A fundamental flaw of journalism is the illusion of objectivity. When I was a journalism major at the University of Maryland, we were taught to get all sides of the story in search for “truth.” But journalism is as wrought with privilege and bias as any other field. So when I saw Ilima Long’s tweet a few days ago and then read the article, “As Omicron Surges, Schools Battle Pressure to Stay Open” by Catherine Gewertz, I was especially sensitive to the sources named.

As a teacher, the conversations me and my colleagues have about going virtual are full of diverse opinions. However, this article reflects the cruel reality that that little to none of the people making decisions on our work are listening to our voices. We teachers are the ones exchanging stories of profound trauma both of our students and of each other. But it is district, state, and national leaders who are supposedly speaking for us, as if they have ever actually spoken to us.