Good morning. Spoke with our daughter yesterday. She is scared to death. So many students and staff at her high school are sick. School administrators have NO plans but to carry on.
so sorry, JPD. Sadly, administrators have absolutely no choice but to carry on. And that is horribly wrong.
How can anyone not be scared. I’m willing to bet she is as scared for her fellow staff members and the kids she loves as she is for herself. Is this the education folks wanted when they said remote didn’t work? It ain’t working
Tracy is on a tear this morning. I’m not sure of all of her rolls. She is a SC member in worchester, she works with schools on superintendent replacement….I suspect there is more. She has been very vocal since last July about how absolutely wrong it was to put kids and staff into schools while ignoring all accurate guidance. As have I which you all know. But everyone ignored what was clearly accurate.
How can anyone not be scared. I’m willing to bet she is as scared for her fellow staff members and the kids she loves as she is for herself. Is this the education folks wanted when they said remote didn’t work? It ain’t working
I still think this country’s plan is to let the virus rip and deal with the fallout, if any. If people die, so what. Just carry on. Reminiscent of the previous administration.
I’m certainly not Joshua but my guess is just a blip. I doubt just one city is any serious trend.
JPD, you are correct about this Administration’s current response, and really the response since last summer/late spring. It’s the same as the Trump Administration’s response. The Who put it well back in 1974: “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.” Now, by this I do not mean that Biden and Trump are the same. They clearly are not. But, the Covid-19 policies are the same and have been for quite some time. I would even go so far as to say U.S. policy is the most laissez-faire among wealthy, industrialized nations, with perhaps one or two exceptions, such as Switzerland.
My biggest issue with both Administrations was/is the lack of honesty and transparency. Both Administrations politicized the response, and both claimed science was driving decisions. No, politics and the economy were/are driving decisions. I’d rather be told the truth and indeed just live with the virus and all the consequences, than be treated like I’m an ignorant fool who can’t tell that the public health policies at this point are not science-driven.
I absolutely agree except we have to be careful not to include school admins in that mix.I think you made that distinction but I also know the average person has only minimal understanding of what DESE has done As said above and previously, DESE took ALL control from them. In many ways that is one of our biggest failures.
This is a copy from last night.
This is beyond serious
The saddest part is that we refused to shut down everything proactively for a short period of time because it would hurt businesses. Now MANY businesses are being forced to shut down.
But forcing and intentional isn’t the same. We remained open long enough to infect thousands, including kids and staff. And we overran our hospitals . And we are doing the same damned thing with schools. We are absolutely incapable of being proactive. We are fools.
Boston Globe…..
“ Omicron whips through the workforce, pushing overstretched staffs to the brink
As Omicron whips through the workforce, caregiving agencies are turning away new patients. Restaurants are shutting down. Construction jobs are being delayed. Retailers, including Macy’s, are limiting hours.
And some small business owners are at the breaking point.
The colossally contagious COVID-19 variant emerged at the worst possible time for employers, as workers — many of them vaccinated and eager to socialize — were gathering with family members over the holidays. Infections flattened entire families at once in some cases. And for organizations that don’t have the luxury of allowing people to work remotely, the surge in positive cases is exacerbating a long-simmering staffing crisis that has grown even more urgent in recent months as record numbers of people quit their jobs.”
Thanks Vicki for your concern regarding the MBTA Commuter rail staff shortage, but I never use it. I only posted it as contributing to this side of the blog.
I do wonder though if this spreads to the bus and subway parts of the MBTA, then it would greatly affect my commute to work and shopping. I would assume the media will let the public know should that happen.
Vicki, there are signs NYC, Cleveland, and several other metropolitan areas are peaking or just past peak. As I said last week, I think Massachusetts will be doing the same and begin to decline late this week. Granted, as I’ve said before, descending from an Everest pinnacle means you still have a long way to go, with hospitalizations not peaking until the week after or perhaps even later. Furthermore, while I hold out hope that Omicron is the wave that finally ends the pandemic in a few months, that’s hope- and not reality-based. The reality is probably going to be messier. But, there’s nothing wrong with hoping. We do have historic precedent, namely the Spanish Flu. It ended its pandemic phase by way of a milder variant.
My father used to describe the U.S. as “turbulent.” He meant it in a good way. The U.S. tends to be very innovative, and it does so not by meticulous planning, rather it’s innovation through frenetic activity, brainstorming, trial-and-error methods, and bold initiatives in the private sector. At the same time, my father used “turbulence” to describe the downside of America. With a relative degree of political instability compared to many of its peers, a chaotic free-for-all in the marketplace – in which a zero-sum game applies; “I win, you lose” – and a lack of detailed planning by government at the local, state, and federal levels, the U.S. suffers from an often seemingly incompetent (or just non-caring) government and gross inequalities across socioeconomic strata.
Nashua NH schools will close on Monday & Tuesday in advance of staff shortages. The days will be considered as “snow days”.
Sure is a great education our nations kids are getting. A friend in Charleston told me a couple of months ago that she was tired of having her child used as a political pawn. We should be very proud that Massachusetts and many other states are doing the very same thing
Agree with this tweet. It’s going to be a flattening/plateau/slight to eventually moderate decline, and not a precipitous fall. The tail in the U.S. will be much longer than in Europe. https://twitter.com/bijans/status/1480214713480921090
Another assessment I concur with. See tweet below. I do understand the Biden Administration’s political calculation last spring and early summer. But, once it was obvious that breakthrough cases were common – as they were with Delta, not just Omicron – and that the waves were heavily impacting the U.S., that should have forced the Administration to alter course. It did not, but pretended to be proactive with respect to Covid-19. It was and is not. Even Sweden has been and still is more proactive with more non-pharmaceutical interventions (exception being masks). https://twitter.com/gregggonsalves/status/1480206982883811333/photo/1
Agree. Politicizing a virus is ludicrous
And impossible. You can’t bend a virus to your will…. And the cost here is in hundreds of thousands of American lives… kind of makes me wonder re: our own eulogy-Joe. Not to be inflammatory but I wonder if having a handpicked-by-the-establishment l-when-he-was-age-30, arguably entitled to some degree his entire lifetime, “old-school” white male was the best decision – I voted for him of course but clearly we needed a leader with untold amounts of humility (!!) and the ability and willingness to be flexible to maneuver as the virus dictates.
Instead I feel like we got “Father knows best…” except he doesn’t….
That is an apt description. I was hoping father would,know best. I’m some areas , if he didn’t have a deliberate arm at his back, he would be doing well. I don’t fault him for that. Also, Mrs Jill is steeped in a school mindset. She can’t get past being in school. I literally shake when I hear in school now.
I get a lot of flak for engaging with folks like Dr. Vinay Prasad, who has been a somewhat controversial Covid contrarian at times. He’s actually quite reasonable on the need for vaccination, and he recognizes Covid’s harms to the population, but he minimizes the potential damage Covid does to children and is adamantly opposed to the use of non-pharmaceutical interventions, especially in schools. But, I’ve always wanted to seek a common ground with those I (often) disagree with. Unless they’re purposely doing harm – I don’t believe Prasad is doing that – I try to find spaces where there is agreement, or areas where we can agree to disagree. From there, we can actually be constructive as opposed to demonizing the other side. Vinay and I disagree vehemently about certain things. But, we agree on other things, like targeted boosting. We maintain a civil debate on Twitter and also in personal emails and exchanges.
I love that. I don’t understand getting flack for reaching out to someone you do not agree with.
This is part of the reason I had to teach myself (lesson still being learned) to ignore folks on social media. Most are there simply to create disagreements.
I learned long ago that if you work to a respectful conversation you can find some common ground with most anyone. Some of my favorite discussions are with folks who stand on the opposite side of a topic.
I liked the discussion here the other day. I didn’t agree but then others didn’t agree with me. And that is as it should be. But the more we talked, the more the conversation evolved to a common point. I’m looking forward to getting back to the discussion of schools with Deb. I’m a bit preoccupied with something at the moment so short (maybe pithy) comments are best I can do.
in case anyone is laughing….remember, the above really is short for me 🙂 🙂
For me too!!
😉
So true, Vicki, about the civil discussion the other day.
Yes – so rare to have actual, informative and lively friendly discourse – I miss it enormously because how much fun can an echo chamber be after all? I so valued the school discussions here – as with that issue (and as a mom) I see both sides so clearly – it’s an impossible situation – a sophie’s choice. But the thought of being in fear of going to work – like JpD’s child who teaches – that I cannot imagine and I do think that’s way too big an ask of a profession whose members already gives too much for too little.
Good morning. Spoke with our daughter yesterday. She is scared to death. So many students and staff at her high school are sick. School administrators have NO plans but to carry on.
so sorry, JPD. Sadly, administrators have absolutely no choice but to carry on. And that is horribly wrong.
How can anyone not be scared. I’m willing to bet she is as scared for her fellow staff members and the kids she loves as she is for herself. Is this the education folks wanted when they said remote didn’t work? It ain’t working
Tracy is on a tear this morning. I’m not sure of all of her rolls. She is a SC member in worchester, she works with schools on superintendent replacement….I suspect there is more. She has been very vocal since last July about how absolutely wrong it was to put kids and staff into schools while ignoring all accurate guidance. As have I which you all know. But everyone ignored what was clearly accurate.
How can anyone not be scared. I’m willing to bet she is as scared for her fellow staff members and the kids she loves as she is for herself. Is this the education folks wanted when they said remote didn’t work? It ain’t working
https://twitter.com/tracynovick/status/1480157370026180611?s=21
I still think this country’s plan is to let the virus rip and deal with the fallout, if any. If people die, so what. Just carry on. Reminiscent of the previous administration.
Thank you, TK!
Thanks TK.
Is this a blip or a good sign?
https://twitter.com/cohokelly/status/1479081994873094146?s=21
I’m certainly not Joshua but my guess is just a blip. I doubt just one city is any serious trend.
JPD, you are correct about this Administration’s current response, and really the response since last summer/late spring. It’s the same as the Trump Administration’s response. The Who put it well back in 1974: “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.” Now, by this I do not mean that Biden and Trump are the same. They clearly are not. But, the Covid-19 policies are the same and have been for quite some time. I would even go so far as to say U.S. policy is the most laissez-faire among wealthy, industrialized nations, with perhaps one or two exceptions, such as Switzerland.
My biggest issue with both Administrations was/is the lack of honesty and transparency. Both Administrations politicized the response, and both claimed science was driving decisions. No, politics and the economy were/are driving decisions. I’d rather be told the truth and indeed just live with the virus and all the consequences, than be treated like I’m an ignorant fool who can’t tell that the public health policies at this point are not science-driven.
I absolutely agree except we have to be careful not to include school admins in that mix.I think you made that distinction but I also know the average person has only minimal understanding of what DESE has done As said above and previously, DESE took ALL control from them. In many ways that is one of our biggest failures.
This is a copy from last night.
This is beyond serious
The saddest part is that we refused to shut down everything proactively for a short period of time because it would hurt businesses. Now MANY businesses are being forced to shut down.
But forcing and intentional isn’t the same. We remained open long enough to infect thousands, including kids and staff. And we overran our hospitals . And we are doing the same damned thing with schools. We are absolutely incapable of being proactive. We are fools.
Boston Globe…..
“ Omicron whips through the workforce, pushing overstretched staffs to the brink
As Omicron whips through the workforce, caregiving agencies are turning away new patients. Restaurants are shutting down. Construction jobs are being delayed. Retailers, including Macy’s, are limiting hours.
And some small business owners are at the breaking point.
The colossally contagious COVID-19 variant emerged at the worst possible time for employers, as workers — many of them vaccinated and eager to socialize — were gathering with family members over the holidays. Infections flattened entire families at once in some cases. And for organizations that don’t have the luxury of allowing people to work remotely, the surge in positive cases is exacerbating a long-simmering staffing crisis that has grown even more urgent in recent months as record numbers of people quit their jobs.”
Thanks Vicki for your concern regarding the MBTA Commuter rail staff shortage, but I never use it. I only posted it as contributing to this side of the blog.
I do wonder though if this spreads to the bus and subway parts of the MBTA, then it would greatly affect my commute to work and shopping. I would assume the media will let the public know should that happen.
Vicki, there are signs NYC, Cleveland, and several other metropolitan areas are peaking or just past peak. As I said last week, I think Massachusetts will be doing the same and begin to decline late this week. Granted, as I’ve said before, descending from an Everest pinnacle means you still have a long way to go, with hospitalizations not peaking until the week after or perhaps even later. Furthermore, while I hold out hope that Omicron is the wave that finally ends the pandemic in a few months, that’s hope- and not reality-based. The reality is probably going to be messier. But, there’s nothing wrong with hoping. We do have historic precedent, namely the Spanish Flu. It ended its pandemic phase by way of a milder variant.
My father used to describe the U.S. as “turbulent.” He meant it in a good way. The U.S. tends to be very innovative, and it does so not by meticulous planning, rather it’s innovation through frenetic activity, brainstorming, trial-and-error methods, and bold initiatives in the private sector. At the same time, my father used “turbulence” to describe the downside of America. With a relative degree of political instability compared to many of its peers, a chaotic free-for-all in the marketplace – in which a zero-sum game applies; “I win, you lose” – and a lack of detailed planning by government at the local, state, and federal levels, the U.S. suffers from an often seemingly incompetent (or just non-caring) government and gross inequalities across socioeconomic strata.
Nashua NH schools will close on Monday & Tuesday in advance of staff shortages. The days will be considered as “snow days”.
Sure is a great education our nations kids are getting. A friend in Charleston told me a couple of months ago that she was tired of having her child used as a political pawn. We should be very proud that Massachusetts and many other states are doing the very same thing
Agree with this tweet. It’s going to be a flattening/plateau/slight to eventually moderate decline, and not a precipitous fall. The tail in the U.S. will be much longer than in Europe. https://twitter.com/bijans/status/1480214713480921090
Sadly, I agree also
To your excellent point….I think
https://twitter.com/erictopol/status/1480219540222971908?s=21
Oh my. California
https://twitter.com/erictopol/status/1480226869366562819?s=21
Another assessment I concur with. See tweet below. I do understand the Biden Administration’s political calculation last spring and early summer. But, once it was obvious that breakthrough cases were common – as they were with Delta, not just Omicron – and that the waves were heavily impacting the U.S., that should have forced the Administration to alter course. It did not, but pretended to be proactive with respect to Covid-19. It was and is not. Even Sweden has been and still is more proactive with more non-pharmaceutical interventions (exception being masks). https://twitter.com/gregggonsalves/status/1480206982883811333/photo/1
Agree. Politicizing a virus is ludicrous
And impossible. You can’t bend a virus to your will…. And the cost here is in hundreds of thousands of American lives… kind of makes me wonder re: our own eulogy-Joe. Not to be inflammatory but I wonder if having a handpicked-by-the-establishment l-when-he-was-age-30, arguably entitled to some degree his entire lifetime, “old-school” white male was the best decision – I voted for him of course but clearly we needed a leader with untold amounts of humility (!!) and the ability and willingness to be flexible to maneuver as the virus dictates.
Instead I feel like we got “Father knows best…” except he doesn’t….
That is an apt description. I was hoping father would,know best. I’m some areas , if he didn’t have a deliberate arm at his back, he would be doing well. I don’t fault him for that. Also, Mrs Jill is steeped in a school mindset. She can’t get past being in school. I literally shake when I hear in school now.
I get a lot of flak for engaging with folks like Dr. Vinay Prasad, who has been a somewhat controversial Covid contrarian at times. He’s actually quite reasonable on the need for vaccination, and he recognizes Covid’s harms to the population, but he minimizes the potential damage Covid does to children and is adamantly opposed to the use of non-pharmaceutical interventions, especially in schools. But, I’ve always wanted to seek a common ground with those I (often) disagree with. Unless they’re purposely doing harm – I don’t believe Prasad is doing that – I try to find spaces where there is agreement, or areas where we can agree to disagree. From there, we can actually be constructive as opposed to demonizing the other side. Vinay and I disagree vehemently about certain things. But, we agree on other things, like targeted boosting. We maintain a civil debate on Twitter and also in personal emails and exchanges.
I love that. I don’t understand getting flack for reaching out to someone you do not agree with.
This is part of the reason I had to teach myself (lesson still being learned) to ignore folks on social media. Most are there simply to create disagreements.
I learned long ago that if you work to a respectful conversation you can find some common ground with most anyone. Some of my favorite discussions are with folks who stand on the opposite side of a topic.
I liked the discussion here the other day. I didn’t agree but then others didn’t agree with me. And that is as it should be. But the more we talked, the more the conversation evolved to a common point. I’m looking forward to getting back to the discussion of schools with Deb. I’m a bit preoccupied with something at the moment so short (maybe pithy) comments are best I can do.
in case anyone is laughing….remember, the above really is short for me 🙂 🙂
For me too!!
😉
So true, Vicki, about the civil discussion the other day.
Yes – so rare to have actual, informative and lively friendly discourse – I miss it enormously because how much fun can an echo chamber be after all? I so valued the school discussions here – as with that issue (and as a mom) I see both sides so clearly – it’s an impossible situation – a sophie’s choice. But the thought of being in fear of going to work – like JpD’s child who teaches – that I cannot imagine and I do think that’s way too big an ask of a profession whose members already gives too much for too little.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. https://twitter.com/stevesilberman/status/1480250078812323840
C-19
for
1-10
is
ready