By Dr. Desiree Cremer
The students are back at school as if there is no pandemic. There is no social distancing and no safety. Just because educational leaders say the schools are safe does not necessarily make it so. Last week I took two COVID tests to ease the stress.
Every week there are students in quarantine at my school. When students are in quarantine, there is no instruction. Students are out for ten days, and some may get cleared early. At one time, we had 52 students quarantining; this is insane.
Governor Ige announced on August 10, 2021, limiting social gatherings to 10 people indoors and 25 outdoors. According to the governor, this executive order does not apply to public schools. Why not? Teachers show up every day to teach under conditions that violate the governor’s executive order. Students packed into classrooms with no social distancing and given that some students are unvaccinated, making them perfect hosts for the delta variant.
The distance learning platform for many families remains cumbersome. It doesn’t seem very easy for the parents to navigate the distance learning choice. Why is it so difficult for students to get this option? Our principals and teachers are tasked with so much already. Please give the schools the resources to create their distance learning departments taught by teachers who want this platform. Providing this option will generate smaller in-person class sizes, and teachers and students can breathe again.
Cooking Choreographer 
The question of “What is best for our students?” has not really been answered. Without the questions answered, there is no real plan to educate our students right now. This is all a facade. Maybe the powers that be are afraid of the true cost of education during the time we are in and the implications for the future of Hawai`i.
Agreed, equip the schools with adequate online resources and infrastructure and safeguard the teachers, children and their parents.
My favorite line? “This is insane.” It truly is.
Thank you for telling it like it really is.
Yes, I am tired of the charade.
Another great article- always good to hear your insights👍
Thank you for sharing your true to life testimony of what our teachers in Hawaii are facing. Is anyone listening to our teacher’s real life concerns that affect the safety & health of our students? What do we teachers have to do to make our governor realize that our students’ health may be @ risk? How can we get him to act before it’s too late?
Thank you, Cooking Choreographer for bringing awareness to the community on what our educators are facing.
A great insight of what it’s like to be a teacher during Covid. I hope the there is greater change to better support teachers.