Lessons from a grandfather

I read that teachers are angry about the Government’s plan to possibly re-start schools soon. I read in the same papers the criticism coming from various quarters, including the hollow vessels that make a lot of noise in their opinion columns and radio stations, along the lines that the lockdown is unnecessary and is creating severe economic pain for no good reason.

I am sure all of us want to start returning to some semblance of normality as soon as humanly possible, and so the gentle loosening signalled this week should be welcomed.

Our front line medics have been admirable in their commitment to the job, though thankfully they have not been called on to nurse the thousands of desperately ill people we were threatened with. We now need the same courage from ordinary Kiwis to enable us to move forward.

I understand teachers might feel aggrieved that they’re being put at risk.

I understand that many children may not return initially and classes may be small, and disrupted, and teaching won’t be easy. But we need to start in that direction.

So I volunteer myself to be a “babysitter” at my local school.

I will happily roll up at 8.30 and stay till 5 to give a chance to those parents who want to take it to get back to work.

I am not a trained teacher, but I am a parent, and a grandfather of 14. I am prepared to supervise kids of various ages while they watch the online school programmes that will still be going, and do assignments given by real teachers, for example.

And real teachers can take over as soon as they feel safe to do so.