Back to School during the pandemic ...a discussion thread

pigletto

DIS Veteran
Joined
Oct 27, 2007
As the conversation about retuning to school is spilling into some of the other threads this one has been created for dedicated discussion. It‘s a big emotional topic with a lot to consider and discuss. Feel free to jump in.

I’ll start ... I have one 16 year old son who is a strong and eager student. He struggled a lot with online learning in the Spring which we didn’t expect. He didn’t know what was priority and what wasn’t as important. He treated it all as equally important and sat at the table for 8 or more hours some days. He was worried and felt behind all the time. He would like to go back and would benefit a great deal from in person instruction . However online learning is likely to be different in the Fall now that there has been time to prepare.
I would probably prefer he didn’t go back and would rather see how it all shakes out but I haven’t said that because I am not sure. I‘m also very unimpressed that our board is not mandating masks, especially for high school students.

So that’s where we are in a nutshell. Please share your thoughts and personal situations .
 
Well my older kids are in university now, so I just have my 10 year old. For him we found online learning was really just a way to spend time, didn’t really learn anything new. We have spent a lot of time making our decision as we have high risk family members. That said we have noticed a change in our son over the last couple months. He desperately misses being around his classmates. It’s gotten a little better after sports teams starting up, but he’s still not himself.

We have decided he will be back at school. My husband and I, plus my own older child will all be home during the day (working and studying) and have the ability to keep him home. But that’s not what’s best for him. For his mental health and social development, he needs to be back in a classroom with friends at least part time. We have been big with mask wearing, sanitizing etc and his sports practices are already huge in keeping distance etc. So we’ve seen how he’s handled that and the extra things to keep safe don’t seem to stress him. He would rather wear a mask and have to stay a few feet away, but get to see some friends, then be stuck at home.

We will be skipping the school bus and driving him ourselves though. Partially to reduce that exposure, and to help with limited capacity. We are also making sure we are prepared to have him home again if things get worse. Right now our cases are fairly low in our area so we feel safe in our decision.
 
My son will be going back, he's 10 and going into grade 6. Whether part time or full time, for his mental health he needs to go and see friends, play. I am able to work from home and will hopefully be able to continue to do so, his will be the only exposure we get (other than me going to get groceries once a week). He normally walks now, I was driving him to daycare but won't be using that since I'll be home any way. Technically, I could keep him home, but the few months before he was allowed to go play with friends again were very difficult for him. His activity level was not high enough, and since I am also working, I am not able to pay that much attention to him as he needs.

The Ottawa Catholic Board seems to have laid out a decent plan for going back, hopefully it isn't too difficult to implement the recommendations. I have purchases masks for him, though they may not need them all day, I imagine they will during breaks, walking the halls, etc. I'll also send him with hand sanitizer. He already has a good sized backpack as they will be carrying everything with them and not using a cubby for their stuff. They are pushing for electronic work instead of paper, and he has a chromebook for school that my parents got him for Christmas so he's set there. I am not sure how they will manager French Immersion, they are different teachers, last year he had 3 for the various classes, but I understand they are limiting it to one teacher per cohort, so perhaps they will have a virtual lesson for the French? I don't know.

I will be contacting the school to make sure he is not with a certain boy he always fights with, and that they will be able to accommodate his needs. I understand Gym is out, but hopefully they will be able to have outdoor time to run and move. It's his last year at this school. Given he didn't do very much after March, I hope he will be able to make it up. He is a smart kid, I know he can catch up if he has the right teacher.
 
:( :sad:
I had a feeling the boards would not have a say when Ford and the *Leech* spoke last week about making an announcement this coming week.
Well it's up to parents to ask the questions now,,because so far the precautions they stated in the past are not in the works for my school for this coming Sept.


So sad,and wrong!
Hugs
Mel
 


:( :sad:
I had a feeling the boards would not have a say when Ford and the *Leech* spoke last week about making an announcement this coming week.
Well it's up to parents to ask the questions now,,because so far the precautions they stated in the past are not in the works for my school for this coming Sept.


So sad,and wrong!
Hugs
Mel

I could be wrong cause things keep changing. But I thought boards did have a say but their plans had to be approved? Our school board has released and fairly detailed plan on what they plan on doing for a modified approach . It sounds like they are just waiting for things to be approved and to get some clarity on a few things (like wearing masks). I guess we just have to wait and see, the announcement could be about funding? Who knows.
 
I could be wrong cause things keep changing. But I thought boards did have a say but their plans had to be approved? Our school board has released and fairly detailed plan on what they plan on doing for a modified approach . It sounds like they are just waiting for things to be approved and to get some clarity on a few things (like wearing masks). I guess we just have to wait and see, the announcement could be about funding? Who knows.

The most recent email I got indicated that the Board would have a say but if TDSB has passed
with no changes pre covid 19 then I don't know what to think.
Yeah our plans looked very detailed (modified approach) and included lots of precautions.
Let's see what the *Leech* has to say this week.
Agreed who knows? BUT we should as we are the ones putting ourselves out there.

Hugs
Mel
 
The most recent email I got indicated that the Board would have a say but if TDSB has passed
with no changes pre covid 19 then I don't know what to think.
Yeah our plans looked very detailed (modified approach) and included lots of precautions.
Let's see what the *Leech* has to say this week.
Agreed who knows? BUT we should as we are the ones putting ourselves out there.

Hugs
Mel
Just wanted to clarify in case it wasn’t a typo - it’s TCDSB not TDSB who voted to return at pre-Covid numbers. Yeah, they are throwing us all under the bus & undermining our fight for safe numbers. Consensus amongst the ed experts I follow on Twitter (not union members) is that they realize no funding is forthcoming and realistically this is the only option. It’s becoming a political football when it should be about what is best for kids & staff.
 


The most recent email I got indicated that the Board would have a say but if TDSB has passed
with no changes pre covid 19 then I don't know what to think.
Yeah our plans looked very detailed (modified approach) and included lots of precautions.
Let's see what the *Leech* has to say this week.
Agreed who knows? BUT we should as we are the ones putting ourselves out there.

Hugs
Mel
I’m really on the fence about all of this and I’m going to really make an effort to educate myself but a huge consideration in my choices to send my child back will be the safety of staff. Nobody should be risking their health and safety to educate my child .
 
Just wanted to clarify in case it wasn’t a typo - it’s TCDSB not TDSB who voted to return at pre-Covid numbers. Yeah, they are throwing us all under the bus & undermining our fight for safe numbers. Consensus amongst the ed experts I follow on Twitter (not union members) is that they realize no funding is forthcoming and realistically this is the only option. It’s becoming a political football when it should be about what is best for kids & staff.

Hi Hon
Thanks for clarifying that.
For those wondering....
TCDSB Toronto Catholic District School Board
TDSB Toronto District School Board.
1595692867000.png
Hugs
Mel
 
I’m really on the fence about all of this and I’m going to really make an effort to educate myself but a huge consideration in my choices to send my child back will be the safety of staff. Nobody should be risking their health and safety to educate my child .
The sad part is, that at 15 to 1 and mandatory masks, it’s doable. We can be as safe as possible, not perfect, but ok. It’s just going to cost a lot of money & boards are begging for it (more of them just today). The MoE is counting on parents like me who will voluntarily keep their kids at home & sacrifice time etc to educate their own kids, so they don’t have to pony up the funding.

It’s crazy to think that I cannot send my kids unvaccinated for polio to school in Sept, but this is ok?!? My DD is upset she will miss her gr 8 yr. I’m happy that she’ll never wonder if *she* brought home a disease which (God forbid) killed an at-risk member of our extended family. The 1st she’ll get over, the second on the other hand...
 
Parents are under a highly stressful environment to work. I have seen over the years that parents send their kids with running nose, coughs, or even fever to class because they cannot suddenly cancel business meetings and client deals. Some of them even intentionally trying to hide the symptoms by taking cough syrup and Advil.

I am afraid the same practice will continue by those parents. There are also asymptotic cases. The sad reality is that we will not see the infection rate from school opening until October and deaths until November. By the the horses have already left the barn and it’s too late to close the school again.
 
My son is entering 8th grade. I feel in minority that it’s not end of world if he doesn’t have a great academic year. It’s not high school and some years you can have a bad teacher. I’m just hoping for good enough. So many people around here are stressing about finding the perfect online school etc.

Since this virus is clearly around awhile, especially since I live I’m USA and more specifically SC where the leadership is terrible so no confidence virus disappearing we left It up to my son.

he wants in person. His school is doing every other day so half the kids which makes me feel safer. And they are requiring masks. And we will skip the bus this year.

I also think because the states are doing such a poor job and so many people are living like their isn’t a virus (even on these boards the number not putting off Disney vaca is staggering) I’m mentally ready for his school to have to go virtual. It will be what it will be.

just trying to take it one day at a time.
 
Here in BC the education minister is set to give an announcement about September this coming week. For the past few weeks we have all been led to believe we will return to blended learning but now from what I hear, BC wants full time participation for elementary and middle school and blended for high school. Guess we will find out this week. Then the premier announced "be prepared to have a plan B in case the virus creates a second wave." My kids are going into grades 5&7 and will be going back with, what I hope, are extra precautions. I'll post again later this week with an update once our education minister makes his announcement.
 
My son is entering 8th grade. I feel in minority that it’s not end of world if he doesn’t have a great academic year. It’s not high school and some years you can have a bad teacher. I’m just hoping for good enough. So many people around here are stressing about finding the perfect online school etc.

Since this virus is clearly around awhile, especially since I live I’m USA and more specifically SC where the leadership is terrible so no confidence virus disappearing we left It up to my son.

he wants in person. His school is doing every other day so half the kids which makes me feel safer. And they are requiring masks. And we will skip the bus this year.

I also think because the states are doing such a poor job and so many people are living like their isn’t a virus (even on these boards the number not putting off Disney vaca is staggering) I’m mentally ready for his school to have to go virtual. It will be what it will be.

just trying to take it one day at a time.

I have to say that if I lived in the US I would 100% not be sending my kids to school. The case levels in Canada are nowhere near what they are in the US. In Ontario we have been hovering around an average of 150 new cases a day for the entire province and that’s with some major outbreaks on farms. My region seems to hover around an average of 3-4 new cases a day. That risk I can tolerate my kid at school. If it went back up to where we were in April, nope my kid is at home.

I have to say I can’t believe the US is even considering in class at the moment.
 
I don't even know what I want for our kids. My older one is independent (going into grade 10) and my younger one is almost there (going into grade 6) so childcare isn't an issue. Plus at the moment, both DH and I are at home...not sure when/if our works will send us back to the office.

Onlien learning wasn't much learning. Our school (in york region) really did try and i think our school did a great job at keeping the kids in touch and motivated. They sent personal letters of "we miss you" and my DD's teacher even called her end of the year. Both kids did ok with the online stuff, but they had work for maybe 2-3 hrs a day and free time rest of the day. SO they certainly didn't learn much. Plus it was more assignments than teaching.

But the reality is that the virus is still here. So while it's running at large, as a parent I am scared sending them each day. Having said that, I don't want them locked up for more months and not socializing. That's not healthy either.

In the surveyI voted a mix, but then that may be riskier as then some parents will need to sen their kids for additional childcare, exposing them to another source. No easy solution.
 
more assignments than teaching.

I think this was a good part of the problem I had in the spring. I am not a teacher, the way I learned things is not even close to how they teach them now. It was difficult for my son who wasn't interested any way, and if he couldn't figure out on his own how to do something, it was no go. And trying to do both the learning and get my full work day in... impossible.

The whole situation is just frustrating for everyone. I can't see letting him do nothing for an entire school year, but I also want everyone to be safe. It is hard when things are "opening" and people seem to be forgetting why we are all cooped up. There are 3 daycares in Ottawa now with COVID cases. That's the daycare centres, not home daycares. Sure, kids will recover, but they are also saying they are the ones presenting more cases now, it's scary times.
 
I had shared some of this in the other thread but figured would share here in the actual school thread.

In NB, for K-8, children will be going to school "as normal", though a modified normal. School will be in class, M-F, regular (and potentially expanded) hours. Class sizes for K-5 will be reduced, and 6-8 as well, if possible. There will be no masks required. There will be no social distancing required. There will be a bubble (presumed to be a single class), and you will only be able to socialize and interact with the students in your bubble. Arrival, departure, recess and lunch times will now be staggered, to reduce the amount of students in one space. As a result, they are talking about expanding the school day to accommodate. There will be no extra-curriculars. They are asking every parent who is capable to drive their children to school, instead of using the bus. For high school students, social distancing will be required, and they will be doing blended delivery - part in class, part online. They will also be required to provide their own computer.

So... these are my thoughts:

So, the main issues as I see it are: first and foremost, we're going into this more or less blind. This situation is still evolving. Plans are up in the air because there's a thousand different scenarios and no one knows how it's all going to play out. At the same time, they are rushing to try and come up with some sort of plan, because they school year is fast approaching. Rushed plans are rarely good plans.

Too many parents think it's going to be their "saving grace", that their lonely kids are going to go back to school, see their friends like they used to, that they'll get the same quality education that they would have before etc... and the reality is, they're not. This school year is going to be extremely stressful for teachers, parents AND students. This will be reflected in the learning. Students aren't going to be seeing their friends like they used to (if they are placed in a different bubble they won't be allowed to see their friends at all), they aren't going to have their sports and activities and they're going to be trying to adjust to a highly different schedule, routine, stressful atmosphere, and for high schoolers, a different learning format. Young students that rely on bussing are going to be exhausted. Where we are, with a lot of rural areas, some/many students already have to get on the bus at 7:30 am. If they fall under the new staggered start time, they will be getting on the bus at 7:00 am, potentially earlier in the winter. That's too early.

Many parents are going to have to deal with the bussing shortage issues and find ways of trying to accommodate their students new schedule into their work schedule. Not to mention the stress of having to take time off work every time your child has a doesn't clear the screening (no symptoms allowed - temperature, cough, sniffles etc...), since they won't be allowed at daycare, either. During cold and flu season, this could be be quite a bit. And of course, two weeks off work if your child is exposed and has to isolate. Students will potentially miss a lot of time because of ^^. And what of the teachers who don't meet screening? Who get sick and are suddenly gone for 1-2 months? Who have a spouse or child who get sick and they have to stay home and self-isolate for 2 weeks? We're short-staffed as it is, and the government has already had to go through and redistribute jobs to try and accommodate the extra staffing needed, so they can reduce the class sizes as much as possible. There isn't a lot of availability left to cover these scenarios. So, either your child's class get shut down, or they deal with a rotation of supply teachers (which has a negative impact on learning).

Furthermore, our province has already announced that if another outbreak occurs, schools will be shut down and revert totally to online learning, for all grades. So, the strong possibility is, is that we start off with this ^^ mess in the fall, and then come winter, we're right back to where we were - children at home, learning at home.

So what are the options? I mean these are my ideas, but they all pose their own issues:

1. Scrap the school year completely. Take the savings and give a dividend to families to help offset the increase in daycare costs. The biggest problem being of course there aren't enough daycare spaces, since let's call a spade a spade, school is largely free daycare.

2. Just do the whole thing online. You eliminate the back and forth and exposure risks. The problems being of course potential quality of learning issues (online doesn't begin to compare to a classroom setting for the majority of learners) and we're right back to daycare issues. What do working parents of daycare aged children do?

3. Move learning outdoors. This was done in many places during the 1918-1919 pandemic, and is being done in some places this year, and is done in other places (yes, even cold places). This would definitely reduce exposure risk, but people will balk and throw a fit at the idea, and there are logistical issues too - families that can't afford quality winter gear for their children, the need for a lower student-teacher ratio due to safety, special needs issues etc...

4. Just do half days. Rethink the curriculum for the year. Just teach the 3Rs only, since they really are the foundation of all other learning, and are the worst to have interrupted. It would make it easier to spread kids out, reduce class sizes, and generally have less exposure. Though there would still be many of the same issues as I initially laid out, and of course... daycare.

so I have no idea what the solution is. I just know I'm so grateful that I'm a SAHM and we homeschool. I feel so bad for my friends who have to deal with this mess. I do know that if nothing else, Covid has done a great job of shining a light on the problem that a two-parent working household presents. Once upon a time, for better or worse, most of this would have been a non-issue since the mother would have been already home, making the situation far easier to deal with.
 
Last edited:
I had shared some of this in the other thread but figured would share here in the actual school thread.

In NB, for K-8, children will be going to school "as normal", though a modified normal. School will be in class, M-F, regular (and potentially expanded) hours. Class sizes for K-5 will be reduced, and 6-8 as well, if possible. There will be no masks required. There will be no social distancing required. There will be a bubble (presumed to be a single class), and you will only be able to socialized and interact with the students in your bubble. Arrival, departure, recess and lunch times will now be staggered, to reduce the amount of students in one space. As a result, they are talking about expanding the school day to accommodate. There will be no extra-curriculars. They are asking every parent who is capable to drive their children to school, instead of using the bus. For high school students, social distancing will be required, and they will be doing blended delivery - part in class, part online. They will also be required to provide their own computer.

So... these are my thoughts:

So, the main issues as I see it are: first and foremost, we're going into this more or less blind. This situation is still evolving. Plans are up in the air because there's a thousand different scenarios and no one knows how it's all going to play out. At the same time, they are rushing to try and come up with some sort of plan, because they school year is fast approaching. Rushed plans are rarely good plans.

Too many parents think it's going to be their "saving grace", that their lonely kids are going to go back to school, see their friends like they used to, that they'll get the same quality education that they would have before etc... and the reality is, they're not. This school year is going to be extremely stressful for teachers, parents AND students. This will be reflected in the learning. Students aren't going to be seeing their friends like they used to (if they are placed in a different bubble they won't be allowed to see their friends at all), they aren't going to have their sports and activities and they're going to be trying to adjust to a highly different schedule, routine, stressful atmosphere, and for high schoolers, a different learning format. Young students that rely on bussing are going to be exhausted. Where we are, with a lot of rural areas, some/many students already have to get on the bus at 7:30 am. If they fall under the new staggered start time, they will be getting on the bus at 7:00 am, potentially earlier in the winter. That's too early.

Many parents are going to have to deal with the bussing shortage issues and find ways of trying to accommodate their students new schedule into their work schedule. Not to mention the stress of having to take time off work every time your child has a doesn't clear the screening (no symptoms allowed - temperature, cough, sniffles etc...), since they won't be allowed at daycare, either. During cold and flu season, this could be be quite a bit. And of course, two weeks off work if your child is exposed and has to isolate. Students will potentially miss a lot of time because of ^^. And what of the teachers who don't meet screening? Who get sick and are suddenly gone for 1-2 months? Who have a spouse or child who get sick and they have to stay home and self-isolate for 2 weeks? We're short-staffed as it is, and the government has already had to go through and redistribute jobs to try and accommodate the extra staffing needed, so they can reduce the class sizes as much as possible. There isn't a lot of availability left to cover these scenarios. So, either your child's class get shut down, or they deal with a rotation of supply teachers (which has a negative impact on learning).

Furthermore, our province has already announced that if another outbreak occurs, schools will be shut down and revert totally to online learning, for all grades. So, the strong possibility is, is that we start off with this ^^ mess in the fall, and then come winter, we're right back to where we were - children at home, learning at home.

So what are the options? I mean these are my ideas, but they all pose their own issues:

1. Scrap the school year completely. Take the savings and give a dividend to families to help offset the increase in daycare costs. The biggest problem being of course there aren't enough daycare spaces, since let's call a spade a spade, school is largely free daycare.

2. Just do the whole thing online. You eliminate the back and forth and exposure risks. The problems being of course potential quality of learning issues (online doesn't begin to compare to a classroom setting for the majority of learners) and we're right back to daycare issues. What do working parents of daycare aged children do?

3. Move learning outdoors. This was done in many places during the 1918-1919 pandemic, and is being done in some places this year, and is done in other places (yes, even cold places). This would definitely reduce exposure risk, but people will balk and throw a fit at the idea, and there are logistical issues too - families that can't afford quality winter gear for their children, the need for a lower student-teacher ratio due to safety, special needs issues etc...

4. Just do half days. Rethink the curriculum for the year. Just teach the 3Rs only, since they really are the foundation of all other learning, and are the worst to have interrupted. It would make it easier to spread kids out, reduce class sizes, and generally have less exposure. Though there would still be many of the same issues as I initially laid out, and of course... daycare.

so I have no idea what the solution is. I just know I'm so grateful that I'm a SAHM and we homeschool. I feel so bad for my friends who have to deal with this mess. I do know that if nothing else, Covid has done a great job of shining a light on the problem that a two-parent working household presents. Once upon a time, for better or worse, most of this would have been a non-issue since the mother would have been already home, making the situation far easier to deal with.
Absolutely all of this 👍🏻 I was discussing our decision with our kids again last night - this is hard on them & on us. We assume most of their friends will return to school and that means no in person contact with their friends, not even the slight socially distanced contact we’ve managed this month; it would simply expose us to the entire school population & the fact I will be exposed to a space with 1000 + teens a day is sufficient.....

I told them not to worry about it. Chances are everyone will be back online full time by Thanksgiving 🤷🏼‍♀️
 
I had shared some of this in the other thread but figured would share here in the actual school thread.

In NB, for K-8, children will be going to school "as normal", though a modified normal. School will be in class, M-F, regular (and potentially expanded) hours. Class sizes for K-5 will be reduced, and 6-8 as well, if possible. There will be no masks required. There will be no social distancing required. There will be a bubble (presumed to be a single class), and you will only be able to socialized and interact with the students in your bubble. Arrival, departure, recess and lunch times will now be staggered, to reduce the amount of students in one space. As a result, they are talking about expanding the school day to accommodate. There will be no extra-curriculars. They are asking every parent who is capable to drive their children to school, instead of using the bus. For high school students, social distancing will be required, and they will be doing blended delivery - part in class, part online. They will also be required to provide their own computer.

So... these are my thoughts:

So, the main issues as I see it are: first and foremost, we're going into this more or less blind. This situation is still evolving. Plans are up in the air because there's a thousand different scenarios and no one knows how it's all going to play out. At the same time, they are rushing to try and come up with some sort of plan, because they school year is fast approaching. Rushed plans are rarely good plans.

Too many parents think it's going to be their "saving grace", that their lonely kids are going to go back to school, see their friends like they used to, that they'll get the same quality education that they would have before etc... and the reality is, they're not. This school year is going to be extremely stressful for teachers, parents AND students. This will be reflected in the learning. Students aren't going to be seeing their friends like they used to (if they are placed in a different bubble they won't be allowed to see their friends at all), they aren't going to have their sports and activities and they're going to be trying to adjust to a highly different schedule, routine, stressful atmosphere, and for high schoolers, a different learning format. Young students that rely on bussing are going to be exhausted. Where we are, with a lot of rural areas, some/many students already have to get on the bus at 7:30 am. If they fall under the new staggered start time, they will be getting on the bus at 7:00 am, potentially earlier in the winter. That's too early.

Many parents are going to have to deal with the bussing shortage issues and find ways of trying to accommodate their students new schedule into their work schedule. Not to mention the stress of having to take time off work every time your child has a doesn't clear the screening (no symptoms allowed - temperature, cough, sniffles etc...), since they won't be allowed at daycare, either. During cold and flu season, this could be be quite a bit. And of course, two weeks off work if your child is exposed and has to isolate. Students will potentially miss a lot of time because of ^^. And what of the teachers who don't meet screening? Who get sick and are suddenly gone for 1-2 months? Who have a spouse or child who get sick and they have to stay home and self-isolate for 2 weeks? We're short-staffed as it is, and the government has already had to go through and redistribute jobs to try and accommodate the extra staffing needed, so they can reduce the class sizes as much as possible. There isn't a lot of availability left to cover these scenarios. So, either your child's class get shut down, or they deal with a rotation of supply teachers (which has a negative impact on learning).

Furthermore, our province has already announced that if another outbreak occurs, schools will be shut down and revert totally to online learning, for all grades. So, the strong possibility is, is that we start off with this ^^ mess in the fall, and then come winter, we're right back to where we were - children at home, learning at home.

So what are the options? I mean these are my ideas, but they all pose their own issues:

1. Scrap the school year completely. Take the savings and give a dividend to families to help offset the increase in daycare costs. The biggest problem being of course there aren't enough daycare spaces, since let's call a spade a spade, school is largely free daycare.

2. Just do the whole thing online. You eliminate the back and forth and exposure risks. The problems being of course potential quality of learning issues (online doesn't begin to compare to a classroom setting for the majority of learners) and we're right back to daycare issues. What do working parents of daycare aged children do?

3. Move learning outdoors. This was done in many places during the 1918-1919 pandemic, and is being done in some places this year, and is done in other places (yes, even cold places). This would definitely reduce exposure risk, but people will balk and throw a fit at the idea, and there are logistical issues too - families that can't afford quality winter gear for their children, the need for a lower student-teacher ratio due to safety, special needs issues etc...

4. Just do half days. Rethink the curriculum for the year. Just teach the 3Rs only, since they really are the foundation of all other learning, and are the worst to have interrupted. It would make it easier to spread kids out, reduce class sizes, and generally have less exposure. Though there would still be many of the same issues as I initially laid out, and of course... daycare.

so I have no idea what the solution is. I just know I'm so grateful that I'm a SAHM and we homeschool. I feel so bad for my friends who have to deal with this mess. I do know that if nothing else, Covid has done a great job of shining a light on the problem that a two-parent working household presents. Once upon a time, for better or worse, most of this would have been a non-issue since the mother would have been already home, making the situation far easier to deal with.

I don’t think any of us who want our kids back in school thinks it’s our “saving grace”. And we know it won’t be the same. But yeah some kids who haven’t seen any friends in months just want to be back even if it’s not the same. Just because they can’t do all the things they used to doesn’t mean it’s not a better option for them then staying home.

I have started to notice a trend, many parents who think kids should stay home are quick to point out every little issue with kids going back to school. They make a huge deal out of things like “kids won’t get to play sports or see all of their friends”. Yet those things aren’t an issue with keeping kids home? How is that? It’s like they feel the need to justify not sending their kids. You don’t. We get it, and don’t judge you.

I would just like to point out that those of us who want our kids in school for various reasons are not stupid, we know all these things. We have thought long and hard about our decisions. We don’t sit here and point out all the reasons why keeping kids at home isn’t a good idea. So why do others feel the need to bring up every little issue with sending kids to school.
 
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