The students who are coming to our high school and wearing masks throughout the school day are demonstrating a level of courage that humbles me. Even though at present the district "highly recommends" wearing masks while indoors, very few of our students (or staff) are. This morning, I had students who were trying to pressure me to take off my mask for a bit so that they could "see my face." If that is how they would pressure an authority figure, I suspect that they might exert even more pressure on their peers.
Yet I still have at least one student in nearly every class of mine who is wearing a mask. Against the community pressure, clearly distinguished from their peers, they are courageously protecting their fellow students while members of our community (ironically) refer to mask-wearers as "sheep." I don't look down on those who students who are not wearing masks because misunderstandings and misinformation about masks and vaccines are replete in our community, but I am quite proud of those students who are able to stand against such a sweeping tide of peer pressure.