Anonymous wrote:Become better parents. That’s my advice. I refrained from parent bashing for the last three months, but I am so fed up with being held responsible for the well being of complete strangers’ children, and being blamed for their well being or lack thereof.

If you are considering legal action, well, that’s one way to actively avoid facing and confronting your parenting issues. You aren’t helping your kids, though. That is what is sad about this.

Anonymous wrote:The concept of competition producing a better marketplace for education is absurd. It's not business, it's education, and the people who can afford to pay for better service already are doing so in the form of private schools. And vouchers, ugh, yes, let me give a bunch of science-denying religious schools my tax money so we can up the uneducated citizenry more.

Without some serious regulation around charter schools, they are a mess, especially the for-profit entities. Look at Florida or Arizona - schools open and close with little notice, they don't hire actual teachers, some of them are just sticking kids in front of a computer. K12, which runs the Virtual Virginia Academy program and is one of Virginia's few charter schools, is a for-profit and an overall terrible organization (who, BTW, registers students through poorer counties to get more per-pupil money).

No regulation, no validation, no public money.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are 1000% wrong. Money doesn't make teachers safer. In-person learning will not "sacrifice" teachers' lives. Asking for in-person learning is not for my "comfort". There is plenty of disdain and vitriol from teachers. Expecting a safe return to schools is not a reflection of "parenting issues". It is in the best interest of a child's dedication. Child suicides are a direct result of forced virtual learning. Teachers and the entire system are complicit and are to blame.

I am 100 % correct. The money I am referring to is stimulus and recompense for added burdens, lost jobs, lost business, lost time, lost pay.

Yes, putting teachers in school does indeed threaten their lives. What bubble do you live in that informed you regarding teacher illness and death? Check out Iowa.


Yes, it is for YOUR COMFORT, because you clearly are unable to manage this crisis. There are many, many workarounds. You will not have plan A in a pandemic, maybe not even B. Understand that things absolutely cannot be what you want. Things will not be the way they were.

Child suicides are absolutely not from not being in school. I am sure that many a mental health crisis has occured as a result of this pandemic, and the reasons are multiple, but the crisis is independent of your narrow focus. A parent may say a kid was depressed in not seeing his friends, but there will be no mention of the parent depression of managing kids, work, illness, and lost pay as contributions. Not to mention a parent *who cannot adapt to change.* A teacher should not have to sacrifice his or her life as a remedy for a real situational crisis that will affect everyone. The teacher also likely has a job and kids.


You have zero knowledge of any personal circumstance yet choose to politicize SUICIDE, yeah-even suicide, to make your point- which is disturbing and despicable. What the hell did you attribute child suicide to before virtual learning? Mental health issues have always been pervasive in children's lives. Ironically, some of them stemmed from incidents in school. Yet, why not stretch this for your own benefit? I see that while you point out suicide as a result of virtual learning, you don't even consider the definite possibility of death from COVID in the return from face to face learning. So, you don't get to decide why people die as well as who dies. In a pandemic, thousands upon thousands will die. We have only some control there.

Vitriol against parents from teachers? Yes, of course.
You have just illuminated the "why" here. You are an example of the absolute worst.
Here's my suggestion. Get some help...mental and physical. Find a pod to work with. Get some assistance with your children. Help others if you have resources.

I certainly hope the return to the building will not happen. But since it appears to be likely, get ready for virtual learning by April again.

You can choose to be a help in this world, or you can choose to be a hinderance.

This is a wild but telling rant.

This lunatic needs to be doxed and not allowed to re-enter a classroom..

There's no lunacy here, from what I can see. But- what kind of lunatic parent vilifies teachers up and down, expects them to shoulder all risk, trolls various websites, this forum, etc , and then places their kids in rooms with the very people they've denigrated non stop. That is what lunacy is. You hate these people, but, "Pluueeeze take my kids off my hands!"

If it weren't so sad, it would be funny.

X 1 trillion

+1 extra

Like really. It's ridiculous. I hate you, you're the worst person in the world, you're the downfall of society... Now take my kid for 8 hours a day.

What I think you’re missing is how many of us who are moderately liberal and HATE Betsy DeVos, but are saying we don’t trust teachers in general or FCPS at all any more and want vouchers and more private competition so we can find educational options we do have faith in. My kid is in 10th and likely stuck halfway though high school. If they were younger, they’d be out. But, like a lot of families, we’ve been stuck wishing private had been an option. And would feel a lot better if it were an option going forward.

A lot of institutions and businesses innovated because they had to. My federal agency, with Trump actively trying to destroy telework (and the DP federal government in general), was finally been dragging kicking and screaming into 2021 and has been creative and flexible in ways that have left me stunned. All of a sudden, the dumb rules disappeared, and it became “we have people who must be served, for whom we are a housing/ eviction, food/ starvation, medical care/ death resource. We have no choice but to make this work.” So we did. A year in I’m so proud of what we’ve done. It wasn’t pretty at first. We made mistakes. We hit speed bumps. But we did it. A year in, our metrics show that we are doing a much better job than we were a year ago. Think about it. The federal government not just kept functioning, but in my little corner got better, being manned by people who were also monitoring 2nd grade.

Privates and many publics found a way. No one told FCPS they had to find a way, so they did the easy thing and failed. It was hard. It was uncomfortable. So, they didn’t. All parents, not just the wealthy, should have a different choice. And vouchers frees up the money to make it happen. That’s how I vote going forward. FCPS needs to be held accountable. Free up a billion dollars in schools funds, and watch charters hold them accountable. They may not care about kids. They care a lot about per pupil funding.

You want to hold teachers accountable for decisions they didn’t make. My DW and I have been ready to teach in person since July. My employer, the school board, decided to keep my students at home.

Anonymous wrote:I am working harder than I ever have in FCPS. And my kids are learning. I am so so so sick of people threatening legal action because of a PANDEMIC as if we won’t want to WORK. I work 70-80 hour weeks. I truly loathe you people. You have NO idea how hard this has been and how ouch we are trying.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are 1000% wrong. Money doesn't make teachers safer. In-person learning will not "sacrifice" teachers' lives. Asking for in-person learning is not for my "comfort". There is plenty of disdain and vitriol from teachers. Expecting a safe return to schools is not a reflection of "parenting issues". It is in the best interest of a child's dedication. Child suicides are a direct result of forced virtual learning. Teachers and the entire system are complicit and are to blame.

I am 100 % correct. The money I am referring to is stimulus and recompense for added burdens, lost jobs, lost business, lost time, lost pay.

Yes, putting teachers in school does indeed threaten their lives. What bubble do you live in that informed you regarding teacher illness and death? Check out Iowa.


Yes, it is for YOUR COMFORT, because you clearly are unable to manage this crisis. There are many, many workarounds. You will not have plan A in a pandemic, maybe not even B. Understand that things absolutely cannot be what you want. Things will not be the way they were.

Child suicides are absolutely not from not being in school. I am sure that many a mental health crisis has occured as a result of this pandemic, and the reasons are multiple, but the crisis is independent of your narrow focus. A parent may say a kid was depressed in not seeing his friends, but there will be no mention of the parent depression of managing kids, work, illness, and lost pay as contributions. Not to mention a parent *who cannot adapt to change.* A teacher should not have to sacrifice his or her life as a remedy for a real situational crisis that will affect everyone. The teacher also likely has a job and kids.


You have zero knowledge of any personal circumstance yet choose to politicize SUICIDE, yeah-even suicide, to make your point- which is disturbing and despicable. What the hell did you attribute child suicide to before virtual learning? Mental health issues have always been pervasive in children's lives. Ironically, some of them stemmed from incidents in school. Yet, why not stretch this for your own benefit? I see that while you point out suicide as a result of virtual learning, you don't even consider the definite possibility of death from COVID in the return from face to face learning. So, you don't get to decide why people die as well as who dies. In a pandemic, thousands upon thousands will die. We have only some control there.

Vitriol against parents from teachers? Yes, of course.
You have just illuminated the "why" here. You are an example of the absolute worst.
Here's my suggestion. Get some help...mental and physical. Find a pod to work with. Get some assistance with your children. Help others if you have resources.

I certainly hope the return to the building will not happen. But since it appears to be likely, get ready for virtual learning by April again.

You can choose to be a help in this world, or you can choose to be a hinderance.

This is a wild but telling rant.

This lunatic needs to be doxed and not allowed to re-enter a classroom..

There's no lunacy here, from what I can see. But- what kind of lunatic parent vilifies teachers up and down, expects them to shoulder all risk, trolls various websites, this forum, etc , and then places their kids in rooms with the very people they've denigrated non stop. That is what lunacy is. You hate these people, but, "Pluueeeze take my kids off my hands!"

If it weren't so sad, it would be funny.

X 1 trillion

+1 extra

Like really. It's ridiculous. I hate you, you're the worst person in the world, you're the downfall of society... Now take my kid for 8 hours a day.

What I think you’re missing is how many of us who are moderately liberal and HATE Betsy DeVos, but are saying we don’t trust teachers in general or FCPS at all any more and want vouchers and more private competition so we can find educational options we do have faith in. My kid is in 10th and likely stuck halfway though high school. If they were younger, they’d be out. But, like a lot of families, we’ve been stuck wishing private had been an option. And would feel a lot better if it were an option going forward.

A lot of institutions and businesses innovated because they had to. My federal agency, with Trump actively trying to destroy telework (and the DP federal government in general), was finally been dragging kicking and screaming into 2021 and has been creative and flexible in ways that have left me stunned. All of a sudden, the dumb rules disappeared, and it became “we have people who must be served, for whom we are a housing/ eviction, food/ starvation, medical care/ death resource. We have no choice but to make this work.” So we did. A year in I’m so proud of what we’ve done. It wasn’t pretty at first. We made mistakes. We hit speed bumps. But we did it. A year in, our metrics show that we are doing a much better job than we were a year ago. Think about it. The federal government not just kept functioning, but in my little corner got better, being manned by people who were also monitoring 2nd grade.

Privates and many publics found a way. No one told FCPS they had to find a way, so they did the easy thing and failed. It was hard. It was uncomfortable. So, they didn’t. All parents, not just the wealthy, should have a different choice. And vouchers frees up the money to make it happen. That’s how I vote going forward. FCPS needs to be held accountable. Free up a billion dollars in schools funds, and watch charters hold them accountable. They may not care about kids. They care a lot about per pupil funding.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are 1000% wrong. Money doesn't make teachers safer. In-person learning will not "sacrifice" teachers' lives. Asking for in-person learning is not for my "comfort". There is plenty of disdain and vitriol from teachers. Expecting a safe return to schools is not a reflection of "parenting issues". It is in the best interest of a child's dedication. Child suicides are a direct result of forced virtual learning. Teachers and the entire system are complicit and are to blame.

I am 100 % correct. The money I am referring to is stimulus and recompense for added burdens, lost jobs, lost business, lost time, lost pay.

Yes, putting teachers in school does indeed threaten their lives. What bubble do you live in that informed you regarding teacher illness and death? Check out Iowa.


Yes, it is for YOUR COMFORT, because you clearly are unable to manage this crisis. There are many, many workarounds. You will not have plan A in a pandemic, maybe not even B. Understand that things absolutely cannot be what you want. Things will not be the way they were.

Child suicides are absolutely not from not being in school. I am sure that many a mental health crisis has occured as a result of this pandemic, and the reasons are multiple, but the crisis is independent of your narrow focus. A parent may say a kid was depressed in not seeing his friends, but there will be no mention of the parent depression of managing kids, work, illness, and lost pay as contributions. Not to mention a parent *who cannot adapt to change.* A teacher should not have to sacrifice his or her life as a remedy for a real situational crisis that will affect everyone. The teacher also likely has a job and kids.


You have zero knowledge of any personal circumstance yet choose to politicize SUICIDE, yeah-even suicide, to make your point- which is disturbing and despicable. What the hell did you attribute child suicide to before virtual learning? Mental health issues have always been pervasive in children's lives. Ironically, some of them stemmed from incidents in school. Yet, why not stretch this for your own benefit? I see that while you point out suicide as a result of virtual learning, you don't even consider the definite possibility of death from COVID in the return from face to face learning. So, you don't get to decide why people die as well as who dies. In a pandemic, thousands upon thousands will die. We have only some control there.

Vitriol against parents from teachers? Yes, of course.
You have just illuminated the "why" here. You are an example of the absolute worst.
Here's my suggestion. Get some help...mental and physical. Find a pod to work with. Get some assistance with your children. Help others if you have resources.

I certainly hope the return to the building will not happen. But since it appears to be likely, get ready for virtual learning by April again.

You can choose to be a help in this world, or you can choose to be a hinderance.

This is a wild but telling rant.

This lunatic needs to be doxed and not allowed to re-enter a classroom..

There's no lunacy here, from what I can see. But- what kind of lunatic parent vilifies teachers up and down, expects them to shoulder all risk, trolls various websites, this forum, etc , and then places their kids in rooms with the very people they've denigrated non stop. That is what lunacy is. You hate these people, but, "Pluueeeze take my kids off my hands!"

If it weren't so sad, it would be funny.

X 1 trillion

+1 extra

Like really. It's ridiculous. I hate you, you're the worst person in the world, you're the downfall of society... Now take my kid for 8 hours a day.

What I think you’re missing is how many of us who are moderately liberal and HATE Betsy DeVos, but are saying we don’t trust teachers in general or FCPS at all any more and want vouchers and more private competition so we can find educational options we do have faith in. My kid is in 10th and likely stuck halfway though high school. If they were younger, they’d be out. But, like a lot of families, we’ve been stuck wishing private had been an option. And would feel a lot better if it were an option going forward.

A lot of institutions and businesses innovated because they had to. My federal agency, with Trump actively trying to destroy telework (and the DP federal government in general), was finally been dragging kicking and screaming into 2021 and has been creative and flexible in ways that have left me stunned. All of a sudden, the dumb rules disappeared, and it became “we have people who must be served, for whom we are a housing/ eviction, food/ starvation, medical care/ death resource. We have no choice but to make this work.” So we did. A year in I’m so proud of what we’ve done. It wasn’t pretty at first. We made mistakes. We hit speed bumps. But we did it. A year in, our metrics show that we are doing a much better job than we were a year ago. Think about it. The federal government not just kept functioning, but in my little corner got better, being manned by people who were also monitoring 2nd grade.

Privates and many publics found a way. No one told FCPS they had to find a way, so they did the easy thing and failed. It was hard. It was uncomfortable. So, they didn’t. All parents, not just the wealthy, should have a different choice. And vouchers frees up the money to make it happen. That’s how I vote going forward. FCPS needs to be held accountable. Free up a billion dollars in schools funds, and watch charters hold them accountable. They may not care about kids. They care a lot about per pupil funding.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The teachers who are refusing the vaccine are the same teachers who will stand within six feet of children.

How many of these can there be? Every teacher I know is done with dose one and most dose 2. My spouse and I are both teachers and can't think of anyone refusing the vaccine.

Same here. It is probably a very small amount of teachers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers could have been national heroes. "Getting kids back into the classrooms is the most important thing. Parents are great, but nothing can replace in-person instruction from qualified and trained educators. That's why we're doing everything we can to get back to in-person instruction at the start of the 2020-2021 school year. We can do this safely for everyone. We will make this happen."

National heroes. You'd have a lot less resistance getting those billions for teacher's salaries had you actually put the kids first.

Whoever has been advising the Association/Federation on PR and policy should be fired.

Back in July, I wasn't going to be a national hero at the risk of my health and my family's health. I do agree that things are different now. But 6 months ago, no.

What's different now? Why are you willing to risk your life now?

DP. The vaccine is a huge game changer for a lot of us. The school board will never admit it because they want to sell confidence in their mitigation measures, but very few teachers or staff thought any of that was going to keep us safe. I think there are still going to be issues with students getting sick and transmitting it especially at the secondary level, and major problems with staffing because so many people quit before they had a chance to be vaccinated, but at least most staff members don’t live in constant worry of being in the Petri dish once we’re two weeks out. I was also in person in the fall, and I can tell you the difference is palpable.

DP here, ES. I was ready to teach in person back in July. I’ve had my second vaccine dose so I’m even more ready now. I’m not thrilled about concurrent instruction but it at least moves us to getting students back in the buildings.

Two Teacher HH, both with the same opinion.

Don't believe you or you are really not representative of teachers who are unvaccinated. Their lives really have been turned upside down. Their health, interactions with others to contain transmission will be limited, and their mental health ( anxiety) is compromised, not to mention work load issues.

Yeah, I agree. All the teachers I know are anxiety ridden.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are 1000% wrong. Money doesn't make teachers safer. In-person learning will not "sacrifice" teachers' lives. Asking for in-person learning is not for my "comfort". There is plenty of disdain and vitriol from teachers. Expecting a safe return to schools is not a reflection of "parenting issues". It is in the best interest of a child's dedication. Child suicides are a direct result of forced virtual learning. Teachers and the entire system are complicit and are to blame.

I am 100 % correct. The money I am referring to is stimulus and recompense for added burdens, lost jobs, lost business, lost time, lost pay.

Yes, putting teachers in school does indeed threaten their lives. What bubble do you live in that informed you regarding teacher illness and death? Check out Iowa.


Yes, it is for YOUR COMFORT, because you clearly are unable to manage this crisis. There are many, many workarounds. You will not have plan A in a pandemic, maybe not even B. Understand that things absolutely cannot be what you want. Things will not be the way they were.

Child suicides are absolutely not from not being in school. I am sure that many a mental health crisis has occured as a result of this pandemic, and the reasons are multiple, but the crisis is independent of your narrow focus. A parent may say a kid was depressed in not seeing his friends, but there will be no mention of the parent depression of managing kids, work, illness, and lost pay as contributions. Not to mention a parent *who cannot adapt to change.* A teacher should not have to sacrifice his or her life as a remedy for a real situational crisis that will affect everyone. The teacher also likely has a job and kids.


You have zero knowledge of any personal circumstance yet choose to politicize SUICIDE, yeah-even suicide, to make your point- which is disturbing and despicable. What the hell did you attribute child suicide to before virtual learning? Mental health issues have always been pervasive in children's lives. Ironically, some of them stemmed from incidents in school. Yet, why not stretch this for your own benefit? I see that while you point out suicide as a result of virtual learning, you don't even consider the definite possibility of death from COVID in the return from face to face learning. So, you don't get to decide why people die as well as who dies. In a pandemic, thousands upon thousands will die. We have only some control there.

Vitriol against parents from teachers? Yes, of course.
You have just illuminated the "why" here. You are an example of the absolute worst.
Here's my suggestion. Get some help...mental and physical. Find a pod to work with. Get some assistance with your children. Help others if you have resources.

I certainly hope the return to the building will not happen. But since it appears to be likely, get ready for virtual learning by April again.

You can choose to be a help in this world, or you can choose to be a hinderance.

This is a wild but telling rant.

This lunatic needs to be doxed and not allowed to re-enter a classroom..

There's no lunacy here, from what I can see. But- what kind of lunatic parent vilifies teachers up and down, expects them to shoulder all risk, trolls various websites, this forum, etc , and then places their kids in rooms with the very people they've denigrated non stop. That is what lunacy is. You hate these people, but, "Pluueeeze take my kids off my hands!"

If it weren't so sad, it would be funny.

X 1 trillion

+1 extra

Like really. It's ridiculous. I hate you, you're the worst person in the world, you're the downfall of society... Now take my kid for 8 hours a day.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There should be something done for Fairfax County residents to get some tax dollars refunded due to the lack of education provided by FCPS.

What lack of education?

Distance learning === lack of education. Not just academically but developmentally. If you're a teacher and making this comment, you're delusional and are actively harming children.

If this is true that distance learning equals a lack of education, how are the majority of homeschooled children as successful or more successful than public school children? Truly curious.....and don't tell me that homeschooled children have parents at home committed to their education. That is VERY often a lifestyle choice, and a societal and cultural choice/value. Sorry....but the lesson to be learned here may be that our society is built on tenuous ground when parents claim that their children will literally DIE without the school system. Perhaps a change needs to be made from the bottom up.

I'm sure this type of concept will receive backlash, but I think it says a lot about our culture and society that we should take seriously. It's a house of cards.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers could have been national heroes. "Getting kids back into the classrooms is the most important thing. Parents are great, but nothing can replace in-person instruction from qualified and trained educators. That's why we're doing everything we can to get back to in-person instruction at the start of the 2020-2021 school year. We can do this safely for everyone. We will make this happen."

National heroes. You'd have a lot less resistance getting those billions for teacher's salaries had you actually put the kids first.

Whoever has been advising the Association/Federation on PR and policy should be fired.

Back in July, I wasn't going to be a national hero at the risk of my health and my family's health. I do agree that things are different now. But 6 months ago, no.

What's different now? Why are you willing to risk your life now?

DP. The vaccine is a huge game changer for a lot of us. The school board will never admit it because they want to sell confidence in their mitigation measures, but very few teachers or staff thought any of that was going to keep us safe. I think there are still going to be issues with students getting sick and transmitting it especially at the secondary level, and major problems with staffing because so many people quit before they had a chance to be vaccinated, but at least most staff members don’t live in constant worry of being in the Petri dish once we’re two weeks out. I was also in person in the fall, and I can tell you the difference is palpable.

DP here, ES. I was ready to teach in person back in July. I’ve had my second vaccine dose so I’m even more ready now. I’m not thrilled about concurrent instruction but it at least moves us to getting students back in the buildings.

Two Teacher HH, both with the same opinion.

Don't believe you or you are really not representative of teachers who are unvaccinated. Their lives really have been turned upside down. Their health, interactions with others to contain transmission will be limited, and their mental health ( anxiety) is compromised, not to mention work load issues.

You don’t believe me? I’m sorry. I’m being honest. Workload has been heavy, but our gloves have not been turned upside down. A little bumpy perhaps, by my health and mental health are fine. We’ve been working from the classroom since the beginning of September which has helped.

Then
1. You won't necessarily be interacting with anyone..no socializing
2. Your parents are deceased or you never see them anyway. You are not a caregiver or first line family member.
3. You don't have kids or grandkids.
4. You've made peace with getting the virus or you've been vaccinated, which has no impact on spreading, but, then, you aren't planning on seeing anyone.

1. I'm not sure what your point is here. Are you saying no interacting while in school? Outside of school? We aren't going to large gatherings but we interact with others. We attended socially distanced outdoor street gatherings this past summer and fall. We saw others at the pool. I talk to others in school and eat lunch together at a distance. Why would we not socialize at all?
2. My mother is 77 y/o. I'd say we see her on average about once a month since she is about 2 hours away. We got together with her and my brother's family over Thanksgiving. Rented a house.
3. Our child is out of the house except during college breaks.
4. We never had to "make peace" with getting the virus. We've never been fearful of it. Again, I'm not sure why you say we aren't planning on seeing anyone. We've been working from the classroom so that we CAN see people.

So what you're saying is you're handling this pandemic in a safe but rational way, understanding the risks and mitigating them? You're listening to science that says it's safe to live life with appropriate precautions, but not being so draconian that it affects your mental health?

How do we get you to run for the school board?

That’s basically what we are doing, yes.

Maybe I will run for school board after I retire.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers could have been national heroes. "Getting kids back into the classrooms is the most important thing. Parents are great, but nothing can replace in-person instruction from qualified and trained educators. That's why we're doing everything we can to get back to in-person instruction at the start of the 2020-2021 school year. We can do this safely for everyone. We will make this happen."

National heroes. You'd have a lot less resistance getting those billions for teacher's salaries had you actually put the kids first.

Whoever has been advising the Association/Federation on PR and policy should be fired.

Back in July, I wasn't going to be a national hero at the risk of my health and my family's health. I do agree that things are different now. But 6 months ago, no.

What's different now? Why are you willing to risk your life now?

DP. The vaccine is a huge game changer for a lot of us. The school board will never admit it because they want to sell confidence in their mitigation measures, but very few teachers or staff thought any of that was going to keep us safe. I think there are still going to be issues with students getting sick and transmitting it especially at the secondary level, and major problems with staffing because so many people quit before they had a chance to be vaccinated, but at least most staff members don’t live in constant worry of being in the Petri dish once we’re two weeks out. I was also in person in the fall, and I can tell you the difference is palpable.

DP here, ES. I was ready to teach in person back in July. I’ve had my second vaccine dose so I’m even more ready now. I’m not thrilled about concurrent instruction but it at least moves us to getting students back in the buildings.

Two Teacher HH, both with the same opinion.

Don't believe you or you are really not representative of teachers who are unvaccinated. Their lives really have been turned upside down. Their health, interactions with others to contain transmission will be limited, and their mental health ( anxiety) is compromised, not to mention work load issues.

You don’t believe me? I’m sorry. I’m being honest. Workload has been heavy, but our gloves have not been turned upside down. A little bumpy perhaps, by my health and mental health are fine. We’ve been working from the classroom since the beginning of September which has helped.

Then
1. You won't necessarily be interacting with anyone..no socializing
2. Your parents are deceased or you never see them anyway. You are not a caregiver or first line family member.
3. You don't have kids or grandkids.
4. You've made peace with getting the virus or you've been vaccinated, which has no impact on spreading, but, then, you aren't planning on seeing anyone.

1. I'm not sure what your point is here. Are you saying no interacting while in school? Outside of school? We aren't going to large gatherings but we interact with others. We attended socially distanced outdoor street gatherings this past summer and fall. We saw others at the pool. I talk to others in school and eat lunch together at a distance. Why would we not socialize at all?
2. My mother is 77 y/o. I'd say we see her on average about once a month since she is about 2 hours away. We got together with her and my brother's family over Thanksgiving. Rented a house.
3. Our child is out of the house except during college breaks.
4. We never had to "make peace" with getting the virus. We've never been fearful of it. Again, I'm not sure why you say we aren't planning on seeing anyone. We've been working from the classroom so that we CAN see people.

So what you're saying is you're handling this pandemic in a safe but rational way, understanding the risks and mitigating them? You're listening to science that says it's safe to live life with appropriate precautions, but not being so draconian that it affects your mental health?

How do we get you to run for the school board?