To close or not to close

If the debate on school closings were a debate on birth control, the choices would be between abstinence and the rhythm method. Abstinence provides full protection without any of the fun, and the rhythm method provides the fun, without a lot of protection. Fortunately, for those that want to have sex without procreating there are a lot more options than those two. We should have more choices for educating our children. It should be acknowledged that opening schools without taking precautions is a bad idea, and that trying to teach large populations of children virtually is also a bad idea. They are both bad for different reasons, and it should also be acknowledged that there is no harm-free solution here. The question is: who will you be harming and how?

If you are eager to get your kids back into school, you will be spreading the virus. How much the virus spreads should be the focal point of the discussion. If you are eager to see your children learning in person, then you need to address the challenges that this disease poses. Children will need to socially distance, wear masks and regularly wash their hands. Classrooms will need to be deep-cleaned regularly.

If your only metric of success is how the virus spreads, then it would seem that there is no way that schools can re-open. But, I would urge you to consider other metrics. You may still come to the same conclusion, but you will likely have a deeper compassion for those with whom you disagree. Some other metrics to consider: mental health, social development, educational growth to name a few. Also, you should know that there is a direct correlation between a person's economic status and their health. As the economy contracts, it will take a toll on people's health, and fewer people will be able to see a doctor, and yes, more people will die. So I want to remind you that you have not solved the problem, you have simply picked the bad choice that works best for you under your circumstances.

What will happen to the children of the workers who don't enjoy your circumstances? Much of the economy must be done on-site and in-person. Food is produced, shipped and stocked in stores, where people working around the minimum wage are asked to become essential workers. There are people all along the supply change who are making it possible for you to quarantine. Many of them do not have college degrees, and their life was no picnic before Covid-19, and yet many are still doing their jobs. You can't propose shutting down schools without providing some means of caring for their children. The irony in closing schools is that you will not seal the bubble, but create a population of unsupervised children wandering around the neighborhood without masks. You’ve only sealed your bubble.

But wait, it gets trickier, because whatever outcome we select has to be palatable to a supermajority of people. This is tricky, because it will require that the ultimate decision pull in a significant number of the never-maskers, and the never-leave-homers alike. Sounds impossible, right? The people who believe that wearing a mask infringes on their liberty will have to give some ground, and that might seem easy, but imagine that you have been minimizing the harm your naked face might potentially do, and now having to acknowledge that for the past few months you have disregarded other people's well-being to a lethal degree. On the flip side, the folks who have been berating others for not wearing a mask may need to realize why they are wearing a mask in the first place: so they can engage in the basic activities that humans engage in. That includes education.

Many people are staying home for a good reason. Some of them belong to at-risk categories. They will be staying home regardless, and that will certainly include teachers who will be able to virtually educate those children. While that may open up some space it won't be enough. Whether in a class-room, on a bus or in a cafeteria, there will need to be fewer kids in schools, and that can only be accomplished by alternating in-person teaching for kids. The compromise is that kids will be in school but not every day.

I can tell you what this looks like from experience. This summer I taught in-person for the Governor's Scholars Program in Kentucky. Kids wore masks all day, and we were strict about keeping kids six feet apart. Classes were half as big so as to ensure that there were no more than ten people in a room. If you asked these kids if participating in this program under these conditions was worth it, they would universally say "yes." I was skeptical about the program at first, but I am glad I did it. I understand that there was a risk to my safety, but I also believed that minimizing the risk was within my control.

If you think your children will not wear masks, they will. If you think that going to school two days a week isn't worth it, it is. Yes, it will be a challenge, but one that we can do. People are already doing it all over the world. If that seems too rosy for you, it is based on grim necessity. People say we're in the middle of a pandemic, but I think that is a rosy assessment. We are in the beginning of a pandemic that will be present for the rest of the school year at least. We need to provide a system of education for our children that is not constructed in piece-meal increments, one that addresses the needs of all our citizens, and most important of all, one that is sustainable.

I am a teacher, and I can do this, and I can tell you that your children can do this as well. In fact, your children can do this better than you think. Yes, children can wear masks all day. Yes, they can socially distance with adult supervision. Teachers have a lot of experience enforcing rules, and so do kids. If you want more adults to wear masks, send their kids to schools where they have to wear masks. Even if your district won't open, I strongly urge you to create social groups for your children where they can learn to follow these rules, and interact with others. Parents who home-school have been doing this all along, because a parent can teach math, english and history, but kids learn about society through each other.