Exactly. Problem is they still got paid their regular salary when a) not teaching at all March- June 2020 and b) working from home and doing half the instruction for the past year+. All these other essential workers didn't have the opportunity to get paid their regular salary while not working...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So even if we had concerns about our own safety or APS handling of mitigation, you are mad that we weren’t pushing for in person. Your ire is in the wrong place. This virus is more contagious among adults. It is not wrong for adults to be concerned for their own safety. You don’t trust APS to do the right thing.... guess what, neither do I. Do you think your employer is putting you safety as their #1? Stop expecting me to lie down and take one for the team. I’m allowed to advocate for what I think are the safest conditions to return just like you are at your job.

LOL - what teachers fail to understand is the reasons people are upset is that literally NO OTHER occupation was given this grace. Yes, teachers should be kept safe, but so should healthcare workers, retail and grocery workers, IT workers, hospitality industry workers. Essential workers are... essential, unless they serve our children in which case they aren't. Our priorities are completely out of whack. Every other essential worker took one for the team, PP. Every. Single. One.

Exactly. Problem is they still got paid their regular salary when a) not teaching at all March- June 2020 and b) working from home and doing half the instruction for the past year+. All these other essential workers didn't have the opportunity to get paid their regular salary while not working...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So even if we had concerns about our own safety or APS handling of mitigation, you are mad that we weren’t pushing for in person. Your ire is in the wrong place. This virus is more contagious among adults. It is not wrong for adults to be concerned for their own safety. You don’t trust APS to do the right thing.... guess what, neither do I. Do you think your employer is putting you safety as their #1? Stop expecting me to lie down and take one for the team. I’m allowed to advocate for what I think are the safest conditions to return just like you are at your job.

LOL - what teachers fail to understand is the reasons people are upset is that literally NO OTHER occupation was given this grace. Yes, teachers should be kept safe, but so should healthcare workers, retail and grocery workers, IT workers, hospitality industry workers. Essential workers are... essential, unless they serve our children in which case they aren't. Our priorities are completely out of whack. Every other essential worker took one for the team, PP. Every. Single. One.

Anonymous wrote:So even if we had concerns about our own safety or APS handling of mitigation, you are mad that we weren’t pushing for in person. Your ire is in the wrong place. This virus is more contagious among adults. It is not wrong for adults to be concerned for their own safety. You don’t trust APS to do the right thing.... guess what, neither do I. Do you think your employer is putting you safety as their #1? Stop expecting me to lie down and take one for the team. I’m allowed to advocate for what I think are the safest conditions to return just like you are at your job.

Anonymous wrote:So even if we had concerns about our own safety or APS handling of mitigation, you are mad that we weren’t pushing for in person. Your ire is in the wrong place. This virus is more contagious among adults. It is not wrong for adults to be concerned for their own safety. You don’t trust APS to do the right thing.... guess what, neither do I. Do you think your employer is putting you safety as their #1? Stop expecting me to lie down and take one for the team. I’m allowed to advocate for what I think are the safest conditions to return just like you are at your job.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a teacher and I know what I was asked. Asking me if I have concerns or not and answering honestly isn’t fighting tooth and nail. The blame lies with APS not it’s teachers for answering honestly.

And APS was doing as all other metro DC systems were doing in staying virtual. Yes private schools were in person, go to one of them. They are standalone schools that can divert funding to provide mitigation APS couldn’t in the fall and are a self selecting (Re:paying) population.

I agree that the blame lies with APS. They have failed our students. Other districts continued with virtual, but didn't reduce instruction 12 hours per week. That is a severe disservice to the students. Other districts didn't refuse to teach students from March-June of 2020. APS students are going to be far behind for YEARS to come because of the way the administration handled this crisis.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a teacher and I know what I was asked. Asking me if I have concerns or not and answering honestly isn’t fighting tooth and nail. The blame lies with APS not it’s teachers for answering honestly.

And APS was doing as all other metro DC systems were doing in staying virtual. Yes private schools were in person, go to one of them. They are standalone schools that can divert funding to provide mitigation APS couldn’t in the fall and are a self selecting (Re:paying) population.

I agree that the blame lies with APS. They have failed our students. Other districts continued with virtual, but didn't reduce instruction 12 hours per week. That is a severe disservice to the students. Other districts didn't refuse to teach students from March-June of 2020. APS students are going to be far behind for YEARS to come because of the way the administration handled this crisis.

Anonymous wrote:I’m a teacher and I know what I was asked. Asking me if I have concerns or not and answering honestly isn’t fighting tooth and nail. The blame lies with APS not it’s teachers for answering honestly.

And APS was doing as all other metro DC systems were doing in staying virtual. Yes private schools were in person, go to one of them. They are standalone schools that can divert funding to provide mitigation APS couldn’t in the fall and are a self selecting (Re:paying) population.

Anonymous wrote:

re you sincerely suggesting that teacher reluctance to work in person in the Fall had nothing to do with the APS decision not to send kids back to school in person last Fall?

I don't see how any teacher could say that with a straight face. It might not have been you personally, but I know FOR A FACT that many of your peers fought it tooth and nail.

I do think APS admin failed out of the gate polling for teacher preference. Wrong, wrong, wrong way to frame it.

So, APS messed up the return process for teachers. They never asked us point blank if we would return until earlier when the return was set. In the summer and fall, they asked us how we felt about returning. Many teachers understandably had concerns and were reluctant to return because there was no mitigation plan. That was literally a choice "I have concerns about returning safely". That was what was reflected on the dashboard at the time.

APS does not have a strong union, and the union does not have a high enough membership to qualify for bargaining rights. There was no refusal. APS never asked us to return to get to any refusal. I'm sure the reluctance played into it but don't act like APS was following all other districts in the fall with the virtual start and climbing cases combined with no vaccine yet.

Anonymous wrote:

re you sincerely suggesting that teacher reluctance to work in person in the Fall had nothing to do with the APS decision not to send kids back to school in person last Fall?

I don't see how any teacher could say that with a straight face. It might not have been you personally, but I know FOR A FACT that many of your peers fought it tooth and nail.

I do think APS admin failed out of the gate polling for teacher preference. Wrong, wrong, wrong way to frame it.

So, APS messed up the return process for teachers. They never asked us point blank if we would return until earlier when the return was set. In the summer and fall, they asked us how we felt about returning. Many teachers understandably had concerns and were reluctant to return because there was no mitigation plan. That was literally a choice "I have concerns about returning safely". That was what was reflected on the dashboard at the time.

APS does not have a strong union, and the union does not have a high enough membership to qualify for bargaining rights. There was no refusal. APS never asked us to return to get to any refusal. I'm sure the reluctance played into it but don't act like APS was following all other districts in the fall with the virtual start and climbing cases combined with no vaccine yet.

Anonymous wrote:APS teachers never refused to show up for work. As requested we are all in person right now or we have an exemption provided by federal law, or have taken UNPAID leave (so not doing our job but also not going to get paid). That small group of teachers who are taking unpaid leave are doing APS a favor right now by continuing to teach students until substitutes can be hired, or the end of the year, whichever comes first. If your child has a teacher who is in this position, you should be THANKFUL because the alternative is a sub without the knowledge your teacher has. Guess what- unemployed teachers and substitutes aren't lining up for these jobs!! Surprise.

I don't see how you would say that any APS teachers refused to come in to work. We worked from home as APS decided until APS decided we should come in person, and we did. You are blaming teachers for the district's plan that you are unhappy with. Teachers are doing what is asked of us. Teachers also have a right to voice concerns while also meeting the in-person requirements of our job, as we are. The teacher blaming is really unfounded.

re you sincerely suggesting that teacher reluctance to work in person in the Fall had nothing to do with the APS decision not to send kids back to school in person last Fall?

I don't see how any teacher could say that with a straight face. It might not have been you personally, but I know FOR A FACT that many of your peers fought it tooth and nail.

I do think APS admin failed out of the gate polling for teacher preference. Wrong, wrong, wrong way to frame it.