Items

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  2020-09-23

  Iran: The double jeopardy of sanctions and COVID-19

  This article discusses the effects of Covid-19 on Iran and how the sanctions imposed on Iran by the Trump administration exacerbated Covid’s effect on Iran’s already weak economy. It highlights Iran’s attempts to reduce the fatality rate despite a shortage of medical supplies. Additionally, the article posits that lifting sanctions during the pandemic might have reduced the death toll by thousands. While there is speculation that the true number of Covid deaths in Iran has been reduced and even misreported, this article highlights the connection between U.S. politics and the effects of sanctions imposed on countries during a public health crisis.
• 
  2022-04-01

  Living Through the Pandemic

  One thing that really stands out to me when I look back on the past two years since the pandemic began is how much fear there was at the onset. I remember it being about mid-March of 2020 and schools had moved to online learning, all nonessential businesses were closed, and it was almost impossible to find even basic groceries. The overwhelming majority of people were wearing some sort of face covering at this point and just the act of going outside felt dangerous. I should point out that since I work in the aerospace and defense manufacturing sector I was classified as an essential worker without the possibility of working remotely. Given that all of my friends had jobs that had moved to remote work and could isolate in their homes I felt that it was too risky to be around them given that I was out every day. I think that it is interesting that this was the state of affairs when there were maybe 1000 confirmed cases in the state of Arizona at this point. When contrasted with the reality that there have now been a total of over 2 million confirmed cases with approximately 25,000 currently active cases and for the most part everyone is going on with life as normal, I am left wondering if the fear at the beginning was irrational or if the current sense of complacency is the result of a society worn down to the point of indifference?
• 
  2020-05-06

  Graduating Without the Pomp: Students, parents push back against virtual and drive-through graduation ceremonies

  My oldest daughter is now a senior in high school, and she is still pretty upset that she didn’t get to have a junior prom. She understands that in the context of everything happening in the world, it’s not the most important or most tragic thing that could happen, but it still stings. For many students, it’s the milestones like prom and graduation that make the whole four years worthwhile. If the milestones that high school students look forward to can’t be held, it can affect them deeply. As schools closed and Covid-19 became a fixture in our everyday lives, school events like sports, proms, and graduations went away. Some schools held virtual graduations featuring videos and speeches over Zoom. Others attempted to maintain an atmosphere of celebration by holding drive-up graduations with decorated cars and parking lots. However, many students and parents were upset by this change. While this is understandable, most school districts prioritized the health and safety of students, families, and staff over having an in-person ceremony. This article helps to capture some of the frustrations seniors expressed in 2020 when their hopes of walking the stage and receiving their diploma seemed to vanish overnight.
• 
  2022-01-11

  Arizona teacher shortage getting worse with COVID-19

  Arizona teachers have struggled with obtaining higher pay and better funding for years. Add to that a legislative body that doesn’t prioritize educational funding, improving teaching conditions or student learning. When Covid-19 reared its ugly head, the pressure public school teachers normally deal with in overcrowded, undersupplied classrooms intensified and – for many overworked teachers – this was the last straw. Teachers who were in a position to took early retirement. Others simply left the profession for the private sector. Still, some remained and adapted to whatever model of learning their school district employed – sometimes on a week-to-week basis. Now that most schools have returned to an in-person modality, teachers are still leaving the classroom. This article sheds lights on the teacher shortage and how, even still, Arizona educators are contending with Covid-19 in their classrooms and families, leading them to reconsider their decision to stay in education.
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  2022-01-07

  Americans adopted millions of dogs during the pandemic. Now what do we do with them?

  As one of many people who adopted a pet during the pandemic, this article resonated with me in many ways. It discusses how people transitioning from remote work at home and returning to the office are trying to ensure that the change is smooth for their newly acquired pets as well. Many of the pets – especially dogs – are not accustomed to being left along for lengths of time and are experiencing separation anxiety. As a result, some pet owners are trying to ensure that their animals have care while they at work. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done due to overbooked facilities and some animals with behavioral issues due poor socialization as a result of the pandemic. This article does a nice job capturing some of the struggles pet owners are experiencing now as they attempt to return to normalcy and some of the services available to keep them happy and occupied as they adjust.
• 2022-03-18

  6 Ways Covid-19 Has Impacted My Daily Life

  The biggest change for me since COVID-19 became a fixture in my day-to-day life is transferring permanently from a physical classroom to a virtual one. Teaching online has its own unique set of challenges in addition to the ones that it shares with classroom teaching. While I personally do not find teaching online to be as satisfying or engaging as the physical classroom, I am hesitant to return. I hear from colleagues about the behavioral issues, the lack of motivation, and the additional stresses placed on teachers by administration. While these are things I also deal with in a way in an online environment, compounding them with the potential risk of COVID when I have immunocompromised loved ones isn’t worth the risk for me at this time. Another big change in my routine is using more delivery services than I did before March 2020. I started ordering groceries through Instacart to avoid having to go the stores after experiencing the chaos more than a few times. Even though grocery stores have calmed considerably, and the shelves remain stocked with most in-demand supplies, I still use Instacart for shopping and having my groceries delivered. Some of this is convenience, but I think that the pandemic has simply changed the way I deal with groceries for the time being. At some point, I will more than likely return to the grocery store to resume shopping in person, but for now using delivery services will remain my weekly routine. Since the pandemic relegated many people to quarantining and spending more time at home, working and going to school virtually, I have noticed that I am not as social as I used to be. While I’ve never been a very sociable person, I’ve noticed that, not only do I not crave social interaction outside of my family and close friends as much as I used to, I have to “prepare” myself for social gatherings and interactions. I have more social anxiety than I ever thought I would and going to events where I may have to hold long conversations revolving around “small talk” make me anxious and tired. I hope that I am able to work through this over time as things become more open and social gatherings and events become more common, but it is another way in which the pandemic has affected me most. When I would leave the house prior to 2020, there were certain items I made sure I had: keys, sunglasses, purse, water bottle. A change to this routine now includes making sure I have a mask in my purse and masks in my car. It’s interesting to note that they have become both a physical and symbolic item in everyday life. Yet, as we all know, it’s an item that is important to have to make sure I am prepared in the event a business requires it or I’m interacting with places and people where it’s smart to wear one. To expand on the symbolism of the mask, another example of change in my life is interacting with anti-mask strangers who think they have an obligation to comment on or ask questions of people who wear one. My daughter came home a couple nights ago very upset because a customer had been rude to her because she was wearing a mask at work. My daughter is 17 and works in a grocery store. She wears a mask to protect herself and, in her words, “to protect her family”. I’ve noticed that the pandemic seems to have made some people feel like it’s okay to comment on and berate complete strangers on personal health decisions like it’s their right. Being socially distanced for months has made some people forget their manners or maybe it’s simply brought out the worst in them. Either way, the idea that a grown man might get in a teenager’s face at the grocery store over something that is none of their business and affects them in absolutely no way, is a startling shift in how people interact with one another since this all began. Lastly, COVID has not been kind to those working in the healthcare profession, and certainly it has made visiting people who are in the hospital much more restrictive. Last September my husband was hospitalized with a collapsed lung. Visiting policies essentially made it so that one person per day could visit him. Where previously I, his parents, children, and siblings might have been able to visit him, now it only made sense for me to be the one since I could bring him what he needed, talk with his doctors, and update everyone else. This most recent February, my mom was hospitalized for a serious health concern. During her entire stay, I was not able to visit her because it was most sensible for my dad to be there for her and ensure he could bring her things from home to make her comfortable. I was able to send flowers to brighten her room, but still the one visitor per day policy held firm. Last night my mom was readmitted to the hospital for health issues related to her previous issue. My dad stays with her all day, and I am not able to because of the visiting policy. It’s frustrating and heart breaking to not be able to see her and be there for her – and to also be there for my dad who needs support and time to recharge as well. The pandemic has highlighted so many privileges and everyday things that were once taken for granted – things most people (including myself) never even thought about.
• 
  2022-01-16

  Still On Spring Break?

  As a teacher and a parent, navigating the tricky educational waters after COVID-19 in 2020 has proven challenging. Many of my teacher friends left the profession due to unsafe working conditions and the emotional distress resulting from unsupportive school districts, irrational demands from parents, and severe behavioral issues exhibited by students coping in their own ways. In March 2020, we went on Spring Break, and some of us never came back, some literally and others emotionally. Teachers that are still teaching – whether online or in person – are now contending with the aftermath of school closures and the intense pressure put on them to return despite concerns about safety. Teacher burnout has hit hard, and there are even some days I have to remind myself why I became a teacher. I know students are dealing with their own transition back into some kind of normalcy. My own daughters exhibit an anxiety that’s hard to miss – and something I can relate to, and I’m devastated that they missed out on junior prom and an in-person 8th grade graduation. The little milestones and memory-makers that they’ll one day look back on as adults have been replaced by a year of quarantine, Zoom classes, and missing their friends. Many of my students have also expressed sadness and frustrating having missed some of the hallmarks of “the high school experience”. Likewise, teachers missed milestones and cultivating relationships with their students. There’s still a lot of ground to make up on both sides.
• 
  2020-03-19

  Pandemic Smells and Silence

  When the pandemic became widespread enough for schools to start shutting down, it seems that’s when life really changed. I remember - it was March 2020 - and my school district had just gone on spring break. It was still uncertain whether teachers and students would be returning to their classroom after break’s end. We were asked to come into our classrooms to gather any teaching supplies we might be able to use to teach virtually in the event that we would be told to remain at home. When I arrived at school, it was so quiet. There were a few cars parked in the parking lot, but no people to be seen. The usual student chatter, catching fragments of conversation as they walked by, the bustle of cars parking was gone. As I entered my building, a wave of chemically cleaned and sanitized air blasted my nostrils. The smells of bleach and whatever other industrial cleaners schools use wafted through the halls. They had recently been cleaned - I had never seen them so pristine. A few custodian cleaning carts were scattered nearby, but still no one to be seen. Every footfall seemed louder against the backdrop of silence. The deserted hallway and the chemical smell assaulting my olfactory system had turned my second home into something sterile and unwelcoming. Entering my classroom, I noticed it, too, had been sanitized with heavy chemicals and a jug of hand sanitizer had unceremoniously been plopped on my desk. I surveyed my classroom, nostrils burning from the bleach again, grabbed what I needed and went home. It would be the last time I would see my classroom for a long time. The memory of that shining, white hallway and the burning air of “purification” has stayed with me.