Opening too soon will cost lives
JULY IS usually a time of rest and reflection for educators. We had become accustomed to using this time to unpack the baggage of the previous year, tweak our curriculum based on our experiences, and dream up a new unit or two . ... And then COVID-19 happened and thrust so many elements of our lives into chaos . ... What I do feel compelled to say, emphatically, is this: If we rush back to in-person learning before the virus is under control, lives will be lost and we will likely have to shelter at home again.
For many people this will be hard to hear. I teach fifth grade, and almost every teacher I know felt that online learning was a disaster. We saw how a purely online model robs kids of deep purposeful learning, not to mention critical social connections. In-person learning offers an entire landscape of experience a screen can never replicate. We all understand the looming childcare catastrophe. The vast majority of my colleagues are women, and most have children of their own. We know how COVID has placed a disproportionate burden on women when it comes to ... childcare and online learning.
But it is not worth rushing back to in-person learning and causing children and educators to die. I’ll admit I’m scared. I have a chronic health condition that puts me at higher risk. I know lots of other folks are scared, too. All of the educators I know feel tremendous inner conflict. We want to do what’s best for our students but fear risking the health of ourselves and our families . ...
Here’s the thing: We can do it! ... I have seen people going the extra mile and showing boundless generosity in more ways than I can count. We are having a more open and honest conversation about racial and ethnic justice and our complex history in New Mexico. We can absolutely come together and beat COVID.
Online learning until schools are truly safe will be a great challenge, but it will absolutely save lives. Sending students and staff into an environment with so many fundamental risks is reckless to the point of cruelty. Safety should be our first priority; anything less represents a human sacrifice to return to economic normalcy.