Back to Skool

Our daughter-in-law Beth started subbing three years ago. She has her degree and teaching certificate now, and this’ll be her first year as a full-time teacher. We worried she might have to conduct in-person classes, but it looks like sensible adults are running things in Las Vegas and Nevada. Whew, what a relief!

Here’s Beth’s announcement, posted this morning to Facebook:

Teachers return today! I have ALL the feels about this upcoming school year, but mostly I’m so excited. I can’t wait to tackle virtual teaching with my awesome grade level team and I can’t wait to meet my new group of 5th graders. Let the relationship building begin! Welcome to my virtual classroom!

I remember crushing on Miss Kelly, my 5th grade teacher. I bet Beth will have lots of stans in her class. Congratulations and good luck, Beth!

Kids in Arizona would normally have returned to school last Monday, August the 3rd, but the date’s been slipped to the 17th and even that’s iffy. The University of Arizona has said it’s pressing ahead with in-person classes, but even at this late date, there’s been no firm state directive on whether to reopen primary and secondary schools or adopt some form of remote learning.

Most Arizona school districts have opted to start the school year with virtual classes, putting off in-classroom teaching for now at least. Unaddressed are the needs of working parents who cannot leave children unattended at home — the “babysitting” question no one wants to ask out loud. At least one Arizona school district has proposed providing day care along with online learning in currently unused elementary school buildings, but the obvious problem there is it’s no different from forcing children back into in-person classrooms.

Unlike Nevada, Arizona has a Republican governor who up until very recently parroted Trump’s call to reopen schools. I’m going to go out on a limb here and predict Trump will, at the last minute, back down. Based on zero insider knowledge, I suspect even the most Trump-loving governors — including deSantis in Florida — are begging him in private to give them a face-saving way out of the impossible situation he’s putting them in.

Donna and I are driving to Phoenix tomorrow to sign some loan papers at a credit union in Gilbert. It’ll be our first road trip together since February and going into coronavirus lockdown. Phoenix is home to a really good kosher deli chain called Chompie’s, and we plan to stop at the Gilbert location for lunch afterward. It’s going to feel strange going inside a restaurant to eat — we haven’t done that since February either. We’re bringing a cooler so we can load up on bagels and whatever else looks good behind the counter. We’re excited to be getting out.

Local car washes haven’t been cleaning interiors (or any other jobs requiring hand work) since the virus hit, but they’re back at it and I dropped by one today to get the truck cleaned for tomorrow’s trip. So nice to have spiffy wheels again — no doggie nose tracks on the window glass! Yeah, I know I’m tempting fate, but if it rains it rains — just don’t let some semi driver fall asleep on that deadly stretch of I-10 near Picacho Peak and make us miss our appointment.

Yo, Semites! Catch you later!