stuck in covid theater
I live in the twilight zone. While many frolic in the new normal or are entranced by the Russia vs Ukraine drama, I’m still sitting at the Covid show.
K: “We won’t be safe until every child gets the covid vax.”
JNET: “There’s effective medicines and therapies available for people who like to manage their health differently. It depends on where you live.”
K: “All kids will be vaccinated soon. It’s a school requirement. It will be included in the their schedule of vaccines like the rest.”
After TWO YEARS of a pandemic that did not decimate the population as expected, people still fear that either young children are in danger OR they, the kiddos are a threat to their mortality. I didn’t have the energy to mention the experimental gene therapy status of the médicine, the spicy truth of 30+ pages of adverse reactions in taking the not so safe and oversold answer to the pandemic. And that there’s memes of Fauci MIA. Where’s Fauci?!?!
This past week, I experienced my FIRST first piano lesson fail. A mother and I were enthusiastic to start her three year old but we couldn’t get him to sit still and be engaged. Where did my teaching mojo go? I thought I had magic powers making my students super-learners-fun-time-adventurers. This week for the first time EVER, I had to end a first piano lesson early. The child left his mother to me and went on a screeching fit to test the acoustics of the studio knowing he was the only child in the building.
It’s the mask barrier. There is more power to a smile than we give credit. Connection, assurance, validation. Words are nice but it’s encoded in us to read a smile for genuineness. The mother hadn’t thought that my mask might be a barrier. He’s fine in a group setting where everyone is masked up and he follows the crowd.
K: “Just smile bigger with your eyes. Learn to live with masks especially if you work with unvaccinated children. There’s too many parents not vaxxing their kids.”
How many people even make good eye contact? Do we even SEE people with their masks on? I wager that you would not recognize them without their mask on.
Try dating a person that you’ve not seen their smile and don’t know what they really look like. Tell me how exciting that would be. Would their smiling eyes be enough to forge on?
The grown ups may be voicing some Covid fatigue finally. Every single child I know has voiced that the pandemic and masks are BS for a long while. The grown ups not as much. I’m reminded of the story of “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” Kids don’t watch the news; they watch the grown ups. And then they share their grievances with me in hopes that one grown up can help reason and rally on their behalf. Here’s a refresher, in case it’s been a while. Has the world been hijacked by the pretense of a sickness pretending to be more formidable than it really is? Maybe you see what the kids see.
All children will be required the Covid vax and boosters to attend public schools or as some call them: government indoctrination institutions. Not everyone is convinced of the jabs efficacy and safety. I will continue teaching mostly online because there are people still really afraid to meet in-person. I am still stuck in the Covid show. Fortunately, my students that see me in person remember my smile. They wear their masks to follow the rules with a sigh.
And in their full human design, they exude a generous soul: curious and questioning. Full of fun and adventure. These past two years of pandemic drama continues for our younger citizens; a roller coaster not enjoyable. You may enjoy working remotely and the slower pace; but they’ve missed play dates with friends and hugs from family members outside their “bubble.” Adults will work on their smiling eyes to overcome the masks. But the kids, not so much. They rather stand by their truth. They are keen to say they are distinct from those following the crowd.
The powers that be say the mandates are over… for now. We are just in a lull before another round of fear news. The mandates aren’t over for me and a lot of young people.
Along with the kids I also say the emperor wears no clothes. They aren’t watching the news. They are watching you. And they are hoping more grown ups hear them.
JNET