Wash Post - Stop vaccinating teachers if they won’t go back in person

[Anonymous]

Okay, that was sloppy with lots of typos. I am between classes and needed to vent a little. 😒. I need to be positive before I see the kids... or don’t see them - hard to get then t9 use the cameras some days... 😢

[Anonymous]

Seems like the Superintendent, the School Board, and the Teachers' Union have all forgotten why we have a school system. If they don't want the responsibility, then give parents the cash to find a school for their kids. That would be quite chaotic (I was a public school teacher and strongly support them) but it could not be any more chaotic than what FCPS is doing.

And, maybe this is just my opinion--but the purpose of a school system is to educate kid. Teachers are hired to teach. Administrators should be hired to make sure that things run smoothly for the students and the teachers. The School Board's purpose should be to represent the stakeholders--the citizens and parents--to be sure that the children are educated properly.

Of course, hungry kids need food and should not go hungry. But, that is an additional activity that the schools must support and the purpose is to be sure that the kids are in "shape" to learn. Hungry kids do not learn well.

Social justice has its place--but, it should be there to ensure that kids are treated properly in order for them to learn. It should not be the role of the school system to get involved in policing the police, etc.

It seems like every time our SB has changed the rules in order to help minority kids, that they have ended up making things worse. They changed the rules for TJ and ended up with fewer AA kids. I"m not sure how that happened, but it did.
They changed the rules on discipline and ended up with more suicides because of zero tolerance--and, yet, minority kids still suffered.
They changed the rules and made it harder for teachers to have control in the classroom--and all kids suffer.

How about focusing on solid basic instruction. Teach the kids to be good readers and think for themselves. Teach them math that will help figure out interest rates should they take out student loans. ETc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well - one positive aspect of the pandemic and the shut downs.........

The NEA and AFT have revealed themselves for who they are...... concerned about teachers and don't give a crap about students.
Remember this moving forward.

They don’t give a crap about teachers either. You think this is what I want?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hard to believe an aide to a virulent anti-labor conservative would hold such a position.

How about what you explain what you disagree with in the oped? Instead of just posting someone's (old) bio. How long did it take you to build your straw man?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's hard to believe this is even a discussion. You get priority for a vaccine, you go back to work: period. I don't want to hear about "first step of many..." or the ludicrous idea of not working in classrooms until every kid gets vaccinated.

Schools across the country have gone back in person. Not small towns either, but major school districts like Dallas ISD and Miami-Dade ISD. Districts with a comparable number of students and issues to districts like Fairfax County & Arlington. Denver brought its kids back on campus a couple weeks ago. Where are the stories of large numbers of teachers and kids becoming seriously ill, or dying? Has it really been out of line with any other professions? Nurses have died from Covid. So have people at meat plants, office workers, stay at home moms and relatively healthy people who simply were in the wrong place when a family member was shedding virus.

The message I'm hearing from some teachers' unions here is: No risk is too small. But 25 million Americans have contracted Covid. Hundreds of thousands of people test positive every day. The risk is pervasive, in every corner of society. And yet, people go to work: at airlines, grocery stores, factories, etc. This virus isn't going anywhere, and even after mass vaccinations, we'll have to learn to live with it. So will teachers.

I’m not getting the impression that most teachers in this area plan to learn to live with the virus. They seem to be in the zero covid group

Not zero. I’m fine with a 5 percent risk. I just don’t want to die alone in a hospital or get bankrupted by a long stay at one... or get long covid.

Neither do the folks who stock & sell your groceries. Or the airline workers who keep all those Amazon shipments humming along. But society cannot shut down completely while you're waiting to be reassured. And if it's relatively low risk you're looking for, the CDC suggests teaching in a classroom is exactly that.

[Anonymous]

Wait till Wash. Post (or others) learn of the FB post about the APS teacher who let her kids out of class at 11 am and assigned asynchronous work for the next day because she's at Disney World.

There are some unknowns here, but the optics and hypocrisy are terrible. APS won't let our kids return to class, but it's OK to allow teachers to vacation in Disney and assign asynchronous work?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can't fight this hard for your own irrevelence while still breaking your own arm telling us how much you love kids and deserve more pay. FU, teachers.

There are a few teachers here that feel like they need to justify themselves. But there's quite a few of us, like me, that don't even care anymore. I don't need to prove myself to a bunch of faceless people behind the screen.

You’ll be answering for it for all of history. You will feel it every time you tell someone to their face what your profession is. And you should.

Inhale. Exhale. (And please don't act like this in front of your children)

Anger is better for children than hopelessness.

This is actually true. My kid has stopped being angry. And has stopped engaging period. School, friends, family, the activities we can find. And so we are trying zoom psychiatry for meds and a zoom psychologist with whom she won’t engage. I’m terrified. I would give anything for angry.

This is exactly what’s going on with my daughter. I’m sorry you are going through this too. DD used to enjoy school and loved to learn and now she is a ghost of her old self. I worry this has really damaged her future in terms of being a confident, independent young adult. A year away from school is too much for teens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wait till Wash. Post (or others) learn of the FB post about the APS teacher who let her kids out of class at 11 am and assigned asynchronous work for the next day because she's at Disney World.

There are some unknowns here, but the optics and hypocrisy are terrible. APS won't let our kids return to class, but it's OK to allow teachers to vacation in Disney and assign asynchronous work?

This is truly infuriating. I hope someone shares that story broadly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wait till Wash. Post (or others) learn of the FB post about the APS teacher who let her kids out of class at 11 am and assigned asynchronous work for the next day because she's at Disney World.

There are some unknowns here, but the optics and hypocrisy are terrible. APS won't let our kids return to class, but it's OK to allow teachers to vacation in Disney and assign asynchronous work?

Why not? For all we know the teacher is willing to teach F2F. That teacher didn’t make the decision to work remotely. If she has the leave to use she can use it. If you see a teacher at the gym or eating at a restaurant off school hours are you going take issue and give them a hard time?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Opinion piece https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/01/25/fairfax-county-should-open-schools-or-stop-vaccinating-teachers/

Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait till Wash. Post (or others) learn of the FB post about the APS teacher who let her kids out of class at 11 am and assigned asynchronous work for the next day because she's at Disney World.

There are some unknowns here, but the optics and hypocrisy are terrible. APS won't let our kids return to class, but it's OK to allow teachers to vacation in Disney and assign asynchronous work?

Why not? For all we know the teacher is willing to teach F2F. That teacher didn’t make the decision to work remotely. If she has the leave to use she can use it. If you see a teacher at the gym or eating at a restaurant off school hours are you going take issue and give them a hard time?

DP. I'm sure going to think it.
I was a classroom teacher and when I first started teaching I had one break per day for 20 minutes. No lunch break--had to eat with the kids. Music and Art, we had to stay in the classroom because the specialists needed help. The 20 minutes was a PE class which the kids had every day. If she was out, we had no break at all.

But, years later, as a SAHM, I did run into a neighbor who was a full time teacher while I was out shopping. She was an itenerant teacher and she told me that her student had not shown up that day, so she just took off to go shopping. I couldn't help but think she could have given some extra time to another student.

But, no. Teachers should not be at Disney when they are supposed to be working unless they took personal leave. And, if she is giving assignments, then she is likely being paid to be working. I'd be very troubled by that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait till Wash. Post (or others) learn of the FB post about the APS teacher who let her kids out of class at 11 am and assigned asynchronous work for the next day because she's at Disney World.

There are some unknowns here, but the optics and hypocrisy are terrible. APS won't let our kids return to class, but it's OK to allow teachers to vacation in Disney and assign asynchronous work?

Why not? For all we know the teacher is willing to teach F2F. That teacher didn’t make the decision to work remotely. If she has the leave to use she can use it. If you see a teacher at the gym or eating at a restaurant off school hours are you going take issue and give them a hard time?

DP. I'm sure going to think it.
I was a classroom teacher and when I first started teaching I had one break per day for 20 minutes. No lunch break--had to eat with the kids. Music and Art, we had to stay in the classroom because the specialists needed help. The 20 minutes was a PE class which the kids had every day. If she was out, we had no break at all.

But, years later, as a SAHM, I did run into a neighbor who was a full time teacher while I was out shopping. She was an itenerant teacher and she told me that her student had not shown up that day, so she just took off to go shopping. I couldn't help but think she could have given some extra time to another student.

But, no. Teachers should not be at Disney when they are supposed to be working unless they took personal leave. And, if she is giving assignments, then she is likely being paid to be working. I'd be very troubled by that.

PP here. I teach ES for FCPS. Did you read all that I wrote? I said, “if she has the leave to use”. Of course she shouldn’t be at Disney without taking leave.

Where did you work that you only had a 20 minute break and ate lunch with the students? Private school?

[Anonymous]

Where did you work that you only had a 20 minute break and ate lunch with the students? Private school?

I'm a senior citizen. This was a very long time ago and not in Virginia. I imagine things are better there now--but that was not uncommon in those days.
But, this was certainly not in a private school. Title I.

[Anonymous]

Rachna posted on her Facebook page that staff got an email earlier this evening. Appointments can start again as early as tomorrow.

Some good news from FCPS:

January 27, 2021

Dear FCPS Staff,
Earlier this week, you received the unfortunate news that a nationwide shortage of the COVID-19 vaccine had caused the cancellation of many first dose appointments scheduled by FCPS employees.
Today, we received good news. We are working with Inova and Fairfax County to reschedule appointments that were canceled earlier this week, beginning with several thousand appointments opening Thursday-Sunday (Jan. 28-31) for FCPS employees.
Some employees will receive an email from the Fairfax County Health Department inviting them to schedule one of these appointments. The email will invite you to register through a health department link. This email will come to the address you provided during your original registration.
We know this will not completely alleviate the continued challenges of vaccine availability. The situation remains very fluid, not just in Fairfax County but across the Commonwealth and the nation. We continue to ask for your patience.
If you do not get an appointment this week, please know that as vaccine supply allows, more appointments will be opened. This includes the opportunity for staff members who have not yet been able to schedule an appointment. We will continue to provide updates about vaccine opportunities as soon as they become available.
We are grateful for our continued partnership with Inova and the Fairfax County Health Department to help us vaccinate all FCPS staff members who choose to be vaccinated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait till Wash. Post (or others) learn of the FB post about the APS teacher who let her kids out of class at 11 am and assigned asynchronous work for the next day because she's at Disney World.

There are some unknowns here, but the optics and hypocrisy are terrible. APS won't let our kids return to class, but it's OK to allow teachers to vacation in Disney and assign asynchronous work?

Why not? For all we know the teacher is willing to teach F2F. That teacher didn’t make the decision to work remotely. If she has the leave to use she can use it. If you see a teacher at the gym or eating at a restaurant off school hours are you going take issue and give them a hard time?

DP. Why not? No one should be a Disney world in a pandemic. Teacher or not.