Two of my kids’ 3 teachers won’t be in tomorrow

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

There are a lot of them. How about construction and project management in construction? All sorts of random hours. Feast or famine. Some times you work tons of hours, sometimes you don't.

In this country, professional workers are not bound by a 9 to 5 set of hours. They are not covered under FLSA. Most of them are regularly asked to complete work outside of normal hours and there is no requirement to compensate them with overtime. Those are facts.

With the hourly rates teachers get paid given the number of days off in a year, teaching is not even a particularly low paid profession.

It is what it is. Acting like teachers are somehow uniquely "taken advantage" of is just not reality. We all have ebbs and flows in our work. Times of the year that are extra busy and we put in extra hours. Vacations where we are available and work because work goes on while we are on "vacation" and people need us for things.

I can see that the teaching profession has some pretty unique rigidity in terms of inability to choose your vacation schedule, lack of flexibility with your time during in-session school days. That must be challenging. Also, you get A LOT of time off free and clear. Every profession has pros and cons.

Also, sincerely if it's so terrible, re-train and get another profession. See if the grass is greener.

I can attest to this -- spouse works in construction management for large commercial projects - I don't think he has EVER worked only 40 hours a week. I work as an engineer in an environmental discipline and have always been expected to put in extra hours when required (proposals, deadline crunches, etc.). No extra pay, no guaranteed bonuses. This past year, we have both continued full speed with our work, while picking up the slack of APS and trying to make sure our kids don't fall too far behind. It has been absolutely exhausting. I have actually considered going into teaching just so that I can take more than a few days of leave at a time. The pay cut and "extra" hours during the school year would absolutely be worth being able to take 8 continuous weeks off in the summer. Two weeks at Christmas, a week spring break? Snow days? I haven't been able to take off more than 1 week off at a time for the past 15 years.

this is the reality that is so frustrating right now.. most people are working full time, plus teaching their kids because APS can't get it's act together.

I completely agree with teachers that APS administration has been a shit show with constantly changing communications. But I refuse to accept that APS teachers have been exploited or gotten the short end of the stick this year. They've gotten way more consideration and protections than many, many, many other professions. We all had to transition to digital OR we had to work in person, pre-vaccine, with fear of getting sick.

My husband works in a government facility that took lousy COVID precautions with many significant outbreaks. He still had to work in person all the way through, and then would return home where I was high risk. Meanwhile, teachers were vaccinated first and then refuse to teach my 7 yo in person (not due to ADA, but our principal's policy). My husband is still working in person at risk without a vaccine.

Exactly.. imagine if every other profession just decided not to do the job they signed up for. There would be 2 options - quit or get fired. APS made a huge mistake last year when relaxing requirements from the very beginning of COVID. Every decision after followed expectations to do the bare minimum.

But of course, that’s irrelevant, because they have been doing their jobs for the past year. You just don’t like the delivery method, but those conditions are set by their employers, not you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

There are a lot of them. How about construction and project management in construction? All sorts of random hours. Feast or famine. Some times you work tons of hours, sometimes you don't.

In this country, professional workers are not bound by a 9 to 5 set of hours. They are not covered under FLSA. Most of them are regularly asked to complete work outside of normal hours and there is no requirement to compensate them with overtime. Those are facts.

With the hourly rates teachers get paid given the number of days off in a year, teaching is not even a particularly low paid profession.

It is what it is. Acting like teachers are somehow uniquely "taken advantage" of is just not reality. We all have ebbs and flows in our work. Times of the year that are extra busy and we put in extra hours. Vacations where we are available and work because work goes on while we are on "vacation" and people need us for things.

I can see that the teaching profession has some pretty unique rigidity in terms of inability to choose your vacation schedule, lack of flexibility with your time during in-session school days. That must be challenging. Also, you get A LOT of time off free and clear. Every profession has pros and cons.

Also, sincerely if it's so terrible, re-train and get another profession. See if the grass is greener.

I can attest to this -- spouse works in construction management for large commercial projects - I don't think he has EVER worked only 40 hours a week. I work as an engineer in an environmental discipline and have always been expected to put in extra hours when required (proposals, deadline crunches, etc.). No extra pay, no guaranteed bonuses. This past year, we have both continued full speed with our work, while picking up the slack of APS and trying to make sure our kids don't fall too far behind. It has been absolutely exhausting. I have actually considered going into teaching just so that I can take more than a few days of leave at a time. The pay cut and "extra" hours during the school year would absolutely be worth being able to take 8 continuous weeks off in the summer. Two weeks at Christmas, a week spring break? Snow days? I haven't been able to take off more than 1 week off at a time for the past 15 years.

this is the reality that is so frustrating right now.. most people are working full time, plus teaching their kids because APS can't get it's act together.

I completely agree with teachers that APS administration has been a shit show with constantly changing communications. But I refuse to accept that APS teachers have been exploited or gotten the short end of the stick this year. They've gotten way more consideration and protections than many, many, many other professions. We all had to transition to digital OR we had to work in person, pre-vaccine, with fear of getting sick.

My husband works in a government facility that took lousy COVID precautions with many significant outbreaks. He still had to work in person all the way through, and then would return home where I was high risk. Meanwhile, teachers were vaccinated first and then refuse to teach my 7 yo in person (not due to ADA, but our principal's policy). My husband is still working in person at risk without a vaccine.

Exactly.. imagine if every other profession just decided not to do the job they signed up for. There would be 2 options - quit or get fired. APS made a huge mistake last year when relaxing requirements from the very beginning of COVID. Every decision after followed expectations to do the bare minimum.

But of course, that’s irrelevant, because they have been doing their jobs for the past year. You just don’t like the delivery method, but those conditions are set by their employers, not you.

Imagine if your house caught fire. However the firemen refuse to work in-person and send you some instructions to follow. Or if you go to the grocery store to find nobody to help you, it's only self-checkout. When you need someone to actually help, you are screwed. That's what our kids have been dealing with for over a year. Stop kidding yourself, this is NOT OK

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

There are a lot of them. How about construction and project management in construction? All sorts of random hours. Feast or famine. Some times you work tons of hours, sometimes you don't.

In this country, professional workers are not bound by a 9 to 5 set of hours. They are not covered under FLSA. Most of them are regularly asked to complete work outside of normal hours and there is no requirement to compensate them with overtime. Those are facts.

With the hourly rates teachers get paid given the number of days off in a year, teaching is not even a particularly low paid profession.

It is what it is. Acting like teachers are somehow uniquely "taken advantage" of is just not reality. We all have ebbs and flows in our work. Times of the year that are extra busy and we put in extra hours. Vacations where we are available and work because work goes on while we are on "vacation" and people need us for things.

I can see that the teaching profession has some pretty unique rigidity in terms of inability to choose your vacation schedule, lack of flexibility with your time during in-session school days. That must be challenging. Also, you get A LOT of time off free and clear. Every profession has pros and cons.

Also, sincerely if it's so terrible, re-train and get another profession. See if the grass is greener.

I can attest to this -- spouse works in construction management for large commercial projects - I don't think he has EVER worked only 40 hours a week. I work as an engineer in an environmental discipline and have always been expected to put in extra hours when required (proposals, deadline crunches, etc.). No extra pay, no guaranteed bonuses. This past year, we have both continued full speed with our work, while picking up the slack of APS and trying to make sure our kids don't fall too far behind. It has been absolutely exhausting. I have actually considered going into teaching just so that I can take more than a few days of leave at a time. The pay cut and "extra" hours during the school year would absolutely be worth being able to take 8 continuous weeks off in the summer. Two weeks at Christmas, a week spring break? Snow days? I haven't been able to take off more than 1 week off at a time for the past 15 years.

this is the reality that is so frustrating right now.. most people are working full time, plus teaching their kids because APS can't get it's act together.

I completely agree with teachers that APS administration has been a shit show with constantly changing communications. But I refuse to accept that APS teachers have been exploited or gotten the short end of the stick this year. They've gotten way more consideration and protections than many, many, many other professions. We all had to transition to digital OR we had to work in person, pre-vaccine, with fear of getting sick.

My husband works in a government facility that took lousy COVID precautions with many significant outbreaks. He still had to work in person all the way through, and then would return home where I was high risk. Meanwhile, teachers were vaccinated first and then refuse to teach my 7 yo in person (not due to ADA, but our principal's policy). My husband is still working in person at risk without a vaccine.

Exactly.. imagine if every other profession just decided not to do the job they signed up for. There would be 2 options - quit or get fired. APS made a huge mistake last year when relaxing requirements from the very beginning of COVID. Every decision after followed expectations to do the bare minimum.

But of course, that’s irrelevant, because they have been doing their jobs for the past year. You just don’t like the delivery method, but those conditions are set by their employers, not you.

Imagine if your house caught fire. However the firemen refuse to work in-person and send you some instructions to follow. Or if you go to the grocery store to find nobody to help you, it's only self-checkout. When you need someone to actually help, you are screwed. That's what our kids have been dealing with for over a year. Stop kidding yourself, this is NOT OK

Lmao nice false equivalence. House on fire looool

[Anonymous]

Oh wow. Good lord. It is April of 2021 and y’all are STILL playing this “teachers refused to work” game? Get a life. I mean it. Address your real issues. This is embarrassing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh wow. Good lord. It is April of 2021 and y’all are STILL playing this “teachers refused to work” game? Get a life. I mean it. Address your real issues. This is embarrassing.

+1

Teacher haters are losers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Exactly. Problem is they still got paid their regular salary when a) not teaching at all March- June 2020 and b) working from home and doing half the instruction for the past year+. All these other essential workers didn't have the opportunity to get paid their regular salary while not working...

Again....these were all decisions made by APS. APS didn’t ask us for any input in the spring. I’m upper elementary and we still did daily review lessons and weekly office hours. That was more than many got and I don’t have an answer because I was directed by my principal as to what we should do. And we are definitely not doing half the instruction this year. Students received just under 25 hours per week of instructional time pre-Covid. Right now my students are receiving 70% of their typical instructional time compared to pre-Covid with 4 days of synchronous (17 hours per week) and a shortened day. And again, this is an APS directive. Teachers are not making these decisions you are blaming them for.

I am not going to count directing our kids to read to themselves, watch a teacher (pre-recorded) reading a book, spend time on an app, or watch a video as actual instruction. Speaking for my 2 kids, they are at best receiving half the amount of normal instruction.

LOL. What do you think happened when kids were in the classroom?

Ignorant teacher-hating trash.

[Anonymous]

Listen to the experts - screens should NOT replace teaching, EVER

https://www.arlnow.com/2021/04/07/peters-take-parents-need-to-stand-up-for-safe-use-of-schools-digital-devices/?fbclid=IwAR33o_3tdvt2AaRubrnRtKaZJFcnS9K5LjHLWjeXanvwrg_FnvPAFDZEIj4

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Listen to the experts - screens should NOT replace teaching, EVER

https://www.arlnow.com/2021/04/07/peters-take-parents-need-to-stand-up-for-safe-use-of-schools-digital-devices/?fbclid=IwAR33o_3tdvt2AaRubrnRtKaZJFcnS9K5LjHLWjeXanvwrg_FnvPAFDZEIj4

WE KNOW THAT. IT WAS A PANDEMIC. JFC, nobody ever said “this is a way better form of teaching kids!” It was about safety. School is in person now and will be 5 day in fall. Quit it with this fake position anyone ever said learning through a screen was the best way to educate kids forever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:APS teachers never refused to show up for work. As requested we are all in person right now or we have an exemption provided by federal law, or have taken UNPAID leave (so not doing our job but also not going to get paid). That small group of teachers who are taking unpaid leave are doing APS a favor right now by continuing to teach students until substitutes can be hired, or the end of the year, whichever comes first. If your child has a teacher who is in this position, you should be THANKFUL because the alternative is a sub without the knowledge your teacher has. Guess what- unemployed teachers and substitutes aren't lining up for these jobs!! Surprise.

I don't see how you would say that any APS teachers refused to come in to work. We worked from home as APS decided until APS decided we should come in person, and we did. You are blaming teachers for the district's plan that you are unhappy with. Teachers are doing what is asked of us. Teachers also have a right to voice concerns while also meeting the in-person requirements of our job, as we are. The teacher blaming is really unfounded.

I think people fail to realize that there are teachers who are still refusing to teach in person and principals who are allowing this. Not temporary. Not unpaid leave. No ADA. My kid's fully vaccinated teachers say they are scared, so my 7 yo gets her in person instruction on an iPad. APS has no actual policy, so it is up to principal discretion. There are 100% teachers who are still refusing to teach in person and APS is enabling them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Listen to the experts - screens should NOT replace teaching, EVER

https://www.arlnow.com/2021/04/07/peters-take-parents-need-to-stand-up-for-safe-use-of-schools-digital-devices/?fbclid=IwAR33o_3tdvt2AaRubrnRtKaZJFcnS9K5LjHLWjeXanvwrg_FnvPAFDZEIj4

WE KNOW THAT. IT WAS A PANDEMIC. JFC, nobody ever said “this is a way better form of teaching kids!” It was about safety. School is in person now and will be 5 day in fall. Quit it with this fake position anyone ever said learning through a screen was the best way to educate kids forever.

posts above are saying how much screens were actually relied upon in the classroom, pre-pandemic...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APS teachers never refused to show up for work. As requested we are all in person right now or we have an exemption provided by federal law, or have taken UNPAID leave (so not doing our job but also not going to get paid). That small group of teachers who are taking unpaid leave are doing APS a favor right now by continuing to teach students until substitutes can be hired, or the end of the year, whichever comes first. If your child has a teacher who is in this position, you should be THANKFUL because the alternative is a sub without the knowledge your teacher has. Guess what- unemployed teachers and substitutes aren't lining up for these jobs!! Surprise.

I don't see how you would say that any APS teachers refused to come in to work. We worked from home as APS decided until APS decided we should come in person, and we did. You are blaming teachers for the district's plan that you are unhappy with. Teachers are doing what is asked of us. Teachers also have a right to voice concerns while also meeting the in-person requirements of our job, as we are. The teacher blaming is really unfounded.

I think people fail to realize that there are teachers who are still refusing to teach in person and principals who are allowing this. Not temporary. Not unpaid leave. No ADA. My kid's fully vaccinated teachers say they are scared, so my 7 yo gets her in person instruction on an iPad. APS has no actual policy, so it is up to principal discretion. There are 100% teachers who are still refusing to teach in person and APS is enabling them.

This is ridiculous!!!! So infuriating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APS teachers never refused to show up for work. As requested we are all in person right now or we have an exemption provided by federal law, or have taken UNPAID leave (so not doing our job but also not going to get paid). That small group of teachers who are taking unpaid leave are doing APS a favor right now by continuing to teach students until substitutes can be hired, or the end of the year, whichever comes first. If your child has a teacher who is in this position, you should be THANKFUL because the alternative is a sub without the knowledge your teacher has. Guess what- unemployed teachers and substitutes aren't lining up for these jobs!! Surprise.

I don't see how you would say that any APS teachers refused to come in to work. We worked from home as APS decided until APS decided we should come in person, and we did. You are blaming teachers for the district's plan that you are unhappy with. Teachers are doing what is asked of us. Teachers also have a right to voice concerns while also meeting the in-person requirements of our job, as we are. The teacher blaming is really unfounded.

I think people fail to realize that there are teachers who are still refusing to teach in person and principals who are allowing this. Not temporary. Not unpaid leave. No ADA. My kid's fully vaccinated teachers say they are scared, so my 7 yo gets her in person instruction on an iPad. APS has no actual policy, so it is up to principal discretion. There are 100% teachers who are still refusing to teach in person and APS is enabling them.

Would you prefer your child have a string of long-term subs who don’t have lesson plans? That’s the issue APS is facing with teachers who won’t return to in-person teaching - accommodating the teachers isn’t a great solution, but firing them isn’t necessarily a better option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers are people and they are allowed to take personal days as they please.

Many jobs have restrictions on when you can take personal days. If there aren't enough subs, then that's a pretty darn good reason to restrict when they can be used.

That's one reason why admins get paid more than teachers. It is their responsibility to find subs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APS teachers never refused to show up for work. As requested we are all in person right now or we have an exemption provided by federal law, or have taken UNPAID leave (so not doing our job but also not going to get paid). That small group of teachers who are taking unpaid leave are doing APS a favor right now by continuing to teach students until substitutes can be hired, or the end of the year, whichever comes first. If your child has a teacher who is in this position, you should be THANKFUL because the alternative is a sub without the knowledge your teacher has. Guess what- unemployed teachers and substitutes aren't lining up for these jobs!! Surprise.

I don't see how you would say that any APS teachers refused to come in to work. We worked from home as APS decided until APS decided we should come in person, and we did. You are blaming teachers for the district's plan that you are unhappy with. Teachers are doing what is asked of us. Teachers also have a right to voice concerns while also meeting the in-person requirements of our job, as we are. The teacher blaming is really unfounded.

I think people fail to realize that there are teachers who are still refusing to teach in person and principals who are allowing this. Not temporary. Not unpaid leave. No ADA. My kid's fully vaccinated teachers say they are scared, so my 7 yo gets her in person instruction on an iPad. APS has no actual policy, so it is up to principal discretion. There are 100% teachers who are still refusing to teach in person and APS is enabling them.

Would you prefer your child have a string of long-term subs who don’t have lesson plans? That’s the issue APS is facing with teachers who won’t return to in-person teaching - accommodating the teachers isn’t a great solution, but firing them isn’t necessarily a better option.

this is an APS administration problem. They have enabled this to happen. The SB and Duran are a complete failure. Thank goodness a few of them are finally standing up for the students. No other profession would allow this ridiculousness to happen without consequences.

[Anonymous]

Please tell me what school you have teachers who are not on any leave status and who are refusing to come in. I'm an APS teacher and have not heard of this happening at any school.