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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]In the middle of a growing pandemic, why do your kids "need to be in school" this fall?  One of my former classmates just posted this and several people on this forum have done so as well.  She is a wealthy attorney, member of a country club etc.  She has the means to hire a caregiver to supplement distance learning and plenty of friends that she could set up a social pod with for her kids to socialize.  Why do her kids "need to be in school" to the detriment of public health? Plenty of people are saving money now due to not having to commute, not having to pay for activities, not shopping and buying clothes, eating out less etc.  Why can't they hire a caregiver to help their kids with distance learning?  I understand that this is out of the price range for many, but not sure why so many affluent people in this area are saying their kids "need to be in school."[/quote]

Assuming this is a serious question posed by an even half-way reasonable person (not sure that is the case), I will attempt to provide OP with an answer that she can comprehend. If you're a parent yourself (doubtful, just by the question), you know that your kids benefit from "being in school" in myriad ways that go far beyond the actual academic program.

School teaches kids to socialize. School teaches kids to function in groups, and around adults that are not their parents. School gives kids their first taste of independence. School challenges kids, allows them to fail and supports them as they pick themselves up again and move on. School provides a wealth of opportunities that are impossible to replicate through home distance learning, such as art, chorus groups, band, sports teams, physical education, assemblies, etc. School teaches kids that they are not in fact the center of the universe, which is often a revelation. School provides access to friends, potential friends and those we have to work harder to like. School is fun, hard, boring and exciting, often all in the same day, which is an important concept for kids to learn to deal with. School requires a level of behavior and self-discipline that is not required if one is sitting on one's own sofa in one's pajamas, eating cheetos while trying to follow a math class. School is a kid's first community. School provides an opportunity to be around other people's germs and get sick, thus building up immunity. School provides an opportunity to get hurt at recess, which teaches kids that yes, they can overcome pain. School provides access to supplemental services that are often essential, such as counseling. School provides a rhythm, a routine, a reason to get up and get dressed every morning. It is truly a child's purpose in life.

So yes, OP, as you wring your hands over the severity of this pandemic which, whose effect on children, BTW, is almost nil - I will side with the Academy of Pedetrics - you know, the experts, who contend that ALL children -- even wealthy little Biff and Bo -- NEED to be in school.[/quote]

You have, in fact, sent your kids to school previously right? So they should have experienced all of these things.  Is one more year with you, distance learning, a caregiver, and a social pod REALLY going to undo all of the socialization your kids for the past however many years? If your children don’t listen to you, that’s a parenting issue and frankly you shouldn’t be putting that on the school anyway. That’s akin to the parents who send their preschoolers to school in pajamas because they cannot get them dressed but somehow the teacher can.  If your kid isn’t listening to your hired caregiver, guess what, they are probably not listening to their teacher either.  [/quote]

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