The ascent and descent of users in the Pino Suárez metro was constant throughout the morning of Saturday, nine days before the return to school. By noon, and despite the permanent drizzle that was recorded from the early hours of the day, hundreds of people came out and occupied the sidewalks towards the Zocalo.
Halfway, in the street of Mesones, some of them made a stop. Between stalls installed on the sidewalks that were covered with plastics so that the merchandise did not get wet, they began to look for the materials that the schools requested for the return to school on Monday, August 30.
Read: Michoacan and Hidalgo refuse to return to face-to-face classes; 6 states continue to evaluate it
Some of them had printed the lists they had to fill, others by heart knew what they were looking for and some more came only to compare prices.
“The teacher still does not tell us how it will be, if you have to take them or they will continue at a distance, in itself, be that as it may, they will need where to write and their colors, the scissors and that which is taken care of, that is why we come to warn ourselves and buy a little bit from the list that the teacher sent”, commented Mrs. Rosa who toured the stalls and premises looking for the best prices.
Her son, she said, will move on to second grade. Because of the pandemic, he hasn’t known his school and hasn’t seen his companions except through the computer.
Will you send your child to face-to-face school, he was asked.
“Well, pray yes, it gives me a little bit of slope, but if they say you have to take them I’m going to take it because if I see that it is not learning as it should be,” the woman explained.
Valvina Jiménez accompanied her children to buy some materials, mainly notebooks.
While waiting for them, he said that his children bought to fill the stationery they have in the colony where they live and not for their grandchildren because they still do not know if they will return, or not, to face-to-face school.
“I say that yes they must return because at home it is not the same and anyway the contagion is where they want and they can not be locked up, better that they are in school,” the woman said.
“They get distracted, it’s not the same, it’s never going to be the same as being with the teacher.”
Read more: Back to face-to-face classes will be on August 30; this is the health protocol to follow
According to what the SEP has reported, for the 2021-2022 school year that is about to begin, it is not a requirement that parents supply all the lists of school supplies, even, they must not acquire uniforms because children will be allowed to attend in casual or “street” clothes, as it is commonly called.
Still, on the second day of the formal sale of supplies heading back to school, hundreds of people came with their cloth bags and folding carts to take school supplies.
“The school decided that they will not return in person and will be online classes,” said Veronica, a mother who, with her two daughters, came to fill out the list of materials.
“For me it is perfect that they follow the virtual classes, if they had told us that they were face-to-face classes surely I would not have sent them (…) the teacher sent us the list and so we come to be ready for classes.”
Abigail is the mother of a child who is ready to continue with her first academic foray as this year she will move into the third year of kindergarten.
With emotion her mother went to the school supplies plaza located on Calle de Mesones. He had printed the list of school supplies and a pink marker with which he was indicating what he had already bought and what the earrings were.
“No, they are not going to go to school, it was decided that it will be in hybrid format,” shared the mother, “right now they are going to go online for three months and in January depending on how the situation (of the pandemic) is that it will be decided if they will enter in person … in the meantime I think they’re just going to go once a week.”
For Abigail, the decision they made in the kindergarten where her son studies is the right one: a gradual and safe return.
“I say that this is fine and so they are no longer behind, they are aware of their classes and they also live with their friends in some way – even once a week – and they are not so isolated,” he added.
According to her young son, she is happy to go back to school and be able to see her friends.
“Although they are going to work from home, the miss asked us to buy all the material they asked for, that’s why we came once and for all to fill the list,” he said.
Also: ‘We’re blind’: teachers create their health protocols for back-to-school
“We are optimistic”
Officially this weekend began the temperate sale of school supplies and although throughout the day was seen the coming and going pas parents gathered at the Inns corridor, school supplies vendors said sales are very low.
“On the downside, sales are totally down, wholesalers did not come, right now those who come are for retail and we do not live from retail because we do not get it,” said Hugo Enrique, seller of notebooks and other materials.
“We’re about 80% down. Yesterday was the first day at the close of the season because they are supposed to enter the 30th (of August) so we only have between now and the 30th and the first half of September although we are doing well.
For 25 years, Agustín Avilés has been selling colored sheets and design. Your place is right in the center of the stationery market on Calle de Mesones.
In an interview, the man agreed with other merchants: sales are very low, although they are confident that as the days go by they will improve.
This year, at least, it was possible for him to open his premises because a year ago, given the health emergency due to COVID, the square where his premises are had to remain closed.
“We have had a difficult time because one finally has to maintain the payroll that one brings, I for example, had 14 employees and right now I just have 8, I was cutting my operating cost and now that the sale has started I lack staff but I do not have to pay them,” he said.
“I am optimistic because this is already beginning, the street of Mesones is already beginning to have that life, that spark that was missing. The demand for school supplies has already begun and hopefully those who sell uniforms, shoes will also have demand because the bouquet has been punished for about 18 months and well, we already needed parents to go out and buy uniforms and school supplies that is finally the basis of our sale.”
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