Setting the record straight: My reply to my letter ‘are teacher蘑菇视频 aides 鈥榚ssential?’
The film trope most widely alluded to right now to illustrate feckless leadership is that of the mayor from Jaws who, despite many warnings and overwhelming evidence that a man-eating shark was lurking in the waters off Amity Island, insisted on keeping the beaches open for 4th of July weekend. (Spoiler alert: Hollywood’s mechanical monster of a shark accepted the invitation to dinner.)
The character of Mayor Larry Vaughn in the 1975 blockbuster film Jaws was, one may contend, even more villainous than the killer shark. The mayor represented a character-flaw-trifecta: amoral, oblivious, and stubborn. Fortunately, as we look to our local leaders for guidance during an unprecedented pandemic, what we get from many is a willingness to change one’s mind based on evidence, and thus so must we.
In the April 1 edition of the 蘑菇视频, I wrote a highly critical letter to the editor excoriating Albert Gallatin School District (AGSD) for deeming its teacher aides as “essential employees.” To me and many others, this put the health of its employees and community members at risk. Additionally, I was grotesquely aghast (just to put it lightly) at the idea that teacher aides were all of a sudden being considered “essential employees,” even though teachers were already (correctly) working from home. In short, I thought it was a foolish albeit honest mistake.
Luckily, the leadership at AGSD listened to its community. AGSD chose not to require its teacher aides to report to work and also made a concerted effort to prioritize the health of its employees and the community. Just as the leadership at AGSD demonstrated a willingness to change its mind, so must I about them. I commend the fact that, although an initial miscalculation was made, AGSD worked quickly to change its course and do the right thing. The leadership at AGSD, undoubtedly, saved lives. For that, anyone who graduated as a “Colonial” should be proud.
So what can the community at-large learn from this? As I wrote before, COVID-19 is an extremely serious health crisis, the likes of which we have never seen before. If you think you are overreacting, you haven’t done enough (Except when it comes to hoarding toilet paper: Yinz need to stop). We must not panic, but we should be prudent. We will get through this, but we also need to work together.
When my grandfather was even a little younger than I am now, he was asked to make a sacrifice for his country – as were most citizens during World War II. That sacrifice wasn’t to stay at home, it was to leave home. That sacrifice wasn’t a suggestion, it was an order. So the next time you are feeling “cabin fever” from staying at home, or are forced to order-in rather than go out to dinner, or must speak to family and friends via social media instead of in person – take inspiration from the generation before and do what is necessary to save more lives.
What we learn about the American spirit is what is embodied in all of us – from the leadership of our local schools to the heroes of our recent past. What we also learn is that there is a reason that characters like the mayor in Jaws are mere fiction: The American people never succumb to its difficult circumstances but rather rise to the level of its challenges. Only together will we get through this. But we will.
Tanner Jesso
Masontown