School?

Question:
How is school going for your kids?

I "teach" high school. Been curious how things are going here and there in places other than my limited view.

My closest connection to HS is through refereeing HS soccer games. Just before the season started I opted out and turned back dozens of games.
The biggest problem is that schools are naturally a petri dish of cold, flu and other bugs in a normal year. This year the potential is far far worse and let’s face it, kids (and some parents) simply cannot be trusted to be disease responsible.
Nephew in London teaches. It’s clear they might as well give up on in person teaching. Every attempt to teach in person has crumbled in hours or days due to new cases.
I have no HS kids any more. Just a college senior who is home this term. Living and working in our own bio bubble is working out ok.

Three kids in school in rural Norfolk in the UK. No issues. No masks. No cases. But they acknowledged kids won’t be able to social distance and planned accordingly.

The 2 in college have been doing ok. Actually from the stories I have heard from other kids in town they are doing better than most.

The one in his freshman year of HS: pretty shitty. He has had football (American) and it has been really great that he has it. It's the only normal time of the day but that ends soon. He is doing ok with grades as he is working with a tutor but the mental piece of it has been hard. I'm not sure if the administrators are taking mental health into consideration on the school schedule.

I feel this situation is going to yield a bigger discrepancy between the families that can provide things like computers and tutors and those that cannot. The issue we are having today stem from education and that is being taken away from many of our young.

But kids are resilient

I have a 6yo and 4yo in school who wear masks all day and successfully socially distance. There are cases in their schools, but all have been traced to exposure off campus. I
agree, this will widen the gap in ways we cannot predict.

My 8 year old and 6 year old have been 100% remote since spring. I will admit the operations side is (now) going smoother than I thought it would, but from an education perspective, its maintenance at best and from a social perspective its taking its toll. Other frustrations include daily issues with links that don't work, or being sent to a service that requires a login that we weren't given. The teachers are visibly frustrated with this situation as well. We are supposed to go to a hybrid model starting 11/9 (2 days in person, wed async, 2 days remote) which I'm very much looking forward to.

Two at college as well. One is 100% on-line due to massive outbreak earlier this year the other only half is on-line. Both have tested positive. One was hit pretty hard the other was asymptomatic. Agree with Don re further division unfortunately.

My local system was all remote and it just wasn't working well enough. I think they start back to in person school next week, mask requirements etc. The tools for remote learning were just not up to the task from what I heard. Friends have sent photos of their kids on trampolines with tablets during zoom classes, etc.

My cousin is superintendent of the school system I grew up in. He has some schools alternating grades on days of the week. 5/6 in on THurs/Fri and 7/8 on Mon/Tues at one middle school. Wed is a cleaning day/remote only and they are trying to limit any spread if something were to happen. Masks etc. Parents have the option to keep their kids at home and do remote learning. It must be a nightmare for teachers right now.

My daughter is 3 and we are glad she's only in Nasa's Preschool and not in full school yet. We had been on the waiting list 4 years and only got her in there due to other parents pulling kids out as they were working from home and not driving to work anymore. Preschool/daycare is one parent in at a time, no entry into any rooms, masks worn, temperatures checked at entry. It's been ok but there have been several parents who have had to be tested and luckily no positives yet.

I have been driving into work every day all year except one week when daycares were closed by the state. My wife was already working from home and her boss (federal govt job) expected her to take some unpaid time because she was going to have a kid at home. So I stayed and helped split time with our daughter. I have video chat capability to all my employees anyway so it wan't too bad but was very different. We have masks and temp checks at work to enter.

You guys can afford kids and Defenders?

My wife is a high school English teacher of several grades. Locally, K-3 are hybrid, two days a week in person with three days remote. All higher grades are remote only. Students of higher socioeconomic backgrounds with stable home lives and resources fare relatively well. Less fortunate students are forced to survive in their dysfunctional environments with little supportive resources. Educationally, I hear that curriculum is about 1/3 as complete as normal years. Having been set back significantly, it will be interesting and necessary to track these students as they progress through subsequent years and higher education. Students at all levels are eager to return to school when safe. They miss the social environment, and for many, it would normally be a stable reprieve from their tumultuous home lives.

We also have two kids, two and six. At the preschool level, Covid has further strained the disparity between supply and demand of childcare. We have been fortunate that our youngest was able to continue to attend a facility which caters to children of educators and provides quality care. Our oldest, in the K-3 hybrid group, is faring well considering the circumstances. He's often bored on remote days at home after finishing his schoolwork, despite our best efforts to provide him with stimulating activities. Mom works most of the day teaching her students and gives him as much attention as possible during breaks. On in-person days, he enjoys the school experience and is performing very well.

Logistics are complicated. Students wear masks at all times. Drop off and pick up lines are long and stretch well into public roads. Temperatures are checked each morning. Any student with a temperature is denied entry. Student pick-up smart phone apps don't always work correctly. IR thermometers have been failing to read on the cold mornings lately. Problems with online course platforms are common. I've seen staff in tears several times when the wide array of challenges and long hours become overwhelming.

High school grades initially suffered outbreaks among sports teams before the remote-only school year began . Thankfully, there have been no cases in the K-3 hybrid group.

We have a 14 year old freshman, 100% remote learning. Initially, he was totally demotivated and grades suffered a lot. We started engaging with him, his counselor and the teachers more and have a tutor for comp sci and research statistics. The grades are up, and by the end of the semester I expect it'll be A's & B's, if not straight A's across the board.It's been a hard adjustment, and I certainly don't think we're getting the education we expected - but for this year, it is what it is.

If it were up to me, just cancel the school year and lets go back as freshmen again next year. How you can really pass someone OR fail them with this environment - the schools, teachers and students were totally unprepared... It's just not logical to me.

donb said:

But kids are resilient

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Most are. The ones that aren’t are what has worried me the most. Surveys are already showing increased numbers of people having contemplated hurting themselves or taking their own life. Government has a bad track record with dealing with mental health issues. All over the world.

I was talking to a friend whose third child sunk into a “shell and a deep Covid induced depression”.
They let him play soccer this fall, even though it was massively worrying for them.

This led to a far happier kid who has come out of his shell, and is in a infinitely better place mentally.

The psychology of Covid lock downs or restricted activities is something too few people are thinking about. Not in the media or political sphere either.

My kids got very depressed during the initial shutdown last spring and my wife and I resolved to end the madness for them as soon as possible. Since the initial shock, we've been basically living as though there is no COVID. The only thing that's changed for them is masks when on the school bus or in a classroom.

I have two kids in kindergarten and third grade in PA. They go to in-person school five days a week and there have been zero issues. Oldest kiddo has been playing tackle football since summer, too. Again, no issues.

I truly feel for the kids with Branch Covidian parents who keep them locked in their homes. There are kids up our street that have not left their property in almost 9 months. They draw pictures and tape them to the insides of their windows. To me, they look like prison inmates. Their nutjob parents are almost certainly giving them PTSD.

In the US, yes. To me the UK response was more of a, no school was a huge mistake, this is impossible to make the best choice so we are going with the right choice. That right choice was school opening. Honestly it looks like regular school with one year group allowed on the playground at a time and waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more hand washing.

chris snell said:

My kids got very depressed during the initial shutdown last spring and my wife and I resolved to end the madness for them as soon as possible. Since the initial shock, we've been basically living as though there is no COVID. The only thing that's changed for them is masks when on the school bus or in a classroom.

I have two kids in kindergarten and third grade in PA. They go to in-person school five days a week and there have been zero issues. Oldest kiddo has been playing tackle football since summer, too. Again, no issues.

I truly feel for the kids with Branch Covidian parents who keep them locked in their homes. There are kids up our street that have not left their property in almost 9 months. They draw pictures and tape them to the insides of their windows. To me, they look like prison inmates. Their nutjob parents are almost certainly giving them PTSD.

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It really depends on the setting - In super dense suburban and urban environments (our county has over 1m people - our 'area' 5m+). Its a real thing and being safe is prudent. With 185k students in our school system, I don't think going back full time is a great idea. There are just too many vectors for infection.

erover82 said:

...I hear that curriculum is about 1/3 as complete as normal years. Having been set back significantly, it will be interesting and necessary to track these students as they progress through subsequent years and higher education.

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This aligns with what I've seen.

rocky said:

I was talking to a friend whose third child sunk into a “shell and a deep Covid induced depression”.
They let him play soccer this fall, even though it was massively worrying for them.
This led to a far happier kid who has come out of his shell, and is in a infinitely better place mentally.

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Poor kid, glad he's doing better and came out of his shell. My kids did sports camp all summer (masks, tons of measures taken, nobody complained, no cases) and if it wasn't for that they would have imploded mentally. My son played baseball and my daughter was able to swim in the fall which also helped to see other kids outside.

rocky said:

The psychology of Covid lock downs or restricted activities is something too few people are thinking about. Not in the media or political sphere either.

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I think its worse than that, there's no way the statement of mental health hasn't come across the desks of the people that can do something about it, I believe that its just that its not being weighed heavily enough in decision making.

chris snell said:

My kids got very depressed during the initial shutdown last spring and my wife and I resolved to end the madness for them as soon as possible. Since the initial shock, we've been basically living as though there is no COVID. The only thing that's changed for them is masks when on the school bus or in a classroom.

I have two kids in kindergarten and third grade in PA. They go to in-person school five days a week and there have been zero issues. Oldest kiddo has been playing tackle football since summer, too. Again, no issues.

I truly feel for the kids with Branch Covidian parents who keep them locked in their homes. There are kids up our street that have not left their property in almost 9 months. They draw pictures and tape them to the insides of their windows. To me, they look like prison inmates. Their nutjob parents are almost certainly giving them PTSD.

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I would LOVE my kids to be in-person 5 days a week, but around here (Philly 'burbs) only private is offering that and ALL the schools are completely full.

My daughter went to a socially distanced backyard birthday party about a month ago where there were MANY parents saying things like "wow, its so good to get outside, I haven't left the house since March"

chris snell said:

My kids got very depressed during the initial shutdown last spring and my wife and I resolved to end the madness for them as soon as possible. Since the initial shock, we've been basically living as though there is no COVID. The only thing that's changed for them is masks when on the school bus or in a classroom.

I have two kids in kindergarten and third grade in PA. They go to in-person school five days a week and there have been zero issues. Oldest kiddo has been playing tackle football since summer, too. Again, no issues.

I truly feel for the kids with Branch Covidian parents who keep them locked in their homes. There are kids up our street that have not left their property in almost 9 months. They draw pictures and tape them to the insides of their windows. To me, they look like prison inmates. Their nutjob parents are almost certainly giving them PTSD.

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I know this is your forum, and I don’t know you from Adam, but I can tell you that this is the wrong attitude to have about Covid-19. Everyone should take it extremely seriously, and the last thing we need is any kind of impediment for people to address the risk in the way they see fit for their family. Shaming people for being cautious is the wrong thing to do.

bearskinrug said:

I know this is your forum, and I don’t know you from Adam, but I can tell you that this is the wrong attitude to have about Covid-19. Everyone should take it extremely seriously, and the last thing we need is any kind of impediment for people to address the risk in the way they see fit for their family. Shaming people for being cautious is the wrong thing to do.

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It was inevitable this subject would lead to debate. Every community is different and is experiencing varying levels of infection. The risk of partaking in activities is different in one community than another. Individual perception of risk within a community also varies greatly depending on many factors.

I’m a “branch covidian”.

I have 3 school-aged children. All of our kids spent most of the summer home without friends. They lived their absolute best life. My son (14) wanted to hang with friends but he also understands how covid could affect his parents. So he sucked it up. Our daughters (10, 6), had the best summer ever. We kept them away from older family and they’ve been 100% just fine without seeing friends. My wife and I are both very healthy and active but my lungs are important to me - we don’t know the long term effects of covid so I’m happy to play it safe.

My son is on the high school mountain bike team and I’m an assistant coach. We spent the summer riding responsibly and socially distanced. We did this because the league required it and we wanted to ride. He had multiple races that were all different due to covid. Some were locked down with only a single parent/ guardian allowed, others were ‘green’ and social distancing and masks were 100% required. We did this because it was required and we wanted to participate. Some parents complained about having to wear masks - our response - then don’t fucking participate. There’s a dozen kids on the waitlist who would gladly wear a mask when required.

School started and we opted to send our son to school and keep our daughters home. My sons school has been locked down twice with two different teachers in the ICU. Dozens of students have also had covid. It’s been sort of a disaster. We feel for the teachers. They are doing an awesome job. My son will be fine if he can’t chat with his friends in person for a few weeks. I think it’s hilarious that people think a few months is going to drastically harm their kids if they can’t do fucking ceramics in person. Chill out - your kid is going to be more scarred because you’re a shitty parent who constantly fights with his/her spouse and drinks too much - not because of covid. These same people are heads down on their phones, sharing conspiracy theory memes on FB, they don’t pay attention to their kids, don’t eat dinner together, etc. etc. etc. like - look I’m the fucking mirror. Your kid might be screwed up - but not because they’ve been coloring inside the house for a few months. Besides, the neighbor kids are dicks anyway.

Like I said, our daughters are home. They’ve never been better. We have a schedule, lunch, recess etc. they have both learned a lot of responsibility while being home. My 6 year old navigates zoom meetings better than some adults. My 11 year old has some learning challenges and being home has given us the opportunity to be there. To help. In a classroom environment, she would get lost, passed by etc.

As a family we have never been closer. We’ve become especially close over the last several months. We are privileged to have a nice home with a lot of space, a nice yard and access to outdoor mountain trails. I fully understand that we are very privileged and are in a better position than many. I can’t imagine how hard some families have it with multiple children in a small space, no option to work remote, etc.

We all have to judge our own risk tolerance. For us, we’re fine to abide by the rules, wear masks, limit gatherings etc. It’s a sacrifice, it’s not the fucking end of the world. My wife’s aunt/ uncle both died of covid. Some people think it’s a hoax - those people are morons.

Have a 10 yo and a 12 yo. Both go to school 5 days a week and do sports after school. Basketball and Volleyball. School puts a lot of trust in parents. They have to check temps and symptoms at home. If they are ok, they go to school and wear masks all day in closed spaces. School encourages social some distancing during recess. If they have questionable symptoms, school recommends to avoid assisting and let them do virtual until they get a negative test. So far everything seems controlled. On positive cases, contact tracing is conducted by school and parents notified. Kids have lunch keeping distance in between them. The school has re informed that if they don't follow those rules, they might spread the disease and they would have to shut down the school. Kids don't want the school to close, so they are very careful. They love to see their friends everyday. And being able to talk face to face.

The message for my kids is to be careful and don't be afraid of the virus. Fear makes you make mistakes. I have taken care of at least 50 patients with Covid and definitely is not airborne as they proclaim. With some of them I only got a regular surgical mask on. I think viral load exposure is relevant. Hence social distancing is important. Personal hygiene too. Heck, I worked with a nurse a whole day three weekends ago that ended up having it. She kept her gloves on during cases and kept her mask on all the time. I didn't get the sickness. None of the patients we did surgeries on got the sickness. None of the ancillary personnel got the sickness. She was careful. And we all were too around her.

It think the media has created a lot of fear in the population and that makes it harder. We need to be able to live our lives and just be careful. We have been going to see football every Friday night and everyone keeps safe distance. I have been playing soccer every week.

Live your lives without fear and be careful.