Corona dots

In movies, there is often a part where there is action, then a pause and a shot that says ‘5 years later…’ and then more action. I’ve noticed that much of life passes in the three little points. Most of life exists in the ellipsis. Three little dots.

This will be one of those years that I don’t think I’ll remember except as a blur. It’s Corona life. In my country, we won’t shut down again entirely, I don’t think. We’ll call on our citizens to protect ourselves, wash our hands, limit our contact and the numbers of people we see, and hope that everyone understands. We have a good relationship with our government here, so it might work.

I’ve figured out a way to leverage my students. Last year, they sort of got a free pass. If they had passing grades the first semester, they passed the whole year. Kids who were also not passing at first but we getting better by the time we shut down in March also passed.

We won’t do that if kids have only had the first 8 weeks of school. Our authorities want to make sure that everyone has an equal chance in their studies, and they don’t when they’re at home. Some families are piled into tiny apartments where it’s hard to study, others not, and the authorities have decided that if it’s not fair, we shouldn’t count it. Not to mention the fact that if the kids stay home, there has to be someone to watch the younger ones, so parents are stuck at home, too.

So that’s my leverage on them. “If you don’t respect the rules, you’re likely to have to do this year over again. You’re not going to get a free pass for an entire year after 8 weeks of school.” So maybe that will motivate them to be careful when they’re out with their friends.

I’ve had two sick students (one a little, one more so), and many in quarantine. I’m really happy not to shut down.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved the shut down because I could be with my partner all day and all night for a few months. He lives four hours away and it was wonderful. However, part of my identity comes from my job. I love being a teacher. I love learning things from my kids. They can be so totally self-absorbed, but that takes them to interesting places.

They’ve got a heavy charge on them, trying to live in the mess that we’re leaving them. I hope they don’t veer from one crisis to another in their adult lives. I hope we leave them some space to live in the ellipsis.