while others disregard them – crowd the streets. School started a few days ago, but the patterns of attendance differ from class to class, school to school and district to district which makes keeping schedules very challenging for teachers, parents and students alike. Some restaurants are now offering side-walk seating of the sort I saw in the City, and a large public parking lot in the middle of town has now in part been appropriated by adjacent bars and cafes as a place for patrons to sit outdoors. There is perhaps a certain novel creativity in the air. Masks can now be purchased in gift shops, online, in pharmacies, at street-corner stores. One can buy them in a variety of patterns, including cat whiskers, skeletal smiles, floral designs and even one that has VOTE printed on it. Musicians who can no longer perform in concert halls play in the park free of charge to an audience gathered at a safe distance on blankets. A friend sent me a photograph of murals painted on the wood that has boarded up vacant stores on the Bowery in lower Manhattan. People have volunteered to shop for those who can’t safely get out and about. This morning I got a message from a social-service organization in Brooklyn asking for volunteers to make three calls a week to an elderly person who is alone and in need of human contact. For a few weeks – until the harvest was done – my daughter and grandson volunteered to pick produce at a local farm that distributes food to local needy families. (It was too hot for me to join them.) The days are growing shorter. I no longer hear the peepers in the marsh across the street, but the crickets are chirping loudly at night. In a few weeks, I expect that the roads leading to and through New Paltz will be thick with cars, as the autumn leaves will be glowing their usual yellows and oranges, and sightseers will be wanting to catch the spectacular sweep of the mountains in their bright regalia. And I’ll be wondering what the world will look like the next time I write for OPEN!
Experienced Educator CAN DO! AN INTERVIEW WITH TIIU VITSUT
What do you see as the worst and best aspects of today’s education from a (grand)parent’s point of view? Firstly, let me say that it is a blessing and a privilege to see your children’s children grow in a world with opportunities we never had, facing challenges we never imagined. For us science fiction was a bubble, a fairy-tale; our grandchildren now live in that bubble. Their electronic toys invented some decades ago serve as their study tools. There is a lot of positive in our education – it’s contemporary, free and offers equal opportunities (almost, because the place of birth plays an important role in the availability of opportunities even in small Estonia). Teachers and students have access to a massive knowledge bank over the internet (in case this “human right” is granted where you live); the virtual world has almost no borders. In my opinion, the task of the school is 46
