I know y’all have probably heard about enough of the back and forth and the pros and cons of re-opening schools. I have as well, I can assure you. I am noticing that most people feel pretty strongly one way or the other, and I feel like I’m kind of in the middle, so maybe my perspective will help someone get some clarity. Just kidding. There is no clarity. Everything is on fire. There is no right answer and, let’s face it, I just came here to vent. What I mean when I say that I’m in the middle, is that there is not a one-size-fits-all answer here. My kids’ elementary school has opted for offering a choice of full in-person learning or full remote learning, no hybrid option. I think the decision is right for our little community. Our town has a total population of just under 5,000 humans, with just over 800 school-aged kids, including teenagers, who attend a different regional high school. There are just over 400 kids in the elementary school, at a twelve-to-one student/teacher ratio. My youngest son had fifteen kids in his classroom last year. Take into account the number of students’ parents that will choose the remote learning option, and classrooms will easily be at or under ten kids. For the record, I would not feel good about the decision had over 80% of the teachers not voted to go back in person. For those that are scared or compromised, they will be tasked with leading the remote option from the comfort of their homes. No teacher will be doing both. Yes. I love it.
Believe me, I see the problem here. Our state is doing well with the virus and we were one of the first to open everything back up. I can’t explain it, but here we are. We’re a small, middle-class town. There are enough stay-at-home parents and no shortage of parents with good old-fashioned middle-class jobs that they can do from home. The socioeconomic status of our town allows for this option to work for us, but just five miles away, the local regional high school has opted for full remote learning because there are just too many students. About thirty miles away in Manchester, a city of about 113,000 people and well over 18,000 school-aged kids, they have opted for full remote learning to be re-visited in October. Yes. Completely agree. That was the right decision for them. See? In the middle. As for me, my kids will be going back. My husband and I do not have jobs that can be done from home. Full stop. And since I know that teachers are not babysitters (yes, thank you internet for reminding ten times a day, every day, for the last two months), I had spots reserved at a childcare center should their school go remote or hybrid. I mean, all those kids and teachers would also be getting exposure, so I’m not sure what the compromise is there. Luckily, that is money we now don’t need to spend, although we were prepared to. After all, they’ve been in camp all summer, which costs an arm, a leg, and a vial of blood from a virgin unicorn.
Yes, I’m worried. Yes, they could get sick. They could also fall off the top of the the playground structure and crack their heads. They could get hit by a car while riding their bikes, especially on this street (I’m looking at you, Main Street, slow the fuck down). I’m really trying to be reasonable here, but it’s hard. Could we live off one salary? Sure. It would suck, but we could do it. Are we being selfish? Maybe. We work really hard and we like our life. The kids like their house and being able to go on vacations and eat and shit. The questions and doubt are endless, but as many times as I have said we should move to a bigger town with a better school system, I’m pretty glad we are where we are right now. There are tons of parents, right in the next town in fact, who are having to answer those tough questions because now they are out of options. I feel for them, and I feel lucky that we will be relatively unscathed.
That’s right, unscathed. School will be different and we all know it. Now, we get to the crux of why I took to the keyboard this evening: So. Much. Negativity. I don’t mean about the decisions themselves, I’m talking about the perceived inability of kids to handle the new version of school that they are about to encounter. Frankly, I’m starting to become a little offended that the entire internet thinks my children are uncouth heathens who cannot follow instructions and wear a mask while they are walking through the halls. I mean, they can be assholes, without doubt. And maybe even a little heathen-like at times. But, come on, people, don’t you think we’re being just a little bit dramatic? Listen, I’m no mother of the year by any stretch, but I’m already having conversations with the boys about what school will look like and what the expectations will be. They see mom and dad wearing masks out in public and to work. They wear masks themselves when we go out. Do I believe the whole, “if adults can’t war masks properly, how can we expect kids to?” Nope. Not even a little. It’s not rocket science. The reason you see adults wearing their mask as a chin strap is not because they don’t know how to wear it properly, but because they don’t want to. They read on a right-wing Facebook meme that being forced to wear a mask is a violation of their Constitutional rights, or some such horseshit. They are being ignorant and purposefully difficult, but they could manage to put it on correctly if they set their minds to it. I promise you. Kids are smart. They absorb everything they see and hear, and if all they are seeing are their parents raging against the proverbial machine, or hearing how they can’t possibly handle the new restrictions at school, then I think we all know what the outcome will be. So guess what, parents? It’s time to use the remainder of summer to actually parent (I know, how much does that suck?) and let our kids know that we believe in them. Talk. Practice. Go out with masks. If our children are headed to school this fall, it’s on us to get them ready. Dear school administrators, you might have to step away from policing skirt length and strap width for a little while in order to focus on redirecting kids about their masks. Sorry about that. (Side note: it’s super hot wearing one all day, can we give the girls a break on their shorts for right now?) We keep talking about the extra burden on teachers. Yes, there will be that, of course there will, but we can make it a little easier on them, can’t we? Now, who’s going to make it easier on me? Because I’m stuck with the shitty adults.
Let's Be Dramatic 