Public Education has done its best to accommodate the needs of the great multitude of children that have come under its care. Infractions and inconsistencies could be pointed out, yet the goal to meet the need of a decent education for all our children has generally been fulfilled.
All this despite budget shortfalls and the tremendous workload placed on the shoulders of your average teacher. Schools and faculty are constantly challenged, yet their best efforts have been rewarded. They have managed to address most needs and transmit a reasonably sound education for all. This brings us to the present day, the close of the 2019-2020 school year and the threat of a contagious disease.
We’ve arrived at an incredible, unexpected crossroad. Physical distancing, wearing masks and virus testing present even greater challenges than there were before. For the near future, this precarious health condition does not appear to be going away.
When school opens in August, a few ideas have come to surface. One might be to split classes in half and have students come every other day, with the off days spent on lessons at home on the computer. This may help to mitigate the distancing concern, yet it falls short in meeting the needs of all children.
More to come…
© June 2020 Jess L. Roat