Today was a very interesting day in the life of Ohio teachers. Officially speaking (even though many had already started the hiatus), today was day one of the school closures due to the coronavirus (COVID-19). My son’s school closed on Friday, and mine closed yesterday (although many teachers came in to work on their online classroom).
As teachers, we all have different takes on the entire situation. We know that three weeks off will probably not be enough, but we also know that it had to start somewhere. We know that online learning is a foreign concept to many classroom teachers, but we are trying to do the best we can to serve students. We know that many of us and our students are not in a high-risk category for symptoms of the illness, but we still worry about our families and the families of the kids we teach.
I don’t have a very political take on the matter, for two reasons. First of all, I think serious situations should supersede political rhetoric. Secondly, I think they are all awful. I’m both a registered Republican who didn’t vote for President Trump and a member of a teachers’ union. I’m politically homeless. So if I say “Donald Trump spent two weeks lying to the American people about the virus and made the situation worse,” I don’t say it because I think Trump never does anything right. When I say “Democrats are offering us two incredibly awful candidates in 2020,” I don’t say that because I think Trump is any better. The truth is that my opinion doesn’t really offer us any solution to what we are dealing with right now anyway. What we need is something uplifting.
In the midst of the confusion and the Costco trips and the same awkward scenarios everyone else is facing, I hope you can also find the time to cherish a few positive moments you wouldn’t have otherwise been able to experience. Here are a couple of mine:
- Have you been to Costco or the grocery store lately? I mean sure, the place is crazy and understocked, but the people have been so nice! The workers cleaned up my yogurt spill at Kroger and the fellow customers have been very friendly (even at a distance when possible).
- This is normally when I coach tennis, and I will be honest (my wife can attest to this) in saying that I sort of drop off the face of the planet for two months. Who did I hit tennis balls with yesterday? My son. Do we do that very often? No…like a couple of times ever, which is embarrassing. Yesterday we went to a park and hit, and it was special.
- I have been calling my mom more lately than ever, and it’s great. She is a voice of normalcy in an otherwise media-centric world. In fact, bringing her up right now reminded me to call her, which I did while writing!
There are a ton of reasons why this situation is tragic, and I’m not trying to minimize them. This is a time in our lives that deserves our caution and a serious response. My family is staying home when possible and keeping tabs on expert opinions. I acknowledge if I fall ill or something happens to my family, obviously it is going to be a lot tougher to stay positive. Still, even in the wildest and most trying times we can try to put our best foot forward. In my case, I have disappointed a lot of people over the last years by being too busy, too angry, or too wrapped up in my own world. I hope to try and make the most of this strange but genuine opportunity.
One more thing: Starting today, I brought back my New Year’s Resolutions. I had about fifty really great days of them (I had six resolutions) and as the stress of teaching, the upcoming tennis season, and ultimately our news cycle swept me away, the resolutions fell one-by-one as well. I would encourage you to, if you are healthy and able, try to find a few resolutions you left in the dust and revive them. If you aren’t big on the resolutions, just uncover an idea or two on how to make things a little better for yourself or your family. (Also, if you aren’t a resolution person normally, feel free to start just this once. This is sort of an extenuating circumstance.)
Make this week and this month a new beginning. I mean you might as well find something positive to take out of it! Let’s be honest: either way, this is going to be a time you’ll never forget.