Letters to the Editor, August 19, 2020

The harm of pandemic pods

0ur society is living in uncertain times. COVID-19 has taken its toll on families all around. In March every educator had to transition to a crisis learning model. This was a new experience for most educators, and families had to make adjustments fast.

In March I was a paraprofessional at a charter school in Saint Paul. I clearly remember the transition of going to school on a Friday and then never coming back. I watched my colleagues frantically flip the rest of the year to online learning. I watched teachers do their best with Zoom meetings and watched other paraprofessionals step up to help tutor students who were struggling to adapt. I have spoken to parents who were overwhelmed, struggling financially, moving to new houses or apartments and not knowing how best to help their children.

Now in August, I have transitioned to being a teacher of English as a Second Language at an elementary school in Saint Paul and decisions are still being made. Should we do distance learning this year? Should we adopt a hybrid model or try to do in-person classes five days a week? School districts are able to make their own decisions following data-driven guidelines based on COVID-19 outbreaks. With the Twin Cities area looking towards all online learning, there is a lot of fear surrounding what should be a joyful time.

Parents all over the United States have been pooling together to form “pandemic pods” where classes of up to 10 students, usually in the same neighborhood, are taught by a private teacher. These are usually privately funded, with some teachers charging almost $500 a week for attendance. The New York Times is calling this “the 2020 version of the one-room schoolhouse.” Judging by the Highland Park neighborhood’s Facebook page, this is a popular idea among parents. On the surface, it looks like a great idea. If students cannot go to school, then families can bring the teachers to their homes.

I urge parents to reconsider this option. Pulling students from regular public schools or public charter schools will decrease state and federal funding to our public school system and widen the achievement gap. With pandemic pods costing families a lot of money, there is a clear segregation of education happening. The truth is, this idea puts lower-income families in the Twin Cities and around the U.S. at a disadvantage and will clearly affect our students and families of color. These pandemic pods will also put families and students whose first language is not English at a disadvantage.

No parent should be shamed for making educational decisions for their children, especially in this time of uncertainty. However, pandemic pods will have long-lasting impacts on education and students, especially our marginalized communities. I urge families to stand in solidarity with our public schools and educators as we band together to navigate through this COVID-19 pandemic.

Amanda Cummings
Highland Park

Change laws, not place names

Rename Saint Paul (Villager Inbox, July 22)? Rename the several thousand U.S. place names that honor Christian saints and religious leaders such as Luther or Wesley? This would be a big project indeed. I suppose non-Catholics can debate whether saints are or were forces for good in the world or tools of what became an aggressive empire. Locally, before we argue the merits of Paul, or Saul of Tarsus, maybe we should consider renaming places named for folks like Alexander Ramsey (urged extermination of all Sioux in Minnesota) or Charles Lindbergh (anti-Semitic admirer of the Nazis).

The main point is, after we spend years changing names, will the U.S. be more just? A more loving community? Will we have promoted life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? Or will we have merely antagonized a great many people?

I am happy to see the name Lake Calhoun replaced by Bde Maka Ska and happy for Cesar Chavez Street and Old Rondo Avenue. We can do more name changing that honors people or communities worth remembering. But still, we’re just playing with words. To promote justice for all, we need to change laws, not place names.

Dutton Foster
Macalester-Groveland