I tend to shy away from writing when I feel overwhelmed. Probably the opposite of what I should do. Thanks to the prompting of a good friend who I met while on the opposite end of his lens during my modeling days, I’ve decided to go ahead and use this blog as a platform to write about what we are going through at the moment with CoVid-19.
I want to offer a real world perspective…as best as I can. I personally “cannot even” with the celebrities posting about what they are doing. Their reality is not ours. The instagram attention hungry with their vacuous poses and pursuits….no thank you. Not what you’ll see here.
I’ll start with a post I wrote on my Facebook wall just before the school closures. I was inspired to write it because so many people were calling foul on the Los Angeles Unified School District, as well as the much smaller district that I work(ed) for and that my kids attend, for not closing down as quickly as the private schools did. I wrote it because I could see that what was already happening was a clear and painfully distinct division of the classes. That so many people in my city, and perhaps other places as well, live so comfortably numb towards the reality of the rest of us…..and I’m one of the lucky ones with a roof over my kids’ heads and food in the pantry….although now left without work for an indeterminate amount of time. It is a paralyzing reality that those at the top simply cannot share or fathom.
Anyways….without further ado.….my post…..which explains clearly why schools, at least in the USA, are so much more than just a place your children go to learn their ABC’s. Which is why this complete shut down affects children and their families in drastic ways…..
I tend to be a placid person who keeps her “controversial” opinions to herself. I feel like right now I can’t do that. I want to preface my post by saying that I am writing this for awareness and will not entertain any arguments or negative comments. If you are triggered or offended and do not like what I have to say, please keep scrolling. This is how I’ve managed to maintain long lasting relationships with friends and relatives whose values and beliefs often vary wildly from mine.
I feel the need to write this after reading an overwhelming amount of criticism in regards to how the public school districts in my area have not yet decided to shut down the schools (they may soon, we shall see….). Comments such as “Well all of the affluent and private schools are already closed down so they obviously care more about their students”…..which shows me just how much of a division of classes we truly live in.
I, for one, highly respect the way our school districts are weighing everything necessary when it comes to school closures. So should everyone. They obviously DO CARE about the kids. Comments about the “affluent and private schools” are laughable. The gross majority of those families will not be half as affected as so many of us public school families will be. The few scholarship students in those schools will most likely receive some sort of financial aid to assist their families during this time, and the number of those students is small in itself….I know this because I was one of those poor kids at a private school.
Our public school system in the Los Angeles area is home to many disadvantaged students and their families. The districts are taking these families into consideration. Have we become so entitled and desensitized that we do not realize that MANY, not some, of these kids rely on school not just for an education? I hate that I feel the need to list the reasons why, but I feel like so many people are out of touch with the reality that the rest of us live in. So here goes:
-Not everyone can afford childcare or to take extra time off of work. Reality.
-Not all families can afford internet or computers and cannot continue with online schooling. Reality.
-Some kids ONLY eat the free meals they are given at school because their families are destitute. Reality.
-Some kids ONLY find their safe place at school because of dysfunctional family environments such as addiction, abuse, overcrowded living conditions, homelessness. Reality.
-Some kids ONLY get the mental health services they need at school. Reality.
-Some parents work contractually for the schools and will lose all sources of income without sick leave or other benefits. Reality.
-Some kids ONLY get the special education resources they need at school, not to mention, if you do not know what it is like to have a special needs child, then you perhaps do not realize how taxing and overwhelming it can be to have a child at home round the clock without services, professional assistance, or any special outlet. Reality.
-We have a terrible weather forecast for the next 8 days. Some kids only have a real roof over their heads while they are at school. Reality.
Spring Break is coming up and so many of these parents and kids are already struggling to think about how they are going to manage during those two weeks without school and services in session. Even one extra week off could throw so many people into a far more precarious situation than they already are in.
I do my homework. I understand about flattening the curve, and taking precautions. I also understand that there is another side to the coin. Lucky are they that do not know how hard it can be to struggle financially or to be caught between a rock and a hard place during situations like these. I think we all need to think a little more about those people who will suffer before spreading offal about the school districts and why they haven’t shut the schools down yet. They have A LOT of tough decisions to make and things to consider. It is not an enviable task.
Schools may close down as I type this. Just remember, we need to think outside of ourselves and know that the “powers that be” certainly are and we need to trust their actions and what seems like their hesitation. Less criticism and more heart, please.
If you made it to the bottom of this post, thanks for the time and may we all make it out of this as healthily (mentally, physically, and economically) as possible.
header photo by Monoar @pixabay
