Anonymous wrote:The vitriol on this topic is out of control.

Someone is an entitled sociopath for saying they are bummed their 2nd graders teacher wears a mask? Really? Just listen to yourself. The inability to see anyone else’s point of view or have any empathy makes some of you raging narcissists if we’re throwing around mental disorders.

The teacher has every right to wear a mask and the OP can be bummed about it. That’s the only reasonable position on this topic.

+1. She said she isn't going to the principal, just stating it bothers her.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are unbelievable and have no idea why this teacher wears a mask. Just pathetic, learn some empathy before you finish raising a bunch of monsters with no ability to put themselves in others shoes. My best friend wears a mask while teaching-because she is immune compromised. Do you think she enjoys wearing a mask, takes pleasure in it? If you didn't send your kids in sick then she wouldn't need to wear the mask but you do and guess what, that can hospitalize or kill her. You reap what you sow.

I think she should probably try to switch to teaching older kids. Younger kids need to see their teacher’s faces.

No. This isn’t going to happen.

I'm not going to take the time to read through 11 pages of replies, but I don't think the OP was actually planning to do anything, just venting. Or at least that's how I feel in a similar situation.

My kid just started PK at a new school and after being at the same daycare/preschool her whole life, it's been a *hard* transition for her. All three of her teachers wear masks all day. And I don't begrudge them the right to do so - I've recently been pregnant, I have an immunocompromised father with blood cancer, I totally get the many valid reasons someone may have to mask inside. AND, it also makes me feel really sad for my daughter that she can't see her teachers' faces, especially when the transition is still hard for her a month into school. AND, I worry about her language acquisition since she's already borderline in need of speech therapy. I was also hoping it was just a beginning of the school year thing, but it doesn't seem like it at this point. I'm not going to request she switch classes (and doubt I'd be successful at this point in the year), but I can still be sad about it.

You can feel two things at once!

Anonymous wrote:You are unbelievable and have no idea why this teacher wears a mask. Just pathetic, learn some empathy before you finish raising a bunch of monsters with no ability to put themselves in others shoes. My best friend wears a mask while teaching-because she is immune compromised. Do you think she enjoys wearing a mask, takes pleasure in it? If you didn't send your kids in sick then she wouldn't need to wear the mask but you do and guess what, that can hospitalize or kill her. You reap what you sow.

I think she should probably try to switch to teaching older kids. Younger kids need to see their teacher’s faces.

Anonymous wrote:Serious question: how many teachers in the DMV are still masking? I live in a deep blue state and there are zero teachers or students who mask at our kids' schools, including pregnant teachers and older teachers.

It’s not still masking for the most part. It’s that there is a surge, it’s cold season, and some either have things going on that can make them more susceptible to covid or someone that is medically fragile in their life.

For younger students/families that were not yet fully in to grade school when the elementary kids were doing virtual it’s probably more startling. Mine was in pre-k early pandemic and now in 4th. Masks do not phase them and they understand nuance and language just fine.

By now I would hope that schools would acquire microphones to amplify the voice and clear masks so students can see the speaker’smouth for teaches who need to mask in school. I agree with protecting the teacher’s health, but we also shouldn’t ignore that it does have a negative impact on students - especially in the younger years.

Anonymous wrote:Serious question: how many teachers in the DMV are still masking? I live in a deep blue state and there are zero teachers or students who mask at our kids' schools, including pregnant teachers and older teachers.

2-3%. Not a lot. But a few.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Now here comes…the kids don’t care it’s the parents crowd.

Here’s a data point of 1. My kid absolutely hated wearing a mask (and no I didn’t put the idea in her head). She wears glasses and it sucked. And this year unprompted she mentioned one of her teachers was masking early in the year and she said she hoped the teacher wasn’t going to wear it all year because it was hard to tell if she was mad or joking.

You don’t know what all the kids think or feel and neither do I. So stop saying you do.

You can tell no issue. I hate masking but I have no other choice. If people were considerate and stayed home sick and transmission went down maybe I could stop. See how that works. Most people hate it. Try being empathetic and teach your kid empathy. You are fortunate you don’t have to deal with what some of us do. My kid is worried I will die. Be glad your kid doesn’t have that worry.

That's never going to happen. We are sick as often as we are not. People would lose their jobs. Even the fever example, the days with fever are 1-2 out of 1-2 weeks of being sick and infectious.

Serious question: how many teachers in the DMV are still masking? I live in a deep blue state and there are zero teachers or students who mask at our kids' schools, including pregnant teachers and older teachers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I work in a school and those teachers who wear a mask have survived cancer or have immune issues. They’re not doing it for fun, I can guarantee you. It’s really hard to teach in a mask all day and I’m grateful I don’t have to anymore.

As someone who has survived cancer, this isn't a reason to wear a mask. Actively under treatment? Different story.

You know how many people would need to wear masks if this was a widely disseminated recommendation from oncologists? A lot.

Who are you to decide that for someone else?

People are free to comment on it when it’s thrown out as a reason teachers mask.

Here is my observation. People who have anxiety about Covid come up with all sorts of reasons to say they mask and at least some of them (not all of them) are bullshit and people know it. These are the same people who become really nasty about this issue on anonymous forums.

This is true. For every person with a high risk factor that makes flu, COVID, RSV, etc dangerous, there are multiple other people who’s anxiety turned into a permanent paranoia state and are now afraid of ALL illnesses, COVID and otherwise. We all know someone like this and also know they’re the ones that get hyper reactionary and defensive whenever the topic comes up.

The vast majority of people know this to be true. The posters on these threads ARE the health anxiety types and come out in droves. Whatever, keep it to yourself and I’ll keep my pity to myself.

What if they do have anxiety? Are you proposing an anxiety test and people who are anxious to be banned from wearing masks?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would be disappointed but never say anything and I can concede she has a right to do it.

Personally I think the best way to prevent illness is not masking but good physical hygiene and eating well and getting exercise. But I can't prescribe that for other people.

I would probably choose not to send my kid to a school where *everyone* masked. Because I lived through that during Covid and I know it was hard for my kid. It's just not an ideal learning environment.

But it sounds like this is one teacher (who yes may have a very good reason to do it) and not the whole school. I'd acknowledge to myself that it's not the best but then get over it and move on.

Eating well doesn’t stop the parainfluenza virus from entering my nasal cavity when your kid sneezes right in my face.

2nd graders don't do that (at least most don't). You're thinking of preschoolers. Generally 2nd grade teachers aren't close enough to kids with regularity for this to be a huge issue.

And as someone who taught at a summer camp for years and has come into contact with many forms of contagious bodily fluids -- getting regularly vaccines and taking care of your health absolutely makes a difference. I rarely get sick even when my own kids are sick because I'm good about hand washing and eat well and exercise. When I do get sick it generally doesn't hit me hard.

How do you think people who actuallly work in hospitals and doctors offices do it. And no most of them do not wear masks all the time. Perhaps during the height of flu season or if something is going around but not all the time because it does inhibit your job.

I'm an ESOL teacher who pulls small groups all day from kindergarten-2nd grade. I absolutely have kids in every one of those grades cough and sneeze right in my face. I have kindergarten-2nd graders who have snot running down their noses and then wipe it with their hands/arms/sleeves. I sit 5-7 ft away from them at a kidney table.

6th graders do it. Some of you have failed at teaching your kids basic manners and hygiene. And you send them to school sick. Then complain when a teacher is wearing a mask. But also complain when the teacher is absent because she is sick. Shocking that we have a teacher shortage.

You are unbelievable and have no idea why this teacher wears a mask. Just pathetic, learn some empathy before you finish raising a bunch of monsters with no ability to put themselves in others shoes. My best friend wears a mask while teaching-because she is immune compromised. Do you think she enjoys wearing a mask, takes pleasure in it? If you didn't send your kids in sick then she wouldn't need to wear the mask but you do and guess what, that can hospitalize or kill her. You reap what you sow.

Anonymous wrote:My kids bus driver was wearing a mask the first week of school-
I called him out one the first day told him to take it off, he said he had covid and will take off as soon as is safe. I wanted to cursed him out but there was kids on he bus. He is no longer wearing a mask.

Omg. That poor driver. Why css as by you let him be safe and responsible

Anonymous wrote:We requested a Kindergarten teacher specifically to avoid the other teacher who wears a mask all day, every day. Our older child was in her class and while she is a delightful, nice teacher, our child did not understand her and could not read her emotions well. Whatever health reasons she has to continue wearing the mask are hers, but it is obvious that covering 1/2 of your face is obstructive to many of the major goals in early elementary, like sounding out letters, speaking clearly, showing empathy and warmth, etc. I don’t think parents have any influence on a teacher’s choice to continue masking, but I would move my child because of it.

ITA.

I am literally laughing out loud at all these internet keyboard Karens thinking they could get a student moved or a teacher fired over this. Not at our public school. Maybe try private?