As we approach the starting date for hybrid learning, many teachers and students are tingling with excitement at the prospect of returning to in person school. But even though the switch to hybrid learning is an essential step to going back to how things were, many people are  skeptical.

     My issue with this point of view is that it’s almost contradictory to all the things we’ve been pushing in terms of social distancing for the past year. If masks and social distancing work (which they do), then we should be fine going back to school on March 29. By that time we should have most, if not all teachers vaccinated, and the covid rates are already on a downward slope. According to The New York Times, reported cases per day have gone down by 22% in a 14 day period In Linn County. 

With that in mind, it doesn’t make much sense that going back to school on March 29, which should see an even greater decrease in the number of cases judging by current trends, is such a bad idea, as long as school staff does a good job enforcing a strict mask-wearing and social distancing policy. 

It completely makes sense where people are coming from when they say that we shouldn’t go back to school. It can seem pretty scary in such uncertain times. However, it’s incredibly important that we trust the experts. And to an even greater extent, we need to trust the data and statistics, which show that our cases are dropping and people are being vaccinated. At some point we have to make an effort to return to the way things were before covid, and the switch to hybrid learning is an essential step towards achieving that goal.