They Emerged

The people where I live emerged from their places of quarantine by the middle of May. The teachers at the school where I have my classroom, returned to work to clean out classrooms and do a drive by pick up for students to retrieve their things. We were all wearing masks and gloves, and practicing physical distancing as much as possible.

Here we are, two weeks later, and in our county, it is “every man for himself”. The mayor has sent a clear directive to the citizens that there will be no “new normal”. Everyone is free to do whatever they want, with no regard for others. Those who are “scared” are told to just stay home. I suppose that is one way to open back up.

We had a medical scare in our home last week. My mom fainted, and her vitals all dropped really, really low. We got her to the hospital by ambulance. They ruled out a heart attack and a stroke. She was a little dehydrated. They kept her overnight, and sent her home the next day with an oxygen tank. This week will be follow up appointments for her. Everyone in our home was afraid that she may have contracted COVID-19. I sterilized everything in my dad’s living space, and he started wearing a mask in the house. The hospital did not rule out COVID-19, as they just didn’t think she had it. A few days after my mom came home, I braved the dentist office to get a root canal. After being there a while, the dentist and assistant started talking about how the air conditioner there had been broken for the last five days, and wasn’t expected to be fixed for another five days! So……my fears become reality. I trust no one on these matters, so I took it upon myself to get tested, as I would have been the one to bring it home. What a relief when my test was negative…. The not knowing can be worrisome, and it left me planning for how I will return to work at the end of July. Will I need to isolate in my own home as long as I am going into public schools? Will I need to get tested once a week? I just don’t know, but I will not be surprised at much of anything!

The next thing I know, my teen woke me up in the middle of the night to show me the protesting and rioting that was being streamed on YouTube. This was before it was on the news everyday. It seemed so surreal. We all watched the events unfold over the next week.

The county I live in is home to several cultures. We have three small rural schools, each housing kindergarten through high school; many schools within the city limits which are falling apart; and several in the wealthier part of town, which look like castles compared to the city schools. I have had the experience of working in all of our county’s schools. I have also seen the faces of kids from the city schools, when they have first seen one of the fancy schools. It breaks my heart.

When I watch the protestors, and notice the ages of the majority of them, I think about their generation. They have found their voice. May they make the world a better place.

This picture reminds me of my parents, who have shared stories of protests during integration.

With all of this extra time at home, I have been doing some crafting. Little AoA has started the pen pal journey, and we made some little doll dresses for her new friends…