It is a great day to be a Dillo! Well, it is official; we have a case of COVID-19. There may have been a little arrogance in all of us thinking we would be the chosen ones in the state not to be affected, but the reality is the coronavirus is no respecter of persons or county lines. Nobody wanted to be that first one, and there have been rumors of cases for weeks. Last week, it was me. For some reason, I was running a low-grade fever and had a small headache. At any other time I would have dismissed it until it got worse or waited for the discomfort to go away. I seldom take an Ibuprofen for anything. Out of the abundance of caution, I self-quarantined and got tested for COVID-19. I really did not feel bad, but the thermometer was showing 99.4. Under these circumstances, you do not ignore this because this is not about me, but about everybody I love and care about. I am thankful for our medical community and the risks they take every day, but to get tested is uncomfortable and inconvenient.
Here is a community service announcement in case you find yourself in a similar situation. This is the scenario I went through. Yours might be different. I went to the Baylor Scott and White website and checked on the COVID test survey/ questionnaire, then an e-visit and video chat with a doctor. The Doctor ascertained my symptoms and scheduled me for a test. I received instructions to go to the emergency room drive thru in Marble Falls. When I arrived at the emergency room, the hospital had placed cones with instructions telling you where to park and to wait for a nurse. A very polite nurse in complete hazmat gear came to my window. She was very sweet as she held a cotton tipped shish kabob skewer. She asked me if I wanted one nostril or two because if she did both nostrils, the test was more accurate. I said let’s double down. I asked her if she was going up to what some have called a brain swab, and she advised me that this test went back and not up. I did not know it could go back, but she did…. twice. It turns out they put that swab all the way to that place where your nose and throat come together. That place where loogies are made. I think she touched my optic nerve as well because my vision was blurry for a few moments, or maybe it was the instant tears that were generated. But either way, it took a minute or two before I felt safe to drive back home. More than 24 hours went by before I received my results, and I am happy to say that I am clean and healthy. We must continue to exercise safe practices so that we minimize risk even if it is uncomfortable and inconvenient.
My parents are almost 80 years old, and the last thing I would ever want to do is put my parents at risk. This was one of the main motivators to get tested along with my duty to the community. I knew it would be uncomfortable and inconvenient, but it was about them and not myself. As a school superintendent, my job is always about doing what is best for students. Over the years, I have discovered that what is best for kids may be uncomfortable or inconvenient for adults. We must come to the realization that the COVID pandemic will be with us for much longer than any of us thought. We are not sure how this virus will impact school as we know it in the future. We are beginning to look at options for what is best for our students’ education. We will be looking at several possibilities going forward of how to prepare for something that we never knew we had to prepare for. Our teachers have done an incredible job moving from a face to face learning method to a virtual or online learning method. Virtual instruction is not the best method for teaching. Many students have struggled with the transition. Many parents, because of work or other reasons, have not been able to help their kids at all. If we were to fail every kid who failed or refused to do their work during this time, it would be devastating for many. There really is no replacement for a face to face teacher. Can I get an amen! Because of this, we will be working on multiple backup plans for the future so we can maximize face to face learning time. It may involve a more flexible calendar. At this time, we are exploring several options. Please do not go with “no” as your first response when we start the discussion process, but listen to all the possibilities.
I will end with this. When my own children were little, it seemed that they chose to be defiant or misbehave in the middle of my favorite TV show or the at the most inopportune times. It was easy to dismiss the behavior because it was uncomfortable or inconvenient for me. I was talking to a friend about it, and he told me the problem was that I loved myself more than I loved my kids. How dare he say something like that to me? The truth was he was right. I chose a TV show over an opportunity to help change the behavior and character of my child. My inconvenience was more important than what was best for my kids. Loving myself more than my kids is a lesson I have never forgotten and ask that we keep that in mind as we prepare for what is best for kids. Go Dillos!