I sent this message today. BTS and South Korea's President Moon spoke at the UN Sustainable Development Goals Moment 2021 this morning about how global crises connect us all and the solutions and improvements to avoid further crises need to come from us all working creatively and flexibly...together.
I think it fits what I tried to convey in my letter.
The title I gave to this blog post relates to an interesting video from 2020 that I saw on the BBC this morning. Why Our Understanding of "Survival of the Fittest" is Wrong.
To the WSD Board and Superintendent,
Your job is harder than it has ever been.
Your job is more important than it has ever been.
I continue to hope you are able to close your eyes and take a long, deep, full breath in, hold it for a moment, and then let it out slowly and exhale fully. Paying attention to that rise and fall can be a reminder of how nothing stays the same forever.
From the outside, it appears this county and district are attempting an experiment to see how loose we can be with pandemic protocols. No mask mandates nor mandatory quarantining of close contacts seems to be on the outer edges of practices nationwide and beyond.
I'm not one to just "do what everyone else is doing". But in certain cases, group thought is extremely powerful. Watching the United Nations assembly speeches in NYC today reminded me of the benefits of us all working together as a worldwide species. Of the necessity, as well.
I'd like to ask that testing in schools be reconsidered, especially if masks are going to continue to be optional, which I would also ask you to reconsider. There has to be money for testing and even offering masks. Let's help understand this pandemic and help our kids safely stay in school or get them safely learning off-campus if they are positive and until they are not positive.
My 15 year old has been notified 4 times at South of close contact. We tested him on Friday because he had symptoms but because it came back negative, we sent him back today. I have no idea if he had it and we just didn't find it. If he could get tested 4 times at school, I'd be much more confident. You could be more confident, too.
This past week saw the anniversary of the signing of the Constitution, but it also saw the anniversary of the battle of Antietam, which occurred in the Civil War fight over "states' rights". We need to encourage the full understanding of our past and present- both the golden and the tainted bits. The speeches by students and the Sept board meeting said a lot. I ask you to emphasize and encourage the ideals of inclusion and acceptance of all within the district. All people who act in ways that help the overall whole should *all* be valued members of the community with the same rights and opportunities.
It's a huge job.
Your job is harder than it has ever been.
Your job is more important than it has ever been.
Thank you.
To the WSD Board and Superintendent,
Your job is harder than it has ever been.
Your job is more important than it has ever been.
I continue to hope you are able to close your eyes and take a long, deep, full breath in, hold it for a moment, and then let it out slowly and exhale fully. Paying attention to that rise and fall can be a reminder of how nothing stays the same forever.
From the outside, it appears this county and district are attempting an experiment to see how loose we can be with pandemic protocols. No mask mandates nor mandatory quarantining of close contacts seems to be on the outer edges of practices nationwide and beyond.
I'm not one to just "do what everyone else is doing". But in certain cases, group thought is extremely powerful. Watching the United Nations assembly speeches in NYC today reminded me of the benefits of us all working together as a worldwide species. Of the necessity, as well.
I'd like to ask that testing in schools be reconsidered, especially if masks are going to continue to be optional, which I would also ask you to reconsider. There has to be money for testing and even offering masks. Let's help understand this pandemic and help our kids safely stay in school or get them safely learning off-campus if they are positive and until they are not positive.
My 15 year old has been notified 4 times at South of close contact. We tested him on Friday because he had symptoms but because it came back negative, we sent him back today. I have no idea if he had it and we just didn't find it. If he could get tested 4 times at school, I'd be much more confident. You could be more confident, too.
This past week saw the anniversary of the signing of the Constitution, but it also saw the anniversary of the battle of Antietam, which occurred in the Civil War fight over "states' rights". We need to encourage the full understanding of our past and present- both the golden and the tainted bits. The speeches by students and the Sept board meeting said a lot. I ask you to emphasize and encourage the ideals of inclusion and acceptance of all within the district. All people who act in ways that help the overall whole should *all* be valued members of the community with the same rights and opportunities.
It's a huge job.
Your job is harder than it has ever been.
Your job is more important than it has ever been.
Thank you.
