I completely agree, ND. I'm furious are asshole governor for threatening teachers if they refuse to go back way before it's possible they'll all be vaccinated. They can't even get Baltimore City schools reasonably heated or air conditioned, or ensure they have safe drinking water, and we expect they'll be able to institute COVID protection measures??!!

I don't like raisins. "Humiliated grapes" - Benny and Joon. I use craisins in all of my decorating things that call for raisins.

I'm having eggs over easy on top of cheesy grits for supper. Because I want them, and I can. Apple and zucchini slices and carrots for lunch, so I'm all vegged up.

I'm just still vitriolic and rageful about the pandemic and the horrors it has wrought.

I absolutely don't blame teachers for staying firm, nor do I think they should be forced to put themselves at risk. I do blame school boards and others who have the authority to change the playing field for not doing so. Right now the only options available are bad ones (other than the districts that are getting faculty and staff vaccinated, where the options are bad, bad, and not great).

I admit exploring other options would take a lot of work. Setting up outside classrooms requires that teachers forego most edutech; physical plants figure out how to move and secure desks, provide heating or cooling; family support to figure out how to ensure all kids have appropriate clothing. Our district hasn't used textbooks in over a decade, so yeah, expecting kids to just sit outside and work from the book isn't realistic...but solutions are possible.

Working with local businesses to use some of the vacant commercial real estate as pop-up classrooms, where a small group of students can gather, have one or more teachers present, and yet maintain sufficient distance would require a lot of effort in design and interaction with local government to ensure that the real estate has electricity and bathrooms and the owners get a tax benefit.

Even more effort if you ensured it had robust WiFi so that kids who don't have good enough internet at home to do online school could gather there and access online school with one or more adults present to help with covid protocols, IT, and content.

Switching to flipped classrooms, where students do the lecture part on their own, and use the online time to do the exercises with the teacher available, is the least expensive option, but again, takes both effort and structural support.

At the very least, each teacher should have support adults who help run the online classes. Every single one-to-many online interaction I've been in for the last year has had at least 2 "teachers" - one to provide the content, answer questions, etc. and one to make sure everyone's connected, has access to any shared docs or sites, answer questions in chat, make sure the teacher sees raised hands, etc. It's a crime that schools are making teachers try to do this solo, or best case, with the help of the school's central IT team. There are a number of adults who are stuck at home and who would be able to help.

Of course, that, like everything else, would require local budgets to find the money...and I would LOVE to help with that. The last exercise I went through with my school board rep showed that our district still had a significant amount of money set aside to cover domestic travel costs for faculty and staff and bus rental. Of course it was untouched this year - no school trips, no conferences, but they hadn't thought about taking it to use for new needs.

Sorry for the rant...it's just been frustrating to see businesses solve or try to solve all these issues but have no one caring about education. Or at least not caring enough to try something different.

I'm having eggs over easy on top of cheesy grits for supper.

This is one of our favorite weekend brunch options. I throw in some sausage as well. And I have to admit that I took the idea straight from Waffle House. In 2019, we did a 5K in November in the evening, because it went through a park with a huge holiday light display. So, nighttime 5K means seeing all the lights, and it was fun. But also COLD as hell. So after we collected our medals, we ended up at Waffle House, and their menu had a grits bowl with scrambled eggs, cheese, and sausage for like $3.50. Best thing ever after a cold 5K, and now a go-to brunch item in Stately Beckmeyer Manor.

(more rant, sorry)

At the same time every school district is trying to find a line between bad options and other bad options, businesses are shrugging at their employees trying to balance income and childcare. I've been trying to get any of the very smart organizational design or technology innovators I know to care about helping, but they all say no, because there's no money in it. It has to be a shared responsibility managed via government structures, and we've spent 50 years hollowing that out.

Aside from my personal frustration about wanting the best possible options for my son, I've seen all the studies from around the world that show education as being the key factor in a strong economy, high quality of life, and positive stable political climate. I've been mad my whole life at our continuing work to defund and dismantle education and shove responsibility for everything onto underpaid teachers, and now I'm incandescent.

(Now I'm really done, and going to look at puppy pictures)

Toddson, everything’s fine as long as I’m the one with the axe

Ugh. Super depressing, Volans.

The last exercise I went through with my school board rep showed that our district still had a significant amount of money set aside to cover domestic travel costs for faculty and staff and bus rental. Of course it was untouched this year - no school trips, no conferences, but they hadn't thought about taking it to use for new needs.

I guess I shouldn’t be shocked by this but I really am. I would have thought that squeezing money out of the budget to make dealing with all this a smidge easier would be somebody’s priority.

Best thoughts to our HS seniors -- I can't even imagine doing that right now.

Now I would like an empanada, as I have already had an oatmeal raisin cookie today (or two, they are legit tiny).

I have a suggestion for escapism: The Rookie apparently is now in an AU with no pandemic, which is really relaxing to watch, even as they are dealing with racist cops (the show is total copaganda, don't get me wrong).

OH! Also, I read on tumblr (and have not confirmed) that the Donner party were just assholes! Other white people made it through fine because they listened the the locals and took their advice and DIDN'T EAT EACH OTHER.