Is Our Children Learning?

For our first staff meeting of the year we gathered in Central Park. It was a surreal experience that was somewhat unsettling. It was also a tremendous privilege to have access to this beautiful outside space. Early in our meeting we had to confront the news that the Department of Education and United Federation of Teachers gave conflicting reports as to whether our building's ventilation system is operational. Regardless, we are still expected to be in the building, because the deadline for fixing broken exhaust systems in Sept. 21 - the first day of in person instruction for kids. In other words, there is a different standard of safety for adults than for kids. Even if there's another explanation, that feeling is unshakeable. Source: CNN.com
Throughout the summer I was mostly ambivalent about school reopening. It seemed clear there were no good options available. The chance to return to seeing kids in person was appealing. But as July came to a close, and I started to pay close…