At 9 a.m. my school board met via ZOOM to re-consider the language of masking in our return-to-learn plan. Ultimately, they did not mandate masks, but they strengthened the wording to EXPECT masks (as opposed to "recommend masks" of the earlier draft) when social distancing cannot be achieved in grades 6-12. They kept the softer "recommend" in grades five and down, where our students will be more static in their classrooms.
I appreciate the effort board members made to voice their concerns for safety.
I appreciate the board member who asked why they had adhered to all of the recommendations from the department of public health EXCEPT the recommendation to mask up.
However, I did not appreciate a board member's comment about "evidence" she'd read showing the value of masking as well as evidence that masking is harmful.
???????????????
In my classroom, we analyze sources and evaluate evidence. Just because anti-masking articles can be found on the internet does not mean they deserve equal billing with recommendations of epidemiologists and the CDC. To claim there are "two sides" on masking recommendations is a false equivalency.
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Next, I ZOOMed with the coming year's yearbook editors. I reminded them of their collaborative task, then said I'd sit on the deck while they (without me) made choices about the book's theme and direction.
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| Happy on the deck while my editors are working (without me)! |
When I returned, they excitedly told me about the theme, colors, and graphic ideas that would propel their message.
Teaching editing is, time and again, a challenge in loosening the reins to allow students to practice collaborative leadership and problem-solving. Sometimes my best teaching is when I just remember to stand out of the way.
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Next (can you guess?) I ZOOMed with the English Department to complete our analysis of the gaps our students may have experienced when school shut down in March.
Our time was again a blend of positive planning and angsty risk mitigation.
We were joined by a teacher outside of our department who teared up as she talked about her child's comprised health conditions, and her uncertainties in returning to work.
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Well, ZOOM meetings filled up my day. So it was only this evening that I, at last, called my parents to check in.
My dad wanted to talk about his plans to ZOOM in to his sisters' funerals/family reunion scheduled for the first weekend in September.
I was glad he seemed to understand his best hope for "attending" is to do so via ZOOM. I told him my brother and I had earlier in the day problem-solved the tech needed to make this Virtual Funeral happen.
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I then asked to talk to my mom.
I've had five months of training in what to say to invite her into a relaxed and happy conversation.
"I bet it's nice to get outside with Vern."
(She tells me about waking at 5 a.m. to take him out. She tells me about Vern's love of hardboiled eggs, and his weakening teeth.)
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"Have you had a chance to blow bubbles?" I ask.
When she says no ("The weather isn't right here."), I tell her how fun it was for me to walk past my kitchen window this summer and see bubbles wafting up.
"I knew it meant you and Dad were out blowing bubbles on the lawn!"
We talked about working puzzles together, playing Bridge, sharing poems.
"Our time with you was the happiest we've been in years," she said.
I felt the spikes of tears behind my eyes.
"Me too."
Enough.
Be well.
Write.
Allison
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| Someone's getting cheeks! |
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