Are We Really All in this Together?
Supporting our teachers during pandemic learning
I keep coming across the phrase, “We’re all in this together.” Other than making me want to break out into song from High School Musical every time I hear it, it also makes me wonder if the sentiment is true. If you had asked me four months ago when our country found its first cases of the corona virus and states began to shut down, I would have said unequivocally, “Yes, we are all in this together.” As the new school year looms and as parents and school staff battle online for or against the opening of school buildings, I’m starting to think that’s not the case.
I have four children ranging from kindergarten to high school who are slated to attend four different public schools in the fall. Three of my children will need to take public school buses to attend their schools. I was not convinced that our school district could safely mitigate the exposure to germs on buses, in the classrooms, and between students. It would not be for lack of trying; our district is huge.
I won’t lie. After weeks of trepidation and fear I breathed a sigh of relief when our county passed down the school decision that our public school buildings would remain closed until the end of January. Our students would begin the 2020–2021 school year via distance learning.
