Some people are passionate about schools because they understand that the future well-being of our society rests in the work that we do with our children right now. And some people are passionate about school issues because they want to use school as political tools. Sometimes it’s clear where people are, and other times it gets muddy.
It has felt like schools have been at the center of a maelstrom throughout this pandemic. While people mainly were on board with closing schools, the transition to remote learning was a mess. People had different opinions on how it should be done, and many people pushed for schools to go back in person that spring of 2020.
Being in person in the fall of 2020 was a highly debated issue. Whether teachers should be forced to get vaccinated was an issue. When and how to go back to remote learning in-person was another debate—all of these issues carried over to the 2021 school year. And now we are dealing with the non-existent “issue” of CRT in schools and book banning.
The newest issue is taking away school mask mandates, which is picking up steam all across the country. Many reputable media outlets have written about why mask mandates should be taken away from schools in the past month. Now we find many states taking away mask mandates from schools. Unsurprisingly there is debate about this issue. This one is interesting because this is a debate going on throughout the pandemic, but it’s different now. It used to not be backed up by science, and most of these arguments came from people who identified as Republicans. There is scientific research supports taking masks off students, and many Democrats are now on board with getting rid of masks at schools.
While all of this debate about these issues, many of which are chaotic, filled with passion, unfortunately, mean-spirited comments and lies persisted, school has gone on. It’s not like there was an issue with schools. We paused classes, let people figure it out, reached a consensus, and then restarted schools. We worked and taught while all of this was swirling around us. It’s like driving a broken car while people argue how to fix the vehicle and whether or not the car is even damaged.
We underserve teachers, parents, administrations, staff, and students in schools, leading to many issues we debate around schools. At some point, we stop talking about these issues, not because they go away, but because we are tired of talking about them, and then they come back up at some point. It’s an exhausting cycle.
I don’t know how to break this cycle, but what I do know is that while there are opinions, there is also right and wrong. Lies should be called out, and uncivil debate should not be tolerated. Politically motivated policies should be acknowledged as such even when they support your opinion.
Maus shouldn't be banned. The opinion that it should is not valid because it supports an act of oppression and anti-Semitism. Acts of oppression are not valid opinions. Teachers must have the freedom to expose students to the worst of American history and help their students understand that racism and systems of oppression are part of every facet of American life and play a role in every major event in American history. More importantly our students must learn that what has made America great is individuals and movements who have fought against these systems of oppression to make this country a more free and equitable society.
We should move forward in the process of removing masks for students in schools. There is nuance in this issue. People’s feelings have to be respected, and the process is really important. What works for one state, may not work for another state, but it’s undeniable that we must move in the direction of unmasking sooner than later. You can disagree with the process, but to flat out reject this as a necessary step that should happen soon is "not following the science."
I love teaching, but I really hate how so many people talk about education and teachers. It’s really hard to keep this car moving when it feels like people won’t stop yelling. I know it hasn’t always been clear what the next right thing has been in school during this pandemic, and many well-meaning educators made mistakes. All of us did.
So give teachers a little grace. And next time you want to chime in on an issue about education, read about it from a reputable source, and most of all reach out to an educator in your life and hear them out. Don’t debate them, just listen and let them know you hear them.
They need this more than you know. Somehow the teachers of America have find something left in their gas tank for this next battle. It make me tired just thinking about it, but what brings me hope is knowing at the end of it is seeing my students' smiles.
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