Mayor's Minute: November 2020
COVID-19 continues to add stresses to our daily lives, and I am proud of how the vast majority of our residents have faced these challenges with grace and a sense of community. We are all in this together. From my perspective, COVID-19 has created two groups of heroes who deserve our sincerest praise and thanks.
Our teachers. Being a teacher is certainly one of the most important jobs in America. They are responsible for advancing the education of our youth and will significantly impact their socialization skills. Early in my career I taught classes to insurance agents who were seeking a designation and I was amazed at how much preparation was required to teach a one-hour class once a week. For our teachers, they must prepare multiple daily lesson plans for a full school year. Add to that the actual teaching, controlling the learning experience, grading exams and interacting with parents, it is a very difficult job under normal circumstances. Now with COVID-19, teachers must also prepare for and run e-learning or virtual classes, manage social distancing and mask wearing and be concerned with their own risk of infection. I do not think any of us can truly relate to just how difficult this is for our teachers. Our teachers deserve a long standing ovation from all the residents of Mountain Brook. To me, they are among the true heroes of this COVID-19 crisis.
Our first responders. Our fire, EMS and police have done a remarkable job during this COVID-19 crisis. They do not have the choice of “working virtually” and are often required to place themselves in harm’s way as they respond to emergencies involving known or suspected COVID-19 cases. Not once have they ever backed down. These men and women are heroes. I hope that when you cross paths with one of our first responders you will thank them for their extraordinary service to our community.
Let these heroes of COVID-19 serve to inspire each of us to continue to do our own part by wearing a mask when in public buildings and retail stores or within 6-feet of others, observing social distancing and washing our hands often. By making these personal sacrifices we show our respect and caring for those around us.