I am becoming increasingly alarmed about the devastation,on many levels,being caused by this Covid pandemic. I am even more alarmed by the blindness and mismanagement of the crisis by our governments and it’s “experts”. These “experts” are very knowledgeable about their fields and their studies .On the other hand ,they are deaf and blind to the Reality around them! So they often make the wrong recommendations -as they did about the masks at the beginning of this pandemic.And it was SO obvious! Only a wooly-minded academic could have missed that point.”Not enough studies, yet” is their pathetic mantra!
As I and many other ordinary individuals around me observe,the problem is the children! They are still in crowded classrooms and daycares and they are bringing the virus back home to their parents and elders.I just have to walk down the street from my home and observe the day-cares and public schools and the problem is screaming out at me!Just yesterday,I was at the dentist and saw a local high -school student waiting for her appointment.She was wearing the school sweater,so with my usual chutzpah I addressed her saying:”How many children are in your class?’ “Twenty-five she responded.”And how many were in your class before the Covid?” “Twenty-five”. There’s the problem! The classrooms are still overcrowded-in most cases!
And make no mistake about it.This is not simply a Trumpian problem!Much better managers than him- in Quebec, in France, in England,in Italy are having trouble managing this pandemic.But they all have one thing in common.They want to keep the schools open.We know why that is! The schools are also day-cares for the children-more importantly,socially speaking, than centres of education.And the parents don’t know what to do with them!Nor does the government!
So here is my suggestion;If we want to get a handle on this virus,we need to reconfigure society’s method of childcare.We need to do,at least for the meantime,collective homeschooling-with the help of the teachers.Here is how it would work.Families with children in the same classroom should be grouped in 3’s or 4’s and take care of the children collectively.Preferably this would be families living close together.This collective childcare would allow for people to work 3 out of four or four out of 5 days, and the other days when they would be on call,so to speak ,to monitor their childrens’ educational process.The relevant classroom teachers would then be a resource for these families rather than on-site teachers.All schools unable to socially distance i.e. the vast majority would have to be closed until further notice!
Yes,this would be a major undertaking.However,if we don’t do it,we could lose millions of lives more-until we get to herd immunity-with or without the vaccine..Which is worse?!
On a deeper sociological,humanistic level we should be asking ourselves questions about our current social organization.Have we not gone too far in institutionalizing the care of human beings.The elders are confined to homes! We saw where that led with the Covid. And now it is the institutionalization of childcare,somewhat more subtle in its effects but toxic to the heart and soul nevertheless.Where are we going with all of this?! I don’t see us heading in the right direction i.e. creating more human happiness and satisfaction.Instead we are creating stressed-out robots everywhere.God Help us!