Will Schools Open Full Time?

School districts in our area are doing a hybrid approach to education.

Kids are in school either half the week or every day for half the day - at least that seems to be the norm around our parts. 

Our kids go to school two days a week and are homeschooled the other 3 days. 

And the other two days a different group of kids go. So there's half the regular amount of stupids in the building. 

Wednesdays are fully remote days for all students so that cleaning and sanitizing can take place before the next group rotates in.

There have been talks about schools opening up back full time in the fall.

I am all for it.

The transmission rate is very low in schools. The people who are getting it, aren't in the schools.

Kids are complying and wearing masks. 

All day except for lunch.

I have to give them credit - I haven't had to wear a mask ALL day at all since this all started. 

Teachers are also wearing masks.

I'm all for teachers to be next in line to get the vaccine. 

I'm so ready for the kids to be back in school and for them to experience it the way it's supposed to be.

Even though, I guess it won't be because they'd still have to wear masks and social distance. 

But they'd be in school. Every day.

With their friends.

Getting in-person instruction.

HOWEVER.

That being said, I'm grateful my kids are at the ages they are at. 

Homeschooling isn't nearly as difficult it could be, let's say if my kids were in middle or high school.

Little kids aren't going through weird hormonal, emotional, physical changes like a middle schooler or high schooler is going through. 

I recently caught up with an old friend/colleague and we got to talking about it. His kids are older and man. I don't envy that situation. 

Now, that also begs the question for me - if the kids go back full time, do I start going into the office?

Would I have to start paying for daycare again?

I don't even want to think about the logistics of my new job, which is further away (it's 45 minutes away from my house), plus it starts an hour earlier, yada, yada, yada. 

The newest update we received last week (February 12, I believe) was that many parents were starting to ask when schools would open full time again.

Their response made sense and it went something like this:

In order for schools to open full time, we still have to follow the guidelines of maintaining 6ft of distance and wearing masks.

Since there are so many kids in our district, there just isn't enough physical space to do that. We have to have a hybrid approach because we can fit that many students in the building at once and still maintain the 6 foot distance rule. I get it. 

I don't know what the world will be like come Fall though.

I'm eligible for the vaccine so as soon as I get the all clear to get the vaccine from my doc, I will do so. I'm reading that most eligible folks will be vaccinated by the end of Summer. 

Ugh. 

The unknown is killing me.