Discuss at least two ways the speech changed your views on the topic. Respectfully and professionally, provide at least one counterpoint that contradicts your peers' views. What questions might you use to challenge their viewpoint? If you include statistics or data, cite your resources.

Hello Everyone,

Since the start of COVID-19, early childhood programs have worked hard to maintain clean, safe, and healthy environments to protect the children as well as ourselves from what was a deadly spread. Masks were mandatory, handwashing was crucial, as well as daily sanitation, and children were not allowed to stay with any symptoms. Most of these things should have always been in place, but whether it was or wasn't, we exercised these habits more than normal when COVID hit. Today, even with the many different strands, the severity of this illness has decreased, which eliminated the use of masks and the acceptance of sick children. My point is COVID hit everyone out of the blue, and made an impact on the entire world. Let's not lighten up on the precautions because who knows what can happen next. If your child is sick, don't bring them to school with a mask or no mask. It's very hard trying to keep a mask on young children. If your child has an excessive cough, don't bring them to school. If your little one has a constant runny nose, don't leave it to the teacher to deal with- keep your child home because it becomes a distraction to the teaching process. Keeping your child at home helps keep the environment safe and clean and eliminates the spread of germs and other illnesses. It helps the teacher focus on teaching rather than ensuring your child is not spreading germs everywhere, getting everyone else sick. If COVID taught us anything, it's that our health and safety are a priority.