Why are people so upset about teenagers having to wear masks in classrooms? It’s just a bit of cloth, and if it makes teachers feel safer, then what’s the harm?
That’s the line I keep seeing on social media (usually from adults without children).
But for us teenagers, masks are far from “just a bit of cloth”. In fact, they have changed school life beyond recognition.
The main problem is that they stifle communication. Obviously it’s possible to talk in a mask, but having a proper conversation is a strain, and when you’re wearing one for seven hours straight, you just give up.
Sitting in near silence for a whole day is incredibly lonely and isolating, and it has a huge impact on mental health. Many of my friends who used to be carefree and full of life have become so depressed and anxious since masks were introduced that I hardly recognise them.
One friend texted me when the news about masks came in at the weekend, saying that the restrictions had finally broken her. Another called me in tears. I used to love school, but if I’m honest with myself, I too am struggling to stay cheerful.
The other issue is the way that mask wearing is enforced. Because my teachers feel under pressure to keep us masked up, they treat us like we’re little more than germs in blazers (or “vectors” for Covid, as I keep hearing people put it on television). If we take off our masks, we’re told we’re being selfish and “risking lives”. I expect they don’t mean to upset us, but being made to feel guilty all the time for just going about your business is enough to grind anyone down.
And it’s not only the mask mandate which is depressing me. All secondary schools have been asked to provide one on-site test for pupils and staff ahead of our return to the classroom this term, and we will be strongly advised to test at least twice a week subsequently. Of course, I understand the benefit of testing if you’re feeling ill, but it’s a deeply unpleasant experience, and it seems very unfair to me that healthy teenagers must be subjected to it when adults in offices and other workplaces are not.
What makes it all so much worse is that there’s no point to any of it. Chances are that the vast majority of us are going to catch omicron someday soon. Lots of our teachers are probably going to catch it too. But that’s nothing to panic about: young people are very unlikely to get seriously ill with Covid, and given that most teachers have been double or triple vaccinated, in most cases it won’t be much more than a cold to them either.
Masks in classrooms won’t put an end to Covid in schools. It will just stop our learning and our recovery from lockdown. And, just like before, it’s clear the Government’s primary motivation is politics not infection control. Politicians want to be seen to be doing something and we teenagers are low-hanging fruit.
Well, I’ve had enough. Secondary school pupils like me have made so many sacrifices during this pandemic. Over the course of three lockdowns, we’ve lost a chunk of our education, watched friends drift away, and missed important rites of passage.
Yes, we’ve had our families, but we’re at the age where we want a bit of independence – and the pandemic has taken that away from us too.
Surely sucking all the joy out of our school lives by forcing us to wear masks yet again is a step too far?
We all agree that vaccines work. Now is the moment to put our faith in them, and give teenagers our lives back.
