Opinion

Digital learning and home-schooling have hit K-12 education like — well, like a pandemic. As in so many other sectors, from politics to business to the movies, people are asking to what extent things can ever return to normal from the drastic changes imposed by our public health emergency. Now that millions of families are experiencing digital learning and home-schooling, at least in a way, will these alternatives come out stronger on the other side of the crisis?

When man denies the existence of God, or even believes himself an agnostic, he, in effect, replaces God with himself as the highest entity of intelligence. This impacts his political thinking in virtually every way.   

If God does not exist, then he cannot be counted on to manage the planet, thus puny man must. Without faith that God oversees everything for the benefit of man, the following could not be understood: the rotation of the planets, sunsets and sunrises, the consistency of gravity, wind speeds and temperature variances — even oxygen levels.

I left early that Easter morning. I had a two-day drive ahead of me.

The wife at the time and our two children, Aliki and Jack, were already in London, Ontario. We were scheduled to baptize 5-month-old Jack the following Sunday at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church.

I pulled out of El Reno about 5 a.m. I had made the drive to London several times before.

Today a man making a delivery to Riverside School said, “I bet your teachers are happy about having a longer summer break.” My immediate response was no. Then I recommended that he not ask teachers that question.

Some people just don’t get teachers. Teachers are not jumping for joy about an extended summer break. In fact, most teachers use normal summer breaks to plan, attend education conferences and spend their own money to purchase classroom supplies.

New York City and Boise City, Okla., are very different places.

That’s not a news flash to most, but it is to some who want COVID-19 responses implemented nationwide as though there’s no difference between one state and the next.

An important debate is under way about our nation’s federalist system, which gives states great latitude to adopt different policy approaches based on differing local conditions — including how states work to reduce the spread of COVID-19.