It's safe to say that American teachers are on edge right now. And how could they not be? As of this writing, the US has surpassed 160,000 deaths from the coronavirus, and yet many school districts across the nation are still on track to reopen. (In some cases, they already have.) The mounting stress and confusion of it all is captured in a recent Facebook post that went viral, as it features a running monologue of all the questions kindergarten teachers expect to answer from their students once they return. And the reality of it is honestly quite sobering.
By now, the post has likely wound up in your newsfeeds.
In the last week, it's been shared across Facebook by the thousands, and has led to a fair amount of debate in the process.
"Hi! Welcome to Kindergarten!" it begins. "I'm your teacher, I'm so happy you are in my class!"
The post quickly evolves into a kind of script -- one that gets increasingly sobering as you read through it.
"Sorry you can't see my smile," it continues. "Please don't be frightened, please don't cry … if I could I would hold your hand and guide you down the hall, but I need to keep my distance. Is that your new friend? Please back away! Don't get near anyone."
(If this is putting you on edge already, you're not alone. But it's far from over.)
"We need to be safe!!" the post goes on. "No, I'm not on fire. It's called fog because I'm human and I'm breathing. What's the question … Is COVID-19 killing humans? What did your mom and dad say? I'm not sure how to answer that. Let's just learn our letter sounds. This is 'b'. See my lips, how they tighten and we press together to make that sound? Oh, that's right … you can't see my lips and you can't hear well because my mouth is covered and you're too far away and you're confused and all I want to do is hug you! You can't see me because I'm wearing this mask with a shield over my face. Oh, no, hunny. It's ok. I'm not scary. I'm smiling at you underneath all of this. Come hold my hand … ummm … never mind. Let me give you a hug … errr … Let's take a look at all the toys we will play with this year. Bummer, that's right. Never mind. We can't share toys this year."
Just picturing a scene like this playing out in classrooms this fall is upsetting. And yet, it feels so very real.
"Ok, now let's see if you can write your name … ummmm, that's not how you hold your pencil, here, let me show you," the post continues. "I'll put my hand over your hand and guide you … oh, I mean, let me just show you how to hold it. Put your pointer finger…no that's not pointer … oh, shucks. Never mind, we'll be using computers most of the time anyways, who needs to learn pencil grip?! Here's your Chrome Book. Isn't it cool? No, it's not a touch screen like your mommy's phone or your tablet … that's a keyboard it has letters on it. Yes I'm going to teach you how to use it. No, that's the number 1 not the letter L. I know, they look the same. But I'm sure you'll be fine working online from home 3 days a week and coming to school 2 days a week, that won't be at all Confusing, now will it?"
"What's that? You want to learn how to read? We will try the best we can … Why are you crying? You're hot with that mask on? Me too. Do you want a drink of water? No wait, We can't use that water fountain anymore. You're tired? I know, me too! Welcome to Kindergarten in 2020!"
Oof.
The post concludes with one simple question: "Does this scare you?" If not, the caption says, "It should!"
In the comments, people had a LOT of thoughts to share.
Many parents found it to be a punch to the gut.
"I have a 4-year-old son going into pre kindergarten and this made me cry," one person wrote.
"I'm so sad my heart hurts for my kindergartener," another shared. "We were both so excited for to finally get to go to 'mommy's' school."
"This terrifies me," yet another person wrote. "This will not work for my little guy at all. He will not understand any of this. So sad."
A lot of teachers chimed in, too, and found the post sadly relatable.
"There's a lot of truth to this," one person wrote. "I taught kindergarten many years ago, and I feel sorry for both the children and their teachers. Most children are social and want to play with the other kids."
"Just read this as a former Kinder Kid teacher," another shared. "All that you wrote and you are just 20 minutes into the day and dealing with one child!!!!!! How are you expected to handle the rest of the class … absolutely impossible! I am crying and praying for you, all teachers and the kiddos! Don't know what the answer is but this can't be it."
Still, there were plenty of others who found the post to be a bit alarmist.
"Get over yourself your a teacher and if you can't teach find something else," one person snapped. "This is what you decided to do. If you can't be strong for a situation that requires guidance find a new job. The kids will learn and understand in time and that's your job to teach them how to understand you are also complaining about 6 months to a year of effort. Your personal discomfort is understandable but don't make excuses using parents and kids when you are the one that's scared."
Yikes.
"Horrible mentality as teachers," another said. "We are the adults, the teachers are the adults. What our kids don't know, they will learn, they will soon accommodate to their current surroundings and lifestyle. Kindergarten is new and there are now new teachings."
Many people seemed to feel that as difficult as it's going to be, going back to school is necessary.
And not just so parents can get back to work, but so kids can socialize and adapt to our changing world.
"I get this and it's scary, but they need to go to school," one person wrote. "Together we will get through this. Teachers have bigger struggles then Covid … learning disabilities, parents neglect, behavior issues….and on and on. Good luck god bless and keep an open mind."
"So many kids rely on school to avoid abuse, neglect, and to have one decent meal a day," another person pointed out. "Not every child has a happy healthy home! Without someone to see the signs these kids suffer even more!!! To many, teachers are heroes, not just educators. Figure it out and send them to school. We can't live in fear all our lives."
But plenty of others felt that the post actually raises another important question: Why would we send kids back to school before it's truly safe?
One person called it a "great argument for not going back to classrooms yet."
"This seems strongly based towards the mask being the problem," said another. "The problem is that the government thinks that kids should go back to school to begin with."
On Tuesday, another teacher responded with her own post that's now making the rounds.
Except instead of being written solely to the kindergartner, this post was first addressed to their parent — and offered reassurance that their little one would be in good hands, should they return to the classroom.
"Dear Kindergarten Parent," begins the letter, written by Dana Stephenson Kimmell. "I felt the need to post in response to another post that is circulating. A post that is creating fear, a post that does NOT speak for all teachers. Let me help you understand what our babies are walking into."
Kimmell then shares an amended version of the original post that's been going viral, and for anyone who felt the first one was fear-based, this one is decidedly calmer.
"Hi! Welcome to Kindergarten!" it starts. "I'm your teacher, I'm so happy you are in my class! Look at my cool face shield!! Do I look like an astronaut? Maybe you'll get an astronaut helmet too! Oh I know you'll miss mama, this mama misses her babies! But GUESS WHAT … we get to see them again in just a little bit!!! Look! A new friend! Y'all are going to have so much fun at recess! It's time to go inside now … Give mama a HUGE squeeze, one you'll feel in your heart all day until you see her after school!!"
"It's time to wash our hands then find our spots!" it continues. "Let's learn a hand washing song! Are you ready? Now let's learn our letters!! This is an A and it says 'aaa' can you say it?? Do you hear it echo inside your face shield? Can you hear the sound you're making?"
Kimmell's version has also been making the rounds on Facebook, receiving 35K shares in just a few days.
"Thank you!" one parent wrote. "I saw the post you were speaking of and it definitely struck me with fear. I have a 4yo starting kindergarten in September and we are doing our best to prepare him for whatever it may look like. It is good to know that overall the children will be taken care of and loved to the best of their caretakers abilities!"
"As a mama to an autistic kindergartener I thank you for posting this," said another. "My nerves are already high sending him but they're even worse with the Covid measures in place. Anxiety for this school year is high."
Others have pointed out that there's a lot of truth to both posts -- and that teachers shouldn't be expected to feel any one way about returning.
The reality is, transitioning back to school at a time when virus rates are trending up nationally and many states are seeing surges has many health experts concerned that we'll only wind up in a worse situation in September and October. A new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also notes that in-person school settings may help spread the virus more easily than previously thought.
All of this is surely enough to worry educators, parents, and health officials — so surely teachers have a right to be scared, too. And while many portions of the original letter are rather terrifying, some argue that they merely show the reality of the situation we're in. Try as they might, teachers will not be able to calm the fears of every student in the fall, and explaining all of the "rules" to kids as young as 4 and 5 won't be easy.
All that said, it's important to understand the true origins of the original post, which certainly shines a different light on things.
The original post gives author credit to two kindergarten teachers, Millie Litten and Viviana Holguin; but they both tell CafeMom that there's far more to the story than the one being reported, and that their words have been twisted and taken out of context, largely to stoke fear.
According to Holguin, the teachers didn't even know each other until a few weeks ago, when they each discovered that individual Facebook posts they had written about going back to school had been combined into one post, with many parts left out. What was left soon became the now-viral post shared by the Facebook page, Honestly, Though WTF, and it has taken on a life of its own.
In reality, both women live and teach in completely different parts of the country -- Holguin is in New Mexico and Litten is in Ohio.
Holguin says that her initial intent in writing her post was not to create a post that would stir up fear, but rather one about "what teachers will actually have to enforce while following CDC guidelines." And the reality is, a lot of that will feel new and uncomfortable at first.
In fact, Holguin attempted to clarify all of this by responding to Kimmell's follow-up post, soon after she saw it making the rounds.
"Let's get something straight, we shared our thoughts weeks ago, when we faced so much more uncertainty than we are all facing today," Holguin wrote. "Our administrators had NO plan and neither did yours, in Texas. We didn't know what kind of PPE we would wear or anything else for that matter. It wasn't our intention to 'create fear' as you are accusing. In fact, our individual posts were hijacked, combined, and someone added the ending about us being scared. NOT US."
Having your words twisted on the internet isn't an easy pill to swallow. But it has had an unexpected silver lining, the teachers say.
The women now say that the experience has connected them, albeit virtually, and inspired them to collaborate as they return to the classroom.
"We have collaborated, shared ideas, and have created a virtual bimoji classroom," Holguin explains. "We have big plans for virtual learning, not just collaboration amongst ourselves, but collaboration between students in our classrooms. Students will be learning about each other's culture and traditions. We will have virtual field trips and so much more!"
For now, the debate around virus safety in schools continues to rage.
And it became especially heated this week, after many districts began reopening and immediately wound up making headlines.
On Tuesday, a photo of a high school in Paulding County, Georgia, swept Twitter and Facebook for showing students walking shoulder-to-shoulder through a hallway. The hallway itself was packed, and only a handful of students could be seen wearing masks. As it turned out, the school has an "optional" mask policy, as the state of Georgia does not mandate mask-wearing, and district reopening plans were not required to either.
That same day, an elementary school in Cherokee County, Georgia, had to be closed just one day after it reopened, due to a second grader testing positive for COVID-19. And in Gwinnett County, Georgia, a school district was forced to go virtual after 260 staff members either tested positive for the virus or were found to be exposed to it.
The sad truth of it is, knowing whether or not it was the "right" or "wrong" decision to reopen schools won't be known for some time.
According to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading expert on infectious diseases, some states will inevitably fare better than others, depending on their virus rates.
"There may be some areas where the level of virus is so high that it would not be prudent to bring the children back to school," Fauci warned this week. "So you can't make one statement about bringing children back to school in this country, it depends on where you are."
