incredibly low risk, adults have been vaccinated, hospitalisions are low. Time to move forward and stop with the hysteria.

Mitigations are now unnecessary and highly inconvenient.

Job done.

I doubt many parents are against mitigation. I’ve certainly not heard any say so in my foster children’s schools.
They’re simply pragmatic.
They have no say in what happens. So they do the best they can for their children. And the best in this situation is to send them to school. They tried home schooling as best they could while holding down jobs and babies and elderly parents and it was a shit show. So school it is.

Early on I was all for teachers getting priority vaccines. And I thought the unions should push for that. Don’t know if they did or not.
I would be perfectly happy for ventilation. Though I knew in my heart that would never ever happen.
I don’t even mind masks (though I’m dubious about how many kids would wear them properly).
I’d be happy for vaccines to be offered to children too.

But. And it’s a big but. I get no say whatsoever in ANY of this.
So I’m pragmatic. What matters more than any of that for these foster kids is that they get schooling. So if that means schooling without mitigation or bubbles or whatever then so be it.
And I will say so.

And any teacher that says I don’t care about children and never have, can do one.

*hospitalisations

You kind of need to know who you are debating with on this topic, as views range from people who haven't left the house for months to those who never stuck to lockdown and believe it's all a government conspiracy.
UFT types absolutely are against mitigations and don't believe Covid is a serious illness . No masks, no hand san, no windows open, no vaccines, no bubbles.
Whereas some other people are concerned about Covid and wish to minimise risk but don't want (insert whatever) in particular.
If someone tells you they don't want isolations, you need to know if they are also someone who mixed throughout lockdown, has a fake mask exemption and won't get a vaccine, or if they are someone a little more sensible with a rational explanation for why isolations are not required.

Well I for one believed covid was serious. I had my vaccine. I stuck to the rules. I think though it’s very clear now from the data that the vaccine has broken the link for hospitalisations.

Therefore it’s time to be rational and get back to normal. It always gets compared to flu because logically that’s the next best thing we can compare it too.

We didn’t have mitigations in school for that.

@sherrystrull

How are people still not seeing that supporting schools to improve mitigation actually helps more children to stay in school in the long run?

Parents not supporting schools? After the year they've had home schooling, collecting kids for isolation, putting their jobs on the line? What planet are you on?!

If my school had asked that we all send an email to our MP demanding ventilation machines I'd have been first at the PC. They haven't. Everything they've asked of us I've done. As the majority of parents have.

I think I probably fall into the third group there rain

I had my vaccine last week. I was a bit worried about it as I’d like to try for another baby next year and I’m —old— over 40 as it is. But I had it.

I’ve always worn masks and I have no issue with this but I can see how they are a barrier to communicating in classroom settings. I have worked quite extensively with deaf children in the past though.

It just seems nuts to me that a year 4 child and a year 2 child can be in each other’s faces all day at home but only one is expected to isolate. If we are going to keep people safe then that’s well and good but common sense does need to be applied!

But no one was against mitigations, we were against nonsense suggestions of blended learning & closing of schools.

But we also knew that the Gov't we massively underfunding schools before covid so they wouldnt suddenly find the money to kit out thousands of school classrooms with portable ventilation systems nor was changing the build of schools even a possibility. So what were we supposed to do?

I have always been 100% against any kind of disruption to childrens education, and the paranoia over catching covid from teaching professionals when there are other professions in a worse position just grates parents the wrong way.

Remember, this was at a time after lockdown 1.0 when parents were working full time, whilst trying to homeschool, take on caring responsibilities and deal with a million other things. Stressed doesnt cover it. You then come along with pie in the sky mitigations with a tone of "well, if it's not done the schools will have to close"

We KNOW that, doesnt mean we like it and doesnt mean we have the slightest ability to change the gov handling of schools. Many of us DID complain to our MPs and got snotty responses back.

Our children need to be in full time school, not being sent home for someone else getting sick. School closures after lockdown 1.0 never should have happened. Bubble popping was nonsensical and never should have happened, or still be happening.

I agree @Rainuntilseptember.

I've seen the effect isolation and the threat of isolation has had on children and families. My own and in school. It's horrific.

I've also seen the effect covid and the threat of covid has had on children and families. My own and in school. It's also horrific.

Mitigation needs to be in place to reduce both.

I've seen the devastation caused by a child contracting covid in school and taking it home to a fully vaccinated but very vulnerable family member.

Well that's true Chillychangchoo but we also don't have mitigations in society for flu, no working from home, spacing and restrictions in shops and cafes etc.
I can see the logic in wanting them removed from schools if also wanting them removed from the rest of society. For months though we have been told schools are a special sort of place where Covid cannot cross, and we need fewer mitigations than society, not the same or more.
I wouldn't necessarily agree that we are ready to remove all mitigations but it is a logically consistent position, rather than the "schools are safe!!" one, which is not.

How about schools actually start supporting children and families? You know by actually teaching them, and having children in school?

Incredible concept.

I know schools are just following guidance so they cannot be blamed for these isolation rules but some teachers are loving it a little bit too much, let’s be honest!

@Bryonyshcmyony

When did I say parents haven't supported schools? I think you've misunderstood my post.

People saying schools should open without mitigation are missing the bigger picture that mitigation helps schools stay open.

@Chillychangchoo

How about schools actually start supporting children and families? You know by actually teaching them, and having children in school?

Incredible concept.

I know schools are just following guidance so they cannot be blamed for these isolation rules but some teachers are loving it a little bit too much, let’s be honest!

I'm not loving it. And no teacher I know is. We desperately want children in school and I'm very happy with my remote provision.

Having mitigation helps children stay in school.

Chilly I'm not going to reply to that ridiculous post. What a slap in the face after the year we have had.
But no one was against mitigations - this just isn't true, many people were against all the things listed in my last other post.

I have always been 100% against any kind of disruption to childrens education, and the paranoia over catching covid from teaching professionals when there are other professions in a worse position just grates parents the wrong way.
I completely agree.
I am a secondary teacher and in RL my colleagues also feel the same way snd have had enormous sympathy for parents coping with everything that had been thrown at them this year.
Only on MN do we hear this endless mantra about ‘mitigations’ that are only fig-leaves anyway.

Absolutely @TeddingtonTrashbag.

Hence wanting windows that open so the ventilation helps the children stay in school.

I am a secondary teacher and in RL my colleagues also feel the same way snd have had enormous sympathy for parents coping with everything that had been thrown at them this year.
Only on MN do we hear this endless mantra about ‘mitigations’ that are only fig-leaves anyway

Yes off MN you never hear it. I remember posting how sympathetic dds teachers were about home schooling and how they recognised how hard it was, and being told by one zealot that they were just saying that and secretly they thought we were all pathetic.

Mitigations are masks, bubbles, cancelled clubs/Leavers dos/exams/sports days aren't they? All of which we've done

I think quite a lot of people, including me, didn’t mind the first lockdown, and many did enjoy it. I don’t think it makes someone a bad teacher to say that.

@cornflowersandpoppies

I think quite a lot of people, including me, didn’t mind the first lockdown, and many did enjoy it. I don’t think it makes someone a bad teacher to say that.

I didn't enjoy it as I was worried all the time, but we carried on working throughout anyway!

(not a teacher)

I didn’t enjoy the first lockdown either. My school went to live teaching immediately and I basically had to ignore my children for 5 hours a day. One day I ignored them for nearly 8 hours as I had parents evening too. It was horrendous.

I’m a parent too. I want my children in school but I’m also concerned that the only mitigation schools have to protect its staff, pupils and community are isolations. I do worry for Sept on a selfish level. I’ll be 6 months post vaccine but not eligible for a booster. I’ll be working with the unvaccinated population. Last Autumn was horrific in my school. We closed twice to all pupils due to staff absence levels. I’m not sure how long vaccines will last but if its ‘6 months’ then our teaching staff will be back to having no antibodies and the same thing could happen again.

@Rainuntilseptember

Well schools are special aren’t they? They’re places that educate the next generation. They’re not really normal workplaces are they? The job itself doesn’t also fit the societal norm (particularly the working hours which are incredibly long) and teachers knew that before embarking on it. A bit like how nurses accept they will be working night shifts, and with death perhaps on a daily basis etc.

I’ve worked throughout the pandemic in unsafe conditions in social care so I’m pretty sure the working from home luxury is also off the cards for someone like myself. You do just have to get on with it in certain professions. If you don’t like it, then maybe find a new job? No ones forcing me to work front facing either but I choose too. No one is forcing you to go back and teach in a school if it’s something that now doesn’t fit your criteria.

Children absolutely need to come first and they need to be in school all of the time. That means no more isolations, full stop. There is no other template.