FOCO: Fear Of COvid
I have to make a decision soon about attending our state's annual library conference. It was canceled two years ago, virtual last year, and is planned for in-person this April.
Reading through the conference health and safety protocols is not reassuring me. Yes, they are requiring proof of vaccination or a negative test just prior. But... Masks are encouraged, not mandatory. Presentation room caps are vague. Banquet arrangements don't seem to be different from past events.
At school, subs are in short supply. This translates to the probability that if I attend the conference, the library will be closed for four days while I'm gone.
I love what I have learned from this conference in years past. There's the FOMO.
I haven't eaten inside a restaurant since March 2020. There's the FOCO.
Which will win out?
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Postscript diary entry:
Talking heads outside of the educational field who pontificate on the effects of learning loss on the future economy and advocate for full return to the way things were in schools make me scream at the television.
COVID is the problem, learning loss is a result. We ARE back in person, and are dealing with the fallout of sick students, sick staff, and no subs. Teachers are working in a viral environment (in more ways than one), and it is taking its toll.
Fix this pandemic, and the learning will happen again. Stop pointing fingers at the educational system, and start focusing on how to keep everyone healthy enough to teach and learn.
Wow, Chris - your passion leaps off the screen here, particularly in defense of educators, which I wholeheartedly applaud. This, this!- "We ARE back in person, and are dealing with the fallout of sick students, sick staff, and no subs. Teachers are working in a viral environment (in more ways than one), and it is taking its toll" - you nailed it. I wish the powers that be would hear.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Fran--and I wish news reporters would stop talking to people who truly don't have a clue. The only educator interviews I've seen are with teachers who have left the profession...what about those still in the trenches?
DeleteI hear you. You have a tough decision to make, but if I were you, I'd go. Maybe that's because I feel safer outside my state, one of the lowest vaccine rate states. Get an N95 mask and feed your soul w/out guilt. You did not create the sh*t-show reality teachers deal with daily. Those people who harp at teachers do nothing to mitigate this virus, so live your life and make the safest choices possible under the circumstances. You've earned some time for yourself a thousand times over.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your support, Glenda, and understand your viewpoint. Problem is...I don't think I could relax and enjoy the conference, under the circumstances; not out of guilt, but worry. So it really does skew to the side of skipping, which I gave notice for yesterday. FOCO won.
DeleteThese choices are so wearing, aren't they? Personally, I am staying cautious, and masks not being mandatory would be a BIG deterrent for me. Can you maybe sign up and pull out without penalty as the time nears and you get a clearer picture? It's always been exhausting to be an educator, but wow, it's tough these days.
ReplyDeleteYou nailed it--the decision was wearing me down, so I called it yesterday and bowed out. I would be out a twenty percent fee if I canceled, which I could pay...but the mental drain and worry was too much. Maybe I'll look at this as a "catch-up year", and finally read all the free books I got from conferences past!
DeleteYour postscript is spot on and your invented word is my favorite: FOCO. I'm disappointed our meeting next Monday is canceled as well because I'm so done with virtual everything, but I understand and respect the change. I'm planning on attending, but I'm wondering if it will once again switch to virtual soon.
ReplyDeleteAlice, it was the virtual meeting announcement that clinched it for me, and I bowed out of TLA yesterday. Why go if I'm nervous in presentations the whole time, and won't partake in the banquets? Tired of thinking about it and weighing the odds. We had thirteen staff members out yesterday, for various reasons. I need to save my days for Getaways!
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