The Absurd Non Sequitur: School in the Midst of Covid

More than 3,660,300 people in the United States have been infected with coronavirus and at least 139,100 people have died at the time of the writing of this post. The White House says it is safe for children to return to brick and mortar type education. Ask any public school educator and you will hear the cry of an absurd--and I might add insane, example of a non sequitur--the description we use for a statement that does not follow logically from the facts.

This post will be short and to the point. What follows are the recent statements made from the White House Rose Garden:

• Trump says children and parents are dying from the trauma of not going back to school.

False. No one is dying from not being in school. Kids and adults have a greater chance of  getting sick and dying if they go to school, even with masks and social distancing.

• Mrs. Mike Pence says that kids are struggling...they need their friends, teachers, and routine.

 Good alternatives through various media sources are available for the short term, every public school district is supplying laptops and hot spots for students currently  without them. Students can easily interact with friends through ZOOM, Face Time, What's App, texts and emails.

• Mike Pence says many children need mental services that they can receive only at school.

Many public schools have counselors but not psychologists. Their job is so inundated  with scheduling that, although they would prefer it, they rarely have time to see kids with  emotional needs.  Special education students may receive additional help. This has, however, never been a reason for kids to attend school. Public services are available for children and families in crisis.

• Mike Pence also says that schools should open for the academic and intellectual development of our children.

While in-school learning has obvious advantages, it lacks rich opportunities for improving computer skills and thinking outside the box. School at home also teaches students to use the flexibility it offers to their advantage, more time to work on essays or projects or reading assignments. Thanks to technology, teachers can now read and comment on essays at the same time students are writing them from home. ZOOM and email enable teachers to work with individual students who need extra help.

• The White House says there is no substitute for in-class learning.

Public schools are not looking for a substitute for in-class learning. There is no substitute, but that really isn't the point. Educators are planning for an alternative. There is a difference between substitute and alternative, but one is not better than the other; it's just different, and in the current pandemic, different is an excellent choice!

Let's return to the new Lambent Literacy word non sequitur. This word is directly from Latin and it means it does not follow. Its first known use in English was 1540, and it was often used to imply that the inference seems to appear from out of the blue.

And that's the way the White House's demand for sending kids into a burning building feels--out of the blue without any logic. In fact, not protecting our future resources, our legacy, our precious children and the circle of people whom they might infect is seriously irresponsible for the leaders of our nation.

Let's stop underestimating the adaptability and creativity of our children as well as the public education system. Perhaps if we stopped thinking of children as fragile, we might teach them what it takes to be strong, to persevere, to work hard to get what they want instead of having it handed to them.

We can do this! No one is going to fall behind academically if the adults in our kids' lives will get on board and view at-home school as a brilliant learning opportunity that is just as, if not more challenging and rewarding as sitting in a classroom.