The Start of Term 4
I’m back from my school holiday blogging hiatus! It was a welcome break, and it was (dare I say it) a pretty wonderful school break even though we’re still in lockdown here in Auckland.
Monday was the first day of Term 4 here in Auckland. If you’re unfamiliar with the schooling system and calendar, here’s my overview. When Term 3 wrapped up a couple of weeks ago, everyone thought we’d be back in the classroom on the 18th of October and spend Term 4 making up all of the things that we missed during lockdown.
That is not the case.
Term 4 started in our playroom at 8:30 on Monday morning, and by 9 o’clock I was already frustrated and we had gone through two bouts of tears. On Monday afternoon we learned that there would be further guidance about what the school year would look like on Wednesday amid growing covid cases and a general lack of school planning from the government. There was a lot of speculation about what this meant, and a lot of parents were hopeful that this would give us a return date and a way to feel good about sending kids to school
On Wednesday, we found out what the new “school rules” will be. Chris Hipkins, the Minister of Education (and of the Covid Response. Apparently the bench isn’t that deep as there are lots of people carrying two or more portfolios in the current government) made the highly anticipated announcement on how schools in Auckland will reopen.
And what did we find out?
Absolutely nothing for kids under Year 11. The only announcement was that kids in Years 11-13 will get to go back next Tuesday and will need to wear masks. Younger kids are still in limbo, but Chris Hipkins dropped the little nugget that “he wasn’t sure that those students would go back to school before the end of the term.” Basically, don’t get your hopes up for a return to the classroom until 2022.
And I’m relieved. I didn’t want to have to make a choice that compares safety to school. I know a lot of parents are shocked and upset, but I’m not in that camp. I tend to think in extremes, and as a result I’m totally convinced that we’ll either be back in school next week - despite how safe that actually is - or we won’t be back in the classroom for the remainder of the year. And honestly I think I’m fine with not being in the classroom for the rest of the year. I’m not convinced that there are enough safety precautions that the schools can take to make me feel like sending my kids back is a good idea at this point. We know that student-facing staff will have to be vaccinated by January 1 of next year, but we don’t know what student safety precautions will be in place, and that’s the most concerning. There have been two times on Zoom calls with my daughter’s classmates where the kids have talked about participating in activities that aren’t currently allowed. What’s worse, is that in one case the girls even prefaced the discussion to my daughter by saying “Don’t tell anyone, but…” Meaning even the six year old knows she shouldn’t be doing these things, but the family is clearly ok with breaking the rules. That makes me extremely uneasy about sending my kid to class with these kids without some pretty strict measures in place.
I now find myself thinking about the 2022 school year. I’m still waiting on details to see what classroom life will be like in Auckland, but I’m also starting to contemplate putting together a pod school for our kids and other families that have a similar covid risk tolerance to us. I’m also extremely grateful that we redid our playroom to be a decent classroom in case of future lockdowns. It’s working really, really well.
If you’re a parent in Auckland, how are you feeling about the school non-announcement on Wednesday? I have a feeling I’m an outlier with homeschooling, but I’d be curious to know how you’re handling it.
