So, we've finished our two opening weeks where I teach high school. Half the student body attending class each week, the other half staying home and doing nothing. Supposedly, that was just so that we could get to know our students before we went the distance-learning (a stupid neologism, IMO) route.
This coming week will be all distance learning. Then we have the 3-day Labor Day weekend. And come back to full-on face-to-face, classrooms full school until further notice.
We were told that such a decision would be made after three consecutive weeks of lower COVID cases in our county. But we have not had three such weeks. And statewide, we are at record levels for deaths.
So, on 8 September, we'll be open for business with over 1,000 students in full classrooms rotating their germs and spit and slobber and sneezes from one classroom to the next, through the halls and bathrooms, at the end of every hour. They'll be masked in classrooms, and are supposed to be masked in the hallways (although I've had to make some corrections), but not at lunch, so that they can eat. And converse. In close proximity.
As teachers, we feel somewhat lied to and not unlike guinea pigs. I've not heard of any who think that this is a good idea or that it will hold up for very long. But no worry! We are told that if there is a severe COVID outbreak at our school we'll go back to the distance-learning model. Back to it? Yes, back. Even though we've never done one day of full-student-body distance learning, we'll go "back" to it if there's a severe outbreak.
In the better--and far more important!--news, our 3-time-defending-state-champ football team stomped the #4 team in the next higher division last night. And maybe that's what it's all about. Maybe we couldn't play football if we were not actually holding class in the school building.