Lunch breaks are short these days, but considering all of the COVIDs going around it seems like a good time for an update. As most of the regular readers know, I teach in one of the school districts that decided not to mandate masks. This is in spite of the fact that all of our schools are in Harris County.

I get it. You have the governor saying one thing and the county judge saying something different. As many of the social media memes say, you have all of the medical doctors and PhDs saying this and yet my buddy Earle (who made a D in Biology) is telling me something else. Who do I believe?

El Jefe and Juanita were all over the governor yesterday, so I’ll just say that this is what the English teachers call irony. I think it’s situational irony, but I’ve slept since we reviewed irony with my sophomores. I just know that it isn’t Alanis Morrissette irony.

At least our district has had the presence of mind to post signs in English and Spanish recommending the masks. Of course, some of our campus leaders are wearing masks and some aren’t. A majority of the students are wearing masks. So, maybe not all is lost.

Our campus is a unique place. We teach kids trades where they can become certified before they graduate. That includes vet tech and child guidance. We have three and four year old children roaming the halls and the occasional dog as well. While that makes for an interesting environment on most days, it is especially worrisome these days with COVID. Even if every student of the school were vaccinated, those preschoolers certainly aren’t.

I manage a group of about 20 students every year. A couple of them are home because someone in their family tested positive. Then I have a few more that might be home schooling because our district doesn’t offer a virtual option. Statisticians will tell you about the dangers of extrapolating from such a small sample, but our minds can’t help going there.

So, while the rest of the world struggles how to handle the news of our beloved governor getting the COVID, those of us here are bracing for the worst. The kids are packed in like sardines and we all know how that will turn out. If you pray to a supreme being we’d love a shout out. If you don’t then whatever positive thoughts you can muster are well appreciated.