The pandemic has revealed America's shortcomings. We could ignore these revelations, or we can heed them as a call to do better.
Nutrition
The fact that many families rely on schools for their chlldren's nutrition is a problem. It's too much for schools to be the centers of family/children's needs alone.
I believe that we have to rethink community nutrition. Rather than make schools the center of healthy eating, nutrition, and sustenance, I think we need to focus on the following areas of nutrition to help everyone in every community get the nutrition they need:
- local agriculture--grow as much healthy food as possible in communities
- access to healthy food
- centers where people can learn how to prepare healthy food
- accessible nutrition centers in the community
Family life
One silver lining of this pandemic has been the fact that life slowed down. This, in a large part, was positive for families. Children have had more time to play. Families have had more time to get outside and enjoy nature together. There's been more time for family activities, cooking great meals and developing communities with strength.
Society has not paid enough attention to family life. In part, this is connected to the fact that society has not focused enough on women and children. We have to put families first with regard to our national agenda, and find ways to support families with greater attention to these matters:
- healthy recreation: great parks, bike trails, sports arenas
- quality, accessible health care
- quality, accessible public schools
- needed child care
- time for families to be home and care for their children
Schools
Clearly the pandemic has opened the door to rethinking schools to make education better for the modern age we live in. How can we make schools better? What can we do?
We have to stop thinking about schools as a one-size-fits-all solution to all problems that plague children and families. Instead we have to develop multi-service centers in communities that have spaces for health care, child care, and nutrition. These centers have to be modern centers with adequate, healthy spaces in beautiful areas with outdoor parks and recreation areas. The pandemic has shown us that most schools in the United States have been neglected and act more like child-warehouses than schools. Many schools are too crowded, outdated, and falling apart--this is terrible.
Clearly, when you look around at society, you can easily see who gets the money and attention. There are many big, beautiful corporate buildings and run down schools, community health centers, and child care centers. Also, salaries tell the story of who gets the attention. Teachers and child care workers make little money while corporate personnel make much more. If we value families, education, health, and recreation, we have to collectively support these positive arenas of good living. If we invest in good living with quality health care, nutrition, education, and recreation, we will build a strong, smart, happy people which will, in turn, present as a peaceful, prosperous country. We've neglected our schools, our children, and our families, and this, in part, is why our country is suffering and why we succumbed to the weak, dangerous, and destructive Trump leadership team.
Education
The pandemic has found educators throughout the country experimenting with countless new paths of learning and teaching. This is positive and hopefully will result in a more modern, positive education experience for all children, an experience that includes the following elements:
- positive teacher-student-family connections, relationships
- greater culturally proficient teaching
- blended learning
- passion-based, personalized learning paths
- lots of "reading" via reading/listening to wonderful stories, informational texts
- lots of number work to understand how numbers work and the meaning and potential of data/statistics
- more coding and STEAM
- greater attention to developing a strong foundation of knowledge, concept, and skill in all academic areas
- greater equity with regard to education facilities, programs, and support
- state-of-the-art resources such as great tech devices, WIFI for all, and more
- revised structures in schools so that more professionals are working directly with students and less people on the outside simply telling others what to do without truly understanding what happens with students and teachers and what real learning includes and looks like.
Environment
Enjoying nature and getting outside has been a tremendous positive result of this pandemic. We are safer from the contagion outside and we can get together with less risk outdoors with our loved ones. This is positive and demonstrates clearly to us that we have to protect our natural lands and resources to inspire and support the best of who we can be in life.
Community
The pandemic has also acknowledged that we need each other. We can't survive this virus alone, but instead we have to work as a team in our communities. We have to support strong community supports and spaces. Strong families and strong communities are the backbone of a healthy, happy, and prosperous country. We all need to get involved in our communities more.
Change
We need to make change in society--our focus on corporations, cars, and wealth has, in many ways, created a community that has fostered greater distance and divide than community and collaboration. We have to re-look at the ways we design and remake communities to foster greater community, healthy recreation, and good living. Communities need to have more sidewalks, bike trails, public transportation, nutrition centers, quality education facilities, and safety. America has spent too much time supporting the wealthy 1% rather than working for better living for all--we have the potential to build a truly great country that elevates opportunity and good living everywhere, and now we have to figure out how we will do that and what we will prioritize.
Donald Trump and his cronies/family members' vision is backwards--it's that old time kings and queens vision, a feudal system of haves and have-nots or rulers and servants. That's not what America is--we're a country that wills the voice and privilege for ALL, not just some. There are so many ways that we can work to make this happen, and we will all benefit.
Let us learn the lessons that the pandemic offers. Let us build a better USA. Let us work to provide opportunity for good living for ALL with improved education, health care, recreation and environments. We can do this and the first step is to get out there and vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Also vote for democratic candidates in your district, and get involved. It will take the efforts of all of us to make better.