an open letter to 'the new normal' + the teacher exodus

why did the world try to make the pandemic have a casual chic aesthetic

LEAVES, AREN’T PRETTY WHEN THEY’RE DEAD —

‘the new normal’ was always destined to become a screwed up phrase.

from the start, it insinuated that we had to roll the social anxiety off our backs it gave us a phrase that would allow us to rush to zoom jokes in our small talk, instead of the deep set anxiety. it gave us three words to adapt and compartmentalize our fear — which sounded good in the beginning, but nine months in, i’m starting to realize it probably gaslit our subconscious, too.

because in reality, ‘the new normal’ should not be a write off or a few words to tack onto a complaint or a shrug. plainly put, there’s (still) nothing normal about this time. there’s nothing normal about the fact that people will die because of reckless, large diwali and thanksgiving and christmas gatherings this year — as much as there’s nothing normal about the fact that those of us being careful are choosing a zoom call instead of a family party and…pretending to smile about it.

the phrase is a disservice, at least to how i feel. and i think the only way to untangle from some of the trauma of this past year to toss it aside and replace it with something healthier, and less casual chic. because why in the world did the world try to make the pandemic come off as casual chic?

more later, including my nomination for a replacement, but first my words + podcast:

my words: teachers are living public schools. are they going to startups next?

etc: it wasn’t the lingering exhaustion that made christine huang, a new york public school teacher, leave the profession. or the low pay. or the fact that she rarely had time to spend with her kids after the school day due to workload demands. instead, huang left teaching after seven years because of how nyc handled the coronavirus pandemic in schools.

learning lesson: this shouldn’t be a new lesson, but after reporting on edtech for the past 9 months i am consistently startled between the disconnect between the technology and its users. i spoke to three students this past week and while optimistic me hoped they would tip me onto a new hip tech platform they were using for school….they all said that they’re still relying on zoom and blackboard. oof.

the pod: we had fun debating vowels, remote work, and emerging fund managers in the latest equity pod episode.

anyways,

if i had to replace the stupid phrase with anything, i’d say that we all start externalizing a shared truth loud and proud: everyone is living their own, deeply emotional, pandemic.

for some people, it might mean the once a day walk with their neighbor just to feel okay, or spending weekends living with a small pod of friends and family. (fine — it might even be using the phrase ‘the new normal’ as a coping mechanism, and i will take it only if you promise to tack on my additional context whenever you say it.

for others, it might mean staying inside until there is a vaccine, or blogging about how much they hate a phrase as sunday self care.

for no one is that phrase a cop-out for a 20-person party in the middle of a global pandemic. for everyone is that phrase a reason to give others some grace.

now, i’ll note that my optimism is peeking through and that i’m asking for people to think of others which is apparently too much of an ask for this country — because if that was possible the numbers would not be rising every day.

but i’ll ask and rephrase and ask and rephrase and ask you, my lovely socially distant reader, all to ask and rephrase anyways — because i think that’s the only way to get through this time. not by manifesting silver linings or shaking things off, but by being brave enough to articulate. to be the paranoid friend or family member. to be the party pooper.

and so this is my takeaway for you this week: i don’t want ‘the new normal’ to continue creating whiplash and complacency in all of us. instead, i want the fact that everyone is living their own pandemic to be something we feel, understand, and emotionally share in.

to a happier post next week,

n

p.s. to celebrate diwali, i’d love to send one of my lovely readers a virtual coffee gift card. all you have to do is share this newsletter with a friend and e-mail me a screenshot and you’ll be entered. 1 share = 1 enter. i’ll announce the winner in next week’s newsletter!