With all due respect and sympathy to the families and friends of people who have lost loved ones to COVID, to me one of the worst things that has happened during this pandemic, and honestly even before it, is the loss of empathy that people have. Many people just don't care how their actions affect others. No one wants to wear a mask or social distance, but when you realize that you have the potential to infect someone and not even know you are doing it, it should guide how you act. I get that a lot of people don't like wearing masks, but they are really not the burden that people make them out to be. My experience is that most of the people I am around that don't wear them do so because they won't be told what to do.
And this generation of children coming up (Z? Alpha?) collectively sacrificed a year of their childhoods to bear witness to how goddamn shitty these previous generations behave and how their actions/inaction have set them up for incredibly challenging future.
Americans really are exceptional.
My wife is a high school special education teacher. Our school district has had in person classes Monday through Friday 8 am to 2 pm since August, with the option for students to do online learning. With the exception of a few periods of all online due to outbreaks among staff and an extended break around the holidays, about half of her students have been able to attend class the whole time. As much as she tries to reach out and spend extra time online with her distance students, she knows they are falling behind and are going to have a hard time catching up academically. She has set up "office hours" like college professors do to allow a distance student to come to the school after everyone has left so that they can get extra instruction when the building is empty. Many of her students have behavioral and social anxiety issues, and over the years she has been pretty effective in reaching them and helping them develop social skills. This isolation is only destroying the work they have done.
The (our?) repercussions of this will be felt in ways and by some we have no clue about.
Common sense seems to be missing from many of these scenarios. Fortunately, compassion still finds its way in there. Kudos to your wife for actually caring and doing something where she can. Not many are so generous with themselves...or can be.
The (our?) repercussions of this will be felt in ways and by some we have no clue about.
Common sense seems to be missing from many of these scenarios. Fortunately, compassion still finds its way in there. Kudos to your wife for actually caring and doing something where she can. Not many are so generous with themselves...or can be.
She is a "mama bear" to her students. She cares deeply about them, and if you mess with them, watch out!
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Common sense seems to be missing from many of these scenarios. Fortunately, compassion still finds its way in there. Kudos to your wife for actually caring and doing something where she can. Not many are so generous with themselves...or can be.