Here's the thing: teachers are losing sleep. Right now. In the middle of the summer. Losing sleep thinking about our families. Our kids. YOUR KIDS. That's right, it's the heart of the summer, and we are up in the middle of the night worrying about a myriad of things related to returning to school, and your kids are on that list. Just like they always are.
Given that I will be quite pregnant by the time we return to school, I have a specific set of concerns (it finally happened--a newborn contracted COVID-19 in utero--read more here) but even if I put those fears aside, I'm still left with plenty of other valid ones. The speed at which teachers have fallen from grace in the eyes of the general population is both alarming and disheartening, and yet, not altogether unexpected. Teachers are often blamed and shamed into silence by people who have NO IDEA what we actually do. We were heroes when we were suddenly asked to change our entire teaching style and adapt our methods to teach virtually. At my school, we had about an hour's notice. Now that we are asking for the health and safety of ourselves and our students to be considered, we are being painted as villains. Forget the fact that in many places, teachers are not even being included in the discussions about what "back to school" will look like. The blame falls on us, time and again.
Look, we are in the middle of a freaking pandemic. There are no great options. People are losing their health insurance. People are losing their jobs. Not all families have the option to make virtual/distance learning work, for fear of those things. Childcare options are unavailable or have dwindled. People are worried that their children will fall behind if they are not physically in school. The mental health of our children has been affected. Our mental health as adults has been affected. There are a multitude of factors at play.
Let me assure you that there is not one single K-12 staff member or administrator who works in a brick and mortar school building that does not want to physically return to that building when learning resumes in the fall. Our caveat, if you will, is that we want assurance that it can be done safely--for EVERYONE who will be in that building. The daunting thing is that when the decision was made to close schools (my district left in-person learning on March 13th, 2020) there were 1,629 confirmed cases in the US, according to the CDC; 19 of those were in Wisconsin. On July 13th, 2020, The US recorded 3.3 million positive cases, with a single day total of new cases of over 55,000 (494 of those cases in WI). It doesn't seem to make sense to go back now.
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| https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53088354 |
The CDC guidelines are logistically apt. Check out this summary on cnn.com Essentially, they recommend social distancing, hand washing, reducing student interaction, wearing a mask, and suspending large group events such as sports and assemblies. Sounds good, right? Hold my iced coffee.
At a minimum of 20 seconds per hand washing, a typical class will take anywhere from 6-8 minutes at the sink. Realistically, we know it will take a little longer--let's say 10 minutes. Each time. And this is to happen several times a day. Yes, we will have hand sanitizer (if it was on the supply list), but hand washing is still more effective. So let's say we do this two or three times a day. Right, okay. No problem, since it is being recommended that kids stay in one classroom all day long. Which means no lunch in the cafeteria, no essentials (music, art, PE, library), and possibly, no recess. So we will have plenty of time to spend washing hands. Right, okay.
My classroom is about 24 ft x 27 ft. That's wall to wall, without taking into account any furniture. My average class size is about 25 kids. The recommended distancing requires 6 ft of space between students. No need to do the math, there. If that's not possible, install sneeze guards or partitions. Right, okay. Some suggested state guidelines say a schedule could be arranged in which only half the kids come at one time. So let's say we find a way to get 12 kids in there, appropriately distanced. I have 5th graders, so while it wouldn't be ideal, they would be cooperative. I wonder what it would look like in a kindergarten classroom? Right, okay. So the CDC recommends that all of their desks face the same direction. I have tables currently, but not a big deal--there could be desks in storage somewhere.
Now let's consider how education has evolved in recent years. Students no longer sit at desks all day, oh no. They come to the carpet several times a day, a space in which I could effectively social distance 4-5 kids. When they aren't at the carpet, they are often working collaboratively in partners or in groups. (Think science experiments, book clubs, projects.) Oh and also, that half of the class that isn't physically in school that day--how am I addressing their learning needs as well? I can't offer them the same level of support as I can to the kids sitting in front of me--certainly not simultaneously.
Kids want to come back to school. They miss their friends. Their developing brains crave structure and routine. But given what I have just described, there will be a potentially traumatic discrepancy between what they are expecting to return to, and the reality of what it will be. We will see the effects of this discrepancy not only in their behavior, but in their mental health. Do kids need social interaction? Absolutely. With no carpet time, group work, recess, meals in the lunchroom, or essentials, that social interaction will look quite different, and likely be disappointing.
Kids are also likely missing the relationships they build with adults--much as we are missing those relationships we build with them. I recently had a former student express that she wants to come back, because if she has a question, she can raise her hand and the teacher can come over and talk to her one-on-one, which was a lot harder during virtual learning. I agree--while teaching and relationship building can be accomplished in some ways through a computer screen, it isn't at all the same as being physically in the same place. But remember, in that physical setting, I have to be 6 ft apart from my students. Want to hazard a guess at how many of my reluctant readers, or kids who are "stuck" on their math, will want to have that conversation with 6 ft of space between us?
On a totally separate note, there are some hilarious but accurate videos out there about what it would look like if we ask kids to come back to school wearing masks. Right...okay.
Furthermore, the CDC says classrooms should be well-ventilated, bringing in air from the outside, if possible. (My school has no AC, and my room has two tiny rectangular windows, maybe 2 ft x 8 in, located 2-3 ft off the floor.) But not every school is as outdated in their accommodations, so I digress.
There are an unlimited number of what-if's that accompany being physically back in school, ranging from: "What if a child doesn't have a needed supply?" (let me tell you, it doesn't take them long to lose all their pencils) to: "What if we have a positive case of COVID-19 or multi-system inflammatory syndrome in the classroom?"
I'm not saying we shouldn't go back, rather that all options need to be carefully explored. We need a little understanding to go between the public and the people making the decisions, as well. This is not an easy decision, and the fact is that there is no single decision that will please everybody. The selfishness and entitlement that has been highlighted by this pandemic needs to be forgotten; we need to set better examples for our kids. We need to BE better, for ourselves.
*We need to advocate for our kids and ourselves, respectfully, in appropriate ways with appropriate people (e.g, loudly complaining to your friends over a glass of wine in a bar about how "the district/superintendent/teachers are insane", is NOT helping your case.)
*We need to establish the understanding that districts are making the decision they feel is best for everyone, not just for you and your family. As I said, there is no one-size fits all solution, here. Whatever is decided upon will hit differently, depending on your circumstances. You're allowed to be happy, mad, or frustrated about it. Condemning the people who made the decision isn't productive. What a great time to show your kids how to handle disappointment and frustration in an appropriate way.
*I've heard many people claim that their status as a taxpayer in a certain district gives them the right to dictate the outcome of this decision. Your tax money supports free access to a public education for K-12 students (which, I might add, is what all of the "back to school" options will provide). Your tax money does NOT entitle you to dictate the specifics of the decision making that happens to create and maintain that education. As a parent or community member, you are absolutely entitled to a voice. When was the last time you volunteered for a school event, or attended a PTO meeting? When was the last time you went to and/or spoke at a school board meeting? Contacted a school board member about an issue you had strong feelings about? Voted "yes" to a referendum? Contacted a lawmaker, elected official, or candidate and told them to fund public education? Supporting public education is a full time endeavor, not one that should be allocated only to times that are convenient for you. If you've never made an effort to support education, either let this be the first step in that journey, or take a seat.
Learning will resume in the fall; it does not necessitate the four walls of a school building in order to take place. We all want to be back within those walls come fall, but we want to do it in a way that guarantees everyone's health and safety. I think of the many staff members who are high-risk, going home to their own children, or who have the responsibility of taking care of others who are high risk. I think of our students who are also going home to some of these same circumstances, with an elderly or high-risk caretaker or adult in their home.
I don't have the answers. In fact, I believe there are no good answers in the midst of all of this. Who ever saw us in this situation! What I do know is that the number of acceptable student deaths due to COVID-19 is 0; the same goes for the acceptable number of teacher and staff deaths. We'd all rather see pictures of our kids and staff on the same page as their classmates--not on a page entitled, "In Memory of..."
*There are many factors, questions, and considerations that I did not even brush the surface on, but believe me, the sleep I lose at night involves all of those things, both what is written and what is not.
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