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Contrast Study

Read this funny and heart-warming story featuring the tooth-fairy the same time as this sad news of LA County. Both stories stuck with me as I thought about the astounding contrast in how this time was experienced by people not so far apart from each other.

Across the border, this child is leading a largely normal life - attending elementary school in person, meeting his friends everyday. The school Vice Principal has the mental capacity left to be a fun and caring adult in the life of this child. 

Such is hardly the case with teachers here in America. The levity has evaporated a long time ago and teachers are in crisis management mode for going on a year now.

“There was a lot of emotional turmoil and we couldn’t do a whole lot of curricular teaching,” she said. “Those were some of the darkest weeks of my life.” Instead of spending her time focused on lesson plans, she found herself consumed by her students’ emotional well-being — contacting those who had to temporarily stay with other relatives, texting with children whose parents were hospitalized.

Gavin and his friends are incredibly lucky to have normal in their lives which has all but disappeared for many of his peers across the border. Losing a couple of years to this chaos in the life of a child who is under ten years old is a disproportionate blow in terms percent of life lost. I cannot even begin to imagine how it feels to be in that kid's shoes or how the parents cope.


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