Today @danfrench will be on @vermontedition - an opportunity for #VTEd (& everyone) to ask questions.

This has me reflecting back on this week's press conference & that wild exchange about educators yesterday...

One of the patterns I'm noticing (both in myself & others) is binary thinking.

I often hear conversations about reopening schools as one about "educators" OR "families." Not only does this fail to grapple with the fact that many educators ARE parents, but also leaves out...

... the complexity of family at this time (those caring for older relatives, fostering & engaging in community care).

This is one of many ways in which it feels educators are being framed outside of the families we love & serve.

I'm also troubled by "school closure" as a phrase (I wish I remembered who first brought my attention to this idea, if you know, feel free to link them below).

School closure feels appropriate for a snow day (wondering if we've seen the last of those...) but not for...

... a time of crisis education and remote learning when "school" was not at all closed.

Not only did education continue, but also schools were delivering meals, dropping off supplies, connecting with families, meeting around the clock to reshape plans, engaging in PD, etc.

The language of "school closure" can allow folx (*ahem*) to slip into the idea that we (educators, administration, food service workers, bus drivers, on & on) were unresponsive from March on and, to borrow a phrase, laden with "downtime."

The other line of thinking I see is that remote learning is not as powerful a tool for child development.

First, I want to offer that I likely agree. Second, I wouldn't call March - June "remote."

Like many others, I often use the phrasing "crisis education."

I have yet to hear, with any confidence, that VT schools will not be remote at some point this year (whether because there are "clusters" or because of the heightened flu season around the corner).

Knowing that what stands between these ever-evolving plans & remote learning...

... is a surge of illness & possibly worse, I can't wrap my head around why the state is waiting.

The statement from Governor Scott that we (Vermont residents) must be prepared for "clusters" connected to schools is the worst of my nightmares come true.

Knowing that our students, their families, my colleagues, could be battling life-threatening illness & long-term effects (that medical professionals have yet to fully understand) because we went to school... how do I possibly sleep at night?

When Deputy Secretary Bouchey responded to the question about educator anxiety with "more movement breaks," it felt like what Dena Simmons calls social emotional learning gone wrong: "white supremacy with a hug."

Educators in Vermont are now being called "frontline workers" and asked to "pitch in & do more."

To me, this suggests that we (educators) haven't been "doing more" all along.

It reminds me of the expression "be flexible" - at what point do we bend so far we break?

A few months ago, Carla Shalaby described what COULD BE the lesson of this moment.

The lesson of this moment COULD BE that it is our collective responsibility to care for the most vulnerable among us.

What if that was the place from which decisions were made?

What if families had their food & material needs met?

What if we invested in a robust mental health care system that eased pressures at home & in society?

What if schools were centers of learning (virtually or in person) rather than simply a mechanism to reopen the economy?

What if when educators pushed back against reopening plans we weren't seen as lazy or self-interested, but rather experts in our field with a deep concern for our community?