The Widder Curry: ‘Opening the Schools During the Pandemic Is Absolutely Insane and Is Child Abuse’

As a former educator – Teacher, Principal, Inservice Director, Assistant Professor, Deputy Director, etc., I cannot understand all the controversy about opening or not opening the schools during this pandemic.

I also cannot understand why the schools have to be opened in August – one of the hottest months of the year.  I remember when school didn’t start until after Labor Day, and why it was changed is a mystery to me.  If I had my druthers, I would suggest that school end June 30th, and not begin again until October 1st.  The reason for that is also some of the reason that I think opening up the schools in a few weeks is ludicrous.

Number one is that when it is hot students do not learn as well.

Granted that some schools are air conditioned; but an equal number are not.  Following that argument – students that have to sit in a classroom with a mask covering their faces is not a healthy way to spend the day.  To try and concentrate with the mask on their face is not conducive to learning.   It is a distraction.  It also promotes poor hygiene.  What about the child that sneezes? Does he or she take off their mask before they sneeze? After sneezing? Does she keep it on with all the bacteria funneling back into her mouth?  What if she has to blow her nose? How does she do that and not infect the other people around her.

One of the arguments for kindergarten and lower grades is so that children can learn to “socialize”.  But we are going to keep them six feet away from each other so how much socialization is going to take place?  Never mind the huge task of keeping them away from each other.

Given a classroom of 30 children – yes, that is too many in any classroom but for purposes of illustration – you will find that 10 of those students learn one way – let’s say phonetically; 10 more students may learn using the “sight method” to learn, and the final ten students will learn in a variety of ways – phonetically, sight method, lip reading, auditory, etc.  So let’s try this scenario:

Ms. Jones, the math teacher, comes into the classroom wearing her mask.  Immediately ten students will not learn because: they can’t see her lips to help process the material; ten more will have trouble learning because they can’t hear the phonetics.

How did I come up with that?  Be honest. When you are talking to someone that is wearing a mask do you have any trouble understanding them? If you say that you don’t, I would have trouble believing you.  But Ms. Jones is at the front of the class, and Johnny is in the back, and, not only can’t he read Ms. Jones lips, he also cannot hear her clearly.  And when Johnny had an ear test he tested normal.

And carrying this even further – Johnny goes up to Ms. Jones, mask on, and says he needs additional help.  Ms. Jones, mask on, gives the help and neither she nor Johnny knew that Johnny was a “carrier”, and in a few weeks Ms. Jones is ill.  Then she has to be in quarantine for 14 days, and, hopefully survives.  But…what if she doesn’t?  Or what if Johnny doesn’t?  Then all those 30 children in the classroom need to be in quarantine for 14 days.  And just how do you think those kids will react when their very favorite teacher dies? Or their best friend? Or??????

And I am speaking of children that do not have a learning disability. What about the students that are autistic? What about those students that are slower learners? Or the student that has a physical disability? Or the child that has his own form of PTSD?  Do you honestly think that these children are going to be able to learn from a teacher that has his/her face covered by a mask?

And, by the way, those 30 children that have now been exposed to Covid-19,  take those germs home, thus infecting Mom and Dad, and Brother and Sister, and anyone else that lives in the home.  And maybe they didn’t get it in their own classroom. Maybe they got it on the bus; or in the lunchroom, (even though there is a movement on to have them eat in their classroom.) or in the bathroom, or, or, or, or.

And for those that keep saying that  “ . . . the young aren’t getting Covid-19″ – start looking at the statistics again.  Originally it was just the “old folks” that got it.  Check out who is getting it – and dying –now.  And while you are at it – look at the statistics of people, young, younger, and older that have Covid-19 that are from minority groups. What are you going to do in those schools?  Close your eyes and pretend that they are not vulnerable?

As a professional educator, I want to go on record by saying that I think opening the schools during this pandemic is absolutely insane.

The fact that different school boards – Orange County, for example – wants to open the schools to no masks and no social distancing, is, in my opinion, enough for them to be arrested for child abuse.

There is absolutely no way to protect the staff at the schools from being exposed to the virus.  It only takes one person to infect everyone else. And, as a educator that went to school to learn how to best teach our youth, it seems to me that many adults did not learn compassion and empathy for others.

I am a teacher; I did not become a teacher to go into a classroom and die.  If I had children that were school age I would not send them to school.  I have recommended to my grandchildren that they not send their children to school.

And for my friends that are teachers? I have recommended that they not go into the classroom until they are sure their wills and insurance is up-to-date.  They will be sorely missed – and the only lesson the students have learned is that the scientists and doctors were correct – this is a highly contagious disease and only staying at home and wearing masks when out in public will save them.

Don’t be an idiot. Don’t find yourself having to plan a funeral – after the pandemic is over. Keep your children safe at home, and home school them or teach them on-line.  It’s a hell of a lot better than not having them at all.