 Photo by Nick Fewings via Unsplash. In four more weeks I will be in a building
That will not be disinfected with regularity Not because of staff But funding My colleagues, families, and students will be in our building No masks required The collection of droplets in the air may be lethal for us Especially when you consider how people have been living But there is no consideration We are teachers We serve the children We will just have to fill in the gaps, as usual Take temperatures (And buy thermometers to take temperatures) Disinfect classrooms (And buy cleaning products to disinfect classrooms) (And buy gloves) Wash hands frequently Hmm...where? Only one staff bathroom Kids' bathrooms run out of soap And paper towels Be a team player Social distance But don't make colleagues social distance Or students Be a team player Teach extra kids when colleagues are absent Because there will be no subs And teachers' increased risk is not a concern But we must have school! No school is bad! Because babysitters are a must Not because education is a must I say: Why can't we do all virtual school? They say: What about the businesses? To which I respond: Who will be left to patronize them?
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 Photo by Aaron Burden via Unsplash. I refuse to believe that being concerned for my own safety is selfish. It is not. Being made to feel this way is nothing more than gaslighting. Since when is the overarching concern for human life unnecessary? Why does it have to be balanced?
I am a proud educator of children. I have found success in doing this in person, and recently, and to a lesser extent, through virtual means. Being an educator is part of my identity. It is my passion. However, I do not think my need to educate should supersede children's need to survive. I think that is selfish. The way we have always done it - capitalism and a "booming economy" - this will have to be rethought. We simply can not have schooling used as babysitting while parents work to fuel the economy. That model will not work in a pandemic. Perhaps this, too, is part of what we always knew, but is glaringly obvious now. We must begin to care for each other. We really never have on a large scale.  Photo by Robin Benzrihem via Unsplash You came into my space with no mask
Knowing you could infect me Knowing that if I get sick I would die faster Than you Knowing that so many of us have lost loved ones Because someone, no YOU, decided That wearing a mask was Too Much Trouble How nice it must be To treat people as replaceable You have no idea What humans know How humans behave  Photo Credit: Anshu A via Unsplash Remember when this question was but an extension of a greeting - something said out of habit? We didn't always really want to know how someone was doing. We were quite content with the expected "Fine." I've asked this question a lot since March 13. Actually, I have asked it constantly. Part of my coping strategy. Friends and family (and even not-friends) ask me all the time. It's nice to be asked. But you know what? It is taking me longer and longer to answer it. Why? Because first of all, I am not fine. And even if I lied and said I was, it would be obvious that I was lying. "How are you" alternatives: Are you physically safe? Are you healthy? Are you in a space for a conversation? Would you like me to just listen? Did you sleep last night? Do you have enough food? Are you going to the protest? Will you social distance? Do you promise to be careful? What time is your curfew? Are you sure you can trust them? Did you pack an emergency travel kit? Can you stay on the phone with me and not talk? Can you send bail money? Will you use your body to protect mine? Will you care for my loved ones if I don't survive? What a difference a day makes.  Photo Credit: Mike Von via Unsplash
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My WhyReflecting is good for the soul. Doing so in public is terrifying and exhilarating. Archives
April 2021
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