Do DC parents still blame teacher unions for everything?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Telling teachers NOT to respond

What if you are a teacher and a parent?

I'm both. I've been in school teaching since December, I volunteered to go in. I always felt like kids needed to be learning and socializing in school and I understood early on that I was at low risk of developing serious illness and dying from COVID. My middle school kids barely see inside their school now. I attended the majority of the train wreck union calls dumbfounded, always voted against taking collective action (including the one day strike I did not participate in.) I don't take any of the union hate personally, the organization deserves it. Many of us are much better than what the WTU represents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids’ families know I didn’t participate in the sick out this year and haven’t directed any angst my way. I’m not looking forward to spill over drama next year from families who think we all did.

I'm a parent who feels quite strongly that keeping schools closed for more than a couple of months was a terrible policy failure and an abdication of responsibility on the part of teachers as a professional group. However, I hold no angry feelings against the individual teachers at our school. I don't know who participated in the sick-out and who didn't, because we were out of the country last fall (to go to school where they were open), and I don't feel an urge to find out. I do know who came back in term 3 and who didn't, but again I don't know or care about the individual reasons, and I know there were constraints on opening classrooms then besides teacher availability. I don't hold any grudges against individual teachers. I mean, if I knew the teachers who participated in the body bag stunt, that would be a different story, but I am not assuming it was someone from our school. I think a lot of parents are able to separate their anger at how this whole situation was handled by policy makers from their feelings about individual teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Telling teachers NOT to respond

What if you are a teacher and a parent?

I'm both. I've been in school teaching since December, I volunteered to go in. I always felt like kids needed to be learning and socializing in school and I understood early on that I was at low risk of developing serious illness and dying from COVID. My middle school kids barely see inside their school now. I attended the majority of the train wreck union calls dumbfounded, always voted against taking collective action (including the one day strike I did not participate in.) I don't take any of the union hate personally, the organization deserves it. Many of us are much better than what the WTU represents.

thank you for not striking. it would have meant so much to me if even one of his teachers or support teachers (he has an IEP) didn’t strike.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids’ families know I didn’t participate in the sick out this year and haven’t directed any angst my way. I’m not looking forward to spill over drama next year from families who think we all did.

I'm a parent who feels quite strongly that keeping schools closed for more than a couple of months was a terrible policy failure and an abdication of responsibility on the part of teachers as a professional group. However, I hold no angry feelings against the individual teachers at our school. I don't know who participated in the sick-out and who didn't, because we were out of the country last fall (to go to school where they were open), and I don't feel an urge to find out. I do know who came back in term 3 and who didn't, but again I don't know or care about the individual reasons, and I know there were constraints on opening classrooms then besides teacher availability. I don't hold any grudges against individual teachers. I mean, if I knew the teachers who participated in the body bag stunt, that would be a different story, but I am not assuming it was someone from our school. I think a lot of parents are able to separate their anger at how this whole situation was handled by policy makers from their feelings about individual teachers.

honestly, I’m not. The strike was a choice. Teachers can’t escape the consequences of that choice. I am really looking forward to new teachers next year so I can feel more trust in them. (Irrational because they themselves may have gone on strike, I know.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids’ families know I didn’t participate in the sick out this year and haven’t directed any angst my way. I’m not looking forward to spill over drama next year from families who think we all did.

I'm a parent who feels quite strongly that keeping schools closed for more than a couple of months was a terrible policy failure and an abdication of responsibility on the part of teachers as a professional group. However, I hold no angry feelings against the individual teachers at our school. I don't know who participated in the sick-out and who didn't, because we were out of the country last fall (to go to school where they were open), and I don't feel an urge to find out. I do know who came back in term 3 and who didn't, but again I don't know or care about the individual reasons, and I know there were constraints on opening classrooms then besides teacher availability. I don't hold any grudges against individual teachers. I mean, if I knew the teachers who participated in the body bag stunt, that would be a different story, but I am not assuming it was someone from our school. I think a lot of parents are able to separate their anger at how this whole situation was handled by policy makers from their feelings about individual teachers.

honestly, I’m not. The strike was a choice. Teachers can’t escape the consequences of that choice. I am really looking forward to new teachers next year so I can feel more trust in them. (Irrational because they themselves may have gone on strike, I know.)

PP here and I understand. I suppose if I did know who participated in the sick-out, I would feel differently about those specific teachers. But I wouldn't automatically assume that every teacher did participate, like the teacher PP above said she feared.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Teachers walked away from their responsibilities to educate children during the pandemic. It was inexcusable and unforgiveable. If you think I'm going to advocate on your behalf now, you are crazy.

+1

Don't bother advocating. You have done enough to show your true colors. You have no way of knowing why teachers didn't return. Blaming them for not coming back in the middle of a pandemic to teach your angel in person to give you a break from parenting just makes you look worse than the lovechild of satan and no.45. And don't forget, you will never know why and that probably eats at you even more.

You need an exorcism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just settle down. People are still dying and only 50 percent of the population is vaccinated. You people in upper NW have an entirely different existence than the rest of the city and you prove it on this site every day. You don't know everything and stop blaming worker organizations that are mostly comprised of women of color for your own weird preconceptions and slated view of the world.

Sincere question here. I’m a teacher in NW who is IPL, happily. For families of color who aren’t sending kids in now, are the adults in your home vaccinated? If not, how come? If so, are you worried that your masked kids will catch it in school? I really want to understand the hesitation about sending your children to school.

I'm a teach at a title 1 school in ward 5. Most of my students parents, at this point, are vaccinated or at least in the process. Most did not want to be first when the vaccine was first offered, so that was one barrier. They have gotten more comfortable as the vaccine has become more widespread, but thst also means that most are not fully vaccinated yet. Another major issue for my parents, thst people on this site and on upper northwest schools don't seem to understand, is that they simply don't trust DCPS to keep their children safe from a virus. Most of my students have witnessed MULTIPLE deaths in their family from covid over the last year. Most have most been able to attend funerals or, in many cases, even afford funerals, for their relatives. I have a few students who have experienced 4-5 deaths in their family, so part of their reluctance to sending their children in person is not wanting them to get sick and die. Now, I'm sure people on this website will respond that it's irrational because children don't get sick, etc., But that's much easier to understand when you haven't watched lots of family members die, and when you have good healthcare that assure you that you can go or a doctor for even a little concern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just settle down. People are still dying and only 50 percent of the population is vaccinated. You people in upper NW have an entirely different existence than the rest of the city and you prove it on this site every day. You don't know everything and stop blaming worker organizations that are mostly comprised of women of color for your own weird preconceptions and slated view of the world.

Sincere question here. I’m a teacher in NW who is IPL, happily. For families of color who aren’t sending kids in now, are the adults in your home vaccinated? If not, how come? If so, are you worried that your masked kids will catch it in school? I really want to understand the hesitation about sending your children to school.

I'm a teach at a title 1 school in ward 5. Most of my students parents, at this point, are vaccinated or at least in the process. Most did not want to be first when the vaccine was first offered, so that was one barrier. They have gotten more comfortable as the vaccine has become more widespread, but thst also means that most are not fully vaccinated yet. Another major issue for my parents, thst people on this site and on upper northwest schools don't seem to understand, is that they simply don't trust DCPS to keep their children safe from a virus. Most of my students have witnessed MULTIPLE deaths in their family from covid over the last year. Most have most been able to attend funerals or, in many cases, even afford funerals, for their relatives. I have a few students who have experienced 4-5 deaths in their family, so part of their reluctance to sending their children in person is not wanting them to get sick and die. Now, I'm sure people on this website will respond that it's irrational because children don't get sick, etc., But that's much easier to understand when you haven't watched lots of family members die, and when you have good healthcare that assure you that you can go or a doctor for even a little concern.

Thank you for sharing this perspective. Posters on this website cannot think beyond their own personal situations

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids’ families know I didn’t participate in the sick out this year and haven’t directed any angst my way. I’m not looking forward to spill over drama next year from families who think we all did.

I'm a parent who feels quite strongly that keeping schools closed for more than a couple of months was a terrible policy failure and an abdication of responsibility on the part of teachers as a professional group. However, I hold no angry feelings against the individual teachers at our school. I don't know who participated in the sick-out and who didn't, because we were out of the country last fall (to go to school where they were open), and I don't feel an urge to find out. I do know who came back in term 3 and who didn't, but again I don't know or care about the individual reasons, and I know there were constraints on opening classrooms then besides teacher availability. I don't hold any grudges against individual teachers. I mean, if I knew the teachers who participated in the body bag stunt, that would be a different story, but I am not assuming it was someone from our school. I think a lot of parents are able to separate their anger at how this whole situation was handled by policy makers from their feelings about individual teachers.

honestly, I’m not. The strike was a choice. Teachers can’t escape the consequences of that choice. I am really looking forward to new teachers next year so I can feel more trust in them. (Irrational because they themselves may have gone on strike, I know.)

Consequences of a one day sick out back in October. Get a life, loser.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids’ families know I didn’t participate in the sick out this year and haven’t directed any angst my way. I’m not looking forward to spill over drama next year from families who think we all did.

I'm a parent who feels quite strongly that keeping schools closed for more than a couple of months was a terrible policy failure and an abdication of responsibility on the part of teachers as a professional group. However, I hold no angry feelings against the individual teachers at our school. I don't know who participated in the sick-out and who didn't, because we were out of the country last fall (to go to school where they were open), and I don't feel an urge to find out. I do know who came back in term 3 and who didn't, but again I don't know or care about the individual reasons, and I know there were constraints on opening classrooms then besides teacher availability. I don't hold any grudges against individual teachers. I mean, if I knew the teachers who participated in the body bag stunt, that would be a different story, but I am not assuming it was someone from our school. I think a lot of parents are able to separate their anger at how this whole situation was handled by policy makers from their feelings about individual teachers.

honestly, I’m not. The strike was a choice. Teachers can’t escape the consequences of that choice. I am really looking forward to new teachers next year so I can feel more trust in them. (Irrational because they themselves may have gone on strike, I know.)

How many teachers even participated? Where's the actual number? You guys keep bringing this ONE day up like it was weeks like the teachers in LA, Chicago, etc.

[Anonymous]

I personally hold the mayor, dcps chancellor, OSSE and the WTU responsible. Equal blame all around. Being closed in the fall I understand as no one really knew whether virtual would work or not. But they all dropped the ball starting in Jan/Feb.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I personally hold the mayor, dcps chancellor, OSSE and the WTU responsible. Equal blame all around. Being closed in the fall I understand as no one really knew whether virtual would work or not. But they all dropped the ball starting in Jan/Feb.

Many principals were not much better. Many supported the teachers just because they did not want to plan out all the logistics. Our principal was working on her PhD and staying mostly virtual gave her plenty of time to focus on her degree requirements

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I personally hold the mayor, dcps chancellor, OSSE and the WTU responsible. Equal blame all around. Being closed in the fall I understand as no one really knew whether virtual would work or not. But they all dropped the ball starting in Jan/Feb.

Many principals were not much better. Many supported the teachers just because they did not want to plan out all the logistics. Our principal was working on her PhD and staying mostly virtual gave her plenty of time to focus on her degree requirements

Is this Hearst?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I personally hold the mayor, dcps chancellor, OSSE and the WTU responsible. Equal blame all around. Being closed in the fall I understand as no one really knew whether virtual would work or not. But they all dropped the ball starting in Jan/Feb.

Many principals were not much better. Many supported the teachers just because they did not want to plan out all the logistics. Our principal was working on her PhD and staying mostly virtual gave her plenty of time to focus on her degree requirements

Is this Hearst?

No. I prefer not to name the school as it would make the principal identifiable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I personally hold the mayor, dcps chancellor, OSSE and the WTU responsible. Equal blame all around. Being closed in the fall I understand as no one really knew whether virtual would work or not. But they all dropped the ball starting in Jan/Feb.

Many principals were not much better. Many supported the teachers just because they did not want to plan out all the logistics. Our principal was working on her PhD and staying mostly virtual gave her plenty of time to focus on her degree requirements

I would add parents to this list too - many parents are hardly blameless - some wanting their kids back in school at all costs and some refusing to send their kids back. Parents screaming at teachers. Reign yourself in parents!