Chronicles from the Virus Day 53. School's Out. So Are Some Politicians
My classes are, most likely, effectively over for the school year. The Ministry of Education is talking about not opening schools again until September. And then, halving the number of students in each class, by combining regular classes with online ones. How they will do that, I have no idea.
But smaller classes are a good idea. After the Great Recession, one way to cut back on educational spending, was to increase student/teacher ratios and therefore spend less on payroll. Now, it turns out that smaller classes are a good idea, if not pedagogically, epidemialogically. But I don't think the online bit is really in the best interests of the students, nor the teachers. How will the teachers deal with both a classroom and kids on a screen? Who will decide which kids stay home and which go to school? What about the kids who can't socialize with their friends on the school grounds? Or who are separated from their best friend?
The Minister said this situation would be ideal until there is a vaccine. And there won't be one until sometime next year, most likely. So, another school year lost? We'll have to see.
My school year is definitely lost. Perhaps I'll get back some toward the end of June, if people are allowed to visit other people's houses. Perhaps I'll have to concentrate on giving classes in July and August and then preparing for October (September is my vacation month because it would be awkward to schedule classes; school begins during our township's festival week and a lot of kids still don't have their complete extracurricular schedules cemented.) So, the cushion we had at the end of the month is gone for now, and we'll see when we can get it back.
There are people who want their kids to go back to school. There are people who think the worst is over, and that because neither they nor people they know were infected, that this has all been blown up out of proportion by the government. There are people who think the government has a secret agenda to impose communism, because of Podemos, the far left (but not communist) partner of the Socialist government. These are the people who believe the fake news that is wandering through Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and who knows where else. Most of that fake news comes from bot accounts set up by the ultra-right Vox party, and the conservative Partido Popular. Other countries have opposition parties that support the ruling government in these extraordinary times. Not Spain. Divide and conquer.
No, not everything has been done correctly. There is no country in the world that has done everything absolutely well. There are those that have had luck help them, such as New Zealand, but no one was ever prepared for something like this, despite warnings from epidemiologists that something like this was going to happen at some point in our lifetimes.
Within Europe, Spain hasn't done so badly. Others might have done better, but they were also lucky, like Germany. The one thing Germany did better than all its neighbors was to have a large ICU capacity. But that was done over time, in the past. Britain, despite trying for herd immunity, like Sweden, has had to impose quarantine, and now has one of the largest number of deaths per capita in Europe. Sweden has fewer total deaths than other countries, but the uptick in infections is continuing.
The United States is a disaster. There is no national reaction. Each state is going its own way, some doing better, others doing worse. The federal government is now encouraging states to end quarantines and have everyone go back to work, but the worst isn't over, and, in some states, it's just beginning. Money over people seems to be the mantra there. One lawmaker, from Texas, I think, even went so far as to say there were more important things than living. Unfortunately, our right-wing in Spain seems to believe that, too, when they complain about the economic losses we are sustaining, and will sustain. First comes people's lives, then we look to bolster those that have lost livelihoods, and there will be many.
Something exceptionally American is what one guy did in Santee, California. He went grocery shopping wearing a Klan mask. Dude, if you don't have a regular mask, don't show off your ignorance and your hatred to the whole world.
On a lighter note, Mr. Magoo is fine and well. He seems to be living in England, and, while it's not entirely clear whether or not he's wearing those glasses he always misplaces, it seems time for him to get an appointment at his ophthalmologist. Sir, that is a fire extinguisher. I'll leave the link here.
Life continues.
But smaller classes are a good idea. After the Great Recession, one way to cut back on educational spending, was to increase student/teacher ratios and therefore spend less on payroll. Now, it turns out that smaller classes are a good idea, if not pedagogically, epidemialogically. But I don't think the online bit is really in the best interests of the students, nor the teachers. How will the teachers deal with both a classroom and kids on a screen? Who will decide which kids stay home and which go to school? What about the kids who can't socialize with their friends on the school grounds? Or who are separated from their best friend?
The Minister said this situation would be ideal until there is a vaccine. And there won't be one until sometime next year, most likely. So, another school year lost? We'll have to see.
My school year is definitely lost. Perhaps I'll get back some toward the end of June, if people are allowed to visit other people's houses. Perhaps I'll have to concentrate on giving classes in July and August and then preparing for October (September is my vacation month because it would be awkward to schedule classes; school begins during our township's festival week and a lot of kids still don't have their complete extracurricular schedules cemented.) So, the cushion we had at the end of the month is gone for now, and we'll see when we can get it back.
There are people who want their kids to go back to school. There are people who think the worst is over, and that because neither they nor people they know were infected, that this has all been blown up out of proportion by the government. There are people who think the government has a secret agenda to impose communism, because of Podemos, the far left (but not communist) partner of the Socialist government. These are the people who believe the fake news that is wandering through Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and who knows where else. Most of that fake news comes from bot accounts set up by the ultra-right Vox party, and the conservative Partido Popular. Other countries have opposition parties that support the ruling government in these extraordinary times. Not Spain. Divide and conquer.
No, not everything has been done correctly. There is no country in the world that has done everything absolutely well. There are those that have had luck help them, such as New Zealand, but no one was ever prepared for something like this, despite warnings from epidemiologists that something like this was going to happen at some point in our lifetimes.
Within Europe, Spain hasn't done so badly. Others might have done better, but they were also lucky, like Germany. The one thing Germany did better than all its neighbors was to have a large ICU capacity. But that was done over time, in the past. Britain, despite trying for herd immunity, like Sweden, has had to impose quarantine, and now has one of the largest number of deaths per capita in Europe. Sweden has fewer total deaths than other countries, but the uptick in infections is continuing.
The United States is a disaster. There is no national reaction. Each state is going its own way, some doing better, others doing worse. The federal government is now encouraging states to end quarantines and have everyone go back to work, but the worst isn't over, and, in some states, it's just beginning. Money over people seems to be the mantra there. One lawmaker, from Texas, I think, even went so far as to say there were more important things than living. Unfortunately, our right-wing in Spain seems to believe that, too, when they complain about the economic losses we are sustaining, and will sustain. First comes people's lives, then we look to bolster those that have lost livelihoods, and there will be many.
Something exceptionally American is what one guy did in Santee, California. He went grocery shopping wearing a Klan mask. Dude, if you don't have a regular mask, don't show off your ignorance and your hatred to the whole world.
On a lighter note, Mr. Magoo is fine and well. He seems to be living in England, and, while it's not entirely clear whether or not he's wearing those glasses he always misplaces, it seems time for him to get an appointment at his ophthalmologist. Sir, that is a fire extinguisher. I'll leave the link here.
Life continues.
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