Unfortunately the news and our lives have been dominated by coverage of the Covid-19 virus.  Yet, with this unprecedented situation has come some unforeseen educational opportunities for our students.  I have been covering geography with two students this year.  Primarily we discuss such topics as politics, climate, and cultural histories as they pertain to the various countries and regions around the world.

Starting on Monday, March 30th we pulled up some of the various statistical maps available which detail the daily cases in Florida and worldwide.  The students were extremely inquisitive about the emerging numbers and why and how it’s being reported.  In geography we learn about the various political structures around the world and a big topic of debate has been the reporting of accurate virus case numbers.  We discussed how various governments might act in handling the crisis.  We also talked about how certain governments might report the numbers differently.  In addition, we examined the different styles of health care systems and how that might impact patient care.  

At this point we’ll continue to monitor these charts and see how they have evolved over the days and weeks to come (hopefully not months).  It’s been a rewarding experience having the students take a pragmatic approach to understanding what’s happening right now in our world.  I think it brings the “geography book” to life now that real world implications have come to our front door.