@@ August Covid

[cherryvalance]

Aug 8, 2022 6:26:20 GMT -5 fortnightlily said:

Aug 7, 2022 22:29:15 GMT -5 cherryvalance said:

As a teacher, I'm just still cracking up at, "She didn't even disclose that she had a vested interest in keeping schools closed!"

Seriously, I can't. THAT is the shit that's making me think about leaving.

Also, genuine LOL at anyone who's all, "I love and support teachers, it's the UNION that's the problem." (Unless you live in a state with a fake, non-union union)

If she had argued for keeping schools closed from her perspective as a teacher, I wouldn't have had a problem with it. If she'd explained why she felt mitigations were inadequate or said that she's seen virtual working well for all the first-graders she was working with daily, that would've been a valuable perspective. But just being like "I'm just your everyday parent and all is good" felt disingenuous.

I see you're moving on, which is fine, but to clarify. Your original comment said your kid's first grade teacher spoke in front of the board as a parent and said virtual was working fine. You had an issue that she didn't disclose that she's a teacher.

First, people speak in front of the board a parents literally all the time. I don't teach in the district in which I live, so I do it. Your comment implies that we're some kind of scammers, hiding valuable information to get one over on the board. You can disagree, but in MY experience as a teacher and parent, it's that ingrained belief that teachers are disingenuous, scamming to get to stay home, don't want to work-- it's all in the same vein and is the reason so many are done with teaching.

As has been explained in various threads around here, most BOEs give jack shit what teachers think. They care what parents think because those parents are their constituents and make trouble (or help) them. So, yeah, I can see why highlighting your experience as a parent would be helpful.

[abs]

Aug 7, 2022 20:49:47 GMT -5 erbear said:

Aug 7, 2022 15:11:40 GMT -5 abs said:

Agree schools are hanging on by a thread. That was true before Covid and is certainly even more true now. Most teachers I know are unhappy and nervous (rightfully so in case it needs to be said) due to stagnant pay, constant testing, policing of reading material provided in schools, fear of being shot, and I could go on and on. As a parent I’m equally unhappy about all of it and gun culture keeps me up at night worrying. One thing my teacher friends aren’t unhappy about? Covid protocols. They are all pretty happy to see more of a return to normal. I’m sure this depends on where you live though. Yes we need to be listening to actual teachers. We aren’t so the teacher shortage will only get worse. Can’t blame it all on Covid though.

The teachers I know are hoping for some Covid protocols to remain. Most of us would like to see masking in large groups, testing for kids, and quarantine for household exposure with symptoms. Sure, it’s a pain, but many of us have health concerns and having some mitigation in place is reasonable.

I stand corrected.  Yes.  I was referring to masking/hybrid teaching.  Hybrid teaching made a comeback early last year when Delta hit and the teachers in our district were like NOPE.  I don't blame them one bit.  It didn't even last a month because hybrid was just a disaster.  That is an example of what I mean by what can we do better next time?  The answer is definitely not that.  Anyways yes I think everyone was hoping that better sick policies relating to all illnesses would remain in place.  They did last year but seems like they are gone this year.  That is very disappointing.  Testing was never really a thing here but I think that is absolutely more than reasonable, too, and should have been incorporate more.  It's not all or nothing.

Truly the conversation got warped.  My points were what we did in 2020 were necessary but what can we do better next time?  There will be a next time.  Now we are in 2022 and it's been almost 3 years.  Zero Covid isn't happening.  How do we balance mental health with physical health?  They are both important.  I was also want to make it abundantly clear that I don't think masking is harmful.  Dropping the requirements on public transportation was mind boggling.  Lots of benefit there, little downside.  Same for places like hospitals and doctor offices (those mostly still require them and I am good with it.)  I do think the benefits of wearing one in schools isn't there at this point in time.  Especially in the younger grades it can make it harder to make social connections.  I very much so do not appreciate being told my opinion on things I have watched play out over the past 3 years isn't valid.  This is a discussion board.  Is it not okay to just, discuss things? It's okay to disagree but the constant you are wrong just shuts down all conversation (general you--not you as in erbear).  I got to listen to my then 9 year tell me in 2020 that she would just rather not live than live like she was (virtual school, not seeing friends).  That was fun.  But we can't talk about that?  We can't talk about how maybe no the kids aren't alright and not as resilient as we first said?

Anyways I truly wish everyone a wonderful school year.   I am done trying to justify my thoughts (again) and won't come back to this thread.  It's not a healthy  place for me and with school starting this week I just don't need the additional stress.  

[NewOrleans]

Aug 8, 2022 6:26:20 GMT -5 fortnightlily said:

Aug 7, 2022 22:29:15 GMT -5 cherryvalance said:

As a teacher, I'm just still cracking up at, "She didn't even disclose that she had a vested interest in keeping schools closed!"

Seriously, I can't. THAT is the shit that's making me think about leaving.

Also, genuine LOL at anyone who's all, "I love and support teachers, it's the UNION that's the problem." (Unless you live in a state with a fake, non-union union)

If she had argued for keeping schools closed from her perspective as a teacher, I wouldn't have had a problem with it. If she'd explained why she felt mitigations were inadequate or said that she's seen virtual working well for all the first-graders she was working with daily, that would've been a valuable perspective. But just being like "I'm just your everyday parent and all is good" felt disingenuous.

So she has to pick one of her identities, and you expected her identity as teacher over identity as parent.  Pick at her narrow scope or inability to see beyond her own experience which are fair criticisms and at the crux of the grand selfishness of this society.  But don’t expect her to put her identity as Mrs. Teacher before her life as a parent and say it’s disingenuous when she speaks as a parent and she must have an ulterior motive because she’s a teacher.

This is the disrespectful stuff that makes teachers leave, and this is what Pixy means when she says people just expect educators to immolate themselves.  

[NewOrleans]

People’s feelings hurt because they don’t feel listened to and feel “dismissed” while not even acknowledging the medically vulnerable people posting what they want to see or how dead they feel hearing “we’re moving on” is wild. Erased.

[mskitkat]

I walked my daughter to her class for the first day of school today. Not one single mask was worn. Sigh. I can’t make her be the only child in the whole school wearing a mask.

[pixy0stix]

If y'all are taking away that it's the masks that are a problem, then you just demonstrated why people are angry. You're not listening and centering yourself in the argument, where it's not about you.

[pixy0stix]

Aug 8, 2022 6:26:20 GMT -5 fortnightlily said:

Aug 7, 2022 22:29:15 GMT -5 cherryvalance said:

As a teacher, I'm just still cracking up at, "She didn't even disclose that she had a vested interest in keeping schools closed!"

Seriously, I can't. THAT is the shit that's making me think about leaving.

Also, genuine LOL at anyone who's all, "I love and support teachers, it's the UNION that's the problem." (Unless you live in a state with a fake, non-union union)

If she had argued for keeping schools closed from her perspective as a teacher, I wouldn't have had a problem with it. If she'd explained why she felt mitigations were inadequate or said that she's seen virtual working well for all the first-graders she was working with daily, that would've been a valuable perspective. But just being like "I'm just your everyday parent and all is good" felt disingenuous.

Bruh. She's a parent first and foremost, who was also juggling a very stressful job while her children were home. Her experience counts just as much as yours.

[erbear]

Aug 8, 2022 7:12:41 GMT -5 abs said:

Aug 7, 2022 20:49:47 GMT -5 erbear said:

The teachers I know are hoping for some Covid protocols to remain. Most of us would like to see masking in large groups, testing for kids, and quarantine for household exposure with symptoms. Sure, it’s a pain, but many of us have health concerns and having some mitigation in place is reasonable.

I stand corrected.  Yes.  I was referring to masking/hybrid teaching.  Hybrid teaching made a comeback early last year when Delta hit and the teachers in our district were like NOPE.  I don't blame them one bit.  It didn't even last a month because hybrid was just a disaster.  That is an example of what I mean by what can we do better next time?  The answer is definitely not that.  Anyways yes I think everyone was hoping that better sick policies relating to all illnesses would remain in place.  They did last year but seems like they are gone this year.  That is very disappointing.  Testing was never really a thing here but I think that is absolutely more than reasonable, too, and should have been incorporate more.  It's not all or nothing.

Truly the conversation got warped.  My points were what we did in 2020 were necessary but what can we do better next time?  There will be a next time.  Now we are in 2022 and it's been almost 3 years.  Zero Covid isn't happening.  How do we balance mental health with physical health?  They are both important.  I was also want to make it abundantly clear that I don't think masking is harmful.  Dropping the requirements on public transportation was mind boggling.  Lots of benefit there, little downside.  Same for places like hospitals and doctor offices (those mostly still require them and I am good with it.)  I do think the benefits of wearing one in schools isn't there at this point in time.  Especially in the younger grades it can make it harder to make social connections.  I very much so do not appreciate being told my opinion on things I have watched play out over the past 3 years isn't valid.  This is a discussion board.  Is it not okay to just, discuss things? It's okay to disagree but the constant you are wrong just shuts down all conversation (general you--not you as in erbear).  I got to listen to my then 9 year tell me in 2020 that she would just rather not live than live like she was (virtual school, not seeing friends).  That was fun.  But we can't talk about that?  We can't talk about how maybe no the kids aren't alright and not as resilient as we first said?

Anyways I truly wish everyone a wonderful school year.   I am done trying to justify my thoughts (again) and won't come back to this thread.  It's not a healthy  place for me and with school starting this week I just don't need the additional stress.  

What you’re missing is the constant demands of parents to do what their kid NEEDS, everyone else be damned. Like…we all know hybrid sucked, and yet when kids are home for quarantine, their parents demanded a hybrid program for their kid, even though it’s impossible. We sent asynchronous work home every day (created by us — took an hour + every day). We also got on zoom every day with quarantined kids to check in. Guess who never did the work or showed up for the zoom, because it was “not the same”?

I’m a parent too. When my kids had to be home, I made them do the work even though it was boring and they didn’t want to. I thanked their teachers obsessively because I know how much work it was. It has gotten very very tiresome to be working as hard as you’ve ever worked and just be constantly shitted (shat?) on.

[underwaterrhymes]

It’s really interesting to me that when the conversation was mainly people saying “COVID is pretty much over for us. We won’t mask and we don’t want to live in fear,” people were fine having a good old chat. But the second some of us said, “Hey, wait a minute. COVID is very much still happening. Immunocompromised people are getting left behind and we aren’t living in fear by masking,” people stopped wanting to talk about it.

[karinothing]

Aug 8, 2022 9:13:29 GMT -5 erbear said:

Aug 8, 2022 7:12:41 GMT -5 abs said:

I stand corrected.  Yes.  I was referring to masking/hybrid teaching.  Hybrid teaching made a comeback early last year when Delta hit and the teachers in our district were like NOPE.  I don't blame them one bit.  It didn't even last a month because hybrid was just a disaster.  That is an example of what I mean by what can we do better next time?  The answer is definitely not that.  Anyways yes I think everyone was hoping that better sick policies relating to all illnesses would remain in place.  They did last year but seems like they are gone this year.  That is very disappointing.  Testing was never really a thing here but I think that is absolutely more than reasonable, too, and should have been incorporate more.  It's not all or nothing.

Truly the conversation got warped.  My points were what we did in 2020 were necessary but what can we do better next time?  There will be a next time.  Now we are in 2022 and it's been almost 3 years.  Zero Covid isn't happening.  How do we balance mental health with physical health?  They are both important.  I was also want to make it abundantly clear that I don't think masking is harmful.  Dropping the requirements on public transportation was mind boggling.  Lots of benefit there, little downside.  Same for places like hospitals and doctor offices (those mostly still require them and I am good with it.)  I do think the benefits of wearing one in schools isn't there at this point in time.  Especially in the younger grades it can make it harder to make social connections.  I very much so do not appreciate being told my opinion on things I have watched play out over the past 3 years isn't valid.  This is a discussion board.  Is it not okay to just, discuss things? It's okay to disagree but the constant you are wrong just shuts down all conversation (general you--not you as in erbear).  I got to listen to my then 9 year tell me in 2020 that she would just rather not live than live like she was (virtual school, not seeing friends).  That was fun.  But we can't talk about that?  We can't talk about how maybe no the kids aren't alright and not as resilient as we first said?

Anyways I truly wish everyone a wonderful school year.   I am done trying to justify my thoughts (again) and won't come back to this thread.  It's not a healthy  place for me and with school starting this week I just don't need the additional stress.  

What you’re missing is the constant demands of parents to do what their kid NEEDS, everyone else be damned. Like…we all know hybrid sucked, and yet when kids are home for quarantine, their parents demanded a hybrid program for their kid, even though it’s impossible. We sent asynchronous work home every day (created by us — took an hour + every day). We also got on zoom every day with quarantined kids to check in. Guess who never did the work or showed up for the zoom, because it was “not the same”?

I’m a parent too. When my kids had to be home, I made them do the work even though it was boring and they didn’t want to. I thanked their teachers obsessively because I know how much work it was. It has gotten very very tiresome to be working as hard as you’ve ever worked and just be constantly shitted (shat?) on.

I know hybrid is a disaster and no one wants to go back to that. I just don't know what the answer is. As I noted before my kids missed 5 weeks of school last year. It could be more this year given how frequently you can get covid now coupled with what I expect will be limited mask use in school. Our school expressly forbids teachers from giving out work for when kids are home due to covid exposure or isolation due to equity issues. But obviously missing 5 weeks of school has to impact kids too. I mean its too late for this now but I wish the state and districts had made bold moves last year which would have really addressed kids who were lagging behind. But they didn't then and I doubt they will this year.  Sometimes it just feels like everything is different the administration just wants to keep on keeping on like everything is normal. We have been trying to get the district to at least provide tutoring for kids who need it, but not much movement there. VA had something like a 60 million dollar surplus. Could have really helped schools during this time, but as far as I can tell very little of it went to education. 

Anyway, I don't know what the answer is, it just sucks. Again, I don't think this is a teacher issue at all. I do think its a state/district level issue (probably more statewide since the district can only do so much with the budget they have). I would like to think there is a solution but maybe there isn't. 

I do think our school has made a lot of efforts mitigation wise at least from my perspective working on the PTA we have. Every classroom has a air purifier (or two). Kids eat lunch outside every day (even in snow and light rain). We did  a winter clothes drive so folks had weather appropriate clothes to eat lunch outside. We invited parents who happened to be pediatricians to come talk to families in English/Spanish (virtual and in person) about the benefits of the vaccine and the danger of covid. We had weekly food pantries where we included representatives from the county to sign people up for vaccines. We provide transportation to get vaccines. We are having a booster clinic at our open house event. 

On the PTA we are also trying to make an effort to support teachers the best we can (although this is mainly with free food events and appreciation days because we are limited for what we can do as a PTA). We have also started to post guidelines/advice about how to respectfully communicate with teachers  and the appropriate path to take (talk to the teacher first vs. going directly to the school board or central office). The principal lets us know when teachers have had a particularly tough week and we try to make that week special for them. But in the end I can't control parents and I can't provide the administrative support our teachers need to deal with behavioral issues (which seems to be the main issue at our school last yr). 

And since I know you don't hear it enough. Thank you for all you do as a teacher. 

[hermione]

I find this whole conversation interesting. As I said upthread, I don't plan to ask my kid to mask at school for a variety of reasons. One of the biggest is that when we finally let her unmask last year (sometime in the spring) her confidence soared, she was more outgoing, and she was more engaged academically. As a family, we still mask in airports and on planes, at any medical facility, or wherever the establishment requires that people mask. We don't have reliable public transportation in my area or we'd mask on that as well.

I don't think not requiring my kid to be the only one in a mask in a school of 600 means I don't care about the disability community. I don't think recognizing that masks do impact my kid means I don't care about the disability community. I don't think believing my 9 year old when she tells me how masks affect her means I don't care about the disability community.

No one is claiming masks are physically harmful to kids. But to claim they have no impact whatsoever is not true in my experience. So we weigh the risks and do impact analysis, just like everyone else. I certainly don't want immunocompromised people left behind but I also don't want my kid, who has spent a quarter of her life at this point trying to keep people safe from a virus, to have her very valid reactions dismissed.

[georgeglass]

We're announcing our school plans today. They are pretty much nothing. We have always followed our state health department and this summer, the health dept unveiled their new guidance - which is pretty much nothing. I feel, to some extent, like our hands are tied. We have followed the health dept lockstep throughout the pandemic.

www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/get-the-latest-guidance/k-12-education-and-child-care/

[pixy0stix]

Again, doing the right thing is hard. It always is, there is no easy road.

[hermione]

Aug 8, 2022 11:13:15 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Again, doing the right thing is hard. It always is, there is no easy road.

Always. But I don't think there is a single "right" thing here.

[taratru]

I just want every single person to have to be a teacher for just one day. Kind of like how everyone should work as a server. There are a lot of people who need some lessons in empathy.

I can't frame my thinking on the state of education for teachers in a way that isn't rage-driven anymore. Teachers have now become the scapegoats for every damn thing, and that's why they're leaving. They are damned either way. They can find work that may be just as hard, or even pay a little less, but they won't be so disrespected from adults *and* children (who have learned it from...their adults).

There's a real and true heartache that comes when you realize that what you do matters less and less every year in the eyes and hearts of the families you want to serve. Why would anyone stay in a relationship where they aren't valued or respected? Whatever practical form it takes, that is the root of the teacher shortage, imo.

[tamarindy]

Anecdotal, of course, but I declined a return to teach this fall after many years and one of the main reasons was because, in hindsight, I cannot believe I did all that what was demanded of me for basically $50k a year. You can only push people so far and a lot of us are just over the bullshit, especially when you can be happier, less stressed, and better paid doing any number of other jobs out there.

Teaching during this pandemic, especially if you had to do hybrid and/or simultaneous virtual/in-person teaching, was something I wouldn’t wish on anyone. As far as Covid, I’m not even sure it matters “why” we are all quitting, because the unrelenting array of bullshit comes from several directions.

[beerlover]

More Covid WWYD - the family we co-own our boat with - 3 out of 4 of them tested positive last week. The husband on Wednesday, and the 2 kids on Saturday. So by this weekend the husband will be on day 11 but the kids will only be day 7. We should not go boating with them Saturday because it’s too soon, correct? They could be out and about with masks I know, but unlikely they’d want to do that in the heat, plus we always eat and drink. The safest thing is to wait until next weekend, right? They have not brought it up, but I want to be prepared if they would.

[erbear]

Aug 10, 2022 18:28:28 GMT -5 beerlover said:

More Covid WWYD - the family we co-own our boat with - 3 out of 4 of them tested positive last week. The husband on Wednesday, and the 2 kids on Saturday. So by this weekend the husband will be on day 11 but the kids will only be day 7. We should not go boating with them Saturday because it’s too soon, correct? They could be out and about with masks I know, but unlikely they’d want to do that in the heat, plus we always eat and drink. The safest thing is to wait until next weekend, right? They have not brought it up, but I want to be prepared if they would.

Is the boat outdoors (as in — you’re always on deck)? If so, I would do it — I’d sit further away from them if they won’t mask and not share food and drinks but if they had a negative at home test that morning, I would be outside on a windy boat with lots of living air and I would be comfortable with that.

[beerlover]

Aug 10, 2022 18:34:44 GMT -5 erbear said:

Aug 10, 2022 18:28:28 GMT -5 beerlover said:

More Covid WWYD - the family we co-own our boat with - 3 out of 4 of them tested positive last week. The husband on Wednesday, and the 2 kids on Saturday. So by this weekend the husband will be on day 11 but the kids will only be day 7. We should not go boating with them Saturday because it’s too soon, correct? They could be out and about with masks I know, but unlikely they’d want to do that in the heat, plus we always eat and drink. The safest thing is to wait until next weekend, right? They have not brought it up, but I want to be prepared if they would.

Is the boat outdoors (as in — you’re always on deck)? If so, I would do it — I’d sit further away from them if they won’t mask and not share food and drinks but if they had a negative at home test that morning, I would be outside on a windy boat with lots of living air and I would be comfortable with that.

Yep it’s a pontoon boat so no indoors!
Asking for a negative test for at least the kids who tested positive later probably would be good…
I’m mostly concerned about my younger DS getting up in their kids faces though. Ugh. Maybe.

[erbear]

Aug 10, 2022 18:46:15 GMT -5 beerlover said:

Aug 10, 2022 18:34:44 GMT -5 erbear said:

Is the boat outdoors (as in — you’re always on deck)? If so, I would do it — I’d sit further away from them if they won’t mask and not share food and drinks but if they had a negative at home test that morning, I would be outside on a windy boat with lots of living air and I would be comfortable with that.

Yep it’s a pontoon boat so no indoors!
Asking for a negative test for at least the kids who tested positive later probably would be good…
I’m mostly concerned about my younger DS getting up in their kids faces though. Ugh. Maybe.

Ah, yes. Young kids are a wild card. That would also give me pause.

[hermione]

Aug 10, 2022 18:28:28 GMT -5 beerlover said:

More Covid WWYD - the family we co-own our boat with - 3 out of 4 of them tested positive last week. The husband on Wednesday, and the 2 kids on Saturday. So by this weekend the husband will be on day 11 but the kids will only be day 7. We should not go boating with them Saturday because it’s too soon, correct? They could be out and about with masks I know, but unlikely they’d want to do that in the heat, plus we always eat and drink. The safest thing is to wait until next weekend, right? They have not brought it up, but I want to be prepared if they would.

Meh, I’d pass if it’s just something you can do a week later.

[curbsideprophet]

Aug 10, 2022 18:28:28 GMT -5 beerlover said:

More Covid WWYD - the family we co-own our boat with - 3 out of 4 of them tested positive last week. The husband on Wednesday, and the 2 kids on Saturday. So by this weekend the husband will be on day 11 but the kids will only be day 7. We should not go boating with them Saturday because it’s too soon, correct? They could be out and about with masks I know, but unlikely they’d want to do that in the heat, plus we always eat and drink. The safest thing is to wait until next weekend, right? They have not brought it up, but I want to be prepared if they would.

Too soon for me. I would not go if they were going to be there. Outside is safer, but not completely risk free.

[beerlover]

Aug 10, 2022 21:19:04 GMT -5 hermione said:

Aug 10, 2022 18:28:28 GMT -5 beerlover said:

More Covid WWYD - the family we co-own our boat with - 3 out of 4 of them tested positive last week. The husband on Wednesday, and the 2 kids on Saturday. So by this weekend the husband will be on day 11 but the kids will only be day 7. We should not go boating with them Saturday because it’s too soon, correct? They could be out and about with masks I know, but unlikely they’d want to do that in the heat, plus we always eat and drink. The safest thing is to wait until next weekend, right? They have not brought it up, but I want to be prepared if they would.

Meh, I’d pass if it’s just something you can do a week later.

It is. I think the fact that there are not that many summer weekends left, and the weather is supposed to be gorgeous, is clouding my judgment lol. We'll hold off.

[lilac05]

Aug 8, 2022 10:36:36 GMT -5 hermione said:

I find this whole conversation interesting. As I said upthread, I don't plan to ask my kid to mask at school for a variety of reasons. One of the biggest is that when we finally let her unmask last year (sometime in the spring) her confidence soared, she was more outgoing, and she was more engaged academically. As a family, we still mask in airports and on planes, at any medical facility, or wherever the establishment requires that people mask. We don't have reliable public transportation in my area or we'd mask on that as well.

I don't think not requiring my kid to be the only one in a mask in a school of 600 means I don't care about the disability community. I don't think recognizing that masks do impact my kid means I don't care about the disability community. I don't think believing my 9 year old when she tells me how masks affect her means I don't care about the disability community.

No one is claiming masks are physically harmful to kids. But to claim they have no impact whatsoever is not true in my experience. So we weigh the risks and do impact analysis, just like everyone else. I certainly don't want immunocompromised people left behind but I also don't want my kid, who has spent a quarter of her life at this point trying to keep people safe from a virus, to have her very valid reactions dismissed.

ugh. I have lost 2 long messages. Guess it's not meant to be shared.

Long story short, this resonates with me. I hate living in a community where it seems no one else is taking any precautions. It definitely changes things.

One of my boys was completely unbothered by being one of the only kids wearing a mask in his class. The other was VERY much affected. He was almost unrecognizable academically (participation) and socially. It was pretty heartbreaking to watch.

PDQ:
We finally got him in with a therapist, and by his report, Covid in general seems to have triggered a lot of anxiety for him. 18+ months being out of society while it feels like everyone else is moving forward without a concern is HARD for a kid. Then he tries to step back in and everyone has moved ahead. Being one of the only ones wearing a mask caused him to completely shut down (he had no issue when everyone was wearing them), but now he also has anxiety because he worries that it makes immunocompromised people think that he doesn't care about them and that certainly isn't true, either. That's a lot of weight for an 11 year old to carry.

We continue to be overall Covid cautious. We haven't seen new babies in our family yet because we don't want to take any chances. We wear masks everywhere they're required or if there is a sign "recommending" them. (Though even at our library, where there is a sign "strongly recommending" them, only 1-2 staff and 1-2 patrons are actually wearing them.) We have no issues with masks at all...but I'm not going to make my 6th grader be one of 27 kids in his class to wear a mask. Middle school is hard enough.

[NewOrleans]

The CDC now recommends schools should just CONSIDER supporting and not punishing kids like mine for wearing masks 🙃

Schools and ECE programs should consider flexible, non-punitive policies and practices to support individuals who choose to wear masks regardless of the COVID-19 Community Level.

www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/k-12-childcare-guidance.html

[erbear]

Aug 13, 2022 9:36:00 GMT -5 NewOrleans said:

The CDC now recommends schools should just CONSIDER supporting and not punishing kids like mine for wearing masks 🙃

Schools and ECE programs should consider flexible, non-punitive policies and practices to support individuals who choose to wear masks regardless of the COVID-19 Community Level.

www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/k-12-childcare-guidance.html

Ridiculous. I’m sorry for those of you dealing with the upside down world of having to defend your continued use of masks.

[NewOrleans]

Aug 13, 2022 10:02:13 GMT -5 erbear said:

Aug 13, 2022 9:36:00 GMT -5 NewOrleans said:

The CDC now recommends schools should just CONSIDER supporting and not punishing kids like mine for wearing masks 🙃

Schools and ECE programs should consider flexible, non-punitive policies and practices to support individuals who choose to wear masks regardless of the COVID-19 Community Level.

www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/k-12-childcare-guidance.html

Ridiculous. I’m sorry for those of you dealing with the upside down world of having to defend your continued use of masks.

I will never understand how “learning to live with Covid” isn’t defined by learning to live with a commonsense, scientifically-grounded, and minimally invasive mitigation strategy.

[curbsideprophet]

Aug 13, 2022 10:19:36 GMT -5 NewOrleans said:

Aug 13, 2022 10:02:13 GMT -5 erbear said:

Ridiculous. I’m sorry for those of you dealing with the upside down world of having to defend your continued use of masks.

I will never understand how “learning to live with Covid” isn’t defined by learning to live with a commonsense, scientifically-grounded, and minimally invasive mitigation strategy.

I don’t get it either. The current strategy seems like it will lead to mass disability. I don’t understand why everyone is okay with that.

[sillygoosegirl]

Aug 13, 2022 11:43:51 GMT -5 curbsideprophet said:

Aug 13, 2022 10:19:36 GMT -5 NewOrleans said:

I will never understand how “learning to live with Covid” isn’t defined by learning to live with a commonsense, scientifically-grounded, and minimally invasive mitigation strategy.

I don’t get it either. The current strategy seems like it will lead to mass disability. I don’t understand why everyone is okay with that.

I don't think it's that people are okay with it. I think most people are in massive denial about the societal choice we are making here.

Although I was talking with my dad last night and he was telling me about how on the light rail yesterday, all the <30s seemed to be masked, and all the boomers were not masked. He found that interesting, thought it seemed pretty opposite of how things should be. I don't quite know what conclusion he drew from that, but I must say I wonder if it's because the boomers know they won't be living in their bodies much longer anyway, already retired, etc. I feel like the younger you are, the more there is potentially to lose by becoming disabled.

[hermione]

Aug 13, 2022 11:57:35 GMT -5 sillygoosegirl said:

Aug 13, 2022 11:43:51 GMT -5 curbsideprophet said:

I don’t get it either. The current strategy seems like it will lead to mass disability. I don’t understand why everyone is okay with that.

I don't think it's that people are okay with it. I think most people are in massive denial about the societal choice we are making here.

Although I was talking with my dad last night and he was telling me about how on the light rail yesterday, all the <30s seemed to be masked, and all the boomers were not masked. He found that interesting, thought it seemed pretty opposite of how things should be. I don't quite know what conclusion he drew from that, but I must say I wonder if it's because the boomers know they won't be living in their bodies much longer anyway, already retired, etc. I feel like the younger you are, the more there is potentially to lose by becoming disabled.

Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964…some of them turn 59 this year. I don’t think they plan to not “be living in their bodies” as soon as you think.