Posts

Showing posts from March, 2020

Ode to the Essentials

Ode to the Essentials  -Mike Walsh  This one goes out to the angels working the register and the saints stocking the shelves.  For the docs seeing patients, the MA’s taking vitals, and the nurses still running twelves.  Three cheers for the heroes who care for the elderly and those who cradle our young.  For the police on the street, the firemen at the ready, the paramedics on another run. Raise a glass to the postman and the delivery women. They risk their lives for our supplies.   And another for the tradesmen and the truck driver. Their work keeps us alive.     Let’s hear it for the restaurant workers as they cook our meals behind closed doors.   And for the farmers and manufacturers as they toil to restock our stores.  Thank God for the gas station attendants and mechanics keeping us on the go. God bless the garbage man and the sanitation worker a debt to you we owe.  To all deemed “essential”. To all working behind the scenes. Gratitude we

Attitude

The last few days in the classroom before school was canceled due to the spread of COVID-19 were both scary and odd. Teachers are no first responders or frontline soldiers. However, our job is unique because, in times of distress, everyone’s kids look at us for guidance and support. It doesn’t really matter what we say or what we teach during these times. What matters is how we act.  You could feel the eyes of the students. “Is this okay?” They were wondering. With every frantic parent coming to pick up their kid early, the kids left behind looked to see how you’d react. “Stay calm, Mike.” I thought in my head. “Why are so many teachers out?” They asked. If you know the truth, do you share it? You don’t want kids to panic but you also know they can sniff out a lie. There’s a student having a nervous breakdown in the hallway. He’s being tended to. Just walk by. Everything’s fine. At the end of the day, you pass out some more handouts from the State of Illinois and Chicago P