Frazz by Jef Mallett for July 28, 2020

This would be funnier if it weren’t so true.

Great-aunt. Would that be a sister of a grandparent?

It’s really very sad that so many people who would love to facilitate learning… who DO love to do that… burn out from teaching in the public schools. It’s almost as if there were some kind of underlying cause.

I am an uncle many times over, and a grand uncle even more so. I prefer to be known by my life-long nickname, Dick. I do accept Unca Dick, though.

I had one of those – a diabetic alcoholic. She sold the farm to developers and slowly drank herself to death.

Sadly, I’m hearing this is happening a lot from several teacher friends.

My grandmother’ grandchildren span 42 years. The oldest is 69; the youngest is 27.

My sister took early retirement after having a heart attack. Teachers deal with the Dilbert syndrome cranked up to 11. Clueless management with unreasonable expectations.

Wait, they don’t know if they’re going back to school, but still not wearing masks.

A friend retired from a city government job, reactivated her teaching certificate, and in her late 50s began teaching grade school. She spent two years being sick with every virus and bacteria that swept through the school, before she finally built up resistance and was able to teach for a few more years. Now add Covid to the mix, just as flu season is cranking up. Takes a very special kind of person to teach in today’s world, and I admire their dedication. Don’t understand it, but admire it.

A LOT of teachers maybe retiring this year ….

On the kids side, sons school has modified the year to split the class. Half the students will attend class from 8 to 11:30, then the other half will attend from noon to 3:30. My son, will be learning from home.

I retired a year ago. My wife wanted me to work another year. First time I was right in 30+ fantastic years of marriage.

I applaud the efforts of all the teachers and school staff who have created the online experience for our children, BUT! Being a small business owner who has also had to recreate the new normal in our line of work, follow all the new state/gov’t mandated guidelines, begin to do all this from home AND homeschool my 7yo twins… I’M the one who’s BURNT OUT!!!

Add in that the virus doesn’t attack special needs kids so they don’t have to wear a mask if they don’t want to. It’s their right. (What do you mean it does? Just because the first person to die in our county was special needs doesn’t mean that the virus can attack special needs people and their caretakers.) I’m trapped in the teacher retirement system so I can’t change jobs without losing 16 years of retirement income. I have three more years before I can retire on more than $55 per month. I’ll be 59 next month and I’m in a wheelchair so no one else will hire me. I’m trying to get enough life insurance to take care of paying off my house and giving my two disabled adult children that I support enough to get by for a few years. I’m trying to modify my house so that I can self-isolate and not put their compromised immune systems in danger. I’ve made my will and invested in a half dozen masks, filters, face shields and gloves. I won’t have enough to last more than a few months. I’m in Texas which is a hot spot. The school board sent out a notice that any employees that do not feel “comfortable” going back to school should talk to HR. If not returning was an option, I wouldn’t return. I don’t have that option.

In my family we had an uncle (my first cousin) that was four months younger than his nephew (my second cousin). A generation before that we had a similar situation (my paternal grandmother’s sister was younger than my father and one of my aunts).

What is an aunt-aunt? An aunt of an aunt? But that would be a grandaunt (not great).