Tucker Carlson Ate My Brain.

 

This incident occurred at the first school district where I taught. I was a preservice teacher there, completed a year long internship, and had student teachers placed in my room. All in all, I spent three years working for the enormous Granite School District. Since then, I recently served for two years on the school board at my charter school. 

This is a huge embarrassment. Board meetings have protocols. Clearly none of these adults have ever visited a board meeting before, or probably have even visited a classroom. There are several reasons why this clip is so cringeworthy:

First, elementary children aren't yet able to be vaccinated. They might live in homes where family members are also unvaccinated. It was at this same school district where I first learned that classrooms are petrie dishes. Kids are adorable germ spreaders. I remember when my classroom aide made an anonymous call to a local news station when our school had over 50 students with head lice. The school obviously wasn't taking any action, and every day, I worried that I'd become riddled with lice. Classrooms are as gross as public subway stations. Any illness in a classroom is immediately spread. And, given the numbers of people who have been vaccinated in Utah, this is a major risk for the entire community at large.

Second, how would a student feel if he or she killed a grandparent or relative by spreading covid? I have thought about this a lot. My school requires students to wear masks. Teachers, even though vaccinated, have to wear masks, as well. Guess what? It was no big deal last year. I never even had to remind the kids, because they actually wanted to stay safe. I taught on campus during the entire 2020-2021 school year, and wore a mask daily. Again, it was no big deal. I wasn't "suffering". I was actually just being kind to my coworkers, and to my students, because I care about them all.

Third, this is what happens when people spend their time listening to a televised provocateur. He has no skin in the game. He is not an epidemiologist. He is not a medical professional at all. His sole purpose is to stir the pot. Tucker is a racist version of the playground bully, daring kids to climb up to the top of the swingset and jump off. Why is he telling people to "rip the masks off of children"? He wants attention. He wants to see how far he can go. He wants control.

So, if you're thinking that following Tucker Carlson makes you a maverick, and demonstrates that you have "freedom", it really just shows that you can't think for yourself. It kind of makes you a selfish idiot, lacking in basic common sense. Just because he is on television, doesn't mean that he should be on television. And, why anyone would risk the health and safety of a child, in service to Mr. Carlson is beyond me. 

Judging by the comments on this video, a lot of people thought that this stunt was cool. They didn't see the parental behavior as inappropriate. As an educator, it made me hope that Granite School District holds the line, and makes health decisions based on medical advice, instead of based on adults following the marching orders of a television personality. I'm sure that any of these shouting parents would be happy to homeschool their children, you know, in order to prove their point...