Dear friends,
It’s March. NYC’s first case of Covid-19 was confirmed a year ago.
NYC middle schools reopened for hybrid instruction last week. On Friday, the schools chancellor, Richard Carranza, announced his resignation. Meisha Porter, who has long experience in NYC’s public schools, will take over as Chancellor in mid-March and it’s pretty clear that there are plans afoot to reopen high schools. Meanwhile, NYC continues to have high rates of virus transmission and Dr. Rochelle Wallensky of the CDC has warned Americans not to relax our vigilance just yet. I turned down two invitations to visit MoMA this weekend; I am currently ineligible for a vaccine, and the presence of new variants has caused me to sharply limit my exposure in indoor settings.
A fascinating illustration of the importance of ventilation in classrooms highlights the dangers that unvaccinated teenagers face when schools reopen. If the weather is cold, as it can be in March, April, and even May, students and staff may be pretty uncomfortable in classrooms with open windows, especially as their physical activity is restricted in order to maintain distancing.
Last month I wrote in some depth about the response of teachers and their unions to plans to reopen. I remain very committed to the idea of bringing everyone back to the classroom in 2021 AND I am concerned about plans for this spring. The irony of urging teachers to use trauma-informed methods while running an uncontrolled and extremely stressful public health experiment on school children and their families is not lost on teachers.
In a spirit of mutual respect, I encourage you to consider all sides of this daunting issue with compassionate understanding.
Take advantage of outdoor educational opportunities in the NYC Parks!
There has been a troubling uptick of hate speech and violence against Asian Americans. All hate crimes are disturbing, and it is terrible to feel helpless in the face of such abuse.
Report and describe incidents of Anti-Asian harassment at Stand Against Hatred.
This resource from the Center for Urban Pedagogy and Hollaback offers the 5Ds of upstander behavior — five things that we can do if we witness harassment of any kind. I have excerpted and lightly adapted their work below and I encourage you to look at the resource:
DISTRACT: Start a conversation with the person being targeted.
DELEGATE: Find someone in a position of authority (bus driver, teacher, security guard) and ask if they can help intervene. You can ask the person being targeted if they want you to call the police.
DELAY: When the incident is over, check in with the person who was harassed. Ask what they need and offer to sit with them or walk them somewhere.
DIRECT: Assess your safety before confronting the harasser. Say, “Stop. Leave them alone!” Ask the person being targeted: “Are you okay? Should I get help? Should we get out of here?”
DOCUMENT: Make a video from a safe distance. State the date and time and shoot street signs and landmarks to establish the location. Always ask the person targeted what they want to do with the footage (do not post without their permission).
Read and share SHOW UP: Your guide to bystander intervention.
Have a good day!
with love,
L