Stop the Politics and Start Thanking the Teachers
During this world pandemic, educators were stressed, challenged, and have stepped up.
The past year and a half have been challenging for students, parents, and especially educators. Not only are teachers underpaid and forced to do more testing than teaching, but they had to deal with a world pandemic. The pandemic forced them to instruct students in a whole new way. They also had to manage to care for their own families.
Look anywhere on a media website, and you will see furious battles between states, school boards, and parents. Some parents want masks, and others don’t. School districts will lose funding if kids are masked (shame on you, Arizona, Florida, Texas, etc.). Teachers are being used as pawns in this political chess game. It’s a bureaucratic s**t show. We aren’t talking about what is best for the students and teachers.
There is no doubt that future generations will not be successful if they are not appropriately educated. Teachers wear many hats as educators, surrogate parents, mentors, and friends. I will forever be indebted to my teachers that went the extra mile. I’m sure that my life’s trajectory could have possibly been a bit different if I didn’t have amazing, caring teachers that watched over me.
My son also has been lucky to have had some great teachers that made sure he caught up. He’s been in lots of different schools in many states and has ADHD. During the pandemic, it wasn’t easy. We had just moved to a new state, and he started his sixth school only to have everything shut down a few months later. It was difficult for him to focus on online education. Thankfully, our school district eventually had an in-person option.
I cannot imagine what high-risk children in lower socioeconomic areas have gone through trying to endure online learning, poor nutrition, and limited school structure, among other issues. When people advocate for their children’s rights at school, are they also thinking about those kids?
If the CDC is recommending wearing masks at school, why not just do it? No, your children will not die. No, they aren’t breathing carbon dioxide. Face coverings are not airtight, so they don’t constrict airflow. It is not child abuse. No one is trying to traumatize your kids.
I’m telling you this from my experience of wearing a face mask for twenty-five years all day long with each of my patients, barriers work! That is why hospitals and healthcare providers use them. Your children will survive. They will get through it.
Think about children that live in war-torn countries and their schools are bombed – That’s traumatizing. Kids in the United States are taught safety protocols in case of a mass shooting. In certain states, they have earthquake drills. I think those are a bit more distressing than wearing a mask at school.
Why is it that the people that don’t want to get vaccinated also don’t want their kids to wear a face-covering either? How do we suppose that this pandemic will end if people don’t want to help mitigate it?
Some children prefer to wear them because they have experienced deaths due to covid and are frightened. Think about the teachers that may have a medical condition or a family member with one. What about immunocompromised children in the class? Will the school districts banning masks allow those students to wear one?
Making kids wear a mask to protect each other, as well as the teachers and their families, is the right thing to do. Stop the political tirade. If you are looking for answers during this pandemic, go to a medical website, not a political one. I guarantee you if the name of the website has the words conservative, liberal, left, right, patriot, etc., then you may not be getting fact-based information. Don't be part of the problem and spread the misinformation.
It is terrific that this year children are starting school and will be in the classroom from day one. That’s phenomenal that kids finally will have some normalcy again. We need to focus on how to open schools safely and reduce the spread of the virus to keep the schools open.
Many thanks to all of the teachers that are going back to their classrooms. No one could have anticipated that schools would be dealing with this insanity. I’m sorry that some state leaders, school districts, and parents can’t see the chances you are taking. Please know that you are appreciated.
Thank you for stepping up, managing online and in-person schooling, redoing lesson plans, learning computer programs, working around the clock, sacrificing your family time, putting yourselves and your families at risk, protecting the kids, and doing a fantastic job. I don’t care if you chose to be vaccinated or not; I want you to stay healthy to be safe.
Years from now, when we look back, I hope those in education get the accolades they deserve. Nelson Mandela said, “education is the most powerful weapon which you could use to change the world.” Thank you to all the educators for your dedication and for being the bridge for future generations.
©2021 Victoria Gregg. All rights reserved.
