Why families must stay put this Christmas – Yorkshire Post Letters

WELL done, Jayne Dowle. Good common sense as usual (The Yorkshire Post, December 17), this time regarding this Christmas and your elderly parents.

I am 81 and my husband is 89 and we will be staying right here in Doncaster for Christmas – on our own for the first time in our lives.

Our three daughters and families live in London, Somerset and America and no one will be travelling this year.

We normally all meet up together for Christmas in a rented house that can take 14 in some beautiful part of the UK, and we will look forward to that happening again next year.

It’s a very sad situation but we must all just bite the bullet and cope with it this year.

Along with Covid arriving in March, I was diagnosed with breast cancer last December and was able to have surgery in January and February at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, followed by radiotherapy at Weston Park Sheffield in July.

Following another of Jayne’s articles recently, I have the greatest admiration for the NHS staff who treated me through those months, despite coping with the new deadly disease.

I am still having further treatment at the Jasmine Breast Cancer clinic in Doncaster by a wonderful team.

From: S L Elliott, Scalby.

I WOULD like to send best wishes this Christmas to all the teachers who have worked to help our children to receive an education, despite the restrictions and legislation they have had to wade through.

I think teachers are often believed to have an easy 
“part-time” job because they have ample holidays and finish
at 3.30pm. This is not the case.

Teachers work long hours, way beyond 3.30pm and weekends too, to plan, prepare, teach, assess and feed back on pupils’ progress, while supporting their pastoral needs.  

I have never met a teacher who is not passionate about the profession.

In fact, it is usually their vocation. I also send kind thoughts to all those teachers and teaching assistants who have had their enthusiasm and passion for their vocation ripped out of them.

Teachers are under immense pressure, often having to focus more time on clerical tasks than teaching time. They would do anything to help the children they teach.

Parents, please ask questions of your governing bodies and senior leaders if there appear to be lots of staff changes.

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