New photos emerging on social media show the ridiculous and freakishly isolated conditions many children are facing as they head back into the classroom mid-COVID, where the adults in the room have decided that the only way to keep children – and themselves – safe from all-but-certain death is to keep them from living at all.
One elementary school in Provo, Utah, is taking safety to the absurd extreme. In a now-deleted Instagram post, Edgemont Elementary posted a picture of a few miserable-looking masked children sitting at desks covered with clear boxes made of what appears to be plastic.
One teacher posted a photo of his classroom before students arrived, showing desks separated by plastic dividers.
This is my classroom now. COVID doesn’t stand a chance! 👊🏻 pic.twitter.com/pDqHB5pNy0
— Matt Miller (@Coach_Miller_9) August 17, 2020
One teacher at least tried to be creative, crafting rocket-themed partitions that, while at least inventive, aren't very conducive to being able to see.
I wish I was in kindergarten again! So impressed with @Garrison_KRocks COVID classroom creativity! Can’t wait to see how the kids like it! @Raymond_Elem pic.twitter.com/9YNPgvbEn2
— Adrienne Darah (@adrienne_darah) August 20, 2020
Another post shows students sitting apart in a classroom that used to be a lab, but is now a largely empty room where students are required to bring their own equipment to keep from touching the same stuff.
Miss Zarate leading tech class. The lab was torn out due to COVID. Students now bring down their classroom devices. pic.twitter.com/XpJ8qAPFIx
— TAZ the Red Devil (@TAZtheRedDevil) August 13, 2020
And, while it’s far better than torturing small children by not letting them socialize with their friends at the lunch table, one lecturer at the Rochester Institute of Technology posted on Twitter that her adult students aren’t even allowed to have desks.
An actual excerpt from an actual email I have to send my class:
— Hannah Davis (@egggirl) August 14, 2020
"Our classroom doesn't have desks. For this and one big, way more obvious reason, we won't be using it."
Is this really going to be how we thwart Covid, @RITtigers? pic.twitter.com/zuDzXV4Bvh