The coronavirus has been on student minds since Tuesday. Kids have been asking me questions all week.
I squashed a rumor in the making on Thursday morning.
Student: "I heard Fluvanna County schools are closed tomorrow for the coronavirus." (UVA and some colleges had closed the day before).
I looked up Fluvanna County Public schools.
Me: "They are closed tomorrow.....for a teacher workday. Their 3rd quarter ends today."
I started every class hence mentioning the incident.
Me: "Did you all hear? Fluvanna's closed tomorrow..."
I brought up how rumors often start with a grain of truth, but check your facts. Don't assume, fill in blanks, or repeat anything without knowing the source.
It was good lesson even if it wasn't geometry.
The coronavirus was real to to the students by this point. It wasn't something only online or "over there" anymore.
Late Thursday night, a concerned parent sent an email out with a BCC to what sounded like all of her son's teachers, admin, and classmates. She stated that he had a cousin visiting from WV who had come down with flu-like symptoms. She was worried it could be COVID-19, because he had tested negative for flu but the CDC refused to test for the coronavirus. She was therefore pulling her student from school Friday and urged others to do the same.
I still went in the next day.
The flu test is infamous for giving false reads and their have always been "flu-like viruses." The flu itself has been in my classroom at least 20 times this year (and in my home). I understood the parent's concern, but figured the chances were minuscule and I wanted to be faithful to my calling as a teacher and preserve order for my students (especially if they were worried).
I did wipe down all my desks with bleach wipes. The kid in question had been in my final class of the day and come up to talk to me as class was beginning. Just because I didn't give in to anxiety, didn't mean things hadn't crossed my mind!
Friday started off with lots of questions and I gave some answers and encouraged students to look up others.....and then get back to the business at hand: Geometry!
One question I got over and over was, "Will they close schools?"
My reply was, "I don't know."
I said colleges and public schools filled different functions. Colleges were paid for up front by people who chose to go there (and either had money or smart enough that someone gave them scholarship money). Public schools offered services like food, child care, nurses, and social workers that many families needed.
I then gave my classes an analogy. "Have you ever been with a big group of people where no one wanted to be the first to do something?" Everyone nodded. "This feels like that. Everyone is waiting to see what everyone else will do. If one school district closes..."
Kids seemed to understand, so I brought up Fairfax County Public School's webpage. They had decided to close Monday for a teacher workday to examine what online school would look like (there were 3 or 4 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Northern VA at that point, I think). "Fairfax is big and they're doing this. I wouldn't be surprised if others follow."
An hour later, Charlottesville City School AND Albemarle County Schools made the same announcement: No school on Monday for a teacher workday.
Rarely in my life have I stood up, made a prediction, and been proven right before a class ended.
I told the kids, "See you Tuesday or in April" when class ended.
However, an hour later the governor pronounced all schools in VA were to be closed for at least two weeks.
No more teacher workday on Monday.
The principal waited until the last few minutes of school to make the announcement. I was in a workroom and heard some students whoop with delight. Most probably already knew thanks to their phones.
I packed up my room of all my board games, tea, snacks, and papers to grade just in case.
With the governor's order, everything seemed to be escalating faster than expected.
I'd thought it was a smart idea to have the workday on Monday. It would give the district time to see what happened over the weekend and make plans without committing to anything longer. I would talk to a total of 5 teachers (my whole PLC) Monday to come up with a plan and then go home.
As it was, I asked Carrie if we needed anything in town. She said we'd probably need horse feed on Monday, but I thought it was prudent to buy it while I was already in town and while things were normal enough.
Shane was happy as a clam playing and wrestling outside with a pair of boys, Peter and Levi, when I picked him up from afterschool at 6 PM. He'd already been around the kids all day and if people were going to play hermit it seemed wise to let him play as long as possible! He came home happy and talking about what he'd heard about the virus in school.
I told him our view of things. God is in control. We weren't worried about the virus for our own health. People were acting scared (and I was more concerned about that), but not us. There were some people who do need to worry especially if too many got sick too quick. Therefore, we would be staying mostly at home not out of fear, but to help slow down how many people could get exposed to the virus.
Not out of fear, but out of wanting to help how we could.
I meant it too. Carrie was more unsettled by everything than Shane and I were, but she wasn't hoarding toilet paper, either!
Friday was a day I think will stand out in people's memories for decades to come.
And it wasn't over, yet.
Friday night, I received another email from a student who was already self-quarantining. They'd been around the other student's cousin from the other email. They had no symptoms, but didn't want to come to school in case they were a carrier.
It's times like this I'm glad I live with hope!
Two more things (You'll have to click if interested, because this post is already super long):
First, I haven't mentioned that I've had a slight bug this week. Shane had a cold that started last week (Wednesday or Thursday?). He was a snot bag and had chapped lips from trying to constantly lick what dripped! He stayed at home with Carrie when I went to help Patrick move to prevent Nana and Pop from bringing home any germs to Aunt Dot (she'd just recovered from pneumonia).
Sunday, Carrie got it. She had a slight fever and felt ill, but kept moving.
Unfortunately, this is par for the course with her. Shane and I expose her to germs and she gets sick more frequently than either of us.
I was next. That was unusual. It wasn't really clear if I got the cold or just had hay fever, though. I was outside in the wind while a pony was being clipped Sunday after spending lots of time around cats and horses. I had so much post nasal drip I had trouble sleeping Sunday night. I took an allergy pill Monday and Tuesday and felt a little better Wednesday. My nose still burn-itched from time to time (allergy-ish), but I had some nasal drip which sometimes triggered the need to clear my throat (cold-ish). There was never a fever or anything and it didn't slow me down other than the broken sleep.
Some kids were on edge whenever I coughed or cleared my throat (especially Friday). I could go whole periods without, but it was an odd time to feel under the weather....especially with reports coming out that the coronavirus could basically be any cough!
Second, I'm going to go ahead and add some parts of the emails (with names and other things ommitted, of course) here. I'm trying to preserve here the feeling of what happened more than the science of everything.
Thursday night email -
I am writing to you this evening out of an abundance of caution.
This message is not meant to invoke fear, but to give you the best information we can so you can make informed decisions for yourself, your families, and the people you work with.
My name is________, and my son ______is a freshman at ________________.
This afternoon I learned from my nephew who spent Sunday through Tuesday with us, and visited _____on Tuesday, that he woke up this morning experiencing a high fever and dry cough.
He lives and works in West Virginia in an area with a high concentration of commuters to Northern Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC.
My nephew called the West Virginia Department of Health, told them his symptoms and asked to be tested for the virus. He was told repeatedly that fever and dry cough were NOT symptoms of COVID-19 and they refused to see him, let alone test him. However, those are EXACTLY the symptoms of the disease (see the link to the CDC Symptoms sheet below)
He called his own doctor and was tested for flu. The test came back negative and his doctor requested that he be tested for coronavirus. The request got bumped up the chain and landed at the CDC. The CDC denied the request to test despite my nephew’s doctor’s concerns.
In light of the extreme virality of this disease (some sources say it is doubling every 4 days – see video below) and with the inability to be tested, we are acting as if we have been exposed and are asymptomatic carriers.
We have pulled _____out of school to prevent any further possible spread of the virus from us, but he has been at school all week, and as I said, my nephew was at the school on Tuesday.
Most of you receiving this message have ______as a student, classmate, or friend, and as far as I know ALL of you have had direct or indirect contact with him or my nephew in the past week.
For the administrators receiving this. Computers, desks, chairs, doors, water fountains, and cafeteria utensils have been handled by one or both, and many more students and teachers have come into contact with those things over the course of the week, if not the people themselves. ________has told me that equipment has only been being wiped down at the end of the day, so the potential for contamination is high.
As I’ve said, we do not have all the data. We can not GET the data because the CDC is refusing tests despite the requests of my nephew’s physician, so out of an abundance of caution, and to prevent any further potential spread of contagion we are self-isolating.
I wish I could give you more definitive answers, but we just don’t have them.
What I DO know is that yesterday there were 9 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Virginia, today there are 18 (that is a 100% increase). There have only been 117 tests administered in VA, and 2 hours ago the governor declared a state of emergency. (see the final article below)
If I were to make a recommendation to each of you it would be to self-isolate with your families to prevent the potential spread.
To administrators I urge action to protect the faculty and students of _____from further internal spread.
I’ve included a list of some resources below in case you haven’t seen them or have only been listening to the regular news.
I hope this turns out to be nothing, but I can’t in good conscious NOT let you know of the potential risk and exposure.
With thanks and hope,
Name
Friday night email -
Good evening to everyone,
In response to why I did not go to school today, the cause of it is a coronavirus concern I have with my friend. Yesterday evening of March 12th, when I am waiting for my guardian to pick me up from __________, I have been told by my friend and his mother that I might have the coronavirus due to his cousin, who happened to be playing with us on Tuesday. He explained that his cousin was staying with his family during the weekend and on Thursday he is starting to have all of the symptoms of the coronavirus. His cousin went to see if he has it later in the day, and that's what my friend knows of now. His mother told me that he is going to stay home until he gets the results on his cousin. From what I got now, I and my brother(who happened to be his friend too) have heard nothing from him yet. As of now, I will probably not be coming back so I will not infect or spread this virus to other students in ____________(if we were to come back). If there's any work that needs to be done or you have any questions as of now, please let me know.
I wish you all good luck, please stay safe!
Sincerely,
Name
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