Long Island will start phase four of reopening tomorrow. Restaurants are still take-out or delivery only in New York City.
TD bank started to extend drive-by hours for Thursdays and Fridays. Lobbies are still closed.
Compare the Florida Superintendent of Education's message about beginning their school year which I posted about above to that of the Arizona Department of Public Instruction Superintendent Kathy Hoffman., who wrote this today.
“Educators, school staff, and families share the goal of reopening our schools and returning students to the classroom to ensure their physical, academic, social, and emotional needs are met. Like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC, teachers know that the best place for our students to learn is in the classroom. However, today’s discussion at the White House Summit on Safely Reopening America’s Schools did not reflect the magnitude or severity of Arizona’s growing public health crisis.
“For Arizona to reopen school facilities for in-person learning, we must first get COVID-19 under control. In the last two weeks, our confirmed cases doubled from 50,000 to 100,000. Hospitalizations for COVID-19 are up, and critical care services such as ventilators are at a record high use. The positivity rate in testing is between 25 percent to 30 percent – quadruple the 5 percent that experts recommend for making informed decisions about reopening. Today, Arizona has the highest infection rate per capita than any other state in the country – including New York during its April peak.
“And while young students may be at lower risk for infection, the educators who make learning possible – including instructional aides, librarians, bus drivers, nutrition workers, and more – are at risk, as are students with medical conditions. Those valued members of our schools need more assurances that schools and communities have the resources they need to stop the virus from spreading widely through their communities. Given Arizona’s rising casenumbersand the fact that Arizona remains open, I cannot provide those assurances for the adults and students who are medically vulnerable in our school communities at this time.
“I welcome more aggressive action from Governor Ducey and our public health officials to help mitigate the virus’s spread.The reality of COVID–19 in Arizona means that reopening schools will be a community effort in which we all have a role to play. Stay home, maintain physical distancing, wash your hands, and wear a mask when you are in public. It is only with statewide action and personal responsibility that we will find a pathway forwardfor our students and educatorsto return to the classroom.”
Mark my words. This is the next huge issue we are going to be facing.
Education funding has been cut to the barest of bones and trying too social distance in school ...there are no funds to do this safely.
Educators will quit. They will walk out.
Huge.
Hearing from friends out in the Hamptons that it's a madhouse out there - more crowded than ever, big parties every night, very little mask wearing and no social distancing. I am also hearing that ALL the wealthy people who had Manhattan or Brooklyn as their primary residences are now making eastern Suffolk Co. their primary, and the schools are going to be overcrowded in Fall (public and private both), because they don't want to go back to the city.
Reopening schools is an exercise in self destruction. From today's What a Day Newsletter:
A short parable: Last week in California, dozens of administrators from a Santa Clara school district https://Crooked.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D8855a23519ab892dfe2cd34f6%26id%3Da2f2684dfe%26e%3D5d1bbcc1a5&source=gmail&ust=1594260409940000&usg=AFQjCNEx2W8fyPZUJg8uVwKKEa1le-b0o w">had to self-quarantine after attending a school-reopening meeting, because one attendee later tested positive for coronavirus. Surging infection numbers aside, Republican stonewalling of additional relief for state governments means that school districts across the country are https://Crooked.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D8855a23519ab892dfe2cd34f6%26id%3D9ab2b1201f%26e%3D5d1bbcc1a5&source=gmail&ust=1594260409940000&usg=AFQjCNFQjCp9ycxuKFq3GP6Pa1Er2Jg6b A">facing budget cuts and layoffs, when resuming in-person classes would require supplying expensive protective equipment, and hiring nurses, and counselors on top of existing expenses.
I am currently reading the Texas Education Agency (TEA) FB page. This is basically the Department of Ed for Texas.
The s*&# is going to hit the fan really soon in Texas and nation wide.
The TEA has no idea how to handle re-opening schools in the fall. Currently, the state TEA employee office workers are required to work from home because it is" not safe" for them to work from their offices. Parents for the most part are going to be given options on in person learning or distant learning. for their child. Teachers however are not being given the choice to remotely teach or in person teach. Instead, they expect them to work in conditions that will not even meet CDC guidelines. Many teachers are being told by their districts nothing yet about expectations. Some however are being told they will also need to plan lessons for students who will be remote learning and for students in class. These can not be the same lessons as they are very different forms of learning. So it is double the lesson plans.
My daughter is will be teaching music ed in Texas this fall. School is supposed to begin in 5 weeks. She doesn't know what she should expect her day to look like yet. There will be around 500 students in her school. If everyone attends school in person, that is 500 people she will be exposed to in an enclosed environment each week. If the governors' orders stand and kids 10 and younger do not need to wear face masks, then most of those 500 students will not be wearing any protection. Even if they must wear masks, how can you expect a teacher to come into close contact with 100 students a day without social distancing and in an indoor setting? That is extremely stressful.
Texas has horrible COVID cases right now. BEFORE students return to a classroom.
Parents are writing on that FB page about how they can't be expected to be home with their child in the fall. That they need to be able to work. Well, yes, it is important for them to have a job and pay bills. But is their need for an income more important than the life of an educator? If we can't at least follow CDC guidelines ( and I am not aware of any school that is currently funded or has the extra staff to follow those guidelines), how can schools open back up for in person education?
If you think the mask/no mask polarization is bad, wait til you see the in person/remote education debate.
My daughter is will be teaching music ed in Texas this fall. School is supposed to begin in 5 weeks. She doesn't know what she should expect her day to look like yet. There will be around 500 students in her school. If everyone attends school in person, that is 500 people she will be exposed to in an enclosed environment each week. If the governors' orders stand and kids 10 and younger do not need to wear face masks, then most of those 500 students will not be wearing any protection. Even if they must wear masks, how can you expect a teacher to come into close contact with 100 students a day without social distancing and in an indoor setting? That is extremely stressful.
Cases are bad in Houston right now. I have family in Harris County, and the hospitals are crowded right now.
I'm following this closely too, as someone who worked in both healthcare and education. I'm grateful my kid is NOT in school at all anymore (she flunked out of college in 2018).
Also watching closely because my youngest brother and his wife have already put their 3 year old and 10 month old back in daycare. He is a rabbi, lives next door to his synagogue, and frankly could bring the kids to work with him at times when he can't work from home (although they are not having any indoor/in person services yet). My SIL is a librarian whose library is only open for curbside service and her hours are minimal. They both get paid to work from home.
My SIL suffers greatly from major depressive disorder. Long story short it's not responsive to most medications, and she had even had some magnetic stimulation therapy that helped a little. Even so, I totally understand that the months in quarantine were hell for her (then again, she is a person who should have not become a parent, we were all shocked when they announced the 2nd kid as she had post-partum for almost 2 years after the first). I've done my best to support her from afar, and just let her vent, but between us the stuff she vents about is not what I'd consider normal in terms of severity.
Despite all this, she posts on social media constantly about mask wearing (definitely pro), similar stuff that I post and sometimes she reshares my stuff. She's not being ignorant about COVID at all.
So on the one hand, I understand completely their need to get the kids out of the house so my SIL can begin to recover from what for her is a long depressive episode, but on the other hand I just don't understand putting the kids in their regular daycare center. Risky for the kids, but even riskier for the people that have to work there. I believe basic precautions are in place, but even the best daycare centers tend to be vectors.
Is there any way your daughter can NOT do this job this year?
i am a teacher in St. Paul, also taught in nyc for a long time and I am feeling uplifted to read the support I see here for the lives of teachers. I am very uncomfortable w the thought of returning to in person learning. I can’t even imagine how I would keep elementary age students 6 ft apart and teach them. I have read a lot of criticism from parents that essentially says I don’t want to help and support my child do distance learning and I have seen a lot written that expects us to be free childcare.
it says a lot to me about the state of our culture. I am a single mom with a first grader and a 3 year old. I found a way to balance it because I had to: of course I had to help my 6 year old w distance learning on an iPad and find ways to entertain a 3 year old- it’s possible but it takes creativity and patience and everyone needs to be able to have compassion for the situation- life has changed and we’re figuring it out. In the end it was the most rewarding experience and we are grateful for this time together.
some of my students absolutely thriveD in the distance learning environment that was wonderful to see.
This is a potential game changer when it comes to mental health issues and behaviors.
Our nation, our healrh care professionals and our police and other first line emergency responders already struggle with all forms of mental health, brain or learning disorders, those on the autism spectrum or those with permanent brain disorders that they respond to it crisis situations.
Keep in mind that many news reports discussing apparent mutations of the coronavirus are seeing people with milder symptoms but an expansion into younger age groups. Now there is the potential for other potentially serious conditions and consequences.
Warning of serious brain disorders in people with mild coronavirus symptoms | World news | The Guardian:
In a recent study or recovering COVID-19 patients they found a dozen patients had inflammation of the central nervous system, 10 had brain disease with delirium or psychosis, eight had strokes and a further eight had peripheral nerve problems, mostly diagnosed as Guillain-Barré syndrome, an immune reaction that attacks the nerves and causes paralysis. It is fatal in 5% of cases.
“We’re seeing things in the way Covid-19 affects the brain that we haven’t seen before with other viruses,” said Michael Zandi, a senior author on the study and a consultant at the institute and University College London Hospitals NHS foundation trust.
@jaidy I pulled out my Arthurian tarot deck (This has been with me for over 20 years, I love it so much, even if they fell into disuse!) and did a simple three card spread for past, present, future. As I was shuffling, I stayed focused on "What will this school year be like for teachers?". I used to use this deck all the time in my late teens and early twenties, but it was only recently that they began to leave my shelf and be used again. This is actually only my fifth attempt at a reading since pulling them out of a drawer and placing them on my bookcase a month ago. Would love other thoughts/interpretations/readings because I'm still not 100% sure I'm doing this right.
Past: Five of Spears - the Pursuit of Igraine (reversed) The imagery here depicts a castle (from a distance) under siege with a woman watching in the foreground. I think even reversed this is getting at how under squashed and devalued teachers have become. While the description of the card in reverse talks about treachery and being taken in by an imposter, I got the feeling it was more showcasing the inability to have a true and honest say in the development of our youth.
Present: Page of Cups - The Salmon (reversed) This is simply a drawing of a salmon, though the accompanying pages describe Celts as believing the salmon to be the oldest and wisest of living things. It's interesting that it's cups, which my deck describes as being the suit of summer, and that it's in the present position. Reversed however it's described as false flattery and seduction. My gut gives me two things here - the offering of "going back" which is real and present right now, and the feeling (this may just be me and the number of times I've engaged the conversation here and on Twitter) that teachers are having none of it. They know this is wrong. They know this is dangerous.
Future: Wheel of Fortune - Arthur's Dream. With two reversed cards, I was happy to see this one right side up. The imagery is of Arthur sitting atop the wheel with a man and a woman on either side of the wheel about to spin it. The king has angelic wings attached to his throne. The first thing that popped into my head before I consulted the book was "it's finally here." - As I read the meaning in the book - "Change of fortune" "Karma" "The beginning or end of a cycle", "Good luck", "Destiny" "Seeds planted in the past come to harvest" - I tied past and present together. There's been a lot broken about education for a long while and I feel like our window of opportunity to really affect change is opening. In the past months alone we've suspended standardized testing (which was gaining traction amongst parents already as a thing that needed to go), and forced every parent to live in our shoes. This year is our opportunity to take the education revolution into our own hands. And my overall impression from the card was that it's ours, as educators, to lose. It felt successful. At the very least, it felt like things will be different and better in the end.
I was apprehensive to throw these cards. I'm glad I did. I hope for all my fellow teachers in this thread that we're able to start this much needed ed revolution -- not led by entitled rich people like Betsy Devos, but by the people who entered the profession knowing they'd become spiritually rich, not financially rich by shepherding young minds.
And I hope that I didn't mess this reading up because I love the end result!
According to the NY Times and Johns Hopkins, Arizona is the global epicenter of COVID right now, with higher rates of infection than some entire countries. Sorry I couldn't post a link (my laptop is "actively dying" as I type this).
@lovendures - I think you're still in CO? My heart goes out to you and anyone else who has to return to AZ soon.
@dannyboy thank you! What really resonated w me is parents ‘living in our shoes’. I’ve had many conversations w colleagues regarding Parents complainIng about struggling to motivate students to do work in DL. For me a little self reflection says - what values did you instill in your child in terms of the value of education or knowledge - teachers and peers and the value of education outside of getting a grade vs gaining knowledge. Blaming ‘us’ or the inconvenience of the situation when their child’s doesn’t value education and is struggling bc it’s not ‘social’. This says a lot about our culture and I’m looking for ways to help families and students take more ownership and put it back on them to take responsibility and grapple with their values. Having values is work and it’s a choice every day- we are the culmination of our choices and if we aren’t happy with what is in front of us and we created through our choices.
Mental health issues are already manifesting in our health care workers due to this virus. I believe if we open our schools up right now, our teachers and students will be dealing with this issue also. My daughter wants to teach in person, but not with the reality of the pandemic challenges right now.
I am a former teacher. I left the profession when I had children because I knew I could not devote the time and attention I needed to both teach and parent well at the same time. My children won hands down. I instead volunteered extensively at their schools ,on committees and in the classroom helping students who were falling behind catch up. This also allowed me to kept unto date with educational trends. I know some excellent teachers who are also excellent parents. I felt I would not have enough energy or time to give fully to both.
I am a former teacher. I left the profession when I had children because I knew I could not devote the time and attention I needed to both teach and parent well at the same time. My children won hands down. I instead volunteered extensively at their schools ,on committees and in the classroom helping students who were falling behind catch up. This also allowed me to kept unto date with educational trends. I know some excellent teachers who are also excellent parents. I felt I would not have enough energy or time to give fully to both.
Same here. I was an English teacher in a private, college-prep high school - the workload was immense. Constantly grading essays and papers. I knew I could not teach full-time after having children, but my admiration and respect for those who do are boundless.
I cannot imagine the anxiety and confusion teachers are feeling right now as they face choosing between their careers or their health. I anticipate many will choose to retire or will otherwise leave the profession, and a teacher shortage may be the end result.
Please read my post again as well as its medical link.
I was independently writing not in response to education and the mental/physical health of teachers and students.
I was writing about research in the UK and their findings of what might be physical damage to and in the brain (think similar but different from what COV-19 does in the lungs and then imagine that (for example) in the brain of COVID-19 patents.
I began my post prior to the group discussion on education but because all my posting is done on a phone it came into the middle of your other discussion.
As a teacher myself who chose to do exactly as you did and who also worked as an unpaid volunteer for 32 years of my children's schooling in and out of the classroom and now with a grandchild just entering school next year, I cannot even begin to enter the above discussion of the mental/physical health of teachers or students right now. Its beyond emotionally complex for everyone of us.
Thanks Michele, the article was very interesting. I wonder what we will be dealing with in the future for those who had Covid.
With the mutations beginning and all of the new understandings about fully airborne they were only guessing about months ago, humans are in a steep learning curve.
Stay strong and try to be happy when ever you can and filled with the faith that "this too shall pass" and "everything happens for reason". Platitudes were created for a mind over matter purpose.
We just need to be there for our families and try our best to be the heart of our homes.
Its a major crisis point but we've all had those and been in them before. We may have times of darkness and despair but as the saying goes it's all darkest before the dawn and our dawning is that we are birthing a new world.
Bit bit bit points of light come in, joy takes over sorrow. We can all get through this. We just don't and won't like it.
And the one thing we have all learned here is that fate can turn in a heartbeat. So many things are sensed and came true but many, many more never happened even when many here saw them, felt them and agreed upon them.
Keep the faith and hold on tight.
???
@michele-b - needed the pep talk today. Thank you! All the articles and chatter about schools opening this fall really felt overwhelming today. So many things to consider.
@carmen - definitely feel you on this. So horrible that it may take that to wake people up. *shiver*
I feel "lucky" being a teacher who is relatively healthy and who doesn't have anyone at home with health problems. If I knew that I was going back into a classroom KNOWING that I was already at an increased risk or even WORSE- that I could bring something home that could threaten my family- I doubt I would even be able to sleep at night with worry about school starting back. With all that being said, I am also a 25 year teaching veteran. I'm not quite 50, but I'm no spring chicken either. I'm a bit overweight. I mean- who knows, maybe I am a prime target? I am willing to go back knowing that others will not be able to go, so I feel like I am in a better position to do it, but maybe I am being foolish to think this way. I heard Delores Umbridge (Betsy) speak today and I have ZERO faith that she has any interest in the health or safety of students or staff in our schools. As a matter of fact, she spent a couple of minutes blasting teachers for the job we did in the spring. Screw you, Betsy. I digress. Anyhoo- It is an impossible situation for us, really. Thank goodness I live in a state with a smart and kind governor who is looking out for us. If Trump holds funds, it will hurt schools though. A LOT. I live in a rural area. My school has around 60% free and reduced lunch, so we get a chunk of our funding from Title 1. (And we use it wisely). If that money is held up, it will sting. We will probably lose teachers (needlessly). Just another example of a$$hats in power positions playing politics with our children and (I guess in this case) literally- all of our lives. Sorry for the language. I get really frustrated about this sometimes. What they are doing is NOT okay.
I am a former teacher. I left the profession when I had children because I knew I could not devote the time and attention I needed to both teach and parent well at the same time. My children won hands down. I instead volunteered extensively at their schools ,on committees and in the classroom helping students who were falling behind catch up. This also allowed me to kept unto date with educational trends. I know some excellent teachers who are also excellent parents. I felt I would not have enough energy or time to give fully to both.
Same here. I was an English teacher in a private, college-prep high school - the workload was immense. Constantly grading essays and papers. I knew I could not teach full-time after having children, but my admiration and respect for those who do are boundless.
I cannot imagine the anxiety and confusion teachers are feeling right now as they face choosing between their careers or their health. I anticipate many will choose to retire or will otherwise leave the profession, and a teacher shortage may be the end result.
My daughter is a member of a number of educator message boards. Some are virtual music teaching board, some our current state of AZ educator boards some in her Texas educator boards.
A number of teachers have said they will quit or retire if forced to teach in person when school starts. Many of those are music teachers or teachers who are middle/school or high school and teach over 100 students a week. Elementary school special teachers ( art, music and p.e.) teach the entire school. She saw over 600 different students each week last year. She will see over 500 different A teacher in contact with 26 students each week is in a dramatically different position than a teacher making direct contact with 500 or 600 students each week.
She is aware of some districts in our nation cancelling all "specials" for the upcoming school year. I am not sure that is because of the high student contact count or something else but it happened after teachers signed their contracts for the upcoming year.
I believe those kids NEED specials now more than ever.
Interesting Sistermoon that a few of us here are former teachers like you, Michele and yours truly. I wonder how many currently teach besides Jaidy.
@Jaidy ,
I send you my love. I have so much respect for you and other educators trying to figure out how to raise families and teach during these times. . May your Fall be filled with many blessings and may you and your family stay healthy.