I Just Read The New CDC Guidelines For Reopening Schools and I Find Them Impossible To Do
Today was off to a pretty good start until I started seeing posts circulating Facebook about the new CDC guidelines for reopening schools.
I shouldn’t have read them – that was a big mistake.
You see, I knew this day would come.
I knew that life as we know it would change that it wouldn’t be back normal any time soon. That didn’t stop some part of me from thinking that maybe all of this was a cruel and long played out joke.
I was wrong.
I Just Read The New Recommended CDC Guidelines For Reopening Schools and My Heart Aches For The Kids.
In case you haven’t seen it yet, here is the image circulating the web:
Upsetting and disheartening, right?
Well, first things, that graphic summarizes the recommendations from the CDC but if you want to see their recommendations entirely, read them here.
Now, here’s the thing – I don’t blame the CDC. They are just doing what they think is best based off the information that they have right now.
I am just upset at the situation.
I also don’t see how any of this is possible and I am usually such an optimistic person.
Keeping kids 6 feet away from each other? Not going to happen especially when class sizes are overcrowded and small to begin with.
Wearing a mask all day – good luck. Those things are hot and annoying. I can barely stand to wear one for an hour in the grocery store (kuddos to healthcare processionals by the way).
And the whole thing about no recess, no group activities, and no lunch in the cafeteria? It sounds like a prison.
Kids touch, play and socialize. That’s what kids do. All of that is part of their development.
We are basically asking them not to be kids.
Really, what’s the point of sending kids to school at all then? Why not just enforce online learning for the year?
Again, I get the bottom line here is to help stop the spread of the virus and by all means, I want that to happen but there has to be a better way.
Kids need education.
Kids need other kids.
Kids need stability and normalcy.
Kids need to feel safe when they are away from home.
How in the world can our kids feel any sense of normalcy or feel safe in school with these sort of restrictions?
We can stand here and point fingers all day at The CDC, The President, or anyone else you think is responsible for this virus outbreak or the strict guidelines that have followed but that doesn’t change the fact that the real ones hurting here are the kids.
This is awful.
I am so saddened and sick to my stomach. I cannot even begin to wrap my head around the idea of this being the new norm for school.
I hate this. I hate this for our kids.
Your kids are in day care I’m sure they dont know anything your rant filled comment is false it’s your opion not acdc guidelines and honestly it sounds like were sending our kids to prison
Wearing a mask all day is not healthy for our lungs.
Not actually. There have been studies that show it has no significant impact.
And there have been studies that show significant health issues when wearing masks long term. Fortunately and unfortunately, we can all find studies to support our causes.
Ok, first of all, stop spreading that ridiculous graphic that does nothing to tell people what will ACTUALLY happen in their child’s school and only perpetuates fear. Second of all, do kids need recess? Of course they do. Do they also deserve to be safe at school? YES of course. I think we are mostly all in agreement on that. Thirdly, recommendations can and should be put in place out of concern for safety not out of fear. Saying your children will be living in fear is not necessarily a true statement. My children are going to child care right now and they are aware that things are different because of the coronavirus, but I do not feel they are afraid to go to child care (or school for that matter), just being more cautious. I think a lot of working parents are feeling helpless about all of this. Especially when seeing more and more people talking like this about how terrible it will be for our children to be in school. There will be changes. A lot of the CDC recommendations are not feasible by any stretch of the imagination so we will have to see what our schools can come up with for actual feasible safety guidelines. Until then, I’m not going to dwell on how terrible it might be. I’m going to do what I can – fill out the survey from my child’s school district and offer my opinions to the school board if necessary, but complaining and talking about how terrible it will be is not on my to do list, nor is perpetuating “rumors” about what our schools will look like in the fall.
It’s ridiculous, my child will not be allowed to attend any school where the first lesson is fear.
Where does it say that she called her kid sweet and beautiful bc i didn’t read that at all.
Your first mistake was taking something seriously that had a misspelled word in the heading. People are over overreacting after reading someone’s paraphrased version of the actual “guidelines”.
Supposedily this image has been altered to fit a certain base. But anyhoo if we all wear masks now maybe the kids can get back to some sense of normalcy. The least you could do is attempt to teach your kids how to respond and react while trying to start better hygiene habits. Proper etiquette in public. But for those that think we will go back to the way things were, y’all have a bit more of reality to grasp..
There are so many people out there that don’t know how they feel about certain topics until they read an article like this with a title like that and decide they want to feel negative about guidelines and recommendations to keep YOUR kids safe and here you as an adult get off telling people that’s its impossible to do!! No woman! They are impossible for YOU to do! Our teachers are amazing people and are just as adaptable as our children are! And even they can understand safety better than you can!
The article is an opinion piece and sharing opinions is called a dialogue which is how we share ideas in order to learn. As awesome as you think teachers are, and they are not all awesome – most are good, enforcing these rules will be a difficult task distracting from their efforts elsewhere. Additionally, she makes a good point about wearing masks all day. Part of school is learning to socialize and make friends. These restrictions undermine that value which makes online learning a reasonable choice. I agree with the title of her opinion piece.
News flash! I am a teacher and do find these pretty impossible for students and teachers to follow . You are right about teachers being amazing and adapting, but what they are asking us to adapt to is not healthy. I miss my students dearly and I miss that close interaction we normally have, and although it hurts me to say this, it’s the truth…. I’d rather teach at home (if these are our requirements).
I am a teacher as well. I agree! Very hard to do!
I so agree?
To the writer – you mention how sweet (personality) your boys are, and how beautiful (physical) your daughter is… I support healthy self images and compliments, but please consider another adjective like brave or kind or considerate to help shape her mental self image. Thank you.
Oh brother…
You’re on of those “everyone gets a trophy” people, aren’t you?
Why can’t people use their own words to describe their own children. Have you never said a girl is beautiful?
Is that all you picked up on throughout the whole piece? Please start caring about the important issues. Like our poor children having to deal with this unfortunate situation, instead of someone using words you don’t approve of to describe a little girl. What is the big deal? Why do you even care? Maybe she does use other words to describe her daughter, she decided to use that word in the piece she wrote and here you sit all high and mighty telling someone how to describe their own child. Good Lord please help us all!
Key words the picture misses from the actual CDC document linked- “consider”, “if possible”, “if feasible” and “as much as possible”. Some of these recommendations should have been happening anyway in schools to help prevent flu, stomach bug, or any sickness. This version doesn’t reflect the recommendations as written by the CDC. This has been rewritten as absolutes and does nothing but spread misinformation and animosity. Unfortunately it is being shared all over social media. Sensationalized. Exaggerated. Manipulated. False.
I have read the whole document. The meme isn’t that far off.
Federal guidelines=access to federal funding. Don’t follow=no money.
The chinese have been wearing masks for years and it hasn’t helped them.
So…kids shouldn’t be able to play or make friends? They should view everyone as a threat? YOU would have been fine with that as a kid? The people who are fine with all of this being permanent I guess never feel the need to meet new people or have new spontaneous experiences…what do THEY care, they HAVE partners, friends and a work from home job that they will be SHOCKED when it is eventually outsourced…