Day 122- There is no Plan

This whole school reopening thing is really, really stressful.  Earlier this week, I joined a Facebook group of Massachusetts teachers.  It's been really helpful to know that I'm not alone.  It's also been anxiety inducing because people are bringing up really good points, like not tying shoes and not opening snack containers anymore.  Someone else posted a list of over one hundred questions that need to be considered 😱  And then you have the administration demanding the CDC change the guidelines (that should be requirements) and internal CDC memos being leaked that say returning to school isn't safe.

I do believe districts want to create safe environments for staff and students but when they are using CDC guidelines that may or may not change and are only "guidelines" and not requirements its super stressful.  I hear a lot of people saying kids need to return to school for socialization and normalcy.  Well, the school they are returning to probably won't be able to really provide either of those things.  I also really worry about going back to school and then having to switch back to remote learning.  That kind of change could be just as bad for kids as staying virtual.  

Then there's this.  Our R0 number is going up in Massachusetts.  I think people here have a false sense of security because we are getting really high marks for our response (and we should) but indoor dining, gyms, etc. shouldn't be happening now.  If you look at the case counts, like JO and I do every morning, you will see that our cases aren't really going down as much as staying flat.  Who knows what September will look like.

Anyways, this has really been weighing on my mind because of my dad.  I have only seen him three times in person for very brief visits since this whole thing started.  If I go back to in school teaching, I won't be able to risk visiting him in person anymore.  How sad is that?  It's really, really sad.

Speaking of dad, we visited him yesterday to drop off groceries.  When we entered the apartment we realized there was another problem.  His apartment smelled like gas!!!!!!  After much debate, I won out and called the emergency number.  Good thing we did since the technician told us the oven was broken and the gas was just constantly on.  😱😱😱

After that craziness, JO and I headed home to enjoy dinner, cocktails, and a movie.  We watched the movie Palm Springs, a new take on Groundhog's Day.  It was really cute, but didn't really have anything to do with Palm Springs.

And finally, doesn't Denali look dapper in his new "my kitty mom was bored and primed me this" bowtie???