While thinking about how to best enact social distancing in our own lives and with our teens/their friends, this article may have useful info (several slightly different opinions on what social distancing is are shared): https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2020/03/coronavirus-what-does-social-distancing-mean/607927/
I don’t think I’m an alarmist…I took S21 to the GA Capitol Bldg on Monday (which was quite crowded), and we rode the subway (also quite crowded). I didn’t buy the stores out of toilet paper. ? We didn’t cancel our college-visit trip for next week until Tuesday night when it became clear that we had no choice.
That being said, I actually will not be allowing my kids to study at coffee shops, go to the movies, hang out at malls, or even go out with 3 friends right now. It sucks, yes. It’s a disruption, yes. But if the NBA can cancel its season, colleges can go virtual, major conferences can be called off, etc., my kids can also deal with these sacrifices for the greater good. I’m keeping in mind that the illness can be spread via respiratory/droplets, so while cleaning surfaces and washing hands is great (and we’re doing that), it doesn’t prevent the transmission via simply breathing and talking. I want the social distancing to work as quickly as possible…I want these major sacrifices being made to have the greatest impact in the least amount of time we can hope for, so my kids are going to have to stay home, go for runs or dog walks, hang with friends virtually/facetime, etc. If this all ends up being relatively effective, it’s going to look like an overreaction…I’m hoping in a few months that’s how it looks.
Never mind about SAT D21 just told me they shut the school down and there will be no SAT tomorrow.
D is an introverted homebody, who needs more alone time than most. She does not do the mall thing that so many kids do. So social isolation is not going to be a problem for her. She and the boyfriend and I will go hiking in the canyon and I will allow him to hang out at our house or his. But that is it. I agree we all have to do our part.
I sure hate the SAT being canceled for ya’ll’s kiddos.
Our local public schools just decided to close - K-8 and HS. Both announcements (different districts) say e learning until further notice. Despite being expected, “until further notice” is such a daunting phrase.
S21’s private school in PA is preparing for remote learning until April 13, and now New Orleans public schools are doing the same because there are so many cases there.
S24’s private school closed today and will start electronic learning end of next week. All EC’s are cancelled in his school and in S21’s public school are canceled for at least next 2 weeks.
S24 said that the school rumblings from his teachers believe school will be closed for a month.
We got the close announcement today – closed for 4 weeks! Three weeks of online school + Spring break. D23 is most unhappy that she can’t go to the gym and she’ll miss her friends. No comment from S21. They have extensive assignments for all their classes so the big challenge will be enforcing a school work routine.
Update: now all schools closed in our county for next two weeks. Deep cleaning schools and school buses.
We have spring break next week and they announced they are extending it an extra week.
What I want to know is, what will happen to all the little kids not in school, without extended family to help, whose parents don’t have the sorts of jobs that can be done at home or job stability or a high enough income to have any savings at all? Even if the government finally steps in to help in some way for these situations, it couldn’t be put into practice immediately. I feel there will be a lot of very small children fending for themselves at home while parents work.
@inthegarden It takes a village. Hopefully, parents will help other parents out. I’m hoping this is very temporary…
https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/about-ap/news-changes/coronavirus-update
info on AP tests. Looks like schools will have the option of putting them off a couple of weeks if they haven’t had a chance to cover the material.
My D didn’t look happy when I told her we will have to restrict socializing to a big extent during these weeks. I told her about the rcommendations I read here, like leaving a seat in between friends at the movie theater, etc and she looked even more unhappy as I spoke, even though I talked about it as a relatively small sacrifice for the public good (and how, even with this restriction, our lives are so much more comfortable than those of most human beings around world, for some perspective).
She said she’ll go crazy staying home for two weeks studying and that she only wants to get together with her boyfriend and her other best friend, to walk in a park outside of town, etc. She, also, @BingeWatcher is not a social butterfly though she does enjoy some group activities, she can do without them more easily than a lot of teens. I’ll have to think about it. Her boyfriend,’s dad has to travel a lot in the region for work, and her best (girl) friend is very close to grandparents who live across the street so the whole pattern of possible transmission gives me pause. so it,s hard to know where to draw the line, what to allow. I’m really with @nichols51…I want the social distancing to work quickly and thoroughly, and a lot can move through the cracks that we think shouldn’t be a big deal.
Thanks for the link about AP tests. You must have read my mind @homerdog. D is planning on using all the AP credit she can.
Yeah, I agree about neighbors/friends helping out with childcare, but, in the sheer, huge scope of this, I know there are still large numbers of vulnerable people in poverty with small children, without much in the way of social supports (former social worker here).
@inthegarden i worry about those families too. We don’t have too many in our immediate community but we do have healthcare workers who don’t have full time care for their school age children (they use our before/after school care - which is canceled). I’ve seen a number of social media posts from displaced college students offering to care for the young school aged kids.
@3kids2dogs that is a great idea. I’m getting D21 on that. She’d love to help. I’m sure there are families who need it here.
Our county in a shocking move has announced we will operate on a regular schedule next week- with no after school activities. Biggest county in NC- 160,000 kids and we have several confirmed cases in the county. I’m okay with it- I was worried what would happen to all the kids who receive free breakfast and lunch. D21- not happy, wanted to sleep in!
Here to add my dose of misery…
Our band spring trip to Disney World (we were supposed to leave today) cancelled…no word on refunds…which means I’m probably out $3200 for my 3 band kids and myself as chaperone…
Most of school districts around us have announced a complete shutdown and no school for the rest of the month…waiting on our to make their announcement.
Re SAT…our school SAT day is supposed to be March 25th…this is the email we got from our counselors a couple of days ago:
“SAT Test- per College Board, current SAT test dates are not going to be cancelled. Please review your test date and location in your College Board account. Also, monitor your email for information from College Board.“
Our Wintergaurd and Drumline are having their entire seasons cancelled…my heart is breaking for our seniors. No word yet on Prom which is supposed to be April 18.
Oh, and I saw 2 different people get in fights today at Sam’s Club…2020, you really suck.
@jeneric - in terms of the kids who rely on the schools for food, a local county here has made an interesting move…first they announced that all kids 18 and under would be given lunch if they could get to the school to get it…then a few hours later, they updated the policy to say they’re going to deliver lunch to school bus stops. I have no idea how well this will work in practice, but I am excited by the flexible thinking/approach.