Wishes from a New York City Teacher Who Happens to be Fred Klonsky's Daughter

 

On my mind are all the NYC elementary school teachers going into classrooms today with only window ventilation on a 35-degree day.

I hope you don't have yet another schedule.

I hope if you are also teaching remote students those classes don't have 50 students in them to balance out the less than 10 you see today.

Despite everything, you are probably happy to see your students.

I hope they keep their masks on and stay 6 feet apart.

I hope they see their friends and smile behind their masks.

Even though they said they would mandate everyone who enters a school building would now be tested but they are not doing that and even though they said they would test 10% of students in October and November and they didn't, I hope 20% of your students will be tested every week because this time they mean it.

I hope they don't get sick and their families don't get sick.

I hope their parents have work and have not received an eviction notice in the mail.

I hope the 700,000+ students that are still remote all have working internet.

I hope when their classes start today and they switch from zoom to the video posted on google classroom that they don't lose their connection.

I hope it stays strong enough that when they are sharing their screen to show their essay draft to their teacher and ask her a question, their voice doesn't distort because of low bandwidth and she can't understand them.

I hope their brothers and sisters sitting around the table with them in their classes aren't so loud that when the teacher asks them to unmute and answer the question they aren't too embarrassed to do so.

I hope their DOE-issued ipads have keyboards.

I hope they received their $420 lunch money EBT cards and can buy groceries.

Even though gyms and restaurants are still open and it is harder and harder to be outside, I hope people don't socialize inside and I hope the positivity rate goes down.

I hope Cuomo gives the MTA the money the state owes it.

I hope they forgive student debt and cancel rent.

I hope that vaccines get distributed soon.

Very soon.

-Jessica Klonsky