Back to School (again)
Most my seventh graders are returning to school full time on Monday. I will still have to have a Google Meet running during class because I will still have twenty students who will remain fully remote students.
This is my third first day of school this year.
I am glad that the majority of them are coming back; I have students coming in whom I've not yet met face-to-face, so it will be nice to finally meet them. I think that it will give them a sense of much needed normalcy.
However, I have concerns about the health and safety issues.
Thirty kids in a class is a lot in a normal year. During a pandemic, thirty kids in one room is overwhelming. The buses, hallways, and the cafeterias will be really crowded. We have about one thousand kids in our building. There is no way to put six feet between a thousand kids in the hallway.
It seems that social distancing has gone out the window.
Are masks next? How will mask-wearing be monitored during passing in the hallway? On the buses?
What about the sanitizing of the building? Of classrooms between periods?
What happens when one kid gets sick? How will quarantining work?
So many questions. . .
So few answers.
It must be difficult to emotionally manage the two opposite sides of this situation - the joy of being face-to-face and the near impossible task of staying healthy. In Estonia we started with face-to-face with many measures in place, now the numbers are super high and the middle and high schools are closed again. The primary kids are allowed to school.
ReplyDeleteYep. This. All. of. This. All previously hybrid students will be one big, happy family starting Monday.
ReplyDeleteWe have had so many first days this year! And, we share the same concerns here as we all come back in April. So many questions?
ReplyDeleteThere is so much unspoken pain that comes through this one simple line, "This is my third first day of school this year." I know you have so many questions about what awaits. I hope you are able to keep blogging about it, sharing it with us. It is so wrong that social-distancing is no longer being expected. Here's to good health!
ReplyDeleteThese are all valid concerns. As you say, "So many questions. So few answers." Good luck.
ReplyDeleteThese are all valid concerns. As you say, "So many questions. So few answers." Good luck.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your reality. It is bittersweet, the joy of kids, the fear of sickness. I look forward to reading more in the weeks to come on how it is going.
ReplyDeleteWishing you all the best! We will get through this!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you are really aware of the difficulties, so now you can overcome. We will get through this.
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