No Force on Earth Can Stand Before Us
Yesterday, I awoke to learn that the President of the United States and his education secretary are talking about punishing public schools that don't open in the fall by withholding federal funding. They've walked that back a little in the intervening 24 hours, but the message is clear: they are willing to sacrifice children and their families in the name of the economy.
This Covid-19 pandemic is far from over and while there are places in the US where we have slowed it through common sense sacrifices, other states seem to think that if they close their eyes and pretend hard enough it will simply go away. The result reminds me of when I was a boy and there were smoking sections in restaurants and airplanes: smoke doesn't recognize boundaries any more than a virus. When I shared this metaphor with a friend he crudely, yet to my mind more accurately, replied, "No, it's more like we're all in a big swimming pool and they've designated their states as the peeing area."
While much of the rest of the world has quelled the pandemic to the point that they've opened up a legitimate window for children to safely return to school, it doesn't seem likely that US schools can safely reopen before the end of the year. Yet the message from the highest office in the land is "Do it, or else."
This is far from the first time that elected representatives and policymakers have placed children on the alter of their CONTINUE READING: Teacher Tom: No Force on Earth Can Stand Before Us
