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

[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.

Every polls I’ve seen taken by a local school district Or private school in the last month has between 60 and 85 percent of parents in support of school reopening. National polls differ because of local covid situations.

source?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, I have no idea what most teacher thing but anecdotally, I can tell you that one teacher wants to stay home because it is much more convenient . She is only pissed now that she will actually be required to teach live during school normal hours - she wishes it was like during spring, or conversely, like in Mexico where they just have to post a video, have the students watch it and come to class with questions. She is really upset that she will have to actually sit down and teach during school hours.

If the borders were open, she would move to some other country during this time and try to enjoy it while "teaching." Hopefully, she is in the minority, but she is so tone deaf that it hurst sometimes. I have to contain myself to not come out to blows since at the end of the day, *I* had great experience with my own children's teachers during spring and I am pretty sure I will have again given our school principal.

Thank you for these insights. Motivations around convenience and personal lifestyle (like wanting to travel and work from the beach) are perfectly valid. Digital nomads in IT have done it for years to great success. I only wish teachers generally approached this discussion with more honesty and transparency, instead of hiding behind commentary like "I don't want to die!" and "Parents must really hate their kids!"

Oh my god. We aren’t hiding. We are scared. Teachers returning to work is not the same as people who work in individual offices returning to work. My husband is not returning to his office and he is not a teacher. They actually may never return to their office, because working remotely works for their industry. Teachers cannot wait until it is safe enough to return because this is not the way that we know how to teach. Distance Learning is more stressful and challenging for us, too. We have kids too. We want those kids to go back to school. Both of my kids want to go to school. I want to go to school. It’s just not safe yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, I have no idea what most teacher thing but anecdotally, I can tell you that one teacher wants to stay home because it is much more convenient . She is only pissed now that she will actually be required to teach live during school normal hours - she wishes it was like during spring, or conversely, like in Mexico where they just have to post a video, have the students watch it and come to class with questions. She is really upset that she will have to actually sit down and teach during school hours.

If the borders were open, she would move to some other country during this time and try to enjoy it while "teaching." Hopefully, she is in the minority, but she is so tone deaf that it hurst sometimes. I have to contain myself to not come out to blows since at the end of the day, *I* had great experience with my own children's teachers during spring and I am pretty sure I will have again given our school principal.

Thank you for these insights. Motivations around convenience and personal lifestyle (like wanting to travel and work from the beach) are perfectly valid. Digital nomads in IT have done it for years to great success. I only wish teachers generally approached this discussion with more honesty and transparency, instead of hiding behind commentary like "I don't want to die!" and "Parents must really hate their kids!"

Oh my god. We aren’t hiding. We are scared. Teachers returning to work is not the same as people who work in individual offices returning to work. My husband is not returning to his office and he is not a teacher. They actually may never return to their office, because working remotely works for their industry. Teachers cannot wait until it is safe enough to return because this is not the way that we know how to teach. Distance Learning is more stressful and challenging for us, too. We have kids too. We want those kids to go back to school. Both of my kids want to go to school. I want to go to school. It’s just not safe yet.

How do you get to speak for 100% of teachers? Do you have a crystal ball? As the PP noted, for some teachers wanting DL is actually more about personal convenience or lifestyle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, I have no idea what most teacher thing but anecdotally, I can tell you that one teacher wants to stay home because it is much more convenient . She is only pissed now that she will actually be required to teach live during school normal hours - she wishes it was like during spring, or conversely, like in Mexico where they just have to post a video, have the students watch it and come to class with questions. She is really upset that she will have to actually sit down and teach during school hours.

If the borders were open, she would move to some other country during this time and try to enjoy it while "teaching." Hopefully, she is in the minority, but she is so tone deaf that it hurst sometimes. I have to contain myself to not come out to blows since at the end of the day, *I* had great experience with my own children's teachers during spring and I am pretty sure I will have again given our school principal.

Thank you for these insights. Motivations around convenience and personal lifestyle (like wanting to travel and work from the beach) are perfectly valid. Digital nomads in IT have done it for years to great success. I only wish teachers generally approached this discussion with more honesty and transparency, instead of hiding behind commentary like "I don't want to die!" and "Parents must really hate their kids!"

Oh my god. We aren’t hiding. We are scared. Teachers returning to work is not the same as people who work in individual offices returning to work. My husband is not returning to his office and he is not a teacher. They actually may never return to their office, because working remotely works for their industry. Teachers cannot wait until it is safe enough to return because this is not the way that we know how to teach. Distance Learning is more stressful and challenging for us, too. We have kids too. We want those kids to go back to school. Both of my kids want to go to school. I want to go to school. It’s just not safe yet.

How do you get to speak for 100% of teachers? Do you have a crystal ball? As the PP noted, for some teachers wanting DL is actually more about personal convenience or lifestyle.

Show me the source. I’m speaking for myself and my co-workers. That person is writing conservative copypasta.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its like Teachers got frozen in time and are stuck on March 20th when the US shut down and we thought everyone who left their house would get COVID and die.

Fast forward, we know so much more now. People are SAFELY returning to work with PPE, safeguards, modifications to their work space/hours/business but we still hear teachers crying about not wanting to die.
It is like they haven't realized that 90% of us are back in offices, businesses and going about or daily lives with masks and other precautions.
Oh!!! But the kids can't be safe!!!
Well, yes they can as proven by Day cares, camps, sports and playdates. THey can also wear masks. Gasp, I know!!!
You can also turn gyms, cafeterias, libraries into classrooms to spread kids out. You can also change the schedule a bit. Hell have 2 groups, one in the am, one in the after. Or get even more creative and have an evening session for those who want/need.

Teachers just dont' get it and I don't get why they want to DL. By all accounts it is more stressful, more work and really limitied learning can take place at gradeschool level. Why in the hell are they wanting this?

It also makes me wonder about my children's safety in their care. What about fires, active shooters, hurricanes? Will they run away and leave the kids to fend for themselves because they don't want to die??

This is exactly it, except I disagree with the last paragraph.

The last paragraph is such a bitchy, awful thing to say, given that teachers have, in fact, died protecting their students from gunmen. PP is a garbage person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Every polls I’ve seen taken by a local school district Or private school in the last month has between 60 and 85 percent of parents in support of school reopening. National polls differ because of local covid situations.

source?

I'm a different poster but the polls done in NOVA such as FCPS, APS, and Falls Church showed 60% or more wanted to start school with the hybrid choice. That doesn't mean full time with packed classrooms, but they want some in-person option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Every polls I’ve seen taken by a local school district Or private school in the last month has between 60 and 85 percent of parents in support of school reopening. National polls differ because of local covid situations.

source?

I'm a different poster but the polls done in NOVA such as FCPS, APS, and Falls Church showed 60% or more wanted to start school with the hybrid choice. That doesn't mean full time with packed classrooms, but they want some in-person option.

source?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its like Teachers got frozen in time and are stuck on March 20th when the US shut down and we thought everyone who left their house would get COVID and die.

Fast forward, we know so much more now. People are SAFELY returning to work with PPE, safeguards, modifications to their work space/hours/business but we still hear teachers crying about not wanting to die.
It is like they haven't realized that 90% of us are back in offices, businesses and going about or daily lives with masks and other precautions.
Oh!!! But the kids can't be safe!!!
Well, yes they can as proven by Day cares, camps, sports and playdates. THey can also wear masks. Gasp, I know!!!
You can also turn gyms, cafeterias, libraries into classrooms to spread kids out. You can also change the schedule a bit. Hell have 2 groups, one in the am, one in the after. Or get even more creative and have an evening session for those who want/need.

Teachers just dont' get it and I don't get why they want to DL. By all accounts it is more stressful, more work and really limitied learning can take place at gradeschool level. Why in the hell are they wanting this?

It also makes me wonder about my children's safety in their care. What about fires, active shooters, hurricanes? Will they run away and leave the kids to fend for themselves because they don't want to die??

This is exactly it, except I disagree with the last paragraph.

The last paragraph is such a bitchy, awful thing to say, given that teachers have, in fact, died protecting their students from gunmen. PP is a garbage person.

First of all, the expectation that teachers will throw themselves in front a bullet is totally ridiculous. I am not a soldier. I'll obviously lock the classroom door if there's an active shooter, but I'm not a navy seal. That's not a reasonable ask. You are more than welcome to sacrifice your life for your own children. You don't get to dictate that other people do the same. For $50,000 a year? I don't think so.

There's a reason we don't have school in the middle of a forest fire, a blizzard, a war zone, or a hurricane. You are ALWAYS responsible for your own children in an emergency. Full stop. It is not the school's function to be a holding place for your children during a natural disaster. The school will do their best to keep children safe during a sudden disaster, like an earthquake, and then you must pick them up.

When did we decide that parents have absolutely no responsibility and everything should be abdicated to our public schools? Why are schools so underfunded if parents assume that we can solve every problem they or their child has, under any condition? It's weird and wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its like Teachers got frozen in time and are stuck on March 20th when the US shut down and we thought everyone who left their house would get COVID and die.

Fast forward, we know so much more now. People are SAFELY returning to work with PPE, safeguards, modifications to their work space/hours/business but we still hear teachers crying about not wanting to die.
It is like they haven't realized that 90% of us are back in offices, businesses and going about or daily lives with masks and other precautions.
Oh!!! But the kids can't be safe!!!
Well, yes they can as proven by Day cares, camps, sports and playdates. THey can also wear masks. Gasp, I know!!!
You can also turn gyms, cafeterias, libraries into classrooms to spread kids out. You can also change the schedule a bit. Hell have 2 groups, one in the am, one in the after. Or get even more creative and have an evening session for those who want/need.

Teachers just dont' get it and I don't get why they want to DL. By all accounts it is more stressful, more work and really limitied learning can take place at gradeschool level. Why in the hell are they wanting this?

It also makes me wonder about my children's safety in their care. What about fires, active shooters, hurricanes? Will they run away and leave the kids to fend for themselves because they don't want to die??

This is exactly it, except I disagree with the last paragraph.

The last paragraph is such a bitchy, awful thing to say, given that teachers have, in fact, died protecting their students from gunmen. PP is a garbage person.

Think about Sandy Hook. Or any school shooting. Teachers do put themselves in the way of harm for our children, but that does not mean we should force them into that situation.

[Anonymous]

I hope there will be some large classes of new teachers because I'm hearing that many older teachers will choose to retire when in person teaching resumes, even if a vaccine is available at that point. Think about it- unless you really need the extra retirement income that a couple more years in the system would buy you, it makes sense to cut and run if you can. My cousin in MA just turned 60 and decided she was done. Doesn't want to deal with DL but doesn't feel comfortable returning in person either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, I have no idea what most teacher thing but anecdotally, I can tell you that one teacher wants to stay home because it is much more convenient . She is only pissed now that she will actually be required to teach live during school normal hours - she wishes it was like during spring, or conversely, like in Mexico where they just have to post a video, have the students watch it and come to class with questions. She is really upset that she will have to actually sit down and teach during school hours.

If the borders were open, she would move to some other country during this time and try to enjoy it while "teaching." Hopefully, she is in the minority, but she is so tone deaf that it hurst sometimes. I have to contain myself to not come out to blows since at the end of the day, *I* had great experience with my own children's teachers during spring and I am pretty sure I will have again given our school principal.

Thank you for these insights. Motivations around convenience and personal lifestyle (like wanting to travel and work from the beach) are perfectly valid. Digital nomads in IT have done it for years to great success. I only wish teachers generally approached this discussion with more honesty and transparency, instead of hiding behind commentary like "I don't want to die!" and "Parents must really hate their kids!"

Oh my god. We aren’t hiding. We are scared. Teachers returning to work is not the same as people who work in individual offices returning to work. My husband is not returning to his office and he is not a teacher. They actually may never return to their office, because working remotely works for their industry. Teachers cannot wait until it is safe enough to return because this is not the way that we know how to teach. Distance Learning is more stressful and challenging for us, too. We have kids too. We want those kids to go back to school. Both of my kids want to go to school. I want to go to school. It’s just not safe yet.

How do you get to speak for 100% of teachers? Do you have a crystal ball? As the PP noted, for some teachers wanting DL is actually more about personal convenience or lifestyle.

Show me the source. I’m speaking for myself and my co-workers. That person is writing conservative copypasta.

Dude, it's all over social media. Also, what's wrong with acknowledging the obvious that some teachers want DL for simple personal convenience? You actually undermine your own credibility when you pretend it could only be about the shrill fear of death.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, I have no idea what most teacher thing but anecdotally, I can tell you that one teacher wants to stay home because it is much more convenient . She is only pissed now that she will actually be required to teach live during school normal hours - she wishes it was like during spring, or conversely, like in Mexico where they just have to post a video, have the students watch it and come to class with questions. She is really upset that she will have to actually sit down and teach during school hours.

If the borders were open, she would move to some other country during this time and try to enjoy it while "teaching." Hopefully, she is in the minority, but she is so tone deaf that it hurst sometimes. I have to contain myself to not come out to blows since at the end of the day, *I* had great experience with my own children's teachers during spring and I am pretty sure I will have again given our school principal.

Thank you for these insights. Motivations around convenience and personal lifestyle (like wanting to travel and work from the beach) are perfectly valid. Digital nomads in IT have done it for years to great success. I only wish teachers generally approached this discussion with more honesty and transparency, instead of hiding behind commentary like "I don't want to die!" and "Parents must really hate their kids!"

Oh my god. We aren’t hiding. We are scared. Teachers returning to work is not the same as people who work in individual offices returning to work. My husband is not returning to his office and he is not a teacher. They actually may never return to their office, because working remotely works for their industry. Teachers cannot wait until it is safe enough to return because this is not the way that we know how to teach. Distance Learning is more stressful and challenging for us, too. We have kids too. We want those kids to go back to school. Both of my kids want to go to school. I want to go to school. It’s just not safe yet.

How do you get to speak for 100% of teachers? Do you have a crystal ball? As the PP noted, for some teachers wanting DL is actually more about personal convenience or lifestyle.

Show me the source. I’m speaking for myself and my co-workers. That person is writing conservative copypasta.

Dude, it's all over social media. Also, what's wrong with acknowledging the obvious that some teachers want DL for simple personal convenience? You actually undermine your own credibility when you pretend it could only be about the shrill fear of death.

That just isn’t what I’m seeing/hearing in my teacher groups. Teachers want to teach. They also want to stay safe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Every polls I’ve seen taken by a local school district Or private school in the last month has between 60 and 85 percent of parents in support of school reopening. National polls differ because of local covid situations.

source?

I'm a different poster but the polls done in NOVA such as FCPS, APS, and Falls Church showed 60% or more wanted to start school with the hybrid choice. That doesn't mean full time with packed classrooms, but they want some in-person option.

Why don't you sign up to teach at a school since its important to you? You are willing to risk our teachers lives but not your own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, I have no idea what most teacher thing but anecdotally, I can tell you that one teacher wants to stay home because it is much more convenient . She is only pissed now that she will actually be required to teach live during school normal hours - she wishes it was like during spring, or conversely, like in Mexico where they just have to post a video, have the students watch it and come to class with questions. She is really upset that she will have to actually sit down and teach during school hours.

If the borders were open, she would move to some other country during this time and try to enjoy it while "teaching." Hopefully, she is in the minority, but she is so tone deaf that it hurst sometimes. I have to contain myself to not come out to blows since at the end of the day, *I* had great experience with my own children's teachers during spring and I am pretty sure I will have again given our school principal.

Thank you for these insights. Motivations around convenience and personal lifestyle (like wanting to travel and work from the beach) are perfectly valid. Digital nomads in IT have done it for years to great success. I only wish teachers generally approached this discussion with more honesty and transparency, instead of hiding behind commentary like "I don't want to die!" and "Parents must really hate their kids!"

Oh my god. We aren’t hiding. We are scared. Teachers returning to work is not the same as people who work in individual offices returning to work. My husband is not returning to his office and he is not a teacher. They actually may never return to their office, because working remotely works for their industry. Teachers cannot wait until it is safe enough to return because this is not the way that we know how to teach. Distance Learning is more stressful and challenging for us, too. We have kids too. We want those kids to go back to school. Both of my kids want to go to school. I want to go to school. It’s just not safe yet.

Well said PP, and I agree 100%. My job as a school administrator was so much harder working from home! I want to go back, I miss the kids, but it is not safe. About 90% of the people I know are still working from home because it is not safe!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Every polls I’ve seen taken by a local school district Or private school in the last month has between 60 and 85 percent of parents in support of school reopening. National polls differ because of local covid situations.

source?

I'm a different poster but the polls done in NOVA such as FCPS, APS, and Falls Church showed 60% or more wanted to start school with the hybrid choice. That doesn't mean full time with packed classrooms, but they want some in-person option.

Why don't you sign up to teach at a school since its important to you? You are willing to risk our teachers lives but not your own.

I would if I wasn't already doing my OWN damn job. You know, the one I am hired to do and get paid to do.