Musings: The next school year

By Ed Piper

Reading an article on the opening of South Korean high schools in the Los Angeles Times last week, I saw that at one girls high school (the genders are segregated in public school in South Korea) a classroom had a plexiglass plate in front of the first row of seats to separate the teacher and serve as a "splash guard".

In P.E., students were spread out in lines, all facing front (same as the desks in academic classrooms), all wearing masks during exercise. "Let's do four jumping jacks to start," said the instructor, trying to acclimate her students to working out while having their faces covered.

Whatever schools in the U.S. look like upon starting the 2020-2021 school year on Tues., Aug. 18, they will certainly look differently than they did on March 13, the last day of in-person classes before COVID-19 measures shut down schools.

My son-in-law, who teaches video at Kearny High, says discussion so far has included talk of 16 students in a classroom (when I substitute teach in San Dieguito and Poway districts, typically there have been up to 35 students in a class). That would be a very different look, with space between desks, all in lines like in the traditional instruction my wife and I received growing up, no movement during class, more structured permission to go to the restroom (often students at Canyon Crest Academy (CCA) and other schools I sub at are free to go as they feel the need, since behavior problems at CCA are minimal).

Will we see further online, Zoom instruction as we have these three months since shutdown? It sure looks like it. Staggered starting times, no crowd lunches during the middle of the day (instead, eating inside classrooms), P.E. with social distancing meaning one ball per student, no passing/guarding/etc., are all possibilities--even likelihoods.

During the first two weeks of the school shutdowns, I was extremely nervous and fearful when I ventured out of our house (which I rarely did) about catching the virus. One morning at Sprouts, a woman apparently thinking her mask gave her immunity to zigzag anywhere she felt like zipped right next to me on her way to some produce, and I mini-freaked out, telling my wife, "I'm leaving the store. That's it." In minutes, I was outside the door and headed to my car, shaken, again, fearful of virus exposure.

Now, after 10 weeks of no school, I've progressed to the point, while still being one of those who wear masks outside (many I've passed on the sand at Pacific Beach, and in other locations that aren't stores with signs, "Face coverings required", don't wear them), where I told my wife last night, "In August, I'm going to substitute-teach. I'll wear a mask, I'm sure they'll have social distancing in effect and they will be wiping down surfaces in rooms, so I'm going for it."

Frankly, I can only fill so many days with "activities" to pass the time. It has been fun and enriching reading (did I say reading?). But then the regular rhythm of wake, eat, read, nap, read, eat, nap again" has become so boring, my wife groans when she hears me say for the umpteenth time, "I'm bored." "It's boring."

In my early 20's, when in doubt, I would go for a run. At 66, I can't run anymore, with neuropathic feet, so the equivalent is going for a drive. But only so many drives to yet another market or store that has reopened--or the last few days' craze, visiting plant nurseries in the area--ask me, I'm an expert--can fill time as I yearn for the external structure of subbing, sportswriting for the La Jolla Village News (which was suspended March 20), et al to resume.

Now, what this all means for fall high school sports, including football, is a subject for another entry.