OK. So... there is an entire conversation to be had about this image and there are lots of people sharing this image as a way to kickstart different conversations.

And I'm going to be another one!

Lots of people have shared their first and initial reaction of revulsion and dislike - it's silly, it appears to be making light of a pandemic that has disproportionally impacted Black and Latinx communities, and it feels tacky on its face. All incredibly important points.

But.

One of the charges teachers have taken on - through choice or osmosis - is normalizing scary things for small humans. The image in the first tweet makes for one hell of a #PairedTexts with the anchor charts teachers make for lockdown drill routines.

Yet.

One of my favorite thinkers on conservatism is @/cjane87. She identifies how many conversations in America aren't about the thing they're about. They're "thing-adjacent."

Part of her skill is identifying the thing and the thing-adjacent.

My hunch is that image isn't "the thing." It's thing-adjacent. The issue isn't well-meaning teachers using familiar touchstones (font, bitmojis) to normalize a scary time (people in masks).

The thing is the failure of this administration to respond to a pandemic.

My hunch is when people share it - for whatever reason we rationalize - the thing isn't "I want to shame and chastise these teachers." It's "this whole effed up situation is very scary and pointing out this awkward choice gives me a sense of control."

YMMV.

There's also an entire history around White women and pretty classrooms which likely plays a role in the creation of that image. But that's a different thing that's maybe thing-adjacent. Or the thing itself. https://nursingclio.org/2018/05/03/prison-cells-and-pretty-walls-gender-coding-and-american-schools/

Going to slide this graphic into this thread as it fits the same pattern. Which is to say: the hardest thing for us to do in this moment is to keep our eye on the thing, not what's thing-adjacent. This graphic? It's thing-adjacent. IMHO.

The "thing" is the absolute failure of this administration - in every way.

Everyone is trying to control the things we can control. Or the things we think we can control. This teacher likely felt she could offer routine and structure. So did the "no-PJs" people.

All of this sucks. In every way. There are no good answers to be had around school. Public education - and teachers - are getting it from all sides; those who have been against it are all too eager to signal boost teachers effing up.

Sigh. It all makes me so damn sad. And angry.