If you were firmly in the schools should stay closed camp ...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of us don’t fit into these categories. I understood several things:

-it was probably safe at the beginning of the year for hybrid but all the districts had dickered around too much all summer to have it actually planned and operational. Full in was not safe so DL it was

-it definitely wasn’t safe from Halloween-February when our numbers were horrendous

-it became very safe in February when numbers dropped and vaccines widely distributed

-it is incredibly safe now and I feel terrible for the kids and staff now stuck at home based on choices they made when things were not safe

Most of us adapted our viewpoint with the information we had at the time. Only the people who were rigidly in one camp the entire time lost out IMO. The never open people lost out on the opportunity to experience safe in person school now and the “open now” people spent a year being frothing and angry. The rest of made the best of it, changed our stance when needed, and are doing fine.

I agree with all of this. The internet is where the extremes come to shout at each other and they think because they are the loudest voices, they represent most people. In truth, most people are like this. Just doing what you can with what you know.


That's right.

[Anonymous]

No. If they’d offered surveillance or rapid testing in schools, I would have felt differently as both a parent and a staff member. They didn’t, and most of us who were in person with students before the vaccine was available have a pretty good idea why. I know people don’t want to hear this, but my personal experience is that schools have not been honest about reporting or contact tracing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of us don’t fit into these categories. I understood several things:

-it was probably safe at the beginning of the year for hybrid but all the districts had dickered around too much all summer to have it actually planned and operational. Full in was not safe so DL it was

-it definitely wasn’t safe from Halloween-February when our numbers were horrendous

-it became very safe in February when numbers dropped and vaccines widely distributed

-it is incredibly safe now and I feel terrible for the kids and staff now stuck at home based on choices they made when things were not safe

Most of us adapted our viewpoint with the information we had at the time. Only the people who were rigidly in one camp the entire time lost out IMO. The never open people lost out on the opportunity to experience safe in person school now and the “open now” people spent a year being frothing and angry. The rest of made the best of it, changed our stance when needed, and are doing fine.

.


That's right.

I agree with all of this. The internet is where the extremes come to shout at each other and they think because they are the loudest voices, they represent most people. In truth, most people are like this. Just doing what you can with what you know

Also wanted to add that my kid is in school now and I did balance caution (scads of it!) with doing safe things. Most people didn't hide in the basement or dance on the street maskless. This place, DCUM, has gotten crazier over the past year and the lunatics have been grossly represented.

[Anonymous]

I am going to look back on this extra time that I spent with my middle schooler with some fondness later on. I'm glad I had it. This was my kid's first year of middle school. MIDDLE SCHOOL! Do you remember that? It was awful being on the bottom at middle school. Instead of THAT, my kid spent the school year at home with us and went in for the rest a few days a week. We made lunch together, played outside together, I listened in on classes and heard what other kids in his class said about slavery and writing assignments and art class and planets.

I know it was a lot harder on other people and it wasn't all bubblegum and rainbows over here but I will never get this chance again and I'm glad I had this peek into my kid's life. It was hard to fit everything in but I'm so grateful to have had this look into his life. He is a pretty neat guy tbh, I didn't really understand how cool until now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am going to look back on this extra time that I spent with my middle schooler with some fondness later on. I'm glad I had it. This was my kid's first year of middle school. MIDDLE SCHOOL! Do you remember that? It was awful being on the bottom at middle school. Instead of THAT, my kid spent the school year at home with us and went in for the rest a few days a week. We made lunch together, played outside together, I listened in on classes and heard what other kids in his class said about slavery and writing assignments and art class and planets.

I know it was a lot harder on other people and it wasn't all bubblegum and rainbows over here but I will never get this chance again and I'm glad I had this peek into my kid's life. It was hard to fit everything in but I'm so grateful to have had this look into his life. He is a pretty neat guy tbh, I didn't really understand how cool until now.

+1000 I love the extra time with my middle schooler.

[Anonymous]

Agree with the above.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My house hasn’t caught on fire, but I don’t regret having working smoke detectors. I’ve never been in a serious car accident, but I don’t regret decades of wearing a seatbelt. I’ve never had an unintended pregnancy, but I don’t regret having used birth control. I took precautions to avoid covid. Maybe I wouldn’t have contracted it even if I wasn’t cautious, but that doesn’t make me regret the precautions. I make the best choices I can based on the information I have.

Occasionally buying batteries for a smoke detector or buckling a seatbelt when you’re driving isn’t quite on par with asking a 5 year old to spend a year of learning sitting in front of an iPad and having no socialization with peers.

[Anonymous]

Or do you now realize you’re insane?.?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nope. I think it was the right choice. 500,000 Americans died from Covid. If all mass gathering public facilities hadn't closed we'd be India and cresting 1 million deaths today. If Trump was still President I fear the same outcome.

I am so grateful that local leadership and state leadership did what national leadership refused to do. They stepped into the void and took up the challenge. They led us through with courage and never wavered nor did they try to hide how bad our trying times were.

F the anti-vaxxers. F the anti-maskers. F the anti-schools closed individuals.

and F the keep it closed forever people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My house hasn’t caught on fire, but I don’t regret having working smoke detectors. I’ve never been in a serious car accident, but I don’t regret decades of wearing a seatbelt. I’ve never had an unintended pregnancy, but I don’t regret having used birth control. I took precautions to avoid covid. Maybe I wouldn’t have contracted it even if I wasn’t cautious, but that doesn’t make me regret the precautions. I make the best choices I can based on the information I have.

Occasionally buying batteries for a smoke detector or buckling a seatbelt when you’re driving isn’t quite on par with asking a 5 year old to spend a year of learning sitting in front of an iPad and having no socialization with peers.

Yes. Exactly and this attitude is exactly why schools stayed closed. What is the harm in buying batteries for your smoke detector or wearing a seatbelt? I only see upside. Closing schools has been disastrous for many, many children and some will never recover.

[Anonymous]

We definitely reached a point where the harm being done to my children’s mental health was scarier than Covid. When my kids went back in March (LCPS) and then when they moved to four days, it was huge positive improvements for my kids. They are their old selves again and that I will never regret. I understand that other kids were less bothered by it but it was very very depressing for my kids who were and are social abs big fans of (regular) school.

[Anonymous]

I went back and forth, but yes. I had a chance to send my kid back to school in person in February but didn’t because cases were going up and the media was freaking out about “variants.” That was definitely the wrong choice. The school had a handful of cases (three I think) and no spread in the school at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We definitely reached a point where the harm being done to my children’s mental health was scarier than Covid. When my kids went back in March (LCPS) and then when they moved to four days, it was huge positive improvements for my kids. They are their old selves again and that I will never regret. I understand that other kids were less bothered by it but it was very very depressing for my kids who were and are social abs big fans of (regular) school.

Yes. And my kid who is less social (mild ASD) really suffered as well because he didn’t have the chance to be around other kids and a structured day. Transitiok back to school has been very, very rough, but that just shows how much he lost. Now I can’t tell you how great it is to hear him tell me some
story about what the kids did on the playground!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. If they’d offered surveillance or rapid testing in schools, I would have felt differently as both a parent and a staff member. They didn’t, and most of us who were in person with students before the vaccine was available have a pretty good idea why. I know people don’t want to hear this, but my personal experience is that schools have not been honest about reporting or contact tracing.

what schools weren’t doing any testing at all? and contact tracing is generally the responsibility of the health department. I was able to read the research and see that frequent asymptomatic testing wasn’t necessary for safety, and also be reassured by the lack of spread in open schools. We knew that as early as October if not earlier. people are really trying to rewrite history and wish we would forget that privates, parochials, and **all of NYC** successfully and safely reopened well prior to vaccines.

[Anonymous]

This is not a loaded question that will foster thoughtful debate and community reflection.

Next.