The Urgency of Normal

[Anonymous]

Blah blah blah homeschool curriculum companies are rubbing their hands together in anticipation of another banner sales season as more people give up on government schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everyone has the opportunity to get vaxxed. If people choose not to do it, it's on them. If it overwhelms the health care industry so they can't do their for-profit elective surgeries, that is on them. I think we should all go back to normal life - like in Europe - and maybe the idea that we will no longer wear masks to protect the unvaccinated will encourage them to get vaxxed.

The unvaxxed aren’t the only ones affected by overwhelmed hospitals. I currently have a family member waiting for life-saving surgery, but it is still considered “elective” and on hold. This is why everyone needs to do their part. Each person’s own individual choices and behaviors will affect others, whether they see it that way or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is the new normal. It's never going back to the old days.

Good luck with that. If normal doesn't come back soon we're going to see repeats of the 2021 VA Gov. election nationally, in 2022 and 2024.

Do you want President Desantis? Because this is how you get President Desantis!

Yup. Dems are just handing the GOP something to run in, it’s infuriating. Refusing to listen to valid criticisms of existing Covid restrictions, or adjust restrictions based on new info or circumstances, just gives Republicans an opportunity to sound reasonable. Why serve that up for them? Why can’t WE be the reasonable ones?

This is me too. My top issue, really my only issue since everything else pales in comparison, is my kids. Lovely for those of you who’s kids LOVED virtual school and adore their masks and have no problems at all. If you ignore those of us who have not had that experience we will support almost any alternative. I’m in the camp that maybe we break out masks during times of very high transmission when the hospitals might be getting overwhelmed or something. But I was really upset kids had to wear masks all summer and fall when cases were really low and even now that every single public school kid who wants to can be vaccinated people still won’t talk about off ramps. It gives the impression people are really ok with this forever (since COVID is not going away and vaccines don’t fully prevent transmission). And I’m NOT ok with that.

I’m very very pro vaccine for what it’s worth and would be fine for a vaccine mandate. We have the data that the vaccines are safe which is more than we can say about *2 years* of mask wearing during the most important developmental years of a child’s life. Not remotely the same as occasionally wearing a mask during flu season or if you are sick so don’t bother with a “but Asia does it!!” Argument

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
How many deaf or blind people have deficient emotional recognition or literacy or speech/sign language skills?
That is not a thing! There is no rational reason to believe that wearing masks will cause kids harm.

My feelings about masks changed REALLY fast when my son’s preschool teacher admitted she can’t understand him in a mask. And that he has basically stopped talking aside from when he has his mask off for meals (and then he talks A LOT). I think kids can’t always describe their feelings about masks, it’s not that they painful or something but for kids who are still developing their language they can feel like a muzzle. If you know a preschool teacher ask them if they can really understand all the 3 year olds in their class when they are masked. I appreciated mine being honest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
How many deaf or blind people have deficient emotional recognition or literacy or speech/sign language skills?
That is not a thing! There is no rational reason to believe that wearing masks will cause kids harm.

My feelings about masks changed REALLY fast when my son’s preschool teacher admitted she can’t understand him in a mask. And that he has basically stopped talking aside from when he has his mask off for meals (and then he talks A LOT). I think kids can’t always describe their feelings about masks, it’s not that they painful or something but for kids who are still developing their language they can feel like a muzzle. If you know a preschool teacher ask them if they can really understand all the 3 year olds in their class when they are masked. I appreciated mine being honest.

I teach upper elementary and can't understand most students through a mask. It's especially a problem for more introverted children who have to already work up the courage to speak up.
They can't usually hear me well either I am told although I go home with a sore throat daily from shouting through my mask.

[Anonymous]

Luckily we have the ability to see results from areas where masking isn't required in schools. It is obvious that they are not necessary and vaccination/masking is sufficient to protect individuals who chose to do so.

Statistically, the changes of someone who is boosted and masked from becoming seriously ill with covid is less than dying in a car accident. People are free to protect themselves by masking. It is not necessary to force children whose parents don't want them to mask to do so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
How many deaf or blind people have deficient emotional recognition or literacy or speech/sign language skills?
That is not a thing! There is no rational reason to believe that wearing masks will cause kids harm.

My feelings about masks changed REALLY fast when my son’s preschool teacher admitted she can’t understand him in a mask. And that he has basically stopped talking aside from when he has his mask off for meals (and then he talks A LOT). I think kids can’t always describe their feelings about masks, it’s not that they painful or something but for kids who are still developing their language they can feel like a muzzle. If you know a preschool teacher ask them if they can really understand all the 3 year olds in their class when they are masked. I appreciated mine being honest.

This really did it for me too. When our daycare teacher privately told me the mask was impacting my child's learning and communication and asked if she could have my permission to not enforce masking with my child.

If we really believe masks are effective, this teacher has every reason to enforce them to protect herself. But when the teachers are privately asking not to use them because they are worried about the kids, it tells you something.

[Anonymous]

Our anxieties are rubbing off on our children. I had a student who went to an outdoor event and saw a person without a mask on and then became convinced that he had given her covid and came to school terrified that she was sick and would pass it along to her entire class.

[Anonymous]

My prediction is that if the case rates plummet then most places that have mass mandates will relax them by June and then it might just be something where we have to wear masks during surges.

[Anonymous]

I do think that in places where masks are optional it does become just one more thing for teachers to have to micromanage especially in a secondary school wear a teacher is going to be asked to remember out of their 120200 plus students which ones were required to wear masks

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
How many deaf or blind people have deficient emotional recognition or literacy or speech/sign language skills?
That is not a thing! There is no rational reason to believe that wearing masks will cause kids harm.

My feelings about masks changed REALLY fast when my son’s preschool teacher admitted she can’t understand him in a mask. And that he has basically stopped talking aside from when he has his mask off for meals (and then he talks A LOT). I think kids can’t always describe their feelings about masks, it’s not that they painful or something but for kids who are still developing their language they can feel like a muzzle. If you know a preschool teacher ask them if they can really understand all the 3 year olds in their class when they are masked. I appreciated mine being honest.

This really did it for me too. When our daycare teacher privately told me the mask was impacting my child's learning and communication and asked if she could have my permission to not enforce masking with my child.

If we really believe masks are effective, this teacher has every reason to enforce them to protect herself. But when the teachers are privately asking not to use them because they are worried about the kids, it tells you something.

LOL. Do you believe everything you read on the internet? Seems like you do. I'd love it if the PP you're responding to would post the teacher's name and school. How much do you want to bet it won't happen? Not because the "parent" wants to "protect" the "teacher's privacy" but because it DIDN'T happen.

[Anonymous]

Teachers are going to be quitting in droves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Plus, I really don't understand all these democrats arguing for more anti-covid measures when it's largely republicans that are dying.

Maybe they aren't sociopaths who discount a person's death based on their voting habits?

But those people have the ability to get vaccinated. Demanding anti-covid measures to protect people who decided not to get vaccinated is nonsensical.

People who are double vaccinated, have had a booster, and wear a high quality mask are at extremely low risk even if they encounter unvaccinated people. It is not necessary to continue with a bunch of restrictions.

Perhaps under normal circumstances. Perhaps not if, as teachers say, they are crowded 25-35 people in a room with 30 of those people who are unvaccinated. I don't want my kid in that mix unmasked, either.

You have every right to tell your kid to wear a mask. However, it's not reasonable to force everyone else to do it as well.

Actually it is because it is for the common good. However, I have a feeling that you don't value the common good ...

Forcing everyone into various restrictions indefinitely is not promoting the common good.

People who are boosted and wear a high quality mask are very low risk.

Soooooo...you take that risk. There is no way you can force someone else, namely a teacher, to take that risk for you. See how that works? If you're willing to take the risk, then go teach. If you're not willing to take the risk, then don't tell others what risk level is acceptable for them. I'm a teacher. Your "low risk" level is too high for me. Try to force me to teach in a classroom without every student masked, and watch me walk out the door.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
How many deaf or blind people have deficient emotional recognition or literacy or speech/sign language skills?
That is not a thing! There is no rational reason to believe that wearing masks will cause kids harm.

My feelings about masks changed REALLY fast when my son’s preschool teacher admitted she can’t understand him in a mask. And that he has basically stopped talking aside from when he has his mask off for meals (and then he talks A LOT). I think kids can’t always describe their feelings about masks, it’s not that they painful or something but for kids who are still developing their language they can feel like a muzzle. If you know a preschool teacher ask them if they can really understand all the 3 year olds in their class when they are masked. I appreciated mine being honest.

I teach upper elementary and can't understand most students through a mask. It's especially a problem for more introverted children who have to already work up the courage to speak up.
They can't usually hear me well either I am told although I go home with a sore throat daily from shouting through my mask.

+3 and I wish more people would speak about this more publicly because if you say "I'm worried about the fact that my child's PK teachers and classmates cannot understand them at school" people just roll their eyes at you and tell you that you worry too much.

But our PK teacher also told me she can't understand most of the kids, especially not the soft-spoken ones, and that they also struggle to understand each other, which impacts socialization. She wears a microphone under her mask so now they can understand her and that's something, but so much is being lost. These kids are all supposed to start Kindergarten next year and the idea of them being masked again for that is really concerning to me. And I think that's the feeling of the vast majority of teachers and parents who work with this age group and see what two years of making actually means for a 3 or 4 year old. There are absolutely costs to this and they get steeper every day.

And yes, I could see the same being true for upper elementary. It's not okay to expect children to go several years without being able to interact face to face. Why would anyone think this is okay?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Plus, I really don't understand all these democrats arguing for more anti-covid measures when it's largely republicans that are dying.

Maybe they aren't sociopaths who discount a person's death based on their voting habits?

But those people have the ability to get vaccinated. Demanding anti-covid measures to protect people who decided not to get vaccinated is nonsensical.

People who are double vaccinated, have had a booster, and wear a high quality mask are at extremely low risk even if they encounter unvaccinated people. It is not necessary to continue with a bunch of restrictions.

Perhaps under normal circumstances. Perhaps not if, as teachers say, they are crowded 25-35 people in a room with 30 of those people who are unvaccinated. I don't want my kid in that mix unmasked, either.

You have every right to tell your kid to wear a mask. However, it's not reasonable to force everyone else to do it as well.

Actually it is because it is for the common good. However, I have a feeling that you don't value the common good ...

Forcing everyone into various restrictions indefinitely is not promoting the common good.

People who are boosted and wear a high quality mask are very low risk.

Soooooo...you take that risk. There is no way you can force someone else, namely a teacher, to take that risk for you. See how that works? If you're willing to take the risk, then go teach. If you're not willing to take the risk, then don't tell others what risk level is acceptable for them. I'm a teacher. Your "low risk" level is too high for me. Try to force me to teach in a classroom without every student masked, and watch me walk out the door.

Can you even fathom a future where masks would be optional or you just planning on there being mask mandate for the rest of time? Is there a possibility that the threshold of cases would get low enough for you to feel comfortable with mask optional?