Items

• 2021-01-20

  COVID and Kindergarten

  For years, I had been counting down the days, week, and months to late-August, 2020. This was supposed to be when my daughter, who turned five in April, 2020, would finally start Kindergarten. But most importantly from my perspective, this was the glorious moment when my kid was old enough to go school for free! What kept me sane through all those years of paying the exorbitant cost of babysitters, nannies, day cares, and preschools was the promise that one day my wife and I wouldn't have pay what could easily amount to a house payment for the privilege of having jobs, working on a graduate degree, and having children all at the same time. As you can probably guess, COVID-19 made achieving my dream significantly more difficult. In July, my family and I moved from California to Arizona so I could start a PhD program here. A positive side-effect of this move, I assumed, would be that the local public school would offer in-person instruction to those who wanted it. After all, Arizona is a more conservative state than California. When our local school bailed on their plans for in-person instruction beginning in August, I decided that we would move heaven and earth to find a school that was willing to stand firm against public pressure and fear-mongering to do what, in my view, is in the best interest of students -- offer in-person instruction for those that want it. After countless emails and phone calls, I finally found a good school -- Leading Edge Academy in Gilbert -- where my daughter could attend in-person and we wouldn't be charged tuition. My daughter has been attending in-person at Leading Edge ever since. She's learned a lot, has socialized with other children, and hasn't contracted COVID-19. While COVID-19 is certainly a serious and scary disease, my view is that those who are opposed to an in-person learning option during the pandemic should be honest about what they are actually advocating: sacrificing the education and well-being of children (not to mention the well-being and finances of parents) to make things a bit safer for a very small percentage of the population for whom the virus poses a significant health risk -- most of whom are elderly and have the option of remaining safe at home. Also, many of these people have already received a COVID-19 vaccine or will be receiving one soon. I know this view is shared by countless other parents who have gone to great lengths to enroll their children in in-person learning. I feel terrible for many parents who have wanted an in-person learning option for their children, but have had to tolerate Zoom learning because they are not in the same privileged position my family is in.