There are so many places to start but I think the most obvious is this: At this point, in the middle of July, the committees and the “meetings” about this very sensitive topic have mostly, if not all, been conducted remotely. This includes the presentations that various board of education meetings have done. Think about that….a small group of adults have been making plans and decisions, not in person, not in rooms too small to hold most of them, but remotely. If that is not the first thing you think about it should be.

Let’s move on from there: The Atlanta mayor has seen such a major resurgence that she is going back to “level 1” (much to the dismay of the clueless governor of Georgia who is giving her grief about even suggesting that’s the way to go). Almost every locale that opened up indoor spaces (yup, schools are INDOOR SPACES) has seen such an uptick in infections that they either have or are in discussions to ratchet it back. The Governors of NY, CT, NJ who, thankfully, have been operating as one in this, have put a major HOLD on opening indoor spaces beyond what they’ve done and in some locations they are also preemptively, talking about going back to outdoor spaces only.

Summer travel, such that it is, has also caused quite the uptick, so much so that NY, CT and NJ now have put very strict rules in place for travelers in terms of declarations, contact tracing and quarantine upon returning. These same kids and families will be the ones populating the schools in September.

I find it terribly interesting, though not at all surprising, that the decisions are being made without significant input being sought or listened to from the grunts in the trenches, the classroom teachers who will have to monitor, police, enforce all the regulations that they are being TOLD they have to put in place. This, while districts and schools are cutting funds left and right, using the current situation as an excuse without any real foresight.

“School buildings will undergo deep cleaning each night” they say…REALLY? I’ve been teaching for 44 years, most of those years in very well heeled and well thought of school districts and I can tell you from personal experience that, while the custodial staff works their collective tails off, there are, even without a raging Capt. Tripps type illness, simply not enough of them to do a good cleaning on a daily basis, let along sanitize a petri dish building from top to bottom each day, [time to again mention that districts are cutting funds, not adding them so don’t think, for a nano second, that they are going to add custodial staff]

Another personal experience tale here: EVERY single year when school opens there is a rash of illness for the staff for the first few weeks simply because of the exposure, in an enclosed setting that they have not had to deal with for the time away in the summer. Coughs, colds, runny noses, sneezing and general sickness. Yes it goes pretty quickly but that’s not what we are dealing with now..Take that same experience and add the serious nature of the current Covid-19 wonder what that will do huh??

I miss being in front of the classroom, I’m still at it after 44 years because I love it, I’m still really good at what I do (or so I’m told) that, not only have I not been put out to pasture, but I was asked to come back from retirement 8 years ago and have not regretted a day of it. I love routine, I love the interaction with the kids and the staff, I am a social beast. While I worked hard at the distance learning model (and did a damn good job at it), it’s not the same in any way, the thought of doing it for another 4-6 months is very, very unattractive. Here comes the big HOWEVER….

HOWEVER…common sense, empirical evidence and the current examples, all indicate that whatever physical reopening is done will be very short lived and there goes the hope and the routine. Not only that, but ALL of the current evidence (not Faux News here but real data) indicates that having to go backward will only cause a longer period of stasis. I am about to be 68 years old, I fit the “high risk” category just on that basis. That said, I rarely, if ever get sick, I’m not personally worried about contracting a heavy dose and am pretty convinced if I do, just based upon my “track record” I’d ride it out in a few days however, (there’s that word again)….who would I infect that could be at higher risk? How long would I then have to be out, perhaps then even unable to do my distance piece from home?

Someone in authority, whether it’s a politician, a principal, a superintendent, needs to remember that teachers are not simply disposable pieces in your game whether it’s to get elected, or to move up the chain. Yes, it is hard on families, yes, it is hard on the kids, especially the lower grades, however if we keep taking one step up followed by two steps back, we have a net loss not a net gain and it will then take even longer to get this under control.

LA and San Diego have set the tone in a thoughtful, measured way, the rest of the nation should follow suit so that we can come out cleanly on the other side and sooner rather than later, get back to where we want to be.

When you can show me the doctor who will have 20 people in a waiting room that seats 30, 5 days in a row, for 7 hours a day, and who will sit and have lunch with those in the waiting room, I will be the first to march into the school building…until then….think it over folks…