I absolutely agree with you on all those points. We don’t know what lasting health effects the pandemic will have on young people, and the lack of attention to fixing structural problems that would prevent things from getting worse is appalling. And any article that uses the American Enterprise Institute as its main source of info is suspect in my book. The NYT article disappointed on many fronts. (And I agree that they are taking a right-ward turn recently.)
They referenced some of the data we actually DO have from the CDC, but neglected to even discuss it. According to that data, school absenteeism (>15 days) increased from 3.3 to 5.8% from 2019-2022 due to illness. A difference of 2.5%. So clearly, illness is a big part of the equation.
But I disagree with the Substack author claiming that they are “inventing increasingly bizarre explanations” and that:
“It is truly astonishing and staggering that major news outlets are getting away with inventing ideological explanations for what is a clear, national and international expression of increased rates of illness. It’s particularly bizarre because this ideological explanation- that parents must for some reason value school less now- is attended by neither data nor even anecdotal evidence.”
Maybe there is more evidence out there about the other reasons for absenteeism. But the school officials, etc that they spoke with were not making stuff up. The other 8.5% rise in absenteeism are due to things that are likely not illness-related. And the general gestalt at school now is so much different than it was in 2019–the jig is up and parents are just not doing the normal “get up and send your kids to school every day unless they’re sick” like they used to. For many different reasons. The Substack author had some great, valuable things to say that were spot on. I guess I just wish people could express their views while being a little less strident and narrow. That’s all I’m saying. Ack, I’ve spent far more energy on this than I meant to! —sincerely, your fellow March (28), 2020 alum. ;). If you got this far…thank you!
Haha! I loved your comment because you “brought receipts.” And it’s just fun to engage around these things in a heady way. I think what you’re saying about parents engaging differently with school than they had before reminds me of the idea of “quiet quitting” at jobs. The pandemic showed people that a different way of living was possible; it doesn’t always have to be about extreme productivity or living at a breakneck speed. Hopefully this all results in kids (and adults) who are less stressed. Maybe the lower stress will offset any long term health implications of lower immune function 🤷
I think my first symptoms all mild were in February but my immune system was keeping the virus under control. It wasn't until late February when I had major inpatient reconstructive surgery that I got immunocompromised and bango! goodbye health!
Gosh, 11% long c for LBGT+ community and 12% for those who live with disabilities. It’s a whopping 50% for the LGBT+ community with migraine (haven’t seen any stats for those with disabilities.) I often wonder at the emotional toll and the link between this and illness (in us all but especially groups where acceptance and inclusivity is even less than the larger proportion).
It’s astonishing, right? Similar concept I would think to the term “weathering,” where the stress of being discriminated against by so many systems and the lack of equitable access to healthcare makes certain folks sicker - usually Black folks, but it can apply to any marginalized group.
Haven’t heard of the term “weathering” before but I have seen the stats for the BIPOC community, which are beyond shocking and to hear some of the assumptions made such as the ludicrous belief that black people don’t feel pain as much is astonishing🤯
Thanks, as always, for sharing all this insight and access to info. I’ve built it up over the years and haven’t shared a fraction of what I’d like. (It’s coming) It must be a huge about of work for you each week.
The roundup posts take less time than my original writing, so in many ways they’re easier. I just dump things I see into several Gmail folders and curate from there.
Thanks again for the rundown Amy! I was a little surprised at the article referenced about school absences. I don’t think it’s so black and white as the author suggests. As a parent and the wife of a high school teacher, I can tell you that illness is certainly a part of increased absenteeism. But the New York Times is not wrong about this. Families and students (at least in our city’s public schools) are just realizing that school is not an inherent value. Especially for kids for whom school does nothing for. Some kids maintained those jobs they got during the pandemic and their families realize that it may be more important to earn money than to go to school. And many schools are just failing students. They don’t see a need to be there because they are not successful at it. And our schools are not helping them. With 40 kids in my wife’s classroom, there is no way she can teach the kids how to write, and it’s very difficult to build community and trust with the students. There are many more issues. My apologies — I get a little prickly when authors lack subtlety, nuance and understanding. In today’s media and Substack environment, it’s just so easy to narrow your mind.
Hmmm…I’m not a parent nor a teacher, so it’s hard for me to fully weigh in here, but I think the author’s point was that there’s actual data around both adults and kids being sicker now than they were before COVID started, and the NYT article really glazed over this. It made no mention at all of Long COVID, for example, and that’s a glaring omission. It’s also (for me) on par with some of the bizarre positions the NYT has been taking on a range of issues lately - saying it’s moving more to the political right on a lot of things is an understatement.
The truth is, we don’t yet know the long term implications of just letting COVID “rip” through schools. Early studies have shown that repeat infections are doing real harm, so I shudder to think what health problems many of these kids will have as older youth or adults as a result of repeatedly being exposed to this multi-system hellscape of a virus.
Not to say that there’s also not a general lowering of regard for the importance of school, because I’m sure that’s been a resulting phenomenon of the pandemic also. Interestingly, I’ve been reading that child labor is on the rise in the U.S. as well, so perhaps what you say is also a factor.
I absolutely agree with you on all those points. We don’t know what lasting health effects the pandemic will have on young people, and the lack of attention to fixing structural problems that would prevent things from getting worse is appalling. And any article that uses the American Enterprise Institute as its main source of info is suspect in my book. The NYT article disappointed on many fronts. (And I agree that they are taking a right-ward turn recently.)
They referenced some of the data we actually DO have from the CDC, but neglected to even discuss it. According to that data, school absenteeism (>15 days) increased from 3.3 to 5.8% from 2019-2022 due to illness. A difference of 2.5%. So clearly, illness is a big part of the equation.
But I disagree with the Substack author claiming that they are “inventing increasingly bizarre explanations” and that:
“It is truly astonishing and staggering that major news outlets are getting away with inventing ideological explanations for what is a clear, national and international expression of increased rates of illness. It’s particularly bizarre because this ideological explanation- that parents must for some reason value school less now- is attended by neither data nor even anecdotal evidence.”
Maybe there is more evidence out there about the other reasons for absenteeism. But the school officials, etc that they spoke with were not making stuff up. The other 8.5% rise in absenteeism are due to things that are likely not illness-related. And the general gestalt at school now is so much different than it was in 2019–the jig is up and parents are just not doing the normal “get up and send your kids to school every day unless they’re sick” like they used to. For many different reasons. The Substack author had some great, valuable things to say that were spot on. I guess I just wish people could express their views while being a little less strident and narrow. That’s all I’m saying. Ack, I’ve spent far more energy on this than I meant to! —sincerely, your fellow March (28), 2020 alum. ;). If you got this far…thank you!
Haha! I loved your comment because you “brought receipts.” And it’s just fun to engage around these things in a heady way. I think what you’re saying about parents engaging differently with school than they had before reminds me of the idea of “quiet quitting” at jobs. The pandemic showed people that a different way of living was possible; it doesn’t always have to be about extreme productivity or living at a breakneck speed. Hopefully this all results in kids (and adults) who are less stressed. Maybe the lower stress will offset any long term health implications of lower immune function 🤷
I would absolutely love to think so! Yes, thanks for engaging about this stuff, it is fun. ...when we have the energy, of course! All the best.
Thanks so much for the shout-out! 🙏 Great round up, useful and amusing, keep up the good work.
Amazing place, Amy. Glad to be here!
Michael
Class of 2020
Ha! It’s my fellow alum 🤭. Thanks for finding your way here.
March 25th..and you?o
Most likely the west coast original B strain.
No toenails though but just about everything else including that amazing hyperfatigue that has to be experienced to be understood!
March 25th here too! 🤯
What!!!!
I think my first symptoms all mild were in February but my immune system was keeping the virus under control. It wasn't until late February when I had major inpatient reconstructive surgery that I got immunocompromised and bango! goodbye health!
Gosh, 11% long c for LBGT+ community and 12% for those who live with disabilities. It’s a whopping 50% for the LGBT+ community with migraine (haven’t seen any stats for those with disabilities.) I often wonder at the emotional toll and the link between this and illness (in us all but especially groups where acceptance and inclusivity is even less than the larger proportion).
It’s astonishing, right? Similar concept I would think to the term “weathering,” where the stress of being discriminated against by so many systems and the lack of equitable access to healthcare makes certain folks sicker - usually Black folks, but it can apply to any marginalized group.
Haven’t heard of the term “weathering” before but I have seen the stats for the BIPOC community, which are beyond shocking and to hear some of the assumptions made such as the ludicrous belief that black people don’t feel pain as much is astonishing🤯
Thanks, as always, for sharing all this insight and access to info. I’ve built it up over the years and haven’t shared a fraction of what I’d like. (It’s coming) It must be a huge about of work for you each week.
The roundup posts take less time than my original writing, so in many ways they’re easier. I just dump things I see into several Gmail folders and curate from there.
Thanks again for the rundown Amy! I was a little surprised at the article referenced about school absences. I don’t think it’s so black and white as the author suggests. As a parent and the wife of a high school teacher, I can tell you that illness is certainly a part of increased absenteeism. But the New York Times is not wrong about this. Families and students (at least in our city’s public schools) are just realizing that school is not an inherent value. Especially for kids for whom school does nothing for. Some kids maintained those jobs they got during the pandemic and their families realize that it may be more important to earn money than to go to school. And many schools are just failing students. They don’t see a need to be there because they are not successful at it. And our schools are not helping them. With 40 kids in my wife’s classroom, there is no way she can teach the kids how to write, and it’s very difficult to build community and trust with the students. There are many more issues. My apologies — I get a little prickly when authors lack subtlety, nuance and understanding. In today’s media and Substack environment, it’s just so easy to narrow your mind.
Hmmm…I’m not a parent nor a teacher, so it’s hard for me to fully weigh in here, but I think the author’s point was that there’s actual data around both adults and kids being sicker now than they were before COVID started, and the NYT article really glazed over this. It made no mention at all of Long COVID, for example, and that’s a glaring omission. It’s also (for me) on par with some of the bizarre positions the NYT has been taking on a range of issues lately - saying it’s moving more to the political right on a lot of things is an understatement.
The truth is, we don’t yet know the long term implications of just letting COVID “rip” through schools. Early studies have shown that repeat infections are doing real harm, so I shudder to think what health problems many of these kids will have as older youth or adults as a result of repeatedly being exposed to this multi-system hellscape of a virus.
Not to say that there’s also not a general lowering of regard for the importance of school, because I’m sure that’s been a resulting phenomenon of the pandemic also. Interestingly, I’ve been reading that child labor is on the rise in the U.S. as well, so perhaps what you say is also a factor.