The problem that the ‘lets-shut-schools-for-a-couple-of-weeks-crowd’ ignore is that its much easier to shut schools than to open them. Therefore, the probability is that once schools are shut, they will be shut for months on end, just like last time.

In other words, they are engaging in wishful thinking. The probability is that schools will be shut for months on end whilst online teaching provision will likely be patchy/minimal/inadequate/non-existent like it was last time & educational inequalities will continue to widen.
We’ve learned nothing from the schools shutting for 6 months last yr. Once those schools are shut, they will be shut for months. Online learning will continue to be inadequate, meanwhile big-mouthed Twitter users with no skin in the game will continue to opine on the subject.
The average Twitter user is more likely to be parent to a cat than to a human child. No skin in the game & it shows, quite frankly. The online learning that is available for parents is inadequate & it will be left to parents to utilise their own resources, again.
Educational inequalities will widen into a chasm. It will be a disaster for children, especially primary school-aged children, & for what? Where is the evidence that school closures minimised the spread of C-19? But the average Twitter user need not worry, their cat will be fine
& the longer we try to keep schools closed & try to lock-down the whole of society in an attempt to try to suppress the spread of the virus the more we increase other risks. There is a trade-off. Lower some risks. Increase others.

https://t.co/A4RlbYAOul
Extended lockdowns carry their own risks

https://t.co/s7Lfj7NeMK
Are we going to talk about them or not?

https://t.co/o8VrFgaxn3
Probably not Im guessing

https://t.co/pcMo4Tir4C
I think we should have an honest discussion

https://t.co/alrDwmR12z
There is no perfect solution to our problems only a series of trade-offs

https://t.co/imUfStnXuE
& we should be honest about that

https://t.co/wuScFDt8vS
Rather than pretending these problems dont exist

https://t.co/ePsJUTT5Ay
But Im not overly optimistic on that front I have to be honest

https://t.co/SKHSvOuQEm
But if the British Medical Journal are open to these kinds of discussions regarding trade-offs then so should everybody else be imo

https://t.co/pmIAXCFRcE
One things for sure, the longer lockdowns continue the more that ppl are gonna drink, which carries its own risks. For this reason, South Africa & Greenland have temporarily banned the sale of alcohol, but that wont fly here, so what are we going to do?

https://t.co/5X3ywjaAqv
Nothing?

https://t.co/J0cAFHITVo
Im guessing we will probably do nothing

https://t.co/gYBA3xFva8
I hope Im wrong obviously

https://t.co/RSkwRtyZSr
We shall see I guess

https://t.co/qxGYTsXJp8
But at the very minimum we shouldn't try to sweep these problems under the carpet

https://t.co/0a96SM45I0
An honest discussion about trade-offs is required the longer this goes on

https://t.co/SvEFJF7vfl

More from Education

When the university starts sending out teaching evaluation reminders, I tell all my classes about bias in teaching evals, with links to the evidence. Here's a version of the email I send, in case anyone else wants to poach from it.

1/16


When I say "anyone": needless to say, the people who are benefitting from the bias (like me) are the ones who should helping to correct it. Men in math, this is your job! Of course, it should also be dealt with at the institutional level, not just ad hoc.
OK, on to my email:
2/16

"You may have received automated reminders about course evals this fall. I encourage you to fill the evals out. I'd be particularly grateful for written feedback about what worked for you in the class, what was difficult, & how you ultimately spent your time for this class.

3/16

However, I don't feel comfortable just sending you an email saying: "please take the time to evaluate me". I do think student evaluations of teachers can be valuable: I have made changes to my teaching style as a direct result of comments from student teaching evaluations.
4/16

But teaching evaluations have a weakness: they are not an unbiased estimator of teaching quality. There is strong evidence that teaching evals tend to favour men over women, and that teaching evals tend to favour white instructors over non-white instructors.
5/16
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