How I really feel about our kids going back to school?

I hear kids may HAVE to go back to school this fall. I don’t like it.

Our district, like many, gave parents a survey to see where we stand. But in true privileged fashion, not everyone filled it out. Whatever the reason may be, it was not a full 100% participation from the parents. Whatever the reason may be, we are doomed.

We don’t have a vaccine. Kids are vulnerable. Yes they are resilient, yes they will learn to adapt, yes they are like mini soldiers. But regardless of what the teachers do at school and what the district imposes, kids go to different homes and activities after school. Things that the schools cannot control regardless of the situation. Kids, teachers, families are exposed to unsafe factors and can/ will bring that back the next day. Mask or no mask, if a kid is sick – germs spread.

Yes, the school deals with germs all the time. There are flus, colds, etc. But this is a pandemic. The last time I checked, the entire world is effected and affected. We had no plan. We STILL don’t have a plan.

They gave us one job – one job – put on a mask in public, and we STILL can’t seem to get it together.

If parents don’t listen and don’t follow the rules, what makes us think that the kids will?

You can’t even make some of the kids wash their hands, sit in their chair or stop picking their nose at their desk, let alone wear a mask all day.

I don’t know what the protocol will look like. Will they take breaks from wearing a mask in class? Will they go outside to take a breather? Will they get hot? Will they panic? So many uncertainties and that is me talking about my two healthy kids. What about parents who have immune compromised kids? Homeless kids who have been unprotected this entire time.

I hear you “you have the option to homeschool.”

I get it “you can choose to do elearning.”

YES I do and YES I can. But how will my children feel to know that most of their friends are in school, while they are at home with me? They understand the risk but these are children we are talking about. They go through emotional turmoil on a daily basis as it is; throw this in the mix and we are talking long term effects.

Now don’t get me wrong. Distance learning was not a walk in the park. I know most families and kids struggled. But look how many people we saved. We can recover a year of learning, but we can’t recover the ones who died.

How did we get to this point where you just don’t care about anyone but yourself? Where are your manners?

I am embarrassed but I won’t give up.

I understand that teachers and administrations are literally making plans day by day. We may start off with full time school, we may switch it as soon as the first kid gets sick, we may go part time during flu season, we may end up at home all over again. The school is supposed to support us in any way we feel is necessary. Blah blah blah. So many unknowns and it’s messing with my mind.

Oh yea, what about teachers? Huh? We don’t have enough substitute teachers as it is. What if they get sick? How will that look like? By the time the teacher finds out, the entire class would be exposed? So now what? Back to square one? Or is this the point? Are we just supposed to take this risk and hope for the best?

I don’t know about you but I am not willing to take that risk. And I get it, I DON’T have to and I probably won’t. Thankfully I have that option but many don’t. And let’s all just agree that this is all one big clusterF!

I just didn’t realize we are at the “sacrifice a few to save the many” point.

Sad.

Unfortunate.

Infuriating.

Don’t get me wrong, I am mad. I am fuming. But I also understand that a lot of kids NEED to go to school. A lot of parents still work at their regular jobs and use school as a baby sitter. But what I refuse to understand is that the economy is more important to most people than killing 14k children. That the future will be doomed if we don’t go back to school for another six months. No, I can’t accept that.

“If OUR children are our future, then why are we not fighting harder to find cures for them?”

PEOPLE – there are a lot of obvious risks for public health and the health of our children that will happen when you put hundreds of children and adults in crowded spaces during a pandemic. Has this not been proven enough?

Oh I am sorry you are too busy TikToking and making fun of your neighbor to be bothered by what is really going on in the world.

Lucky us.

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