The Mock Turtle

School is Wednesday here too. I have mixed feelings.

Loralei wrote: ↑Sat Aug 08, 2020 9:13 am I agree, Heebs.

FiveO'Clock wrote: ↑Sat Aug 08, 2020 4:30 am Kids are home-schooled all of the time without them having serious long term damage.

While I agree with your overall point, this is a false equivalence as most people don't just keep their children indoors when they home-school them, they'll be members of groups and co-ops to address the social side of things. The home-schooled children I know spend loads of time with other children. I also believe Olive's boys will be ok, but don't think we should dismiss concerns outright.

I agree with this. I'm against home-schooling anyway but that is a different argument. But yes, home-schooled children spend a lot of time with other home-schooled children, from what I can tell. I think home-schoolers place a really high importance on socialisation since that is what they miss out on by not being in a formals school setting.

Also, this isn't home-schooling because that is very much a choice made my parents. This is virtual learning due to an emergency and schools not being safe. Being concerned about the long-term impact doesn't automatically make one a rabid Trumper. It is just about trying to choose the lesser of two evils.

Luce wrote: ↑Sat Aug 08, 2020 12:42 pm Also, this isn't home-schooling because that is very much a choice made my parents. This is virtual learning due to an emergency and schools not being safe. Being concerned about the long-term impact doesn't automatically make one a rabid Trumper. It is just about trying to choose the lesser of two evils.

In fairness, Five was only talking about the social impact of not being at school. I didn't mean to suggest she was saying covid-home-learning and chosen home school were the same thing.

What dicks, Sal. Nicola Sturgeon was absolutely right to call them.

Are yours going in next Weds, Smunder?

Luce wrote: ↑Fri Aug 07, 2020 10:29 pm If/when your numbers go down, do you have the option to change your mind if you felt that way inclined? Nearly all the families in our school who chose to stay at home at first (when our school opened) had all sent theirs in by the end, I think once they saw from others than it was becoming safe enough to take the risk.

Yes, we can send the boys in any time we choose so we’re very lucky to have that flexibility.

We’ve opted for 2 weeks of virtual to see how things pan out. My worry is that if numbers remain as they are (between 3.5k-4K cases a day) what do we do then? If we wait until cases fall they could end up sitting out the whole year. I know I’m getting ahead of myself a bit. T is happy not to go back but M said he found remote too hard. I’m also spiralling a bit because of all the change we’ve inflicted on them* and will keep doing if we move home and I’m worried about pushing their resilience too far. But that’s a whole different issue of how I’m messing my children up.

* moving them halfway across the world, covid, potentially moving them back next year which involve new schools again.

Just to clarify, under normal circumstances, I'm against home-schooling as a concept. My extended family has many school teachers, including my husband. The learning, as it will need to occur with social distancing, masks, etc., will not be better than learning from home on video with teachers and classmates.

Concerns about people who need daycare so they can work an essential job, and concerns about poor children who count on breakfast and lunch at school, etc., are very real and very worrying, but different to the worry parents have that their children will fall behind with their education.

What I was trying to say is that my panic about what is about to happen is higher because I am in the US where thing are bad and about to get worse. I wouldn't even try to discuss this on a more local forum because the Trumpers are so rabid in their beliefs, that I completely despair. There is no discussion, there is no real exchange of ideas with people like that.

Smunder Woman wrote: ↑Sat Aug 08, 2020 11:57 am School is Wednesday here too. I have mixed feelings.

J is Thursday, but only because they had split the school into two groups when they thought it would be mixed learning. So some will return on Wednesday. J is just doing mornings for the first week and a bit as he's just starting school. He's so so excited about it.

I knew cases would increase again but I didn't think it would be quite like this, and I'm worried track and trace are going to be overwhelmed, and we're going to lose control again.

I think they said they expected the numbers to rise immediately though, Rhod, and I guess it does show that track and trace is working but its still worrying isn't it?

I think I expected less cases, maybe or more wide spread. I don't even really know what I was expecting, but you're right, as long as track and trace is working, and people isolate properly.

They've identified someone (a couple of people!?) who tested positive that was in a pub and icecream shop in my nearest town 10 minutes away, but environmental health were satisfied that both premises had proper social distancing in place, so didn't need to track any of the other customers. It's reassuring to know that some places are getting right.

Christ. 174 new cases here today. Most of those are down to the three locked down counties and the meat processing plants but still.

Also apparently some people who are being contacted for a test aren’t actually getting them. That’s separate to the meat plants, they’re all getting their brains swabbed.

Face masks mandatory now outside in the busiest parts of Marseille. The harbour, Cours Julien, espace Borely (shops and restaurants next to the beach) and another part I can't remember.

This is really interesting and suggests it’s prolonged exposure in close contact that is the issue. The office block one is particularly interesting as only 3 people outside the immediate office tested positive despite sharing washrooms/elevators/communal spaces etc.

https://english.elpais.com/spanish_news ... J_7_9KoplU

That is interesting, I'm tempted to show that to some of my team who are having palpitations about shared bathroom facilities (we are in a shared building so in theory other people can use the bathrooms, including the public, but realistically, it rarely happens).

That's interesting, thanks.

That’s really interesting - thanks, Chicky.

Classrooms with 30 children in aren’t looking good.

Especially poorly ventilated classrooms. Hmm.

A’s school has said they all need to take outdoor coats and wear extra layers because the windows and doors will be open all the time, regardless of weather. It sounds pretty miserable.

Ours would need to wear as little as possible because it will still be really hot and they would melt with no air conditioning. However, I don't even know what the airco/window situation is. I bet some classrooms don't even have windows that open.

We are VERY lucky, in that each class has its own door to the outside and functioning windows, but I'd be concerned sending my child to some of the other schools in the area that are in old buildings.

That’s really interesting, Chicky. Thanks for sharing.

Edith Bacon wrote: ↑Sun Aug 09, 2020 3:55 pm A’s school has said they all need to take outdoor coats and wear extra layers because the windows and doors will be open all the time, regardless of weather. It sounds pretty miserable.

That does sound really miserable. They’ll just be cold and damp all day. :sad: Have the UK schools said anything about masks?

I’ve had to sign all manner of waivers and agreements today. I have to take the boys temps and submit to the school by 7am each morning, then they’ll have their temperature taken on arrival and they also have to wear a temperature band. This feels like massive overkill and I say this as someone on the more cautious side of the spectrum.

I'm very impressed with how your school is handling this, Olive.