As a 30-year veteran elementary teacher, I felt compelled to offer a rebuttal to Ms. Teresa Lyons’ attempt at a persuasive letter published Tuesday, disparaging the current guidelines for mandated mask wearing in our Hawaii public classrooms.
My first reaction was to cringe, and start editing the piece for style and content errors. First, Ms. Lyons begins by using a common beginning writers’ error- starting with a sweeping generalization, without attributing her sources.
(“Prominent medical doctors…have concluded masks really do not prevent transmission…”) What prominent doctors? Am I not correct that our National Centers for Disease Control, and other notable medical establishments, such as the MAYO Clinic, and UCSF, are staffed with “prominent doctors”?)
Ms. Lyons offers no supporting evidence of her position, and sadly resorts to finger pointing in her second paragraph, and accuses teachers — incorrectly — of subjecting students to the “true torture of being muzzled all the time,” and then suggests that teachers who are “paranoid about seeing their students faces” should leave the profession.
How sad to see her misunderstanding of how the state Department of Education and Governor’s Office work to oversee implementation of school codes. I’m flattered to think she believes that teachers have that kind of power — to pronounce indoor mask mandates. We are merely employees following our contract. Regardless of our personal opinions on the mask issue, the majority of teachers I know implement the indoor masking policy to help protect the health and safety of our keiki, their families, and teachers and staff. (On a personal note, I’ve been keenly aware of keeping masked around my students and fellow workers these past few months, while awaiting surgery. Does that make me an overly paranoid teacher who should leave the classroom, Ms. Lyons? )
Finally, Ms. Lyons resorts to hand-wringing, and bemoans our national troubles as a result of Americans having “no understanding of the Bible or the U.S. Constitution.” So how does this connect to her main grievance, mandated mask wearing inside classrooms?
Perhaps, Ms. Lyons should conduct more research about the CDC, COVID and mask wearing, and how state policies are enforced here in Hawaii. I’m happy to have supportive, helpful parents of my students, who support the indoor mask mandate, thereby keeping our classroom safe for everyone.
Perhaps, Ms. Lyons should find an educational system more in line with her beliefs? Meanwhile, I’ll be keeping my mask on inside the classroom, for my safety and the safety of my keiki.
Antoinette Reynolds is a resident of Kailua-Kona.