Maryland Recovery Plan for Education has been posted

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh good grief. Nobody is proposing forest schools. Nobody is saying it's a simple solution that we'll all start doing starting Monday morning at 7:45 am. Just that it is A POSSIBILITY.

There are lots of POSSIBILITIES. It doesn’t mean that they are probable. One POSSIBILITY is that only students whose families live below the poverty line will be allowed back in school buildings. Does that mean it’s probable?

Life is too short for this. Have it your way, PP. Everything is impossible, because.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How will they have the staff to cover lunches in classrooms and enough teachers to cover smaller classes spread out using MS space?

Teachers will have to give up their lunches.

Teachers will not give up their lunches. Sometimes that is the only time during the seven hours while we're at school that I can use the bathroom. I am not allowed to look at my cell phone (you get written up), open my laptop (even for work-we're expected to be "engaged" with the kids at all times), or leave the room for any reason (to wash hands, to fill a water bottle, to pee, etc) at school. The only time I can do these things is during my lunch period, or during a prep. Before COVID, we frequently lost our preps because of IEP meetings (in our own class or others that run over time), teacher absences (which will definitely only increase in frequency now), special events (like school-wide celebrations) and various other reasons. I am also not working all day with no break and no prep and going home to create lessons. Our pay is already abysmal for masters level professionals.

Furthermore, it's illegal for us to work all day without a break. If you work for more than 6 hours you are entitled to a minimum of 30 minutes for lucnh. I am absolutely not working all day without washing my hands even once (even before eating). I am absolutely not monitoring students when I need a break myself. I am not a robot and I deserve to do all the things you take for granted at work-call my doctor, text my husband, read the news for a few minutes, walk down the block and grab a coffee, eat lunch without having to break up a fight. We fought long and hard for our lunch break to be included in our contract, we are not giving it up now. Maybe parents can volunteer to come in and watch the kids! Each parent can come in once a month and if they can't cover the shift then they have to find another parent to do it in their absence. Parents are pushing for schools to open? Then make it feasible.

You sound charming. I’m a big teacher advocate but what exactly are you doing for your students now? If you hate teaching so much, leave it.

Working without a break has absolutely nothing to do with teaching. You are not a "big teacher advocate" if you think it's appropriate for us to give up our only break in the day. It's an extremely basic labor protection that is not specific to our profession-if you work for 6 hours, you get a 30 minute lunch break. I'm not going to be constantly fighting off kidney infections so I can babysit your children without pause. Get real. It has nothing to do with what I'm willing to "do for my students"-it would make administrators' lives easier, sure. You don't get to guilt me into saying that I'm fine being trapped in a room for seven hours without using the bathroom, checking my phone, or taking care of myself in the smallest way.

I’m not saying you should not have a break. Of course you should. But your anger seems to go way beyond that. I hope you’re nowhere near my kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How will they have the staff to cover lunches in classrooms and enough teachers to cover smaller classes spread out using MS space?

Teachers will have to give up their lunches.

Teachers will not give up their lunches. Sometimes that is the only time during the seven hours while we're at school that I can use the bathroom. I am not allowed to look at my cell phone (you get written up), open my laptop (even for work-we're expected to be "engaged" with the kids at all times), or leave the room for any reason (to wash hands, to fill a water bottle, to pee, etc) at school. The only time I can do these things is during my lunch period, or during a prep. Before COVID, we frequently lost our preps because of IEP meetings (in our own class or others that run over time), teacher absences (which will definitely only increase in frequency now), special events (like school-wide celebrations) and various other reasons. I am also not working all day with no break and no prep and going home to create lessons. Our pay is already abysmal for masters level professionals.

Furthermore, it's illegal for us to work all day without a break. If you work for more than 6 hours you are entitled to a minimum of 30 minutes for lucnh. I am absolutely not working all day without washing my hands even once (even before eating). I am absolutely not monitoring students when I need a break myself. I am not a robot and I deserve to do all the things you take for granted at work-call my doctor, text my husband, read the news for a few minutes, walk down the block and grab a coffee, eat lunch without having to break up a fight. We fought long and hard for our lunch break to be included in our contract, we are not giving it up now. Maybe parents can volunteer to come in and watch the kids! Each parent can come in once a month and if they can't cover the shift then they have to find another parent to do it in their absence. Parents are pushing for schools to open? Then make it feasible.

You sound charming. I’m a big teacher advocate but what exactly are you doing for your students now? If you hate teaching so much, leave it.

Working without a break has absolutely nothing to do with teaching. You are not a "big teacher advocate" if you think it's appropriate for us to give up our only break in the day. It's an extremely basic labor protection that is not specific to our profession-if you work for 6 hours, you get a 30 minute lunch break. I'm not going to be constantly fighting off kidney infections so I can babysit your children without pause. Get real. It has nothing to do with what I'm willing to "do for my students"-it would make administrators' lives easier, sure. You don't get to guilt me into saying that I'm fine being trapped in a room for seven hours without using the bathroom, checking my phone, or taking care of myself in the smallest way.

I’m not saying you should not have a break. Of course you should. But your anger seems to go way beyond that. I hope you’re nowhere near my kid.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How will they have the staff to cover lunches in classrooms and enough teachers to cover smaller classes spread out using MS space?

Teachers will have to give up their lunches.

Teachers will not give up their lunches. Sometimes that is the only time during the seven hours while we're at school that I can use the bathroom. I am not allowed to look at my cell phone (you get written up), open my laptop (even for work-we're expected to be "engaged" with the kids at all times), or leave the room for any reason (to wash hands, to fill a water bottle, to pee, etc) at school. The only time I can do these things is during my lunch period, or during a prep. Before COVID, we frequently lost our preps because of IEP meetings (in our own class or others that run over time), teacher absences (which will definitely only increase in frequency now), special events (like school-wide celebrations) and various other reasons. I am also not working all day with no break and no prep and going home to create lessons. Our pay is already abysmal for masters level professionals.

Furthermore, it's illegal for us to work all day without a break. If you work for more than 6 hours you are entitled to a minimum of 30 minutes for lucnh. I am absolutely not working all day without washing my hands even once (even before eating). I am absolutely not monitoring students when I need a break myself. I am not a robot and I deserve to do all the things you take for granted at work-call my doctor, text my husband, read the news for a few minutes, walk down the block and grab a coffee, eat lunch without having to break up a fight. We fought long and hard for our lunch break to be included in our contract, we are not giving it up now. Maybe parents can volunteer to come in and watch the kids! Each parent can come in once a month and if they can't cover the shift then they have to find another parent to do it in their absence. Parents are pushing for schools to open? Then make it feasible.

You sound charming. I’m a big teacher advocate but what exactly are you doing for your students now? If you hate teaching so much, leave it.

Working without a break has absolutely nothing to do with teaching. You are not a "big teacher advocate" if you think it's appropriate for us to give up our only break in the day. It's an extremely basic labor protection that is not specific to our profession-if you work for 6 hours, you get a 30 minute lunch break. I'm not going to be constantly fighting off kidney infections so I can babysit your children without pause. Get real. It has nothing to do with what I'm willing to "do for my students"-it would make administrators' lives easier, sure. You don't get to guilt me into saying that I'm fine being trapped in a room for seven hours without using the bathroom, checking my phone, or taking care of myself in the smallest way.

I’m not saying you should not have a break. Of course you should. But your anger seems to go way beyond that. I hope you’re nowhere near my kid.

Why do you all want your kids to back into school buildings so badly when you hate teachers so much?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How will they have the staff to cover lunches in classrooms and enough teachers to cover smaller classes spread out using MS space?

Teachers will have to give up their lunches.

Teachers will not give up their lunches. Sometimes that is the only time during the seven hours while we're at school that I can use the bathroom. I am not allowed to look at my cell phone (you get written up), open my laptop (even for work-we're expected to be "engaged" with the kids at all times), or leave the room for any reason (to wash hands, to fill a water bottle, to pee, etc) at school. The only time I can do these things is during my lunch period, or during a prep. Before COVID, we frequently lost our preps because of IEP meetings (in our own class or others that run over time), teacher absences (which will definitely only increase in frequency now), special events (like school-wide celebrations) and various other reasons. I am also not working all day with no break and no prep and going home to create lessons. Our pay is already abysmal for masters level professionals.

Furthermore, it's illegal for us to work all day without a break. If you work for more than 6 hours you are entitled to a minimum of 30 minutes for lucnh. I am absolutely not working all day without washing my hands even once (even before eating). I am absolutely not monitoring students when I need a break myself. I am not a robot and I deserve to do all the things you take for granted at work-call my doctor, text my husband, read the news for a few minutes, walk down the block and grab a coffee, eat lunch without having to break up a fight. We fought long and hard for our lunch break to be included in our contract, we are not giving it up now. Maybe parents can volunteer to come in and watch the kids! Each parent can come in once a month and if they can't cover the shift then they have to find another parent to do it in their absence. Parents are pushing for schools to open? Then make it feasible.

You sound charming. I’m a big teacher advocate but what exactly are you doing for your students now? If you hate teaching so much, leave it.

Working without a break has absolutely nothing to do with teaching. You are not a "big teacher advocate" if you think it's appropriate for us to give up our only break in the day. It's an extremely basic labor protection that is not specific to our profession-if you work for 6 hours, you get a 30 minute lunch break. I'm not going to be constantly fighting off kidney infections so I can babysit your children without pause. Get real. It has nothing to do with what I'm willing to "do for my students"-it would make administrators' lives easier, sure. You don't get to guilt me into saying that I'm fine being trapped in a room for seven hours without using the bathroom, checking my phone, or taking care of myself in the smallest way.

I’m not saying you should not have a break. Of course you should. But your anger seems to go way beyond that. I hope you’re nowhere near my kid.

Why do you all want your kids to back into school buildings so badly when you hate teachers so much?

I hope that as well! It was suggested that we should give up our breaks. Literally "Teachers will have to give up their lunches." We do not get other breaks. I'm sure as a literate adult you can understand the equivalency.
I want to be clear here. I will not take a bullet for your child. I will not willingly make myself ill for your child by giving up my opportunities to eat or pee or wash my hands (in a pandemic). I will not give up my only break of the day (as required by law, and by my contract). I will not work through the night. I will not work weekends. I'm a teacher, and it is my job. I am not a martyr, and they are not my children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How will they have the staff to cover lunches in classrooms and enough teachers to cover smaller classes spread out using MS space?

Teachers will have to give up their lunches.

I won’t.

1) I have physical health issues that require I have time to visit the restroom in private. My 30 min lunch is the only time that I can do that. It doesn’t take 30 min, but there’s no guarantee that I’ll get a chance any other time in the duty day.

2)Even if I didn’t have a personal reason, I have to stand in solidarity with other teachers —especially the early career ones— who are in risk of losing this right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
As a teacher who works for a year round program, I can speak to this. We are paid a ten month salary. If you choose to work the summer you get paid an additional 18% of your yearly salary on top of your regular summer checks. Obviously, this is tremendously expensive for the district.
The only reason summer is bearable is because you go on many field trips, there’s only one official classroom observation, there is no testing, etc. All our classrooms are air conditioned. The pay is also great. You’re basically suggesting that teachers work with no extra pay, no air conditioning, no field trips, high anxiety, and worse. I agree that the bathroom would be a huge issue. When the weather is bad we just do what? Get soaked? I’m sorry but you can hire a sitter for the summer and ask them to do workbooks with your kid. I did not sign up for that.

Denmark is currently holding their school classes outdoors, or so I read. To be sure, Denmark in May is not Maryland in July. I expect it rains in Denmark, though, and I'm certain that kids and teachers in Denmark need to use bathrooms during the school day. In other words, some of these are problems that not only can be solved, but actually have been solved, somehow, by people.

We aren't Denmark. We don't have the same population, education system, schools or culture. Where on earth would we do outdoor classes? How would that work? What about safety?

[Anonymous]

And 10 students per classroom? We have HSs with nearly 3,000 kids, ESs with close to 1,000 and MSs over 1200 (Pyle over 1500). No way that can happen!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
As a teacher who works for a year round program, I can speak to this. We are paid a ten month salary. If you choose to work the summer you get paid an additional 18% of your yearly salary on top of your regular summer checks. Obviously, this is tremendously expensive for the district.
The only reason summer is bearable is because you go on many field trips, there’s only one official classroom observation, there is no testing, etc. All our classrooms are air conditioned. The pay is also great. You’re basically suggesting that teachers work with no extra pay, no air conditioning, no field trips, high anxiety, and worse. I agree that the bathroom would be a huge issue. When the weather is bad we just do what? Get soaked? I’m sorry but you can hire a sitter for the summer and ask them to do workbooks with your kid. I did not sign up for that.

Denmark is currently holding their school classes outdoors, or so I read. To be sure, Denmark in May is not Maryland in July. I expect it rains in Denmark, though, and I'm certain that kids and teachers in Denmark need to use bathrooms during the school day. In other words, some of these are problems that not only can be solved, but actually have been solved, somehow, by people.

We aren't Denmark. We don't have the same population, education system, schools or culture. Where on earth would we do outdoor classes? How would that work? What about safety?

Please consider finding out more about what Denmark is doing, before you insist that we can't possibly do what Denmark is doing.

[Anonymous]

OK but another way we're not Denmark is that we dont have much of a safety net for parents who have to work during a year long pandemic - not for income, housing, health insurance, or childcare help. So distance learning for a year with full time adult supervision at home is not something most families have the flexibility or resources to provide. It's not that we don't WANT to, it's that working from home for a year and/or affording a nanny is just not the default situation for people. So what IS realistic?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OK but another way we're not Denmark is that we dont have much of a safety net for parents who have to work during a year long pandemic - not for income, housing, health insurance, or childcare help. So distance learning for a year with full time adult supervision at home is not something most families have the flexibility or resources to provide. It's not that we don't WANT to, it's that working from home for a year and/or affording a nanny is just not the default situation for people. So what IS realistic?

If you have two working parents then you’re going to need to pay for childcare. If you have to downsize then you have to downsize. Everyone is going to have to make sacrifices. Businesses are also going to have to expand work from home options, and onsite daycare. A half day or every other day schedule is going to present the same challenges as not opening up at all. This has nothing to do with what anyone WANTS. This is the hand we’ve been dealt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OK but another way we're not Denmark is that we dont have much of a safety net for parents who have to work during a year long pandemic - not for income, housing, health insurance, or childcare help. So distance learning for a year with full time adult supervision at home is not something most families have the flexibility or resources to provide. It's not that we don't WANT to, it's that working from home for a year and/or affording a nanny is just not the default situation for people. So what IS realistic?

If you have two working parents then you’re going to need to pay for childcare. If you have to downsize then you have to downsize. Everyone is going to have to make sacrifices. Businesses are also going to have to expand work from home options, and onsite daycare. A half day or every other day schedule is going to present the same challenges as not opening up at all. This has nothing to do with what anyone WANTS. This is the hand we’ve been dealt.

If you don't have any bread, then you're going to need to eat cake!

PP, seriously, I don't know what you're thinking. Child care was already scarce and unaffordably expensive during normal times. Now imagine what it will be like if kids aren't going to school.

[Anonymous]

Elementary kids all need to be back in school full time. The risk is negligible for kids and any student or teacher who has pre-existing conditions can do distance learning. The economy can't open without schools in session full time. I can't teach unless my kids are attending their elementary school. It is better to open in late August then close in Jan.-Feb. if there are any cases or during flu season.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OK but another way we're not Denmark is that we dont have much of a safety net for parents who have to work during a year long pandemic - not for income, housing, health insurance, or childcare help. So distance learning for a year with full time adult supervision at home is not something most families have the flexibility or resources to provide. It's not that we don't WANT to, it's that working from home for a year and/or affording a nanny is just not the default situation for people. So what IS realistic?

If you have two working parents then you’re going to need to pay for childcare. If you have to downsize then you have to downsize. Everyone is going to have to make sacrifices. Businesses are also going to have to expand work from home options, and onsite daycare. A half day or every other day schedule is going to present the same challenges as not opening up at all. This has nothing to do with what anyone WANTS. This is the hand we’ve been dealt.

You're not hearing me. I'm saying WE DO NOT have a society set up for the average family to make this work AS INDIVIDUALS. That is the entore point of my saying we don't have a social support system. Saying every family will just have to have a parent home full time or pay an entire additional salary out of their net is INSANE. I agree that opening half time presents the same challenges but just saying "oh families will figure it out" is not a serious attempt to grapple with logistics.

Heres why:

1. Many, many families cannot afford full time childcare for school age kids - nor is it even available around here, in a place where there are multi year waiting lists for day cares. Do you know that a lot of parents with degrees do not make more, after tax, than it costs to employ a nanny? Because we've run those numbers.

2. Yes, i guess in SOME families one parent could drop out of the workforce, but that's a huge gamble as to whether they will ever get back in and a huge hit to financial security, not everyone can live on one income, and what about single parent homes?

3. People living in apartments can't "downsize." And people who bought small homes 5 years ago probably can't save by moving to an apartment.

4. I'd like to think businesses will adapt to help their employees at no profit, but that is not my general experience so far. It's a very optimistic hope.

If you're saying it's up to individual parents to just take their masses of extra space and money and either quit their jobs or employ household staff, you do not have a realistic idea of how others live. Parents should not be in the position of having to choose between the day to day safety of their children and their ability to hold a job to feed and shelter their children. I just would like people to admit that if we as a society insist it's parents' responsibility to give both employers and schools mutually exclusive amounts of time and energy in the absence of any social support system, we are CHOOSING to put people in an impossible position.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
You're not hearing me. I'm saying WE DO NOT have a society set up for the average family to make this work AS INDIVIDUALS. That is the entore point of my saying we don't have a social support system. Saying every family will just have to have a parent home full time or pay an entire additional salary out of their net is INSANE. I agree that opening half time presents the same challenges but just saying "oh families will figure it out" is not a serious attempt to grapple with logistics.

Heres why:

1. Many, many families cannot afford full time childcare for school age kids - nor is it even available around here, in a place where there are multi year waiting lists for day cares. Do you know that a lot of parents with degrees do not make more, after tax, than it costs to employ a nanny? Because we've run those numbers.

2. Yes, i guess in SOME families one parent could drop out of the workforce, but that's a huge gamble as to whether they will ever get back in and a huge hit to financial security, not everyone can live on one income, and what about single parent homes?

3. People living in apartments can't "downsize." And people who bought small homes 5 years ago probably can't save by moving to an apartment.

4. I'd like to think businesses will adapt to help their employees at no profit, but that is not my general experience so far. It's a very optimistic hope.

If you're saying it's up to individual parents to just take their masses of extra space and money and either quit their jobs or employ household staff, you do not have a realistic idea of how others live. Parents should not be in the position of having to choose between the day to day safety of their children and their ability to hold a job to feed and shelter their children. I just would like people to admit that if we as a society insist it's parents' responsibility to give both employers and schools mutually exclusive amounts of time and energy in the absence of any social support system, we are CHOOSING to put people in an impossible position.

I think you have a pretty good sense of the situation. It is impossible. The US chooses to put people in an impossible position. We always did for many, but now it's going to become a very common experience. It's going to take a pretty big economic shock to create kind of political momentum needed to significantly change our society. We may get that or we may not. Of course, we also have broken political institutions.