Today’s first post was written by guest stylist Nick Caraway

Have Mask, Will Travel

Kids don’t get the virus. That is until they do. Well, they don’t spread the virus. That is until they do. I’m one of those poor schleps that works as a teacher. Except, I don’t have my own classroom. I’m a support teacher that goes into other teacher’s rooms and share an eight by twelve office with seven other people. It’s perfectly safe. That is until it isn’t. In order to prepare for these conditions, we were given two masks, a gaiter, and a face shield. I think we were given a bar of soap too.

The common refrain is that kids don’t get the virus and when they do, they don’t suffer. Some within the administration have even argued that kids aren’t spreaders. Sure, that’s why I get sick every September. I get sick because they aren’t spreaders. Sure. Makes perfect sense. Our district is one of those that went back to face to face instruction almost immediately. So, half of our students are at home. Half of them are there. We teach them at the same time. We do this even though many of us are also sick ourselves.

Here’s the issue. Our governor really doesn’t want to make the call on what we should do. He believes in shucking leadership to the local level. So, they stepped up and made some decisions. Except those decisions were wrong. At least that’s true if you ask him. So, we are doing a proverbial Texas two-step with the virus. We have already gotten multiple letters about students testing positive. They can’t name them. They can’t tell you if they were in your class. They certainly won’t tell someone like me because I’m not the official classroom teacher.

Two years ago, my doctors gave me the worst news of my life. I am a diabetic. Fortunately, I don’t need insulin, but I still have to watch my diet, take a cocktail of pills every day, and have all the assorted side effects you’d expect. It also means I’m immunocompromised. I realize that’s an awfully big word for the president and the governor, but it describes any number of adults working in schools and more than a few of the children.

So, we do the dance that only we can do. We go from classroom to classroom and travel the halls, so that we expose ourselves to hundreds of students a day. We have had multiple positive tests, but no one really knows how many is too many? Some districts say ten percent. Others say we’ll know when we get there. Unfortunately, I work in one of those. So, all of us are waiting for the virus to come tap our shoulder.

Those of you with children and grandchildren might be tempted to criticize teachers. All we are doing is teaching some students in class and some students on computer at the same time. We have to plan lessons that can be completed both virtually and in person. We do all this while given very little PPE and putting our own health on the line. So, consider that when the next parent/teacher conference comes up.