#1363 An Education in Individualism (in)Action (Back to School)
Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy
Jay Tomlinson
4.5 • 3.4K Ratings
🗓️ 1 September 2020
⏱️ 73 minutes
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Summary
Air Date 9/1/2020
Today we take a look at the concerns being weighed in the debate over returning to in-person learning as the beginning of the school year gets underway.
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SHOW NOTES
There are a bunch of problems that have to be solved in order to open schools safely. But the president is incapable of solving them. He just wants them open, so that people can go back to work, and so things can be "normal,” so he can get reelected.
As the world and the United States shatter the daily records of COVID-19 infections, President Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos continue to push for public schools to reopen in the fall without a plan to adhere to CDC guidelines.
Ch. 3: D.C. Teachers Fight for Distance Learning in the Pandemic - The Intercept - Air Date 8-3-20
After city officials in Washington D.C. weighed a plan to send teachers back to the classroom as part of a hybrid learning plan, the Washington Teachers Union mobilized a week of actions to push for virtual learning in the fall.
Ch. 4: COVID-19 Will Devastate Schools... And Already Is... - Thom Hartmann Program - 8-4-20
After thinking they had COVID-19 under control, Israel reopened only to find out that schools are the perfect playground for such an insidious virus, schools spread to homes, to businesses, and created new epicenters. In America, it could be worse.
Ch. 5: Kids Positive for Coronavirus After ONE DAY in School - David Pakman Show - Air Date 8-7-20
Kids start testing positive for coronavirus after one day back in school as the entire school year is now in question.
Ch. 6: The Long-Brewing Crisis in Higher Education - On the Media - Air Date 8-28-20
Over the past few weeks, colleges and universities across the United States have re-opened for the fall, despite the public health risks associated with doing so. And the risks have borne out
Ana Kasparian and new co-host Nando Vila dunk on the ludicrous arguments for reopening schools.
VOICEMAILS
Ch. 8: Mail-in ballots in Washington don't require a stamp anymore - Kate from Spokane, WA
Ch. 9: The importance of understanding systems protecting themselves - V from Central New York
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 10: Final comments on Yascha Mounk’s incredibly ironic article preaching the importance of defending the falsely accused
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SHOW IMAGE
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to this episode of the award-winning Best of Left podcast in which we shall hear |
| 0:07.2 | about concerns being weighed in the debate over returning to in-person learning as the |
| 0:13.3 | beginning of the school year gets underway. |
| 0:15.8 | Clips today come from all in with Chris Hayes, Democracy Now, The Intercept, The Tom Hartman |
| 0:21.7 | program, The David Pakman Show, On the Media, and Jacobin Radio Weekends. |
| 0:33.6 | Countries all over the world have successfully reopened their schools. |
| 0:37.0 | Denmark was the first country in Europe to do so reopening all their primary schools all |
| 0:40.5 | the way back on April 20th. |
| 0:42.3 | In Wuhan, the first epicenter of the virus, schools started reopening at the end of April. |
| 0:46.9 | In Singapore, schools reopened in the beginning of June and they have even restarted some |
| 0:50.8 | extra curricular activities. |
| 0:53.0 | Of course this has not all gone smoothly everywhere, reopening is hard. |
| 0:56.7 | There have been plenty of places where the virus flared up and they had to close schools |
| 1:00.0 | again. |
| 1:01.4 | These countries who have struggled with the coronavirus prove it is possible. |
| 1:05.9 | And we all desperately need American schools to reopen. |
| 1:08.9 | Pediatricians, parents, educators, basically anyone who deals with kids, they all agree it |
| 1:13.9 | should be a priority at every level of government and for all of American society to get full |
| 1:18.9 | time in person school open again in the fall. |
| 1:23.4 | But right now that is looking unlikely because we have the worst coronavirus response in the |
| 1:27.2 | world. |
| 1:28.4 | That is not stopped the president. |
... |
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