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

[Anonymous]

OP, I think you are absolutely right.

I used to teach in public school and switched to private mid-career. I taught at two different publics and two different privates. Many of my private school colleagues were so whiny and privileged and extremely territorial. These were the teachers most likely to try to bully my motivated, professional colleagues who wanted to teach there. A competent administration can keep these bully teachers out of positions of authority, but it is very difficult to keep the dynamics from developing completely. A subset of my colleagues were also voyeuristic about the families' financial circumstances. They were always trying to figure out if they "came from money" and would make up silly stories about the families, nickname the mothers after TV characters, etc. The smaller the school, the more exaggerated these dynamics became. DL has just brought these dynamics into view on an anonymous message board. I would cope by just staying in my classroom and trying to do my job as best I could while avoiding the drama, but it was not easy.

I'm back teaching in public school again as a long-term sub because I personally prefer teaching in that environment, but I sent my children to private because I could, and I just made time to check in with my students regularly so that I knew what was going on at school, like any attentive parent would. In a larger environment with more students per teacher, I find that my colleagues are just busier and don't have time to engage in these silly dramas at work as much. It does happen, especially in higher-income school districts, but not nearly as much. More of my public school colleagues are unmotivated overall than in private, however. This is why I sent my children to private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No one is running schools the way some of you suggest. Bathroom break schedules? That is not what anyone is suggesting..
Day camps, daycares And others are figuring this out and making changes as needed the problem is schools and teachers won't even try. The best they can come up with is distance learning and yelling they don't want to die. no one who is back at work doing their jobs with appropriate PPE and making modifications to their jobs wants to die either. But you know millions of us are doing just that and are doing just fine. I work with adults with disabilities who also have trouble using PPE appropriately and if some of the adults that I work with can figure this out trust me these kids can.

Bathroom break schedules were definitely a thing even before covid-19. a lot of times teachers would take the whole class of the bathroom at once (because a lot of times if one had kid has to go to the bathroom then everyone has to go so just make sense to send everyone to the bathroom at once. And some teachers would get really fascist about bathroom breaks.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You guys,
My boss expects me to drive to work. I don't want to die. What should I do? I don't want to die. It is not like I can take safety precautions like driving the speed limit, not driving distracted, wearing a seatbelt.

You see the rate of traffic fatalities. He is such a jerk expecting me to do the job I get paid to do.

I'm honestly starting to think that this is something we will start to hear. That it's unfair for employees to risk their lives driving to work. After all look at how many thousands of people die in year in car accidents? How is it fair to expect employees to RISK THEIR LIVES driving to work?

In an average 6 month period, car accidents kill 16K Americans. During the same time period, COVID has killed 10 times that many people. During the same time period, COVID has killed more than twice as many working age Americans (18 to 65 year olds) as car accidents generally do.

And yet we accept, without argument, all sorts of rules to make driving safer for everyone. For example, my life would be much easier if my 10 year old could drive himself places. He could run errands, take himself to soccer, etc . . . . But we have a society have decided that it's not safe to allow 10 year olds to drive. If I demanded the right to let him do so anyway, in the name of personal freedom, my neighbors would be calling the police the second they saw him get behind the wheel.

Why are restrictions and modifications that protect us from COVID, people are up in arms. Why is the state allowed to make rules about my 10 year old driving, and not about where my 10 year old spends his days? Why do people think my state should be allowed to require me to have insurance, but not to require me to have a mask? What is the difference?

Should none of us drive until traffic fatalities are in 0? Asking for a teacher friend who says they won't go back to work until there are no more covud cases

I will very happily go back to school, but not until: (1) there is a vaccine that's proven 100% effective, (2) zero new infections for at least 36 months anywhere in the US, and (3) everyone has been vaccinated, including every last anti-vaxxer and homesteader in Alaska.

[Anonymous]

Lol you think parents are upset now just wait til they do come up with a COVID-19 vaccine and 1/3rd of parents are stubborn defiant anti-vaccinators.
Cannot wait to see the fireworks when those parents get told they can’t send their kid to school unless they get a shot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lol you think parents are upset now just wait til they do come up with a COVID-19 vaccine and 1/3rd of parents are stubborn defiant anti-vaccinators.
Cannot wait to see the fireworks when those parents get told they can’t send their kid to school unless they get a shot.

The anti-vaxxers can keep homeschooling for all I care. Everyone else back in the classroom!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lol you think parents are upset now just wait til they do come up with a COVID-19 vaccine and 1/3rd of parents are stubborn defiant anti-vaccinators.
Cannot wait to see the fireworks when those parents get told they can’t send their kid to school unless they get a shot.

The anti-vaxxers can keep homeschooling for all I care. Everyone else back in the classroom!

For what it's worth, I have always thought the anti-vaxers were not only ignorant, but spreading dangerous misinformation, so I'm very very pro-vaccine. However, I am very wary of whatever first variation covid vaccine they come out with in terms of its efficacy and safety. There is just way too much political and public pressure and financial incentive to come out with something quickly. And the drug companies have forced to governments to waive any liabilities regarding the vaccines they put out, and instead, they are recommending to the governments to provide their own public fund to draw from for lawsuits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lol you think parents are upset now just wait til they do come up with a COVID-19 vaccine and 1/3rd of parents are stubborn defiant anti-vaccinators.
Cannot wait to see the fireworks when those parents get told they can’t send their kid to school unless they get a shot.

That's not going to happen. Flu vaccines are not required. There is no way they are going to require this new vaccine. It will be challenging enough to get the vaccine distributed to those who proactively want it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lol you think parents are upset now just wait til they do come up with a COVID-19 vaccine and 1/3rd of parents are stubborn defiant anti-vaccinators.
Cannot wait to see the fireworks when those parents get told they can’t send their kid to school unless they get a shot.

That's not going to happen. Flu vaccines are not required. There is no way they are going to require this new vaccine. It will be challenging enough to get the vaccine distributed to those who proactively want it.

They will require it, otherwise none of the teachers will show up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lol you think parents are upset now just wait til they do come up with a COVID-19 vaccine and 1/3rd of parents are stubborn defiant anti-vaccinators.
Cannot wait to see the fireworks when those parents get told they can’t send their kid to school unless they get a shot.

That's not going to happen. Flu vaccines are not required. There is no way they are going to require this new vaccine. It will be challenging enough to get the vaccine distributed to those who proactively want it.

They will require it, otherwise none of the teachers will show up.

Ohhh, another teacher threat! Scary!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lol you think parents are upset now just wait til they do come up with a COVID-19 vaccine and 1/3rd of parents are stubborn defiant anti-vaccinators.
Cannot wait to see the fireworks when those parents get told they can’t send their kid to school unless they get a shot.

That's not going to happen. Flu vaccines are not required. There is no way they are going to require this new vaccine. It will be challenging enough to get the vaccine distributed to those who proactively want it.

They will require it, otherwise none of the teachers will show up.

Ohhh, another teacher threat! Scary!

This virus is scary keep your brats at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lol you think parents are upset now just wait til they do come up with a COVID-19 vaccine and 1/3rd of parents are stubborn defiant anti-vaccinators.
Cannot wait to see the fireworks when those parents get told they can’t send their kid to school unless they get a shot.

That's not going to happen. Flu vaccines are not required. There is no way they are going to require this new vaccine. It will be challenging enough to get the vaccine distributed to those who proactively want it.

They will require it, otherwise none of the teachers will show up.

I believe this is true. And I think this will be true for all organizations, including health care systems. So doctors, nurses, hospital staff, etc will all be required to take the vaccine to keep their jobs. So those people will be the first mass scale test subjects for the covid vaccine.

[Anonymous]

Oooh and wait til your kid has a temperature and the school says, “Nope you can’t come in.”
Will be pissed parents at drop off in the morning.
Gonna be exciting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You guys,
My boss expects me to drive to work. I don't want to die. What should I do? I don't want to die. It is not like I can take safety precautions like driving the speed limit, not driving distracted, wearing a seatbelt.

You see the rate of traffic fatalities. He is such a jerk expecting me to do the job I get paid to do.

I'm honestly starting to think that this is something we will start to hear. That it's unfair for employees to risk their lives driving to work. After all look at how many thousands of people die in year in car accidents? How is it fair to expect employees to RISK THEIR LIVES driving to work?

In an average 6 month period, car accidents kill 16K Americans. During the same time period, COVID has killed 10 times that many people. During the same time period, COVID has killed more than twice as many working age Americans (18 to 65 year olds) as car accidents generally do.

And yet we accept, without argument, all sorts of rules to make driving safer for everyone. For example, my life would be much easier if my 10 year old could drive himself places. He could run errands, take himself to soccer, etc . . . . But we have a society have decided that it's not safe to allow 10 year olds to drive. If I demanded the right to let him do so anyway, in the name of personal freedom, my neighbors would be calling the police the second they saw him get behind the wheel.

Why are restrictions and modifications that protect us from COVID, people are up in arms. Why is the state allowed to make rules about my 10 year old driving, and not about where my 10 year old spends his days? Why do people think my state should be allowed to require me to have insurance, but not to require me to have a mask? What is the difference?

Should none of us drive until traffic fatalities are in 0? Asking for a teacher friend who says they won't go back to work until there are no more covud cases

I will very happily go back to school, but not until: (1) there is a vaccine that's proven 100% effective, (2) zero new infections for at least 36 months anywhere in the US, and (3) everyone has been vaccinated, including every last anti-vaxxer and homesteader in Alaska.

Are you a teacher? Let’s not go with your plan.

Signed,
A Teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You guys,
My boss expects me to drive to work. I don't want to die. What should I do? I don't want to die. It is not like I can take safety precautions like driving the speed limit, not driving distracted, wearing a seatbelt.

You see the rate of traffic fatalities. He is such a jerk expecting me to do the job I get paid to do.

I'm honestly starting to think that this is something we will start to hear. That it's unfair for employees to risk their lives driving to work. After all look at how many thousands of people die in year in car accidents? How is it fair to expect employees to RISK THEIR LIVES driving to work?

In an average 6 month period, car accidents kill 16K Americans. During the same time period, COVID has killed 10 times that many people. During the same time period, COVID has killed more than twice as many working age Americans (18 to 65 year olds) as car accidents generally do.

And yet we accept, without argument, all sorts of rules to make driving safer for everyone. For example, my life would be much easier if my 10 year old could drive himself places. He could run errands, take himself to soccer, etc . . . . But we have a society have decided that it's not safe to allow 10 year olds to drive. If I demanded the right to let him do so anyway, in the name of personal freedom, my neighbors would be calling the police the second they saw him get behind the wheel.

Why are restrictions and modifications that protect us from COVID, people are up in arms. Why is the state allowed to make rules about my 10 year old driving, and not about where my 10 year old spends his days? Why do people think my state should be allowed to require me to have insurance, but not to require me to have a mask? What is the difference?

Should none of us drive until traffic fatalities are in 0? Asking for a teacher friend who says they won't go back to work until there are no more covud cases

I will very happily go back to school, but not until: (1) there is a vaccine that's proven 100% effective, (2) zero new infections for at least 36 months anywhere in the US, and (3) everyone has been vaccinated, including every last anti-vaxxer and homesteader in Alaska.

Either you are a troll or you are looking for ways to never work again and still get paid for it. you are crazy if anyone is going to put up with that as the litmus test

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one is running schools the way some of you suggest. Bathroom break schedules? That is not what anyone is suggesting..
Day camps, daycares And others are figuring this out and making changes as needed the problem is schools and teachers won't even try. The best they can come up with is distance learning and yelling they don't want to die. no one who is back at work doing their jobs with appropriate PPE and making modifications to their jobs wants to die either. But you know millions of us are doing just that and are doing just fine. I work with adults with disabilities who also have trouble using PPE appropriately and if some of the adults that I work with can figure this out trust me these kids can.

Bathroom break schedules were definitely a thing even before covid-19. a lot of times teachers would take the whole class of the bathroom at once (because a lot of times if one had kid has to go to the bathroom then everyone has to go so just make sense to send everyone to the bathroom at once. And some teachers would get really fascist about bathroom breaks.)

Well by that logic I should never send to my my kid again because they don't have a schedule at home so why send them to a place that ever does. do teachers even hear yourself keep moving the goalposts around. Oh they're better off at home because now we need bathroom schedules. Oh but we've always had bathroom schedules