Due to both crushing depression and weight gain, I have not written much at all during the last two years, and by that I mean since March or 2020.
Today is Saturday, the first day of Christmas break. It snowed yesterday or the day before, it doesn't matter, and in addition to everything else, my arthritis had kicked up its game, and invited its friend carpal tunnel to join the party in my right thumb. Just making sure you know it's me, if I did not complain you'd become suspcious that I was using a ghost writer.
Last week or last month or yesterday, we received another communique from the district informing us that we are, really, for sure, we swear this time, going hybrid when we return in January. I think it is cute the way we humans, particularly when gathered in what we believe to be a group who have control, imagine that we have jurisdiction over the pandemic. We are high farce for God or Zeus or Budda or the Spaghetti Monster or aliens-whoever is watching our show.
I am in a district that has been remote since 12 March 2020. We never did go back. There were best laid plans, but the mice have run of the empty buiding now, not the men.
The performing arts, which is my content, were told we would be remote all year. When we asked for a reason, assuming it was audiences and large classes, we were told it is because the kids breathe. Particularly in choir, breathing is the number one way to spread Covid. Of course, the choir teacher immediately embarked upon plans to purchase new, massive air purifiers, which have been successfully used in other districts. We also argued that the soccer team breathes,as well as tennis players, and they are able to function and compete. But the answer was still no. Since I am neither the choir teacher or the department chair, I was not in on the discussion that led to the final "nyet", so I get to imagine whatever I'd like: I think it's because our kids are not big rule followers, and the theory is that they will deliberately defy the air purifier and get and spread Covid, anyway, through their hooligan practices.Just to be contrary. Or, worse, nobody cares about performing arts, so stop being a bother.
So all in all, to sum up in conclusion, but not really, I am not buying into any agenda that tries to open a public school in the middle of a pandemic without a vaccine. I have reserach to back this: our building was not fully "closed" at first, students who needed to receive direct instruction-language learners, special ed- were in the building, with their teachers and Peras, admin, secretaries,(at one point I was in there, as they decided we had to teach remotely from the building for ten minutes*). By October there was a Covid outbreak in the building and within weeks, the district chose to close all buidings, entirely. Even the secretaries had to work from home. Every district I am aware of (because who knows what's going on on the Western Slope or down south, I don't live there) in the Denver-Metro area, has tried to open in some capacity Even those that were "closed" had the above occupants a few hours a day. (Note to self, explore the different meanings of "closed" this year.)
As of Christmas break, 2020, none of those buildings are open,not by any word smithed definition. I have not talked to my collegaues elsewhere yet, but I suspect many have received instructions asserting their district's specific dominance over science and nature, stating that they will be open after break. Dramatic irony depends on the audience possessing information the actors do not have. It is our job to follow the script, because the comedy does not work without a delusional "boss" yelling poorly thought through directives throughout the show. Because we are only in Season 1, our audience has not yet tired of this formula, and are still entertained, largely due to our egocentric belief that we have any control:that is the nature of all comedy. If they lose interest, we might get cancelled.
* Why, yes, I did write a blog about it. "The Certainty Of Uncertainty".
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