Tension over school return begins to build.

The dominant story for months, of course, has been Covid-19. As many of you have no doubt found, it’s difficult to find a story that is not at least somewhat shaped or influenced by the pandemic. And, of course, the headlines of every major newspaper are dominated by the medical, social, and economic impact of the disease’s progress. This past week we saw a number of professional sports leagues either returning or preparing to return soon, and we saw the first failures of that return. As we turn toward the end of the summer, headlines have begun to be saturated by stories about schools and their attempts to think through reopening school doors—or, as the case might be— closing those doors for another term.

            In Canada and the United States, including here at home in Quebec, quite a bit of attention has been paid to the reopening of universities. In the late spring and early summer, there was some hope from the government and school faculty and administrators alike that campuses could physically return in the fall of 2020. 

            But the summer has evolved and passed quickly, and now universities and schools are beginning to look at the situation in a new light. In Toronto, a number of unions launched a petition against the University of Toronto’s attempt to reopen its campus, albeitAlbeit (conjunction): a combination of the words ‘all be it,’ the word functions as a close synonym of ‘although.’ It grants the partial truth of an assertion earlier in the sentence. in a partial manner. Here in Montréal there’s concern over the fact that universities—especially McGill—may soon be welcoming students from American communities where the virus has been running rampant to their campus, to Montréal, to Québec. 

            Earlier in the summer, President Trump threatened his nation’s own schools if they did not reopen according to his dictates. This past week, the city of Washington D.C. defied the American president, deciding that they would not reopen this fall. 

by Nathan R. Elliott

The Longform read of the week: I found this Washington Post piece especially compelling this week It’s an oral history selection—a transcription of a school superintendent in Arizona—that gets at the emotional heart of decisions that teachers, students, and parents are having to make right now. The writing is relatively accessible for learners—and the article easy to understand—yet the emotional impact is high. I recommend all of the articles in this Washington Post series. 

i. Miami Marllins Outbreak Postpones 2 Games and Rocks M.L.B’s return. New York Times. July 27th, 2020. 8 mins. Intermediate +

ii. We should aim to have students physically in school this fall: Legault. Montreal Gazette. May 21st, 2020. 3 min. Intermediate - 

iii. Let’s start taking the danger tape off of university campuses. July 2nd, 2020. Montreal Gazette. 3 min. Intermediate -

iv. We’re reopening Notre Dame. It’s worth the risk. New York Times. May 26th, 2020. 6 min. Intermediate +

v. 6 University of Toronto Unions Launch Petition against School’s Reopening Plan. CBC. July 29th, 2020. 5 mins. Intermediate-. 

vi. Anxiety High as Canadian Universities prepare for Students from U.S. Montreal Gazette. July 21, 2020. 3 mins. Intermediate-

vii. Trump Threatens to Cut Funding if Schools Do not Fully Reopen. New York Times. July 8th, 2020.  8 mins. Advanced-/Intermediate + 

viii. Washington D.C. Will not Reopen Schools this Fall. PBS Newshour. July 30th, 2020. 2 mins. Intermediate. 

ix. “I’m sorry, but it’s a fantasy.” Washington Post. August 1, 2020. 8 mins. Intermediate-.