The COVID-19 sudden outbreak has panicked the whole world, and TCFL is no different. We all have questions, fears and take precautions. Everyday is unexpected. Nobody knows when the virus will finally be contained...or when it will really sprout. One cough, one cough among the 30 that we used to hear per day, is now causing worrisome stares, as we unleash our anxiety, hands and feet tapping and tapping on any available surface, increasing their speed as they feel germs crawling up over their back and neck. Overreacting is a probable unnecessary pain but underestimating is possibly a clever risk.
At TCFL the teachers are helping us all breathe, take one, two, three deep breaths. Slowing our heartbeat, pumping blood to the end of every single limb. Students, teachers, staff...we are all scared and wondering, but we all keep breathing. During this confusing and stressful phenomenon we all attempt to get through it and give each other the help that we ourselves need. Reassuring our peers, calming down our students, showing compassion to those more vulnerable to threats than others. Simple, honest, transparent actions to prove that none of us are alone.
The teachers are educating students about precautions to keep us all safe, answering questions about the ongoing commotion that is being brought upon society all over the world. We focus on the facts: the coronavirus is an outbreak, similar to a cold, which is very contagious and imposes the same threats as the flu to people who already suffer from illnesses like diabetes, heart or lung disease. When one of us is overly concerned, teachers emphasize that even if a peer, relative or one of us, ourselves, catch the virus, it is curable and not a reason to panic.
Unfortunately, viruses aren’t the only negative side effect of COVID-19. Teachers are raising awareness about the importance of not using the outbreak to justify inconsiderate comments to or about Asians (more specifically Chinese) people. The origin of the virus has nothing to do with who it affects and we are educated to not tolerate any rude assumptions relating the two.
To surpass this phase of panic and worries, in TCFL teachers help us recognize that we must all work together, supporting each other and maintaining calm during the unexpected turn of events. We choose our battles, all of us, and there is no reason to fight more than we have to. At TCFL we are taught to fight together, without exaggeration.