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2 Friday, August 21, 2020 brooklintowncrier.com Less than half the picture: By Richard Bercuson Is this idea really so crazy? Far be it from me to quote sensible remarks by politicians. Yet every now and then, one says something that hits the mark. As reported by the CBC last month, when replying to a question about outdoor classes, Ontario Premier Doug Ford stated that no idea is a ridiculous idea if it means getting children back to school. In other words, he nailed the entire premise. Let's burrow into this idea. Social distancing among children, particularly the younger ones, is virtually impossible. Classrooms were constructed for 30 or more students. Consequently, there's no way to space students to be far enough apart and get even half of them into a single room. High school labs, tech rooms, cooking facilities and the like offer further challenges. Mask-wearing will be an adventure. Mask on - mask off - touch mask - stuff mask into pocket or backpack - retrieve it - don't wash hands - put it on backwards, etc. Online classes just don't cut it, particularly with younger kids where it's a colossal waste of time and - dare I say it - teacher salaries. None of those issues even begin to address school staffing. However, desperate times do call for desperate measures. We absolutely must find any way possible, no matter how awkward, logistically complex, and physically demanding, to get children back in school. Their health depends on it and, by extension, so does society's. The answer? Tents, canopies, generators, heaters. And proper outdoor clothing, especially toasty socks. And shovels (okay, snowblowers) to hew out paths to said tents through snow. Do a web search of outdoor classrooms during the 1918 flu pandemic and you'll find plenty of photos showing how schools ran outdoors. I know: we no longer write on slates. We live in a northern climate. We have/need electricity, tablets and wifi. However, it's our modern technology and engineering that allow us to conduct school in relatively amenable surroundings. There, students can socially distance and ventilation isn't a problem. The problems are technical and logistical, though far from insurmountable. Older students, say grades 6-8 in elementary schools, go into the tents. Younger grades are spaced out through those vacated classrooms. School board tech wizards perform their magic with wifi dohickeys and extension cords. Teachers may have to make do without amenities like smart boards. As for them, there will be smaller classes and far less crowded buildings which means much less risk. Boards will need to hire more. They'll also need to hire security personnel to watch over the outdoor facilities, which means more jobs. In the end, online classes are trashed; parent complaints will centre on needing to buy more gloves instead of worrying about how to stay home from work or stifle the noise when working from home; children get to be with children; and education carries on with hiccups rather coughing jags. Can it be done? Sure. Will it happen? It's already being considered in many American states. Remember "The X Files"? The truth is indeed - out there. Editor's Apology The cover photo of the July 10 issue showed a group of Brooklin High students in the Vipond parking lot. They were crowded into and around a car just prior to their evening grad parade. Needless to say, they were not social distancing (nor were most of the BHS grads that evening). Meanwhile, my column on page 2 ripped into those who would whine about wearing masks. The column's message was essentially about abiding by the rules in order to control the COVID virus. As a couple of unimpressed readers pointed out, how could we print that cover photo and then that column on the next page? They were right. I should have instead chosen a photo of students socially distancing to send the right message. I apologize for the poor decision.