Coronavirus

Hey y’all, welcome back! It’s nice to see you again. I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy in these trying times. It’s hard to ignore the chaos, panic, and fear surrounding the coronavirus. My students are talking about it all the time. Today we talked about how Tom Hanks and his wife recently confirmed that they both have coronavirus. My students and I were really saddened to hear this. Tom Hanks is one of the best actors of all time. He’s in all of my favorite movies: Forrest Gump, Toy Story, Saving Mr. Banks, Sleepless in Seattle, and Cast Away. Oh and the new one was really good, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. It hurts to even think of anything happening to someone who has such significance in not only my life, but the lives of so many people. I remind my students that having coronavirus is not a death sentence. Although he is older, he is a rich American with access to healthcare. My students laughed at that, which made me feel good.

The kids, they’re often making jokes, as kids do about such things. And I do too, like my Tom Hanks joke. Some students have even shown me coronavirus memes. However, I feel like the younger generation is not taking this whole situation as seriously as they could be. Perhaps it is because they are young and full of youth, and have a sense of immortality that I lost long ago.  Coronavirus is a dangerous disease and must be treated as such. My students were toying with the idea of traveling and going on vacation, since flights are so cheap due to travel restrictions and just general safety precautions advising against unnecessary/leisurely travel However, since the tickets are incredibly cheap, my students decided to go somewhere anyways. I told them it might not be the safest thing, to which they responded that they are healthy young adults with strong immune systems who would survive coronavirus, if they even contracted it. They also mentioned that the places they were looking forward to going to did not have any confirmed cases of the disease. I told them, like I am telling all of you now, that it doesn’t matter if you think you will survive coronavirus. You might carry it and pass it on to someone who is not as lucky. Older people, pregnant women, and people with autoimmune disorders or compromised immune systems are very susceptible to contracting and dying from coronavirus. I am just especially worried about my mom, who is turning 89 soon. She obviously is really old and could not handle being exposed to coronavirus. 

Additionally, I am worried about my husband. This is something I have kept from you guys for a long time, but it’s only because it makes me really upset whenever I think about it, and I wanted to spare you guys the sorrow. The thing is, my husband is currently undergoing chemotherapy for advanced prostate cancer. It’s never easy when the person you love gets cancer, especially for them. Its just so hard to see someone you love in so much pain. Anyways, I am just extra worried about him now with this whole pandemic because his immune system is already compromised. To make things worse, I am a teacher, which means I have to physically go to work everyday. There are a lot of people I’ve heard that have started working from home, because their jobs allow and encourage it, for safety reasons. But I can’t do that as a teacher. I still have to show up to work, every single day, where I am exposed to hundreds and hundreds of people. 

Thanks again for stopping by, and stay as healthy as you can. I put out hand sanitizer and clorox wipes in my classroom, and I hope you do the same in your work space, whether that be at work or at home. Be sure to subscribe! See you later!