OPINION READER’S FORUM
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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021
A4
EDITOR’S DESK
What our children have lost during the pandemic
A
s I interviewed Hermis-
ton School District’s band
and choir teachers last week
about the challenges of teaching
such an interactive subject virtually,
I asked what it had been like to have
such an abrupt ending to
the school year almost a
year earlier.
They described can-
celed concerts, choir fes-
tivals and fi eld trips that
students had worked
Jade
hard for and looked for- McDowell
NEWS EDITOR
ward to. Band recruit-
ment activities never
took place, and the high school’s
spring musical, “Grease,” never fi n-
ished production.
It struck a chord with me as I
thought of how devastated I would
have felt as a high school senior if
our spring musical production of
“Cinderella” had been canceled half-
way through. Some of my best high
school memories came from rehears-
als and performances of that show.
Recently, I saw an article about
what experiences teenagers have
missed because of the pandemic, and
there were comments underneath
about how students needed to stop
whining when having virtual classes
was nothing compared to previous
generations who had been shipped
off to war when they turned 18.
It is true, there are teens who have
had it worse. However, we would all
be better off if people stopped giving
Hermiston School District/Screen Capture
Sandstone Middle School band students play a concert from their homes via YouTube video
in November 2020.
in to the instinct to pop up and shout
“But something worse happened to
someone else!” every time another
human being says they’re having a
hard time. Pain is pain, no matter
where it falls on the scale of Every
Bad Thing That Ever Happened.
Many of the experiences youth
are missing out on right now, taken
in singular, aren’t essential to their
growth and development. I didn’t
bother to go to half my high school’s
dances and yet I turned out fi ne;
I doubt missing prom will leave
today’s high schoolers with some
essential missing ingredient to their
character either.
This is about more than a missed
milestone, though. I can’t point to
a singular event in my senior year
of high school that shaped my life,
but the year in general certainly did.
I was testing the limits of the new-
found level of independence that
came with a driver’s license, get-
ting over my fi rst taste of heartbreak
and navigating social dilemmas and
complicated friendships that seemed
to come with higher stakes than the
playground dramas of years past.
Long after memories of the for-
mula for the Pythagorean theorem
have slipped away, I still treasure the
memories I made in the choir room,
on stage and in the stands. I remem-
ber funny moments in the class-
room, and spirited conversations
about religion and politics over lunch
as we slowly shaped our worldview.
It is cruel that a generation of stu-
dents had those memories, and oth-
ers had them ripped away suddenly
last spring, even if it was what was
needed at the time to save lives.
The question is how this past year
will shape them. Older generations
have accuse my generation — the
Millennials — of being soft and enti-
tled because we got too many tro-
phies (I don’t know why they’re so
mad at us when they were the ones
handing them out, but that’s a discus-
sion for another day). So what will a
year without trophies bring?
Perhaps the generation that grew
up with active shooter drills will be
extra resilient. Perhaps the genera-
tion that spent a year of high school
online will be particularly adaptable
and self-motivated. Perhaps those
that came of age during a racial jus-
tice reckoning will be more enlight-
ened. I hope so.
It seems likely that for some stu-
dents, however, the toll may be
darker. As the pandemic slowly
recedes, the adults need to make sure
that there are resources available to
help students whose anxiety, depres-
sion, loneliness, low self esteem, eat-
ing disorder, addiction or other strug-
gles were exacerbated by what a year
of the pandemic wrought.
What will come of Generation Z,
only time will tell. Their teachers
have helped them the best they can
through this diffi cult time, but as they
leave school over the next few years,
it seems likely the effects of the pan-
demic will linger.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
COLUMN
Biko brings excitement to Malgesini pack
School taxes still necessary for
online education
F
I was disturbed by a recent letter
to the editor suggesting we should
be refunded our tax dollars desig-
nated for education. I do not cur-
rently have school-aged children,
but am providing “Nana School”
(online school) in my home for 2-5
grandchildren while their parents
work.
First, let me say that I agree this
is not ideal — it is diffi cult, awk-
ward, and sometimes downright
frustrating. Obviously, for most chil-
dren/young adults, in-person learn-
ing is best. But suggesting we are
being cheated out of our education
tax dollars is shortsighted. Are we
asking teachers to teach for no pay?
Or suggesting we just not provide
any kind of learning at all this year?
Asking custodial staff to stay home
and not maintain the buildings/cam-
puses in which we have invested
millions of dollars? The nicest word
I can think of to describe such action
is “silly.”
I have listened in on my Littles’
online learning sessions, and must
say I am impressed. Can you imag-
ine trying to hold the attention of
20-30 school-age youngsters via
video? Let alone trying to maintain
any kind of discipline when kids
are in homes with siblings, parents,
pets, televisions, etc.? I say, “Good
job, and Thank you!” to these teach-
ers and staff who are having to work
in a whole new way. Let’s be a lit-
tle more supportive and appreciative
and a little less critical, shall we?
Ginger Linkel
Hermiston
our new paws have been pad-
ding around our house recently.
Biko, an almost 6-month-old Ger-
man shepherd/Siberian husky mix, made
the Malgesini pack whole again this past
weekend.
For the better part of nearly three
decades, John and I have had
a two-dog household. After
we lost Lucifer, my hus-
band’s German shepherd,
early last month, it wasn’t
a matter of if we would get
another dog, but when.
While John and I were
immediately taken in by the Tammy
little guy’s piercing eyes and Malgesini
happy yelps, the General, my 8-year-old
German shepherd, seemed annoyed by
what he viewed as an interloper. Biko,
who immediately wanted to meet his
brother, has been mostly oblivious to the
General’s boorish behavior.
Although he appeared to miss Lucifer,
the General was basking in the perks of
being an only dog. While we tried to warn
him that this was merely a temporary sit-
uation, the General only seemed to under-
stand that he was getting undivided atten-
tion and going for a lot more rides.
Whenever John or I left the house, the
General happily jumped in the rig and
immediately stuck his head out the win-
dow. In fact, he hadn’t even been left
alone at home since we lost Lucifer —
until this past Saturday when we went to
the adoption event.
Initially, John wasn’t sure what breed
of dog he wanted. Over the years, we
bought three canine kids from Geyer Ger-
man Shepherds. However, since Becky
Geyer retired several years after we got
Tammy Malgesini/Contributed Photo
Biko, a 6-month-old German shepherd/
Siberian husky mix, settles into John’s lap
after joining the Malgesini pack this past
weekend.
the General, I contacted another breeder.
After being provided some initial
information and encouraged to reach
out with any additional questions, I
was ghosted. I feel it was reasonable to
inquire about the waitlist, especially since
the deposit was nonrefundable.
John then happened upon Petfi nder,
which included dogs from Mikey’s
Chance Canine Rescue. We discussed the
pros and cons of adopting a dog that had
a history. Gastineau, our second German
shepherd, was a rescue — and while he
became a part of our pack, he came with
some baggage.
I fi lled out the Mikey’s Chance appli-
cation — providing everything from a
history of our past pooches and breed
preference to philosophies about train-
ing and commitment to dog ownership,
as well as references and photos of our
house and yard. While it was a time-con-
suming process, I appreciated its thor-
oughness. I also felt confi dent that the
agency would agree that we were the best
match.
We got to the meet and greet event
at Paw’s Natural Pet Emporium in Ken-
newick before our new canine kid had
arrived. When he got there, it became
obvious that he was a little social butter-
fl y — wagging his tail and nuzzling up to
both humans and other dogs.
During the backyard introduction at
home, the General wasn’t too keen on
Biko’s exuberance in meeting him. Once
we moved the getting acquainted efforts
inside the house, the General would vac-
illate between barking at Biko or physi-
cally turning his head away in dismissal
— as if to think, “If I can’t see him, then
he’s not there.”
By day three with guided socialization,
positive reinforcement and playing the
Pupcorn game (an exercise that includes
catching a favored treat) together, the
General’s barking is being replaced by
sniffi ng. And if things get a little too
intense for Biko, he looks to his Papa for
protection. All is well with the Malgesini
pack again.
---
Tammy Malgesini, the former Hermiston
Herald community editor, enjoys spending
time with her husband and dogs, as well as
entertaining herself with random musings.
CORRECTIONS
Printed on
recycled
newsprint
VOLUME 115 • NUMBER 9
Andrew Cutler | Publisher • acutler@eomediagroup.com • 541-278-2673
Jade McDowell | News Editor • jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4536
Kelly Schwirse | Multi-Media consultant • kschwirse@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4531
Audra Workman | Multi-Media consultant • aworkman@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4538
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