Biden’s Economic Plan Finally Acknowledges the School Disaster

It may not work. But at least it sees parents’ pain.

I’ve often thought, in this pandemic, about other times in my life that an event like this might have happened, and if those times would have been better or worse. College would have been terrible; high school would have been worse. When I was a new parent, having an infant would have kept me occupied; I wasn’t leaving the house much back then anyway. I wonder if the easiest times would have been when the only person I had to worry about was me. Everything’s harder when people are counting on you.

Now, I am a 45-year-old parent of a third grader and a first grader, and I’d argue those are the worst possible grades to be in during a pandemic. Elementary school is about basic foundational aspects of learning, but just as much, it is about developing vital skills of socialization. How do I deal with someone who disagrees with me? How can I learn about someone from a different background? What groups do I gravitate toward on the playground? How do I share? Math and reading and all your core primary curriculum are obviously important, but equally important is understanding what it means to be in a society, to interact with other humans, to, you know, live. My children, who have been virtual other than a brief three-week stretch…