honest question - what do we do with our kids after May 29?
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Anonymous
I'd MUCH rather see the elementary school kids go to school in morning or afternoon shifts. That way, I could hire a babysitter who works on a regular part-time schedule, and the keep the kids on track better academically. If they only attend school two days a week, they'll surely forget most of what they learned in the 5 days a week they don't attend school. My spouse attended school in morning or afternoon shifts growing up up in the Soviet Union, where the practice was widespread. He was OK with it as a kid, although he says American style fun at school (music, art, PE, recess) was in short supply. |
Anonymous
what will probably happen is your kid will go to school 2 mornings per week. Going 5 mornings per week and then having separate kids attend in the afternoons doesn't allow the schools any time to clean. |
Anonymous
| If you have any vacation time - take it. At least a few days a week so that you aren't going completely crazy. You and your husband could even tag team days off to manage the kids while the other works |
Anonymous
I feel for teachers, but I don't quite understand what makes them so special as compared to doctors, nurses, PAs, EMS techs, transit workers, garbage collectors, mail men, policemen, fire men, grocery store employees, etc, etc. If all of those other people have to work, why shouldn't teachers? Why would the union get a veto over teachers working as per their agreed contracts any more than all other essential workers do? School for kids is essential in my mind. More essential than some things getting treated as essential now and WAY more essential than some things that are part of the phased re-entry plans. FWIW, I'm all for government accommodations in particular high risk cases (for instance by extending disability eligibility), but that not the same thing as saying that no teachers have to work. |
Anonymous
That fact that you, and so many parents on here, don’t think that teachers are working right now is the frustrating part. My colleagues and I ARE working. |
Anonymous
If you have ever worked in a school (particularly with young children), you would know that you are exposed to a lot of illness, even in good times. It is impossible to avoid getting sick when you have kids coughing, sneezing, wiping boogers, and vomiting near you. This happens a lot. In other office situations, you don’t have to worry about being in a room with 25-30 people who don’t understand basic hygiene. If you have a teacher who is immunocompromised (or has a family member who is), this is a very stressful situation. Yes, some teachers in cities make decent money, but the majority of the ones I know in other areas of the country are making less than $40,000 a year. |
Anonymous
I have no doubt that teachers are doing some work. Some may even be doing more work than usual. They are obviously not, as a rule, able to teach as effectively however. Not all doctors can switch to telemedicine; in fact, the majority can’t. Maybe there are some settings where high risk teachers can provide good enough online schooling, but the average K-5 DCPS classroom is not that setting. |
Anonymous
So they’re sort of like many nurses, EMTs, PAs, etc? I don’t object to teachers getting n95s if they want them. Moreover, the majority of kids are only mildly symptomatic, so not as coughy/sneezy/etc as at the doctors office. |
Anonymous
The only ones in direct contact with people are medical workers and sometimes grocers(Some grocery stores are only delivering now) /police. The rest really aren't. Also those people to not have to come in close contact with children who can carry and spend the virus. What makes teachers ‘special’ is that we have NEVER been seen as essential before. This is one of the most mocked professions. So now that there’s a virus all of the sudden people want to deem us essential? Nice try, that should have been the case long ago. Also we will veto it because we value our lives, I work with children with special needs who are constantly sent to school sick, like many other children. A lot of them are still learning how to cover their mouth when coughing and sneezing, as well as not to touch others without permission, etc. Unlike other jobs you listed we have the ability to teach from home, I do 1 on 1 lessons with all my students multiple times per week and it works. Nothing is a replacement for the classroom but this is working better than I thought it would. These are children with autism, behavioral disorders, adhd, etc. some also live in Ward 8 and have poor internet. Are you saying the majority of children who don’t have these barriers can’t learn during distance learning? Seriously? Learn to work with your teachers and set high expectations for them. Don’t just sit here and expect us to be essential only when it’s convenient for you. I’ve seen so many horrid post bashing the heck out of teachers and there are a lot less now, except that many of you are getting tired of having to partially facilitate your child’s learning. I get it it’s stressful, find the balance..we all have to. |
Anonymous
So basically the only ones in contact with people are all the professions on my list? Transit workers in NYC had among the highest rates of COVID. You think they get more respect than teachers normally? Get real. Most teachers can’t do an adequate job of teaching remotely. Schools in DC are barely adequate as it is. Bowser said a significant chunk of students haven’t been in touch with their schools at all since this started. The idea that this is good enough is laughable. |
Anonymous
| Add prison employees, nursing home staff to the list of at risk, usually forgotten, group of workers. |
Anonymous
| What we need to admit as a country is that public school IS childcare. We rely on it as such, and it’s our only form of publicly subsidized childcare or support to parents whatsoever. This is not to belittle the actual content of education, but it’s not optional, it’s essential. Most families and indeed our entire economy rely on it, but we are acting like it’s “just” to benefit kids minds. Clearly that’s not essential enough (actually learning) but it’s much bigger than that, it’s the engine of the economy as a whole. Should schools and teachers alone near that burden? No, but like all the other workers and systems mentioned, they probably have to. Like one teacher said we need to recognize this overall and not just during this pandemic. If schools are child care and we cannot work without it, then it should be the backbone of reopening plans to either reopen schools or childcare canters of some sort, or, to provide paid extended leave to parents in general. Basically it needs to be thought through as a vital service. In some countries childcare is free right now for essential workers. |
Anonymous
You may be able to do your job remotely, but we cannot do ours adequately while schools are shut (and even many teachers cannot because they have children at home). |
Anonymous
| Honestly, if you want schools to open then EVERY SINGLE BUSINESS in this city should open immediately. Schools should not open so you can do your work easier from home. If it’s ok for kids and teachers to go back, it is ok for everyone to go back. End stop. |
Anonymous
That’s silly. Do you really not understand the idea of opening in phases based on a combination of how risky and how essential an activity is? Because schools open we should allow rave-style nightclubs to open for business as usual? That’s an extreme example, but illustrates how preposterous this line of thought is. You don’t hear doctors demanding everyone open if they have to work. |