Thomas F. O'Neill: Staying optimistic during a draconian lockdown ....... 🦅

I am now teaching at a new school, the Zhuji Ronghuai School, in Zhuji City in Shaoxing in the Zhejiang province of China. I love the students here, but unfortunately, the school has been in lockdown since November 12^th due to COVID. The students have classes seven days a week from 7 in the morning to 9 at night and sleep in dormitories. No one can leave or enter the school from the outside, including the parents. I am witnessing the ramifications of the lockdown on the students' mental well-being. Some students are beginning to act out, with fistfights and talking back to their teachers with abusive language. I’m trying to stay optimistic, and I know these marathon weeks of teaching will, in the end, make me a better teacher. The students are, however, looking forward to going home in the middle of January for the Chinese New Year.

I’m convinced that China’s leader Xi Jinping is using the COVID outbreak to consolidate his power. No leader since Mao Zedong had this kind of power over the Chinese people, and Mao was also a ruthless dictator.

I told my students that China’s draconian methods of fighting COVID is like trying to kill a mosquito with a sledgehammer, with the mosquito having the upper hand. The COVID policies are far worse than the virus.

Since he has been in power, Xi Jinping has outlawed Halloween and Christmas displays, and schools are forbidden to engage in Halloween and Christmas parties. Traditional Chinese festivals are only allowed to be celebrated, but that won't stop me from wearing my Christmas sweater and hat in the classroom on Christmas day. If I disappear and you don’t hear from me again, you know why. These ridiculous rules and regulations, especially the lockdowns, the constant COVID testing, and travel restrictions, have been in place for almost three years with no end in sight.

This lack of freedom in China has made me more appreciative of being an American, and I’m grateful for the freedoms that come with our U.S. citizenship. That appreciation only grows stronger at this time of year.