What Grade Would You Give Americans in Handling the COVID-19 Crisis?

Yeah, the notion this is going to be viewed as a "failure of courage" by parents with school-aged children is pretty comical to those of us who actually have school-aged children.

 

I appreciate the risks. I do.

Can you appreciate the other side?

 

It’s going to be framed that way by right wing media and it’s going to capture an audience.

Again: I was on this school thing two months ago. I knew Trump wouldn’t help, and he hasn’t. He’s made it worse.

 

I don't care what right-wing media says. YOU are the one insisting that children have to be in school and anything less is a failure. Yes, you've been on that for two months. You've been wrong for two months.

 

Yes. I've heard the stories coming out about how tough this has been for teens who are dealing with issues right now. I feel terrible for them. We need to do better about addressing their needs outside of school. I appreciate the thought process behind getting kids back. Except it's me in the classroom not "the other side." It's my mentor teacher who is immunocompromised who is in the classroom, not "the other side." It's my older teaching friends. It's their spouses and significant others and families they come home to. It's the students in the classroom. It's the parents and siblings they come home to. It's the grandparents and caregivers north of 50 they come home to. Not "the other side."

Tell me how to go back safely and I'll listen. Hell, on June 15 when I checked out of my room for the summer, I sincerely thought we were coming back in the fall. I thought California was getting a handle on the disease and it would be safe(er) to come back. But cases are going the other way.

Israel tried to come back and it didn't go well. Let's pump the breaks on returning because it will be worse to start for two weeks only to have to shutdown again. Hell, teachers are not considered essential enough to receive guaranteed regular testing. We sort of have to "monitor ourselves." Kaiser won't even give me a test unless I can convince my doctor that I might have it. They say because of a lack of supply, they only are giving it to those with symptoms.

After Reopening Schools, Israel Orders Them To Shut If COVID-19 Cases Are Discovered

 

My district surveyed parents about what they felt comfortable with for when we start in the fall. Of those surveyed, 60 percent said they were not comfortable sending kid back or indicated they were not sending kids back. My district's parents are going to be just fine with our decision save a handful. I'll take that.

EDIT: Sorry, I had two thoughts going at once. I didn't mean to say "not going to be just fine."

 

Exact same here. The school district did a poll that found more than half would not be going in-class -- and that was when the numbers were declining. They have since exploded.

 

I have a number of conservative friends who are also teachers, and they are almost all posting on FB about how nervous they are at the prospect of restarting school here in Texas. Anecdotally, I'm not seeing a lot of disagreement by their other conservative friends, who have more typically gone along with Trump (on masks, reopening, etc.). My bet is that this is not an issue where the right is going to be in lock-step agreement.

 

There is honestly going to be some push back from a few. It won't be a teacher- and district-embarrassing event that Alma thinks it will be, but there's going to be those who don't want to deal with online stuff. There is also going to be those who will point to childcare concerns. But the people I've seen making that point don't have child care concerns nor are they concerned about their jobs.

 

We saw and heard President Trump saying this was a hoax. We saw him refusing to wear a mask. We heard him pushing states to reopen recklessly. When some didn't, he supported armed protesters, calling for those states to be liberated. He also recently started holding rallies again. He has done plenty to influence his minions.

Getting re-elected seems to be all President Trump cares thinks about. It drives every action and every word. I'm not saying these are intelligent thoughts, words and actions, but they have influence due to the position he holds and the devotion of the idiots who have latched on to him.

Your last sentence is way too optimistic. I wish he had zero chance, but we've got too many idiots on his side and way too much corruption for me to believe that's true.

 

My bet is the frustration crosses political lines.

I'd also say it's gauche to knock a teacher. But if school's out in the fall, and remote learning is a struggle, and kids fall behind...parents are loyal to their kids.

I'd also argue America waited too long to have a big conversation about this. It should have been had in May/June.

 

The problem is, we started having this conversation in May/June (at least districts in my area did). We had surveys that went out and I think teachers were agreeing to be cautious but possibly restart in person. That all changed when cases went south (figuratively and literally) mid to late June. Within the last two weeks my family (full of teachers) went from talking about ways to restart safely to full on saying we couldn't go back.

But again, I think more parents are going to be on our side rather than that counter narrative. Parents are going to want to do what is best for their children's physical heath first and foremost. Even my buddy who thinks I'm batshit crazy about most things Covid (I think you'd like him. He's pushing that media narrative has been unfair and said the media was negligant in not doing a Woodward and Bernstein investigation into Bubba Wallace after the FBI found the noose wasn't the hate crime people suspected it was two days prior) conceded his kids have never been healthier since school hasn't been in session.