21 Weeks Behind Us (Weekly Update)

 Well, it is now 21 weeks behind us since coronavirus came to Georgia and here is my weekly update.

As you probably know, school started up last week in several counties, Bri started virtual school and she also turned 14. To say it was an eventful week is an understatement. 

This post will be bit of a doozy, so proceed with caution. Ok?

 On a positive note, virtual school has actually been going quite well for B. There have been a few hiccups - such as a couple of canceled zoom meetings or a couple of messed up assignments (on the teacher's end), but other than that, it's been good. All of Bri's teachers seem to be really on the ball. I heard an unfortunate story where some kids were saying bad words and racist comments during a particular zoom meeting on the first day (kids are supposed to mute themselves and of course never say that stuff ever), but we didn't have that experience thank goodness. 

 It's all weird and strange right now - but we are dealing.

 Doug and I sat in all of B's orientations with her just to see what was expected...

She's been handling everything on her own since.

I wrote the following on FB because I'm really proud of Bri right now...

"This girl is really special. I know I am totally biased because I am her mom, but she is has handled all this school change/weirdness this week like a champ. She started a new virtual school life in the midst of a whirlwind of massive national media buzz. And then we threw her birthday in the mix for fun. She doesn't complain and just goes with the flow. I know it all feels super weird for her right now and I know she misses her normalcy, but she knows this is best for our family and it won't last forever. We are going to rest big time this weekend because it is desperately needed for all of us. I'm just super proud of her and wanted to share."

 All of it is true...

 So, several Georgia counties (including ours) opened up last week and it didn't go so well - to say the least. If you didn't hear about Georgia in the news, then you must be living under a rock. Heh.

 

There is no doubt that these counties were trying to prove something by being the first out of the gate - and it backfired. They wanted to rush things, pretend everything could just go back to "normal" and got political with it. It wasn't safe enough - which was wrong, and a lot of people across the country let them know that. I think for the most part they realize now they need to do better and are reassessing things - which is good. (Well, some people realize it. Some people are doubling down and refusing to admit any sort of mistakes. That's frustrating.)

 Let me be clear - I am not against schools opening back up (though I do believe that when virus numbers are crazy high in certain places, they should not). And I am not mad at the teachers and staff who are trying their absolute best to make this all work. I know face to face learning is imperative for some kids. I am angry at the "higher ups" - the administrators and the board of education leaders for messing up. I'm for schools opening back up the right way, and I knew these counties weren't doing it the right way. And it showed last week.

It's difficult because there are so many parents, students and teachers in my neck of the woods who still don't believe this virus is big deal. It's an (scary) ideology that cannot seem to be broken - no matter how much science and data is thrown at them. I am having a really hard time with people constantly saying "If you don't like it, just keep your kid at home!" Well I am doing that. But people act like my family should just hide away in our house until this virus is gone. All people need to do is wear a mask and not smash up against each other to slow the spread. What happened to my family's rights and liberties?

Someone in one of the school FB groups that I read wrote a comment responding to someone else regarding the "choice" parents were given between face to face and virtual learning. She said it better than I could...

 "Satisfying everyone would have been opening school AND requiring masks. They satisfied some. You're, apparently, in the privileged group that had all their wants satisfied. You're blinded by the fact and incorrectly assumed that all parents had a choice. Just because they gave options, doesn't necessarily mean that they had a choice in making their decision." 

 Yes, yes, yes - exactly this...

Believe me, I am beyond grateful that we have the opportunity for B to go virtual through our county. And so far, it's going pretty well. But, I definitely felt I had no other choice - as I'm sure many other parents choosing between virtual and face to face felt.

Unless every kid is wearing a mask in school (especially high school), this virus will easily spread. The kids should at least be mandated to wear masks in the hallways when social distancing is impossible. If they can enforce a dress code, they can enforce mask use. The schools want to appease those who won't do it. And don't even get me started on all of the contact sports I see starting up now too. Of course, we won't know the exact impact of all this interaction until a few weeks from now. 

 And no, kids are not "almost immune" to this virus. They may not die as easily or get quite as sick, but they are not "almost immune." That's insane.

 Up to this point, everything I have predicted since March has pretty much happened. New cases started rising in mid June, about two weeks or so after Memorial Day and have remained high. Certain counties can't open up schools now. Masks are now required in stores. Georgia is averaging 2000-4000 new cases A DAY. With schools opening up, I don't want to even think about it. Let's just hope lessons have been learned. I'll be surprised if I am wrong about any of this. But if I am wrong, I promise I'll own up to it. Unfortunately, only time will tell...

 I still don't think people understand what a "ripple effect" is. These kids going to school without any sort of protection could catch the virus (and be symptomatic or asymptomatic). And then they bring it home to their family and friends. And then it goes out into the community. It's called "community spread." And this thing spreads fast. Again - every decision someone makes nowadays regarding this virus affects everyone in the community. "Worry about yourself" does not apply during a pandemic...

I think the reason I feel the need to keep speaking out on all of this is I know that this virus is not "like the flu" - at all. It is super dangerous for some people. It's not just about dying - it's also about long term effects even after having it. I'm just trying to ring some alarm bells and it's falling on a lot of deaf ears.

 

Please send some good vibes toward Georgia because I think we are going to need it.

On a lighter note, things are slowly starting to progress on the basement (this is just "before" pictures)...

The HVAC people were here last week and the plumber is due this week. I would be thrilled if this was all done by end of October. Fingers crossed.

Something weird did happen that I just have to bring up. There were bad thunderstorms the morning of the first day of school. Like "wake you up out of a deep sleep" kind of thunderstorms. I don't think it has ever stormed like that on the first day of school. It felt like an omen of some sort. And then the crazy week happened.

So then Friday evening, the thunderstorms rolled through again. Like the "end cap" to a really insane week...

Not sure what that meant, but it certainly felt like something.

 So Friday ended with a bang, but Saturday was warm but beautiful. I filled up our little pool, and Bri and I just chilled on Saturday afternoon. It was quiet and good for our souls...

Like I said in my last post, I am not going to dive into politics on here anymore (at least for now) - even though there is SO much I could say - believe me.

I think this might be a good place to stop. Overall, Bri's virtual school week went well. I'm sad this had happened, but we are making it work the best we can. Doug and I will continue to bend over backward to try to make this as comfortable for B as we possibly can.

Say a little prayer for us this week. I'll be back soon.