Do dogs understand elevators?

Do dogs understand elevators? If you were thinking that this is one of those cute questions five year olds ask, then you clearly are not living with a teenage girl in your home.  This was Hannah’s question, and while the greater discussion of just what goes on inside a dog’s head when they enter an elevator in one place, and then exit in a totally different place, is a much deeper topic than the statement might imply, it is also a fairly accurate representation of the inside of that kid’s head.  Our topics as of late have included whether or not a prom dress is appropriate for Zoom classes, answer is yes, the best way to teach a friend a TikTok dance when dealing with the delay in the music when video chatting, answer is giggle a lot, and whether hamsters have periods or not.  No answer on that last one yet.  Hannah says we should monitor Hammie for mood swings.  

And for the record, Hannah’s answer to the dog in the elevator was that the dog would see the doors open and think, “whoa, world changed!”. 

I return to in person instruction tomorrow, which is a good thing only because I am starting to run out of Zoom jokes.  The ones I have been using have taken on a life of their own, and not necessarily for the better.  We have a morning greeting on Zoom where we wave, fist bump, make silly faces, and my favorite, ride the elevator.  If you haven’t tried it, break it out, it’s a hoot.  My class loves pretending to push an elevator button and then sinking out of sight, waiting a second, and then slowly coming back into view.  Some of them are getting pretty good at it, and have even branched out to taking the stairs up and down, another classic.  Had I left it at that, all would have been good, but I decided to start bringing up random items that I had found in my “basement” when I took the elevator down.  Another good Zoom gag, but now my kids have started bringing up more and more elaborate items.  What started with stuffed animals has turned into full breakfasts, siblings, and whatever pet they are able to keep a hold of and out of sight until it is time for our morning greeting.  Except for the dad in his bath towel that somehow made it on screen, It has made for some lighter moments to start our day.  

However, I do not recommend stopping your Zoom class to suddenly exclaim, “oh no, _____ has turned invisible!” when someone gets out of their chair for too long.  That one has kind of backfired because now all they want to do is lay on the floor out of sight and yell, “Mister Adam, I’m invisible.”  I know, that one is on me.  But I can’t help it because I have one student who either just turns around or only makes it halfway off the screen.  Yes, I should be worried that he has not moved past the object permanence phase, but it makes me smile.

You might be thinking that the return to in person instruction is due in part to the Covid conditions in Brasilia improving.  You would be wrong.  Our numbers per 100,00 are in the high 40s, our ICU beds are still over 93% full, and seven hospitals in town have zero beds available.  We are now under a curfew from 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM.  In short, the current conditions in Brazil and Brasilia are setting daily records for being the worst they have ever been.  

So why are we going back?  In a nutshell, the leadership at our school decided that we would return to school the instant the governor allowed it, regardless of the Covid conditions in the community.  When asked, they stated that the only reason we would shut down, short of a government order, is if things get bad at our school.  They have decided that school is the best place to be, and the community is the worst place to be, despite the fact that it is exactly this same community that we are bringing back on campus.  Do I agree we should go back right now, no.  Do I feel like I have a voice, no.  Am I worried about going back, yes.  And considering just how devastated I was to be back on Zoom just ten days ago, for me to want to stay on Zoom for a few more days is saying something.  Interestingly in a town run on money and power, only the private schools have been allowed to reopen.  Public schools remain in distance learning.  We will leave that discussion for my interview with Oprah.

It’s late.  I’m going to bed.  I have a day full of Covid dodging ahead of me tomorrow and I want to be as rested as possible.

Be safe, be well, and be happy.

Love from Brazil,

Adam, Sara, Hannah, Lila and Hammie

Hammie monitoring me for mood swings.