This week, many of us are finding out whether or not our children will be back in school, participate in virtual learning, or a mixture of both this fall. Back in March, did we ever think that we would be receiving updates from Superintendents about back to school plans because of COVID-19? Personally, at that time I figured the pandemic phase of 2020 would be long gone by the start of the 20-21 school year. As a mom of an incoming 2nd grader and 5th grader, I never expected to be in this position. And I am not alone.
Our District’s school board meeting was held last night to discuss options and I had to stop watching after an hour or so. Listening to the comments from concerned parents being read took up the first hour and honestly, it was all that my sensitive brain could handle. I went to bed and figured I would get a summary from my husband, who religiously watches every second of every meeting.
Turns out I didn’t need his recap…I just went onto the local parents Facebook page. I will bet that no matter where you are in the US, your local parent page is similar. We have a lot of different opinions about returning to school and these seem to be the most common:
-Parents who are adamant about their children returning to school,
brick and mortar style
– Parents who want their kids to be taught virtually with no in-person
instruction
– Parents who want a mix of in-school and online learning
– Parents who are absolutely pissed because fall sports are being
canceled
– Parents who are thrilled because fall sports are being canceled
– Parents concerned that if school is online, the mental health of their
children will be impacted
– Working parents trying to figure out how to stay sane with
homeschooling children and work
The comments were plenty- the last time I looked there were 328. Lots of opinions and some name calling. Some polite, some just rude. I do love Facebook as a way to keep in touch, but sometimes these parent groups just cause more division amongst us rather than bringing us together.
My initial thought was to do a combination of some in-person and some virtual learning. They would be able to see their friends and have some normalcy, but also be safe at home a few days. The more I thought about it, I realized that sending them to school might not be the best option for my family. My reasoning:
– I have one kid that got strep throat from licking a book last year- no
joke
– My other kid has had asthma, RSV, Pneumonia, the flu, and many
respiratory infections throughout his almost 11 years
– If my kid(s) gets a fever, do I take them to get a COVID test? Will I be
spending the majority of my days worrying about my kids contracting
a deadly disease when I have the option to keep them home?
– What if my kid gets COVID with no symptoms, and then they spread it
to a family member?
After taking these things into consideration, it was a no-brainer. My mental health could not handle the worrying and if God-forbid something were to happen, how could I ever forgive myself for sending them to school? Again, this is MY opinion and my view. I know that some people feel the same, and others feel differently. And that is ok. There is no right answer.
No matter what the outcome of tonight’s vote is, I hope that the decision is accepted and we all handle it like the adults/parents that we are. We will find a way to make it work. If we end up having virtual school, it sucks for a million reasons. But please, look at the bigger picture. It is one more semester. One sports season. Sometimes I feel like the parents are getting more upset than the children. Believe me- I do not feel like being home for the next 4 months and being a teacher assistant. The thought pains me! But, if it will keep us healthy, in the long run it will have been worth it.
Leave a Reply