Reply to "I support the teachers" people

Forum Index » DC Public and Public Charter Schools

Reply to ""I support the teachers" people"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote]And the constant pretending that school's only role is to provide a method for a teacher to broadcast information to students as though teaching and not learning was the more important activity. That it's childrens' and parents' fault if the kids aren't effectively learning in this situation. That schools have no other social roles, including community health, civic education, socialized daycare, socialization, community building and integration, etc.

No. Schools are simply a method for teachers to teach. And if kids aren't learning, well, it doesn't matter if the teachers say they're working hard enough.

[/quote]

This is well-put. If we all start this discussion in agreement that in-person learning works best for all students, then we should end the discussion in agreement that long-term DL does not work for all students. we agree. If we want to decide that the safety of adults in school buildings is more important than educating children due to the circumstances of the pandemic, then we should be honest about it. We are sorry that we are providing a sub-par educational experience for your children, but we think the risk of getting sick outweighs any and all concerns about education. That way, there is nothing to argue about. It is what it is.[/quote]

And everything comes with tradeoffs. If we wanted to guarantee 100% constant teacher safety, there would not be a classroom ever. Now, everyone accept a very small amount of risk for essentially any action they ever take. The consequences or risk of language loss at this point well outweigh the risk of teacher death. I understand that your life is of unlimited value to you, but I can guarantee that you are accepting other, more significant risks elsewhere in your life. The point is that the research says that schools are not particularly dangerous locations. A rational observer will note the vast disparity in social magnitude of the consequences on either side here and come down on the side of children.[/quote]

This is precisely why I am struggling with this. I feel frustrated by the varying levels of "safe" and "risky" that I see in my community, and I have come to the point where I don't think it's about safety, but about self-interest.

I agree with many of WTU's demands for safety -- PPE, proper plumbing, signage, new air filters, etc. And I, too, distrust DCPS to accomplish these things if not forced to, as they have not proven themselves trustworthy. I think the schools most likely to get screwed over are those with lower income kids at them, because schools with well-funded PTOs will make up the difference themselves.

But where I get lost is when the argument is made that in-person school isn't worth the risk of even one teacher getting sick. My problem is not that I want teachers to get sick -- I want just to take every precaution to prevent that from happening. The issue is that right now, almost everything carries some risk of someone getting sick. When I go to the grocery store (in a mask, where everyone else wears a mask), someone might get sick. If I take my child to the playground, someone might get sick. Just living in a multi-family building, which we do, means we have more proximity and interaction with non-family members, and likely boosts our risk a little. I can't guarantee that people in my family won't get sick. I can take every precaution, but it's a pandemic. We still might get sick.

So when WTU posits that any risk at all is unacceptable, it makes me angry because this analysis ONLY seems to apply to schools. it doesn't apply to anything else people are doing, including a lot of stuff that my family personally finds too risky (like vacationing, interacting with extended family, eating at restaurants, or participating in team sports). And WTU members are participating in those things. Not every member, but certainly some.

It's an untenable argument. You can't say that ANY risk to teachers is unacceptable unless you can argue that teaches and their families are not participating in any other risky behavior, including stuff as simple as going to the grocery store. This is where WTU and some of the teachers' advocates lose me because it makes no sense. My child's education isn't worth less than other people's vacation, or dinner out, or socializing. But that's basically what WTU is saying.[/quote]

Or, as I suggested above, we all just accept that no level of risk to teachers and staff is acceptable and stop trying to make plans that are safe enough. I don't see us ever getting there, at least not before a widely available vaccine. Maybe we give up on this year and try for next?  At least we won't be wasting energy fighting amongst ourselves.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics