Why are most teachers too scared to return to in person teaching, but most parents want schools open

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because parents don't have to see what the conditions are like in the schools. They don't have to deal with how filthy or understocked schools are. Parents don't have to contend with the incredibly unrealistic expectations that children will sit still for seven hours a day in a mask. They won't be the ones trying to control a classroom full of kids who are frustrated and bored and restless from a day with no gym, no recess, no games, and none of the things that keep kids motivated to do academic work. They don't have to watch twenty kids without a break while simultaneously educating them, assessing them, and keeping them safe from a deadly virus.

My district is going back. If it is a nightmare, then I will leave. I don't have the emotional bandwidth to teach my special education students in this dystopian nightmare. None of my colleagues do. I know that none of this will work for my students, but we are supposed to smile and pretend that it will. I can't plan because they have given us absolutely no information about who, what, or how we will be teaching. The summer has been so full of anxiety and dread. On top of that, I see parents pitching fits about how they want teachers to be fired and an enormous amount of vitriol being expressed towards us. It's discouraging and it is starting to impact my mental health, on top of all the stress and uncertainty we are ALL experiencing.

Oh, yes, we do. We are now being forced to contend with the incredibly unrealistic expectations that children will sit still for seven hours AT HOME and will learn just fine, all while we're trying to do our jobs, either at home or outside the home. That you can't see what is being asked of parents undermines your entire argument.

I am so tired of the vitriol being expressed at parents. It goes both ways.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because parents don't have to see what the conditions are like in the schools. They don't have to deal with how filthy or understocked schools are. Parents don't have to contend with the incredibly unrealistic expectations that children will sit still for seven hours a day in a mask. They won't be the ones trying to control a classroom full of kids who are frustrated and bored and restless from a day with no gym, no recess, no games, and none of the things that keep kids motivated to do academic work. They don't have to watch twenty kids without a break while simultaneously educating them, assessing them, and keeping them safe from a deadly virus.

My district is going back. If it is a nightmare, then I will leave. I don't have the emotional bandwidth to teach my special education students in this dystopian nightmare. None of my colleagues do. I know that none of this will work for my students, but we are supposed to smile and pretend that it will. I can't plan because they have given us absolutely no information about who, what, or how we will be teaching. The summer has been so full of anxiety and dread. On top of that, I see parents pitching fits about how they want teachers to be fired and an enormous amount of vitriol being expressed towards us. It's discouraging and it is starting to impact my mental health, on top of all the stress and uncertainty we are ALL experiencing.

Oh, yes, we do. We are now being forced to contend with the incredibly unrealistic expectations that children will sit still for seven hours AT HOME and will learn just fine, all while we're trying to do our jobs, either at home or outside the home. That you can't see what is being asked of parents undermines your entire argument.

I am so tired of the vitriol being expressed at parents. It goes both ways.

Oh well...it’s your kid.
Do what you gotta do.

[Anonymous]

Its your student. Do what we are paying you to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Yeah, but the problem is that the old restaurant that gave us food poisoning still has our credit card and keeps charging us for meals that they don't even deliver any more! They just keep sending us hastily scribbled recipes and say it's our responsibility to cook for ourselves now.

I like this analogy,

I honestly think the teachers on here taking hard line stances are trolls or otherwise not serious. Any teacher, particularly of young elementary, who says with a straight face that they have a telework job is being obtuse.

Despite how much chaos it has caused for me, I do support schools being closed. Just don't gaslight me to tell me that this is an acceptable situation, rather than the best of all of the terrible options that exist right now.

+1. Also the loudest voices tend to be the ones heard. There is one teacher on my local moms listserv who is constantly flooding it with anti-open posts but I get the sense that literally nothing will make her happy. She has a hysterical answer to anyone who dares to bring up a counter point. I think she’s posted on here to as I recognize some of the same arguments. Most of the teachers I know IRL have a more nuanced view of it and would go back if asked.

+100. The debate over reopening schools should be driven by science and objective metrics. Instead we allow the loudest and shrillest voices ( "I don't wanna DIE!!!") to drown out any reasonable suggestion on hybrid approaches or other ways of improving the quality of education for students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Its your student. Do what we are paying you to do.

In the safety of my own home I sure will

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most parents do NOT want schools to open. They are well aware of the risks! Many parents are voicing sadness and frustration that their children's lives are still upended for the upcoming school year, but it doesn't mean they WANT schools to reopen with the pandemic uncontrolled as it is.

The best survey I saw showed that only 13 percent of parents wanted schools to reopen full time. The rest wanted them closed or wanted them open on a hybrid model with lots of protections. But the logistics of that hybrid model and those protections are very complicated. I want schools to reopen, but only if they can do so safely for kids and staff. And that means that community spread needs to be stamped out, which it could be if bars, indoor dining, and other indoor activities with high risk of transmission were closed. But we can't eat our cake and have it, too, so here we are.

I think many aspects of the hybrid model are appealing until you start asking questions and like you say, trying to work out the logistics. Staffing is a large challenge, which could probably be overcome by streamlining the DL part but I'm not sure there has been enough time to work that out.

Also, I think it can be a safer approach IF the kids are staying home with their parents only during the off days. But that is not practical for many families. So you'd end up with all of this mixing of different groups over the course of the week, which kind of defeats the purpose. The ideal scenario would be small groups of the same kids/teacher for the full week. But I'm not sure how you get there realistically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because parents don't have to see what the conditions are like in the schools. They don't have to deal with how filthy or understocked schools are. Parents don't have to contend with the incredibly unrealistic expectations that children will sit still for seven hours a day in a mask. They won't be the ones trying to control a classroom full of kids who are frustrated and bored and restless from a day with no gym, no recess, no games, and none of the things that keep kids motivated to do academic work. They don't have to watch twenty kids without a break while simultaneously educating them, assessing them, and keeping them safe from a deadly virus.

My district is going back. If it is a nightmare, then I will leave. I don't have the emotional bandwidth to teach my special education students in this dystopian nightmare. None of my colleagues do. I know that none of this will work for my students, but we are supposed to smile and pretend that it will. I can't plan because they have given us absolutely no information about who, what, or how we will be teaching. The summer has been so full of anxiety and dread. On top of that, I see parents pitching fits about how they want teachers to be fired and an enormous amount of vitriol being expressed towards us. It's discouraging and it is starting to impact my mental health, on top of all the stress and uncertainty we are ALL experiencing.

Oh, yes, we do. We are now being forced to contend with the incredibly unrealistic expectations that children will sit still for seven hours AT HOME and will learn just fine, all while we're trying to do our jobs, either at home or outside the home. That you can't see what is being asked of parents undermines your entire argument.

I am so tired of the vitriol being expressed at parents. It goes both ways.

So you have twenty kids in your house, surrounded by their friends who they haven't seen for months? Your child has the chance to get up and run around outside in your yard or to walk to lunch in a nearby park, or even just do a Gonoodle in your living room. The kids in school are literally confined to their seats for the entire day, including lunch. They can use the bathroom only on a schedule. There is no outside time and we can't do movement breaks because they won't want the kids winding up close together or breathing heavily.
Being in the house for seven hours is not the same-not even close. Your child does not have to sit in one spot with no breaks. Your child does not have to wear a mask. They can use the bathroom as needed. It is NOT the same thing. Pretending that the conditions are the same doesn't make it so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because parents don't have to see what the conditions are like in the schools. They don't have to deal with how filthy or understocked schools are. Parents don't have to contend with the incredibly unrealistic expectations that children will sit still for seven hours a day in a mask. They won't be the ones trying to control a classroom full of kids who are frustrated and bored and restless from a day with no gym, no recess, no games, and none of the things that keep kids motivated to do academic work. They don't have to watch twenty kids without a break while simultaneously educating them, assessing them, and keeping them safe from a deadly virus.

My district is going back. If it is a nightmare, then I will leave. I don't have the emotional bandwidth to teach my special education students in this dystopian nightmare. None of my colleagues do. I know that none of this will work for my students, but we are supposed to smile and pretend that it will. I can't plan because they have given us absolutely no information about who, what, or how we will be teaching. The summer has been so full of anxiety and dread. On top of that, I see parents pitching fits about how they want teachers to be fired and an enormous amount of vitriol being expressed towards us. It's discouraging and it is starting to impact my mental health, on top of all the stress and uncertainty we are ALL experiencing.

Oh, yes, we do. We are now being forced to contend with the incredibly unrealistic expectations that children will sit still for seven hours AT HOME and will learn just fine, all while we're trying to do our jobs, either at home or outside the home. That you can't see what is being asked of parents undermines your entire argument.

I am so tired of the vitriol being expressed at parents. It goes both ways.

So you have twenty kids in your house, surrounded by their friends who they haven't seen for months? Your child has the chance to get up and run around outside in your yard or to walk to lunch in a nearby park, or even just do a Gonoodle in your living room. The kids in school are literally confined to their seats for the entire day, including lunch. They can use the bathroom only on a schedule. There is no outside time and we can't do movement breaks because they won't want the kids winding up close together or breathing heavily.
Being in the house for seven hours is not the same-not even close. Your child does not have to sit in one spot with no breaks. Your child does not have to wear a mask. They can use the bathroom as needed. It is NOT the same thing. Pretending that the conditions are the same doesn't make it so.

No one is running their school this way, ninny.

[Anonymous]

Haven't read the entire thread. If I were a teacher I'd be nervous too, so many unknowns. And in many places, the schools closed when the spread was much lower than it is now. This may not be as much of a factor here where many people have been allowed to telework throughout the pandemic, but in some parts of the country people in other professions are largely back at work, even if they are telework-capable. DH's family is in Alabama and they've all been back at work in person for a while now. My BIL was like, if I didn't go to work I'd be fired, why should teachers get a pass?

[Anonymous]

It’s the 21st century people.
This pandemic bout to take us to another level in fusing technology with education.
Stop whining and open your minds to the future.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op...

My husband teaches 9th grade.

I'm high risk.

I don't want/need him bringing it home.

Your method is a little off.

The thing is, OP and her ilk don't care about your husband. They can't understand why you can't accept that their desires for their precious snowflake should outweigh any health risks to you. If OP were offered the choice between DL or hybrid/in person where a teacher at their kid's school would die, they would opt for hybrid/in person and would not understand your objections. As PP noted, OP is an idiot. An entitled idiot.[/quote]


OP here. Maybe you didn't read my entire original post, but I AM a teacher. I do not feel that I am at any higher risk of getting Covid than my students are. In fact, I think my students are at a higher risk of getting Covid than I am. On a personal level I prefer to teach virtually. Yes, it some ways it's more work, but it beats dealing with the commute, crappy discipline issues with middle schoolers and the expectation to spend several hours after school working for free to run a club. My point is not all the teachers screaming that it's too dangerous to go back, are motivated by fears for their safety. A lot of them just want to work from home. Why is this so hard to accept?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because parents don't have to see what the conditions are like in the schools. They don't have to deal with how filthy or understocked schools are. Parents don't have to contend with the incredibly unrealistic expectations that children will sit still for seven hours a day in a mask. They won't be the ones trying to control a classroom full of kids who are frustrated and bored and restless from a day with no gym, no recess, no games, and none of the things that keep kids motivated to do academic work. They don't have to watch twenty kids without a break while simultaneously educating them, assessing them, and keeping them safe from a deadly virus.

My district is going back. If it is a nightmare, then I will leave. I don't have the emotional bandwidth to teach my special education students in this dystopian nightmare. None of my colleagues do. I know that none of this will work for my students, but we are supposed to smile and pretend that it will. I can't plan because they have given us absolutely no information about who, what, or how we will be teaching. The summer has been so full of anxiety and dread. On top of that, I see parents pitching fits about how they want teachers to be fired and an enormous amount of vitriol being expressed towards us. It's discouraging and it is starting to impact my mental health, on top of all the stress and uncertainty we are ALL experiencing.

Oh, yes, we do. We are now being forced to contend with the incredibly unrealistic expectations that children will sit still for seven hours AT HOME and will learn just fine, all while we're trying to do our jobs, either at home or outside the home. That you can't see what is being asked of parents undermines your entire argument.

I am so tired of the vitriol being expressed at parents. It goes both ways.

So you have twenty kids in your house, surrounded by their friends who they haven't seen for months? Your child has the chance to get up and run around outside in your yard or to walk to lunch in a nearby park, or even just do a Gonoodle in your living room. The kids in school are literally confined to their seats for the entire day, including lunch. They can use the bathroom only on a schedule. There is no outside time and we can't do movement breaks because they won't want the kids winding up close together or breathing heavily.
Being in the house for seven hours is not the same-not even close. Your child does not have to sit in one spot with no breaks. Your child does not have to wear a mask. They can use the bathroom as needed. It is NOT the same thing. Pretending that the conditions are the same doesn't make it so.

I didn't say the conditions were identical, I said that parents are ALSO being asked to contend with unrealistic expectations, i.e., managing remote instruction *while at the same time* doing our own paid work. My kids are young elementary and can't do it on their own.

The point: we are ALL being asked to sacrifice and make adjustments here. Why some teachers think their situation is that much harder or worse or more dangerous than others is beyond me. Perseverating on how much harder teachers have it doesn't foster the collaboration we'd need to make indefinite remote instruction tenable, let alone beneficial for kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My job is much harder to do at home. It’s hard enough to do at school. I live with my mom who is not in great health. So I’ll do much more work in order to keep her safe.

Ok, but parents are just as likely to have a vulnerable family member living with them, as teachers, yet survey after survey shows the vast majority of parents want schools to reopen and the vast majority of teachers want schools virtual. Since there is no reason to think teachers are more naturally cautious than the public at large, I think it’s safe to assume that there something else at play here

We spend all day around kids. Lots of kids. Little ones have poor hygiene and cannot effectively social distance and wear masks. Just go to a store to see them not wearing masks correctly. We also know that our districts don’t have the money to make school safe.

Yeah and the kids spend all day around those same kids as well. They are more likely than the teachers are of getting the virus and passing it on to their families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The kids will be in a more precarious situation than the teachers. They are more likely to spend extended amounts of time within close distance of each other than teachers are. No, kids aren’t as likely to get very sick, but they can still transmit it to their families.
Yer almost every survey shows most parents want schools to reopen while most teachers want them to reopen. Are we really to believe that teachers are just naturally more fearful than most other people? I’m a teacher, and I honestly believe that most teachers who are saying their too afraid to go back, really just want to work from home. I haven’t actually had a teacher confide that to me, but it’s just my suspicion. I don’t think that reflects poorly on them, most people working from home say they don’t want to go back, but why would larger numbers of teachers be more afraid of exposure to Covid than parents are?

If you are truly a teacher, then I weep! The grammatical errors!! I’m calling troll.

Ask Jeff to look at my history. I've been on DCUM for years, and have made many posts regarding teaching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree Teachers are really whiny. I have taught for 15 years, and I know we can be dramatic. Yet we are justifiably whiny for the right reason this time since our society's health is important.

OP again. Unfortunately teachers aren't whiny enough about the right things. I'm happy to finally see the NEA getting some backbone, but choosing the platform form of 100% DL until a vaccine as their big issue? Why can't they take a stand regarding getting teachers some decent planning time?