I think this time I'll do some random thoughts, brought on by this crisis.
Is it just me, or is the recent complete about-face by Trump (in which he now says from 250,000 to 100,000 Americans will most likely die of the virus, as opposed to a few weeks ago when he said the number would soon be ZERO) just a change of tactics? I'll wager someone in his administration pointed out that if he estimates a really, really awful number of dead Americans, then a somewhat lower number actually dies, he can claim victory? For example, if he says 100,000 deaths, and in fact there are 75,000, he will claim he personally saved the lives of 25,000 people. It's a variation on the Big Brother/Ministry of Truth stuff I posted last time.
Speaking of that, 100,000 people is a LOT OF PEOPLE. The terror attacks on 9/11 killed about 3,000 people (including those who succumbed to dust in the immediate aftermath, but not including those who died years later from medical issued that were likely related to the cleanup and rescue efforts). Our national landscape was changed almost overnight, and we are in many ways still feeling the effects. We went to war with a country (the wrong one, but still) as a result of 9/11. We created a new governmental agency (the department of Homeland Security). Life in America changed because of those 3,000 deaths. I lived through that time, and I can tell you that although I was never a fan of President Bush II, his response to the crisis was immeasurably superior to the current president's.
We got word today that we would not be returning to face-to-face school in California for the rest of the semester. We'd always kind of suspected that, but now it's official. Distance Learning has been a moderate success, but as many of my high-end students can attest, it's a struggle to maintain a semblance of self-discipline while at home. Before this crisis hit, I was talking to a friend at work and we were both agreeing that we don't like to take work home (as we left school at roughly 5:00) preferring instead to stay late at the site and finish it there. It was never a perfect curtain (I did work from home sometimes) but it was one we liked to pull when we could. Now, that is completely gone, and home is also work. That's a When Worlds Collide kind of feeling.
Having said that, I am growing increasingly uncomfortable with the self-congratulatory messages and images I'm seeing on Facebook regarding teaching. Sure, yeah, it's a little bit harder, but we all still have jobs and paychecks. I think about the millions (the number went past 6 million today) of people out of work because of the virus--people who did nothing wrong, who are good workers, who put in time and effort to their jobs--and I think maybe teachers ought to stay quiet and just do our jobs. Add to that the incredible efforts of everyone in the health and medical fields and maybe teachers should just quietly get on with their work.
I think it's important to look for hidden advantages in all this. For one, we all talk a lot in America about how we don't spend enough time with our families. Well, I'm spending a lot of time with mine, and it's honestly been wonderful. And it's not always "quality time," like they used to say as an excuse for spending small amounts of time. It's great big swaths of sloppy, unstructured quantity time.
My dogs love it. That's a plus.
I'm learning more about video production (I built a green screen out of wood and paint and it works extremely well) than I ever thought I would, and it's been revitalizing to think in new ways about my curriculum and my craft. If necessity is the mother of invention, then this mother has been fertile.
I do worry about my parents. Both of them are severely compromised with many different health issues. We decided not to go visit them when this all started, out of an abundance of caution. I call often, but it's still not the same. Speaking of which, I think I'll call now. That's good advice to all of you--stop reading this and go tell someone important to you that you're thinking of them.
Be seeing you!
Is it just me, or is the recent complete about-face by Trump (in which he now says from 250,000 to 100,000 Americans will most likely die of the virus, as opposed to a few weeks ago when he said the number would soon be ZERO) just a change of tactics? I'll wager someone in his administration pointed out that if he estimates a really, really awful number of dead Americans, then a somewhat lower number actually dies, he can claim victory? For example, if he says 100,000 deaths, and in fact there are 75,000, he will claim he personally saved the lives of 25,000 people. It's a variation on the Big Brother/Ministry of Truth stuff I posted last time.
Speaking of that, 100,000 people is a LOT OF PEOPLE. The terror attacks on 9/11 killed about 3,000 people (including those who succumbed to dust in the immediate aftermath, but not including those who died years later from medical issued that were likely related to the cleanup and rescue efforts). Our national landscape was changed almost overnight, and we are in many ways still feeling the effects. We went to war with a country (the wrong one, but still) as a result of 9/11. We created a new governmental agency (the department of Homeland Security). Life in America changed because of those 3,000 deaths. I lived through that time, and I can tell you that although I was never a fan of President Bush II, his response to the crisis was immeasurably superior to the current president's.
We got word today that we would not be returning to face-to-face school in California for the rest of the semester. We'd always kind of suspected that, but now it's official. Distance Learning has been a moderate success, but as many of my high-end students can attest, it's a struggle to maintain a semblance of self-discipline while at home. Before this crisis hit, I was talking to a friend at work and we were both agreeing that we don't like to take work home (as we left school at roughly 5:00) preferring instead to stay late at the site and finish it there. It was never a perfect curtain (I did work from home sometimes) but it was one we liked to pull when we could. Now, that is completely gone, and home is also work. That's a When Worlds Collide kind of feeling.
Having said that, I am growing increasingly uncomfortable with the self-congratulatory messages and images I'm seeing on Facebook regarding teaching. Sure, yeah, it's a little bit harder, but we all still have jobs and paychecks. I think about the millions (the number went past 6 million today) of people out of work because of the virus--people who did nothing wrong, who are good workers, who put in time and effort to their jobs--and I think maybe teachers ought to stay quiet and just do our jobs. Add to that the incredible efforts of everyone in the health and medical fields and maybe teachers should just quietly get on with their work.
I think it's important to look for hidden advantages in all this. For one, we all talk a lot in America about how we don't spend enough time with our families. Well, I'm spending a lot of time with mine, and it's honestly been wonderful. And it's not always "quality time," like they used to say as an excuse for spending small amounts of time. It's great big swaths of sloppy, unstructured quantity time.
My dogs love it. That's a plus.
I'm learning more about video production (I built a green screen out of wood and paint and it works extremely well) than I ever thought I would, and it's been revitalizing to think in new ways about my curriculum and my craft. If necessity is the mother of invention, then this mother has been fertile.
I do worry about my parents. Both of them are severely compromised with many different health issues. We decided not to go visit them when this all started, out of an abundance of caution. I call often, but it's still not the same. Speaking of which, I think I'll call now. That's good advice to all of you--stop reading this and go tell someone important to you that you're thinking of them.
Be seeing you!
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