WaPo: How D.C. and its teachers, with shifting plans and demands, failed to reopen schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you all hate teachers so much, homeschool your kids. Let them figure out what other jobs they qualify for. You people are insane!

wow. a novel and useful argument. "if you don't like it, leave!"

That’s what you all tell teachers! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a teacher be told to “quit” do they don’t want to return in-person.

Slightly different! One is: this situation isn't working and I would like to change it, but am being told to accept it or go, and the other is: I am not contributing to the improvement of a bad situation and am being told that I should go if I won't help.

Ugh right? One is born out of benevolence and the other malevolence. People should be asked to leave if they have even marginally malevolent intentions towards children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She cannot open schools without staff in them. If even 20% of teachers quit, the system can’t function.

Yes they can function. Everyone is replaceable. Will it be ideal? No. But they can and will function.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She cannot open schools without staff in them. If even 20% of teachers quit, the system can’t function.

And now CARES leave has been extended through March 31st. It’s hard to blame teachers who have their own kids—if MCPS and PGCPS aren’t opening, what are teachers supposed to do with their own kids?

"school isn't childcare but also, how will teachers work without schools to provide childcare for them??!?"

Teachers are causing the childcare crisis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s gotten to the point where teachers need to be told to go back to the classroom or be fired. Enough is enough.

THIS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Howard County is the same and a hot.hot.mess

They aren’t even planning to go back until 12/21.

Really, December 2021?

BS. Howard County has made no statement or plan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Problem is that teachers have a lot of power here. There is a national teacher shortage. If we fire all the teachers, we will be in an even worse off position. Alienating teachers and principals was a very stupid move by the mayor and chancellor. I don’t fully blame teachers as the US worships at the altar of capitalism and why wouldn’t teachers act in their own best interests.

Teachers don’t actually have much power here.

1.) Teachers in DC are — by a mile — the best paid in America. It’s not uncommon for teachers to make six figures.

2.) If they quit, who is going to hire them? Governments across the country are cutting their budgets. Who is going to hire thousands of teachers suddenly on the market.

3.) In most of the country, schools are back in session — IN PERSON. Many of the places that might hire DC teachers who quit would require them to go back to the classroom.

Bowser should call their bluff and tell teachers who refuse to show up for work are fired immediately. 98 percent would show up.

Only she cant fire any of them. the union forbids firing for demanding work.

She can obviously fire them. And she should. They’re refusing to do their jobs. The government is not required to pay workers who refuse to work.

Wrong. She cannot arbitrarily fire teachers without due process to EACH teacher indivudually. Meaning they would get paid, while their cases work thorugh the bureaucracy. This is what unions do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you all hate teachers so much, homeschool your kids. Let them figure out what other jobs they qualify for. You people are insane!

I AM homeschooling my kid, because distance learning fails his educational and socio-emotional needs. Thanks. And yeah, I am a little crazy, because I had to learn how to homeschool my child in the middle of a pandemic while also handling huge changes to my own job (I don't have a union that can just tell all the stakeholders at my workplace that my needs are the most important) and dealing with losing three loved ones (one to Covid, and two to cancer) and just generally trying to keep my sh!t together.

Thank you for your concern. It's similar to the concern that my child's teacher expressed in the fall when she told me that she totally understood why DL wasn't working out for my kid, since she had herself enrolled her child in a private Montessori school due to similar problems.

I was raised by teachers and have never hated them. But when my child's tax-payer funded public school teacher, who is refusing to teach in person, recommended that the solution to my problem was to simply pay for private school, I do think I actually lost my mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you all hate teachers so much, homeschool your kids. Let them figure out what other jobs they qualify for. You people are insane!

I AM homeschooling my kid, because distance learning fails his educational and socio-emotional needs. Thanks. And yeah, I am a little crazy, because I had to learn how to homeschool my child in the middle of a pandemic while also handling huge changes to my own job (I don't have a union that can just tell all the stakeholders at my workplace that my needs are the most important) and dealing with losing three loved ones (one to Covid, and two to cancer) and just generally trying to keep my sh!t together.

Thank you for your concern. It's similar to the concern that my child's teacher expressed in the fall when she told me that she totally understood why DL wasn't working out for my kid, since she had herself enrolled her child in a private Montessori school due to similar problems.

I was raised by teachers and have never hated them. But when my child's tax-payer funded public school teacher, who is refusing to teach in person, recommended that the solution to my problem was to simply pay for private school, I do think I actually lost my mind.

Sorry to hear you are going through such a stressful situation. DL is a real struggle and I'm so worried about the impact it will have, both educationally and social-emotionally. Not to mention parents who get bashed by some in this forum who say they are "whiners" who want teachers to act as babysitters. No, what we want is teachers to do their job and go back to the classroom and learn to adapt like so many other workers have done in a responsible manner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She cannot open schools without staff in them. If even 20% of teachers quit, the system can’t function.

And now CARES leave has been extended through March 31st. It’s hard to blame teachers who have their own kids—if MCPS and PGCPS aren’t opening, what are teachers supposed to do with their own kids?

"school isn't childcare but also, how will teachers work without schools to provide childcare for them??!?"

Teachers are causing the childcare crisis.

Yup, they should fire the teachers or at least arrest the union

[Anonymous]

There's no need to fire the teachers. As I said above, enough his enough. They need to be TOLD to teach in person or (1) request an exemption, (2) take leave, or (3) quit.

This is what my brother's superintendent did in August. He is an elementary school teacher in MA. They were told to go back to the building or leave. School has been open---first hybrid, now full-time---since September. They've had ONE closing due to COVID this entire time. This is leadership. Was he nervous about going back at first? Sure. But he knows it's his job to be there in person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you all hate teachers so much, homeschool your kids. Let them figure out what other jobs they qualify for. You people are insane!

I AM homeschooling my kid, because distance learning fails his educational and socio-emotional needs. Thanks. And yeah, I am a little crazy, because I had to learn how to homeschool my child in the middle of a pandemic while also handling huge changes to my own job (I don't have a union that can just tell all the stakeholders at my workplace that my needs are the most important) and dealing with losing three loved ones (one to Covid, and two to cancer) and just generally trying to keep my sh!t together.

Thank you for your concern. It's similar to the concern that my child's teacher expressed in the fall when she told me that she totally understood why DL wasn't working out for my kid, since she had herself enrolled her child in a private Montessori school due to similar problems.

I was raised by teachers and have never hated them. But when my child's tax-payer funded public school teacher, who is refusing to teach in person, recommended that the solution to my problem was to simply pay for private school, I do think I actually lost my mind.

I'm so sorry, PP. This is a lot. Parents are understandably losing it, particularly mothers who also have other jobs. This is too much and has gone on too long.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's no need to fire the teachers. As I said above, enough his enough. They need to be TOLD to teach in person or (1) request an exemption, (2) take leave, or (3) quit.

This is what my brother's superintendent did in August. He is an elementary school teacher in MA. They were told to go back to the building or leave. School has been open---first hybrid, now full-time---since September. They've had ONE closing due to COVID this entire time. This is leadership. Was he nervous about going back at first? Sure. But he knows it's his job to be there in person.

This is really what I don’t get. I have been working in person this whole time (no, I’m not a doctor, nurse, or police officer who “signed up” for this). We were all very nervous about it at first, but now we’ve all gotten used to the masks, distancing, and new policies. But our job is done in person. Only people who’ve been teleworking since March are still fretting about this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She cannot open schools without staff in them. If even 20% of teachers quit, the system can’t function.

And now CARES leave has been extended through March 31st. It’s hard to blame teachers who have their own kids—if MCPS and PGCPS aren’t opening, what are teachers supposed to do with their own kids?

Do we care what they do with their own kids? They had ZERO compassion for the rest of us dual working families. School isn't childcare and they should find childcare for them

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She cannot open schools without staff in them. If even 20% of teachers quit, the system can’t function.

And now CARES leave has been extended through March 31st. It’s hard to blame teachers who have their own kids—if MCPS and PGCPS aren’t opening, what are teachers supposed to do with their own kids?

"school isn't childcare but also, how will teachers work without schools to provide childcare for them??!?"

Yeah, this one takes the cake in terms of hypocrisy.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Problem is that teachers have a lot of power here. There is a national teacher shortage. If we fire all the teachers, we will be in an even worse off position. Alienating teachers and principals was a very stupid move by the mayor and chancellor. I don’t fully blame teachers as the US worships at the altar of capitalism and why wouldn’t teachers act in their own best interests.

Teachers don’t actually have much power here.

1.) Teachers in DC are — by a mile — the best paid in America. It’s not uncommon for teachers to make six figures.

2.) If they quit, who is going to hire them? Governments across the country are cutting their budgets. Who is going to hire thousands of teachers suddenly on the market.

3.) In most of the country, schools are back in session — IN PERSON. Many of the places that might hire DC teachers who quit would require them to go back to the classroom.

Bowser should call their bluff and tell teachers who refuse to show up for work are fired immediately. 98 percent would show up.

Only she cant fire any of them. the union forbids firing for demanding work.

She can obviously fire them. And she should. They’re refusing to do their jobs. The government is not required to pay workers who refuse to work.

Wrong. She cannot arbitrarily fire teachers without due process to EACH teacher indivudually. Meaning they would get paid, while their cases work thorugh the bureaucracy. This is what unions do.

Actually, if teachers went on strike she could fire them collectively. However, to your point, they would still have rights to appeal. The city wouldn't fire teachers anyway for that reason, too expensive. Rather, the city would file suit and ask the courts to fine the union, probably Liz Davis and/or other union staff (agents as they are called in the agreement) individually. It would not take long to financially ruin the union. In meantime teachers wouldn't get paid because they wouldn't be working.