Teachers are Vital Public Servants and Should Act Like It

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Among my students, all of those returning are White and wealthy, except two students that are Asian and wealthy. The rest are staying in DL.

I'm not surprised. People who can literally afford to be sick don't have to be as careful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Once I accepted that parents didn’t care if I lived or died, it was incredibly freeing. My guilt about not being allowed to do more vanished. I’ve started to regain a work-life balance that I haven’t had since before I switched careers to public education.

High Risk DH is interviewing for a private sector firm tomorrow. It’s a friend’s company and he’s pretty much guaranteed WFH until August. He’s sad about leaving teaching because it was a beloved choice after a military career, but it’s pretty clear that it is 100% on us to protect our health and not leave our kids orphans.

Right there with you pp.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Once I accepted that parents didn’t care if I lived or died, it was incredibly freeing. My guilt about not being allowed to do more vanished. I’ve started to regain a work-life balance that I haven’t had since before I switched careers to public education.

High Risk DH is interviewing for a private sector firm tomorrow. It’s a friend’s company and he’s pretty much guaranteed WFH until August. He’s sad about leaving teaching because it was a beloved choice after a military career, but it’s pretty clear that it is 100% on us to protect our health and not leave our kids orphans.

Where do you work? He’s not eligible to get the vaccine soon?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Once I accepted that parents didn’t care if I lived or died, it was incredibly freeing. My guilt about not being allowed to do more vanished. I’ve started to regain a work-life balance that I haven’t had since before I switched careers to public education.

High Risk DH is interviewing for a private sector firm tomorrow. It’s a friend’s company and he’s pretty much guaranteed WFH until August. He’s sad about leaving teaching because it was a beloved choice after a military career, but it’s pretty clear that it is 100% on us to protect our health and not leave our kids orphans.

Haha, sad because as a teacher he would be eligible for a vaccine sooner.

[Anonymous]

I disagree with your premise, OP.

And with pretty much everything else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I really wish I could tell whether this article is wise advice or just another UMC professional working from home who is sick of having his children underfoot (I googled — he has two children). In this debate it is so hard to separate the message from the messenger. People are more than happy to embrace risk when it’s not a risk to them personally.

How is that parents aren't undertaking any risk? I hear this a lot. If their kids go to school and get COVID, there's a high chance they might pass it on to their parents. Parents are at risk. Interhousehold transmission is high.

I think your point is that parents are willing to take that risk because they will derive a clear and significant benefit from it -- namely a huge increase in the quality of education of their children.

Teachers are not willing to take the risk because there's no such benefit to them, other than general society benefit. It's just human nature than that really isn't a motivating force like personal benefit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These posts and opinion pieces do no one any good. Good teachers are working hard, if not harder and doing their best. What we see is students and parents not doing their part. Today is the last day of the marking period. My kids have been dismissed from all their classes as their work is done to allow other kids to get their outstanding work done vs. failing them like they should. It takes parents teaming with teachers to make DL work. Everyone expects teachers to do everything but they cannot and as a parent you are either part of the problem or solution.

It's almost like...parents have JOBS. That they also have to do. To feed, clothe, and shelter children.

Ok, so you NEED child care. Pay or it or apply for a voucher or other low cost child care. The school is there to educate, not for child care. Child care has been an added bonus but not during a pandemic. You paid for day care when your kids were 0-5, so you pay for it now.

Disclaimer: I am a parent who emailed our school board and superintendent asking them to delay the start of hybrid school, even though I want to send my 6 year old in person because he has lost ALL motivation for DL whatsoever and it's turned into a daily struggle, ecause I want to support our teacher's association and their safety concerns.

But at the point where you're saying parents need childcare for school aged children to help with DL, you are basically telling people to enroll in private school. Which exists to provide in person help with education, unlike day care with a desk for DL but little to no oversight of how the kids are doing. Do you really want to say that people should be leaving the public school system? What are the implications? I GET the safety issues, but saying any educational deficiencies are the fault of parents is not honest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really wish I could tell whether this article is wise advice or just another UMC professional working from home who is sick of having his children underfoot (I googled — he has two children). In this debate it is so hard to separate the message from the messenger. People are more than happy to embrace risk when it’s not a risk to them personally.

How is that parents aren't undertaking any risk? I hear this a lot. If their kids go to school and get COVID, there's a high chance they might pass it on to their parents. Parents are at risk. Interhousehold transmission is high.

I think your point is that parents are willing to take that risk because they will derive a clear and significant benefit from it -- namely a huge increase in the quality of education of their children.

Teachers are not willing to take the risk because there's no such benefit to them, other than general society benefit. It's just human nature than that really isn't a motivating force like personal benefit.

You are overgeneralizing. Going back has to do with numbers not teacher preference. As a parent, it is not worth the risk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Among my students, all of those returning are White and wealthy, except two students that are Asian and wealthy. The rest are staying in DL.

I teach in a Title One school with 90%+ students on free meals. Only two out of my 33 students will be returning to school. In our kindergarten classes, one child is returning in each of two classes. I think the other kindergarten class might have 5 kids coming back. So we will teach online from the classroom with those students logging in. Our school has mostly Hispanic and black students.

[Anonymous]

Why are we vaccinating teachers who don’t want to go back? This is insane

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Among my students, all of those returning are White and wealthy, except two students that are Asian and wealthy. The rest are staying in DL.

I teach in a Title One school with 90%+ students on free meals. Only two out of my 33 students will be returning to school. In our kindergarten classes, one child is returning in each of two classes. I think the other kindergarten class might have 5 kids coming back. So we will teach online from the classroom with those students logging in. Our school has mostly Hispanic and black students.

Sending you a virtual hug. This is so so hard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These posts and opinion pieces do no one any good. Good teachers are working hard, if not harder and doing their best. What we see is students and parents not doing their part. Today is the last day of the marking period. My kids have been dismissed from all their classes as their work is done to allow other kids to get their outstanding work done vs. failing them like they should. It takes parents teaming with teachers to make DL work. Everyone expects teachers to do everything but they cannot and as a parent you are either part of the problem or solution.

It's almost like...parents have JOBS. That they also have to do. To feed, clothe, and shelter children.

Ok, so you NEED child care. Pay or it or apply for a voucher or other low cost child care. The school is there to educate, not for child care. Child care has been an added bonus but not during a pandemic. You paid for day care when your kids were 0-5, so you pay for it now.

Disclaimer: I am a parent who emailed our school board and superintendent asking them to delay the start of hybrid school, even though I want to send my 6 year old in person because he has lost ALL motivation for DL whatsoever and it's turned into a daily struggle, ecause I want to support our teacher's association and their safety concerns.

But at the point where you're saying parents need childcare for school aged children to help with DL, you are basically telling people to enroll in private school. Which exists to provide in person help with education, unlike day care with a desk for DL but little to no oversight of how the kids are doing. Do you really want to say that people should be leaving the public school system? What are the implications? I GET the safety issues, but saying any educational deficiencies are the fault of parents is not honest.

m

+1

I don’t want schools to open right now (cases are too high, we missed the window in the fall) but I do not understand the argument I keep seeing that completely devalues public education. Here us a prime opportunity for people to really see and understand the value of public schools, all the things the do for families and for the community. Even people who don’t have kids are seeing how vital they are, as they watch colleagues and neighbors struggle to keep up with this.

What a great opportunity to say look what we do! Look how important we are! Let’s invest in this, not just with money but with the kind of commitment we currently devote to, say, sports teams or attracting development?

Instead I keep seeing the argument that ACTUALLY public school can easily be done from home if parents just provide all the other stuff, which is a great argument for... less money for teachers? Closing schools? Funneling money away from schools to parents?

It is so weird and counterproductive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really wish I could tell whether this article is wise advice or just another UMC professional working from home who is sick of having his children underfoot (I googled — he has two children). In this debate it is so hard to separate the message from the messenger. People are more than happy to embrace risk when it’s not a risk to them personally.

How is that parents aren't undertaking any risk? I hear this a lot. If their kids go to school and get COVID, there's a high chance they might pass it on to their parents. Parents are at risk. Interhousehold transmission is high.

I think your point is that parents are willing to take that risk because they will derive a clear and significant benefit from it -- namely a huge increase in the quality of education of their children.

Teachers are not willing to take the risk because there's no such benefit to them, other than general society benefit. It's just human nature than that really isn't a motivating force like personal benefit.

Some parents can take sick leave, short term disability, have really great healthcare. If I don't work I don't eat. If I get sick as a single parent there is no one to log my DD into school. Early on I made plans for a family member who lives 2 hours a way to come get her if I have to be taken away. This was when hospitalization was at an all time high and less was known about transmission.

So you take that risk; you get the covid and you get better. You won't go bankrupt. You won't be asking that same family member if you can move into their basement because this one illness will ruin me.

BTW I'm very very happy knowing in 10 years my lungs and heart will still work because I am sacrificing to make sure that doesn't happen. My child will make up what she's lost at school. She also knows we are about our whole community not just ourselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really wish I could tell whether this article is wise advice or just another UMC professional working from home who is sick of having his children underfoot (I googled — he has two children). In this debate it is so hard to separate the message from the messenger. People are more than happy to embrace risk when it’s not a risk to them personally.

How is that parents aren't undertaking any risk? I hear this a lot. If their kids go to school and get COVID, there's a high chance they might pass it on to their parents. Parents are at risk. Interhousehold transmission is high.

I think your point is that parents are willing to take that risk because they will derive a clear and significant benefit from it -- namely a huge increase in the quality of education of their children.

Teachers are not willing to take the risk because there's no such benefit to them, other than general society benefit. It's just human nature than that really isn't a motivating force like personal benefit.

You do realize that the vast majority of teachers are also parents, right? People who chose to work with kids for years typically like kids enough to want their own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These posts and opinion pieces do no one any good. Good teachers are working hard, if not harder and doing their best. What we see is students and parents not doing their part. Today is the last day of the marking period. My kids have been dismissed from all their classes as their work is done to allow other kids to get their outstanding work done vs. failing them like they should. It takes parents teaming with teachers to make DL work. Everyone expects teachers to do everything but they cannot and as a parent you are either part of the problem or solution.

It's almost like...parents have JOBS. That they also have to do. To feed, clothe, and shelter children.

Ok, so you NEED child care. Pay or it or apply for a voucher or other low cost child care. The school is there to educate, not for child care. Child care has been an added bonus but not during a pandemic. You paid for day care when your kids were 0-5, so you pay for it now.

Disclaimer: I am a parent who emailed our school board and superintendent asking them to delay the start of hybrid school, even though I want to send my 6 year old in person because he has lost ALL motivation for DL whatsoever and it's turned into a daily struggle, ecause I want to support our teacher's association and their safety concerns.

But at the point where you're saying parents need childcare for school aged children to help with DL, you are basically telling people to enroll in private school. Which exists to provide in person help with education, unlike day care with a desk for DL but little to no oversight of how the kids are doing. Do you really want to say that people should be leaving the public school system? What are the implications? I GET the safety issues, but saying any educational deficiencies are the fault of parents is not honest.

m

+1

I don’t want schools to open right now (cases are too high, we missed the window in the fall) but I do not understand the argument I keep seeing that completely devalues public education. Here us a prime opportunity for people to really see and understand the value of public schools, all the things the do for families and for the community. Even people who don’t have kids are seeing how vital they are, as they watch colleagues and neighbors struggle to keep up with this.

What a great opportunity to say look what we do! Look how important we are! Let’s invest in this, not just with money but with the kind of commitment we currently devote to, say, sports teams or attracting development?

Instead I keep seeing the argument that ACTUALLY public school can easily be done from home if parents just provide all the other stuff, which is a great argument for... less money for teachers? Closing schools? Funneling money away from schools to parents?

It is so weird and counterproductive.

A) Schools are overcrowded - so any kids that transfer or attrition out is less of a budget stretch.

B) Hard for the schools to argue for 'more' money when they're already 70-75% of the county budgets in NOVA with $1 billion annual expenses.

C) Seems like parents are not recognizing what value they had before.