The reality of the new wave of COVID-19 is already affecting Butler County. The reach of the negative impact of the virus is way beyond health care and health care facilities.

Most businesses took a huge hit economically from the first phase and are fearful of what another round of state mandates could do to them. Together with health care, everyone seems to grasp what COVID-19 is doing in those areas, but another segment of the community is also reeling from it.

Maybe education has the toughest assignment of all with the need for drastic adjustments to how they produce and deliver their product. You realize the end product of the education system is the workforce and our children?

The better job our education system does, the better prepared our workforce is. At the same time, our educators are also becoming more and more important in life’s other lessons outside the classroom. Certainly, the most important factor with kids is the home environment.

But as the stress of this pandemic mounts, parents are finding it tougher to deal with the new or modified responsibilities thrust upon them by virtual education and remote learning. Many parents are simply unprepared to offer assistance to the kids as to using computers and laptops for more than video games. This pushes the issues back at the teachers to also provide the guidance and instruction that parents need to be the at-home part of education.

We should be proud of the job being done by the school districts and how well prepared they were for these events. Even at the highest levels of our local public education systems, there was no panic or lack of vision. It never crossed our minds that people needing to quarantine would cause teacher shortages.

But thankfully, educators are some of the most creative minds out there. Every day, they deal with a variety of problems and concerns and have to adjust to each child’s needs, desires and circumstances.

These times have even caused them to take more active roles in making sure hunger and health issues are being addressed seven days a week.

We need to give the entire education system our support as a community and back them fully. Step one is wear your mask, so fewer people, including students and teachers, have to be quarantined. We need everyone to do the best they can do.

And here are some expert words of wisdom inspired by a real hero. He knew no reason to hate and always brought his villains full circle to learn love and respect. Thank you Dr. Seuss for inspiring these words about teaching.

I will teach you in a room, I will teach you now on Zoom

I will teach you in a house, I will teach you with a mouse

I will teach you here or there

I will teach because I care.

— RV