On Being Non-Essential: It Doesn’t Mean You’re Not Important
By Jennifer Wagner
“I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.”
I’ve always appreciated that Douglas Adams quote — and I’m drawn to it more than ever in these strange pandemic times.
Deadlines are boundaries. Deadlines give us structure. We need deadlines, even if they whoosh by. Especially as they whoosh by. They keep us in check.
But right now, it feels like there are no deadlines. At least not for me. That’s because at this moment, my work is non-essential.
Don’t get me wrong: The COVID-19 crisis is having a huge effect on K-12 education. Parents are suddenly teaching; teachers are wondering what happens if and when they go back to the classroom. State budgets are taking a hit, unemployment is skyrocketing and state legislatures are closed down. The federal government passed a massive relief effort that includes schools and families, but no one fully understands what that means yet or how those funds will be distributed.
On Being Non-Essential: It Doesn’t Mean You’re Not Important was originally published in EdChoice on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
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