I was eavesdropping on my son’s remote A-level history lesson, and liked what I heard.
It was all about Henry VII, who ruthlessly sought new ways to pay for a heavily indebted state (sound familiar, Rishi Sunak?). Actually I wasn’t listening to the detail so much as to the teacher himself – patient, amusing, bringing everyone into the game, even the naughty ones who were almost certainly painting their nails or watching silly videos of Matt Lucas pretending to be Boris Johnson.
The teacher was supremely assured for someone pretty new to this remote teaching lark. And then it struck me: these are the other key workers we need to celebrate. Millions of people like this around the world, trying despite the technology, the times, the TikToks, to keep our children learning, with some degree of structure, rhythm and normality to these strange days.
So let’s garland our teachers in the following way: get in touch and let us know which teacher made a difference in your life and how. A maths guru who demystified calculus? An English teacher who encouraged you to write? Even a physics teacher who taught you that as long as the Earth goes around the sun you would never properly understand physics? Or someone more contemporary who is able to keep your eight-year-old sitting still for the time it takes to make a cup of tea?
In return, I hereby bestow upon you the Upside treats of the week, COMPLETE with reading times (back by popular request).
• the Upside in conversation with Mo Gawdat. One hour video
• the real Lord of the Flies, where six shipwrecked lads pulled together. Five-minute read
• why are people helping each other so much? Ten-minute long read
• the world’s top 10 architecture projects. Three-minute virtual tour
• the Nintendo game that’s become the smash hit of lockdown. Three-minute read
• the ingenious medical app that ISN’T all about Covid-19. 90-second read
• lockdown on the family farm. Three-minute read
• pop auction to raise funds for charities during the coronavirus outbreak. One-minute waltz
• the antibody test – a game changer? Two-minute explainer
• forgotten stories of football – a glorious new Guardian podcast. 15 minutes weekly
Lucky numbers
As Britain edged out of lockdown this week, Niamh McIntyre dug into risk factors and found that working-age Britons are far less likely to die of the virus than pensioners. Discouraging if you are over 65, yes, but more reassuring if you are contemplating going back to work.
And there were zero new Covid-19 cases in New Zealand for three days in a row. Taiwan has gone seven days in a row without an imported case. Denmark is sure there won’t be a second wave. China today marked one month without a Covid-19 death.
Meanwhile, crime has fallen off a cliff in the UK…
What we liked
There were a slew of pieces this week about various European countries moving beyond coal. This Fast Company piece summed the picture up well, while this New York Times article reported that the US will generate more electricity from renewable sources than from coal in 2020.
We quite like this piece about an Olympic fencer turned delivery driver, if only for the headline…
And we were grateful to Giselle Green for singling out our work in her piece this week for journalism.co.uk
What we heard
We love hearing your theories, lockdown lessons, crazy utopian ideas and blinding answers to life, the universe and everything, so keep them coming.
Alastair Whitson continued our theme of lockdown learnings:
Live in the moment. Enjoy the natural world. Don’t be in a rush. Take the time to talk to strangers. Walk, don’t drive. Shop local. Buy less, give more. And, don’t put up with the bullshit any more. The system is twisted and rotten, so let’s smash it, and rebuild it better!
Daianna Karaian flagged up her venture called “do something about the news”, which sounds very much like a perfect cousin for the Upside
Every Friday, I pick a news story and share one simple thing anyone can do to make the situation better. Topics have ranged from tackling climate change to confronting sexual assault to supporting a free press, to talking to kids about the coronavirus pandemic.
Readers say it makes them feel less anxious, provides a sense of control and gives them hope. To share that with the rest of the world, I’ve published a roundup of the best stories and related actions here.
Jo Holdaway wrote in to offer up her series of digital illustrations of key workers, entitled SUPER+HUMAN. See more at her insta-page
Jo said:
What I have noticed from doing this project is just how profoundly Covid-19 has affected everyone’s jobs and lives in the way we physically communicate with one another. From the children’s nurse who has to wear PPE which makes it so much more difficult to communicate with families and children to the police sergeant who can’t comfort his recently bereaved mother because of the risks his job possesses. At the same time we are really appreciating and feeling so thankful for the people within our communities like the postal workers and recycling teams that bring a welcome routine and ‘life’ to our quiet streets. Because we have been staying at home we have realised that their physical presence and brief conversation is really valued in the community.
Where was the Upside?
In a dozen and more countries where people are tiptoeing back to life.
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