Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking of temper tantrums, how does being so angry and irate at teachers 2 years later help your child learn this year?

Is your vitriol helping children get help or is it making the situation worse?

Or are only teachers expected to put your child above their family/yourself?

Is that how you’d characterize the situation of the tens of millions of people that worked through the pandemic in public-facing and/or crowded conditions? Including the people that made sure you had food, utilities, medical services/supplies, public safety services, and countless other essential (and nonessential) goods and services?

No it is how I characterize this thread and people who are still rehashing this argument after 2 years.

There are different issues now. Are they related? Sure
If you want to help and not just spew anger then help. If not your anger is just anger and only you can change that.

Schools and teachers can help by acknowledging their past mistakes and promising to act differently in the future.

Ok we are so very very sorry. The pandemic was mishandled by school boards, the president who threw out the CDC pandemic playbook, superintendents and the NIH. Teachers taught these people and are therefore responsible for their actions. It is true, even teachers themselves made errors of judgement and wanted to work from home. In the next global emergency we will act differently. This new, improved and better plan will be based upon the needs of the pandemic of 2020, not whatever future situation the world will be facing.

Thank you for demonstrating my point. It’s a problem that teachers haven’t acknowledged the harm they did to kids through their actions. It’s not even clear many of them fully understand that harm or the role they played.

It is currently a larger problem that people like you who continue to harbor anger against teachers don’t understand the harm or role even the they are currently playing in hurting children and schools.

Using your argument the harm teachers “did” to kids was in the past. The harm you are doing is in the present and can now be changed. So do it. Be the person you expect teachers to be. Stop being angry. Help or at the very least, stop harming.

Don’t cry over spilled milk.

+1. The fact that these comments are about teachers admitting that they were wrong and not helping kids tells you what you need to know: these are tantrums and should be treated as such. I've got a kid with special needs who suffered from pandemic closures. I want to see that addressed, but the tantrum throwers aren't my allies in that and her teachers are.

The teachers that negotiated no in-person special education services during the pandemic, even after in-person classes resumed? Those aren’t the actions of allies.

DP
Where are you that this was negotiated?

Quoting myself. I see the previous response.

I’m also in FCPS without negotiation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking of temper tantrums, how does being so angry and irate at teachers 2 years later help your child learn this year?

Is your vitriol helping children get help or is it making the situation worse?

Or are only teachers expected to put your child above their family/yourself?

Is that how you’d characterize the situation of the tens of millions of people that worked through the pandemic in public-facing and/or crowded conditions? Including the people that made sure you had food, utilities, medical services/supplies, public safety services, and countless other essential (and nonessential) goods and services?

No it is how I characterize this thread and people who are still rehashing this argument after 2 years.

There are different issues now. Are they related? Sure
If you want to help and not just spew anger then help. If not your anger is just anger and only you can change that.

Schools and teachers can help by acknowledging their past mistakes and promising to act differently in the future.

Ok we are so very very sorry. The pandemic was mishandled by school boards, the president who threw out the CDC pandemic playbook, superintendents and the NIH. Teachers taught these people and are therefore responsible for their actions. It is true, even teachers themselves made errors of judgement and wanted to work from home. In the next global emergency we will act differently. This new, improved and better plan will be based upon the needs of the pandemic of 2020, not whatever future situation the world will be facing.

Thank you for demonstrating my point. It’s a problem that teachers haven’t acknowledged the harm they did to kids through their actions. It’s not even clear many of them fully understand that harm or the role they played.

It is currently a larger problem that people like you who continue to harbor anger against teachers don’t understand the harm or role even the they are currently playing in hurting children and schools.

Using your argument the harm teachers “did” to kids was in the past. The harm you are doing is in the present and can now be changed. So do it. Be the person you expect teachers to be. Stop being angry. Help or at the very least, stop harming.

Don’t cry over spilled milk.

+1. The fact that these comments are about teachers admitting that they were wrong and not helping kids tells you what you need to know: these are tantrums and should be treated as such. I've got a kid with special needs who suffered from pandemic closures. I want to see that addressed, but the tantrum throwers aren't my allies in that and her teachers are.

The teachers that negotiated no in-person special education services during the pandemic, even after in-person classes resumed? Those aren’t the actions of allies.

DP
Where are you that this was negotiated?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking of temper tantrums, how does being so angry and irate at teachers 2 years later help your child learn this year?

Is your vitriol helping children get help or is it making the situation worse?

Or are only teachers expected to put your child above their family/yourself?

Is that how you’d characterize the situation of the tens of millions of people that worked through the pandemic in public-facing and/or crowded conditions? Including the people that made sure you had food, utilities, medical services/supplies, public safety services, and countless other essential (and nonessential) goods and services?

No it is how I characterize this thread and people who are still rehashing this argument after 2 years.

There are different issues now. Are they related? Sure
If you want to help and not just spew anger then help. If not your anger is just anger and only you can change that.

Schools and teachers can help by acknowledging their past mistakes and promising to act differently in the future.

Ok we are so very very sorry. The pandemic was mishandled by school boards, the president who threw out the CDC pandemic playbook, superintendents and the NIH. Teachers taught these people and are therefore responsible for their actions. It is true, even teachers themselves made errors of judgement and wanted to work from home. In the next global emergency we will act differently. This new, improved and better plan will be based upon the needs of the pandemic of 2020, not whatever future situation the world will be facing.

Thank you for demonstrating my point. It’s a problem that teachers haven’t acknowledged the harm they did to kids through their actions. It’s not even clear many of them fully understand that harm or the role they played.

It is currently a larger problem that people like you who continue to harbor anger against teachers don’t understand the harm or role even the they are currently playing in hurting children and schools.

Using your argument the harm teachers “did” to kids was in the past. The harm you are doing is in the present and can now be changed. So do it. Be the person you expect teachers to be. Stop being angry. Help or at the very least, stop harming.

Don’t cry over spilled milk.

+1. The fact that these comments are about teachers admitting that they were wrong and not helping kids tells you what you need to know: these are tantrums and should be treated as such. I've got a kid with special needs who suffered from pandemic closures. I want to see that addressed, but the tantrum throwers aren't my allies in that and her teachers are.

The teachers that negotiated no in-person special education services during the pandemic, even after in-person classes resumed? Those aren’t the actions of allies.

Where did this happen? I work for FCPS and went back in person with students in October 2020 before anyone was vaccinated. There was no negotiation. Either you went in person or you took an unpaid LOA or resigned.

MCPS

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking of temper tantrums, how does being so angry and irate at teachers 2 years later help your child learn this year?

Is your vitriol helping children get help or is it making the situation worse?

Or are only teachers expected to put your child above their family/yourself?

Is that how you’d characterize the situation of the tens of millions of people that worked through the pandemic in public-facing and/or crowded conditions? Including the people that made sure you had food, utilities, medical services/supplies, public safety services, and countless other essential (and nonessential) goods and services?

No it is how I characterize this thread and people who are still rehashing this argument after 2 years.

There are different issues now. Are they related? Sure
If you want to help and not just spew anger then help. If not your anger is just anger and only you can change that.

Schools and teachers can help by acknowledging their past mistakes and promising to act differently in the future.

Ok we are so very very sorry. The pandemic was mishandled by school boards, the president who threw out the CDC pandemic playbook, superintendents and the NIH. Teachers taught these people and are therefore responsible for their actions. It is true, even teachers themselves made errors of judgement and wanted to work from home. In the next global emergency we will act differently. This new, improved and better plan will be based upon the needs of the pandemic of 2020, not whatever future situation the world will be facing.

Thank you for demonstrating my point. It’s a problem that teachers haven’t acknowledged the harm they did to kids through their actions. It’s not even clear many of them fully understand that harm or the role they played.

It is currently a larger problem that people like you who continue to harbor anger against teachers don’t understand the harm or role even the they are currently playing in hurting children and schools.

Using your argument the harm teachers “did” to kids was in the past. The harm you are doing is in the present and can now be changed. So do it. Be the person you expect teachers to be. Stop being angry. Help or at the very least, stop harming.

Don’t cry over spilled milk.

+1. The fact that these comments are about teachers admitting that they were wrong and not helping kids tells you what you need to know: these are tantrums and should be treated as such. I've got a kid with special needs who suffered from pandemic closures. I want to see that addressed, but the tantrum throwers aren't my allies in that and her teachers are.

The teachers that negotiated no in-person special education services during the pandemic, even after in-person classes resumed? Those aren’t the actions of allies.

Where did this happen? I work for FCPS and went back in person with students in October 2020 before anyone was vaccinated. There was no negotiation. Either you went in person or you took an unpaid LOA or resigned.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking of temper tantrums, how does being so angry and irate at teachers 2 years later help your child learn this year?

Is your vitriol helping children get help or is it making the situation worse?

Or are only teachers expected to put your child above their family/yourself?

Is that how you’d characterize the situation of the tens of millions of people that worked through the pandemic in public-facing and/or crowded conditions? Including the people that made sure you had food, utilities, medical services/supplies, public safety services, and countless other essential (and nonessential) goods and services?

No it is how I characterize this thread and people who are still rehashing this argument after 2 years.

There are different issues now. Are they related? Sure
If you want to help and not just spew anger then help. If not your anger is just anger and only you can change that.

Schools and teachers can help by acknowledging their past mistakes and promising to act differently in the future.

Ok we are so very very sorry. The pandemic was mishandled by school boards, the president who threw out the CDC pandemic playbook, superintendents and the NIH. Teachers taught these people and are therefore responsible for their actions. It is true, even teachers themselves made errors of judgement and wanted to work from home. In the next global emergency we will act differently. This new, improved and better plan will be based upon the needs of the pandemic of 2020, not whatever future situation the world will be facing.

Thank you for demonstrating my point. It’s a problem that teachers haven’t acknowledged the harm they did to kids through their actions. It’s not even clear many of them fully understand that harm or the role they played.

It is currently a larger problem that people like you who continue to harbor anger against teachers don’t understand the harm or role even the they are currently playing in hurting children and schools.

Using your argument the harm teachers “did” to kids was in the past. The harm you are doing is in the present and can now be changed. So do it. Be the person you expect teachers to be. Stop being angry. Help or at the very least, stop harming.

Don’t cry over spilled milk.

I, personally, don’t have a problem with teachers. Just public school teachers who fought tooth and nail centering student need. And what I will do about it is never again put my kids in public school. This is the completely rational response to what happened.

I’m a former public school teacher (17 years in the DMV region) who now works in a private. My departure from public wasn’t because of the students. While there were discipline problems, I was able to recognize that they came primarily from unmet needs. It wasn’t the parents. I’ve always worked well with parents because we have the same goal. It was admin.

I spent years being told to follow the direction of people who couldn’t lead a meeting of adults, let along a classroom full of hormonal kids. I was told to follow whatever was the latest and greatest gimmick that was going to revolutionize the classroom. My observations were never about student learning; instead, admin wanted to see that I was implementing their directives. Technology? Check… even if it isn’t used effectively. Exit tickets? Check… even if they aren’t true formative assessments. I grew tired of being advised by people who lost sight of what teaching looks like.

I now work in a private school in which the admin defers to teachers about teaching. They serve primarily in a support role, making sure I have the resources I need to be successful in a classroom. I love it, and it’s the only reason I’ll stay in teaching.

I do feel bad about leaving public, but I could only knock my head against a wall for so long.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking of temper tantrums, how does being so angry and irate at teachers 2 years later help your child learn this year?

Is your vitriol helping children get help or is it making the situation worse?

Or are only teachers expected to put your child above their family/yourself?

Is that how you’d characterize the situation of the tens of millions of people that worked through the pandemic in public-facing and/or crowded conditions? Including the people that made sure you had food, utilities, medical services/supplies, public safety services, and countless other essential (and nonessential) goods and services?

No it is how I characterize this thread and people who are still rehashing this argument after 2 years.

There are different issues now. Are they related? Sure
If you want to help and not just spew anger then help. If not your anger is just anger and only you can change that.

Schools and teachers can help by acknowledging their past mistakes and promising to act differently in the future.

Ok we are so very very sorry. The pandemic was mishandled by school boards, the president who threw out the CDC pandemic playbook, superintendents and the NIH. Teachers taught these people and are therefore responsible for their actions. It is true, even teachers themselves made errors of judgement and wanted to work from home. In the next global emergency we will act differently. This new, improved and better plan will be based upon the needs of the pandemic of 2020, not whatever future situation the world will be facing.

Thank you for demonstrating my point. It’s a problem that teachers haven’t acknowledged the harm they did to kids through their actions. It’s not even clear many of them fully understand that harm or the role they played.

It is currently a larger problem that people like you who continue to harbor anger against teachers don’t understand the harm or role even the they are currently playing in hurting children and schools.

Using your argument the harm teachers “did” to kids was in the past. The harm you are doing is in the present and can now be changed. So do it. Be the person you expect teachers to be. Stop being angry. Help or at the very least, stop harming.

Don’t cry over spilled milk.

+1. The fact that these comments are about teachers admitting that they were wrong and not helping kids tells you what you need to know: these are tantrums and should be treated as such. I've got a kid with special needs who suffered from pandemic closures. I want to see that addressed, but the tantrum throwers aren't my allies in that and her teachers are.

The teachers that negotiated no in-person special education services during the pandemic, even after in-person classes resumed? Those aren’t the actions of allies.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking of temper tantrums, how does being so angry and irate at teachers 2 years later help your child learn this year?

Is your vitriol helping children get help or is it making the situation worse?

Or are only teachers expected to put your child above their family/yourself?

Is that how you’d characterize the situation of the tens of millions of people that worked through the pandemic in public-facing and/or crowded conditions? Including the people that made sure you had food, utilities, medical services/supplies, public safety services, and countless other essential (and nonessential) goods and services?

No it is how I characterize this thread and people who are still rehashing this argument after 2 years.

There are different issues now. Are they related? Sure
If you want to help and not just spew anger then help. If not your anger is just anger and only you can change that.

Schools and teachers can help by acknowledging their past mistakes and promising to act differently in the future.

Ok we are so very very sorry. The pandemic was mishandled by school boards, the president who threw out the CDC pandemic playbook, superintendents and the NIH. Teachers taught these people and are therefore responsible for their actions. It is true, even teachers themselves made errors of judgement and wanted to work from home. In the next global emergency we will act differently. This new, improved and better plan will be based upon the needs of the pandemic of 2020, not whatever future situation the world will be facing.

Thank you for demonstrating my point. It’s a problem that teachers haven’t acknowledged the harm they did to kids through their actions. It’s not even clear many of them fully understand that harm or the role they played.

It is currently a larger problem that people like you who continue to harbor anger against teachers don’t understand the harm or role even the they are currently playing in hurting children and schools.

Using your argument the harm teachers “did” to kids was in the past. The harm you are doing is in the present and can now be changed. So do it. Be the person you expect teachers to be. Stop being angry. Help or at the very least, stop harming.

Don’t cry over spilled milk.

+1. The fact that these comments are about teachers admitting that they were wrong and not helping kids tells you what you need to know: these are tantrums and should be treated as such. I've got a kid with special needs who suffered from pandemic closures. I want to see that addressed, but the tantrum throwers aren't my allies in that and her teachers are.

Anonymous wrote:School boards and health officials kept schools closed. Teachers don’t have that kind of power. The only influence teachers had is that many would probably have quit or retired if asked to come back. I would bet at least 5 to 10% would have. Even schools that did reopen in hybrid had very few kids come to school in person. So, again teachers had little influence on any of these decisions. Weird that people think we have that kind of power.

You seem to be forgetting the strikes, threats of strikes, and back-room negotiating that went on with teachers' unions. You're also forgetting what the unions fought for with impact bargaining that made the eventual return far worse for kids than it needed to be.

Anonymous wrote:One of the issues with all of this teacher blaming was that in many areas of the country, teachers were back teaching in person fall of 2020. Yet somehow they are still the target of crazy levels of parental angst.

DH was an experienced teacher who retired a few years earlier than originally intended due to how unpleasant everything outside the actual classroom was. And he was not the type of teacher anyone would have wanted to retire early—students from years past made a habit of visiting him as adults as they enjoyed his class so much.

I agree with others who suggest fomenting ongoing parental ire is part of a larger goal to destabilize public education. Add the book banning campaigns we are seeing in both school and public libraries to that larger goal as well.

If you are still so angry about what happened in the pandemic that you can’t see this, try taking a deep breath and a few steps back to see what is happening across the country, even in places where kids were in school almost the whole time.

I’m a child of public school teachers. Historically I’ve been a strong supporter of public schools.

But then the schools closed. One of my kids lost out on a year and a half of speech therapy and other services. Another other couldn’t even get an IEP created because they shut down the office that did evaluations. Through this, I was told that it wasn’t reasonable to expect anything from the schools, which was consistent with the actions the school took. Private schools and services were available but obviously expensive.

I’d love to be a strong supporter of public schools again, particularly given that I have kids with special needs, making private schools particularly challenging/expensive. The problem is, what good are schools if you can’t count on them?

Historically I’ve been worried that private school vouchers would pull money, teachers, and higher-achieving students out of public schools, sending them into a death spiral. Unfortunately, public schools already seem to be in that death spiral even without vouchers. Based on the large influx of money we saw go to schools over the last couple of years, I have very little confidence that more money would allow schools to pull themselves out of their current mess.

I don’t think that providing private school vouchers is a good path to go down. But it’s really hard to look at where we are now and not think it is nonetheless the best path. The comments here from teachers simply emphasize that belief. I know we're reading the comments from the more extreme people, but those extreme people are often the ones willing to put the most time and energy into things like the union, giving them much more power and influence over what happens to our kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking of temper tantrums, how does being so angry and irate at teachers 2 years later help your child learn this year?

Is your vitriol helping children get help or is it making the situation worse?

Or are only teachers expected to put your child above their family/yourself?

Is that how you’d characterize the situation of the tens of millions of people that worked through the pandemic in public-facing and/or crowded conditions? Including the people that made sure you had food, utilities, medical services/supplies, public safety services, and countless other essential (and nonessential) goods and services?

No it is how I characterize this thread and people who are still rehashing this argument after 2 years.

There are different issues now. Are they related? Sure
If you want to help and not just spew anger then help. If not your anger is just anger and only you can change that.

Schools and teachers can help by acknowledging their past mistakes and promising to act differently in the future.

Ok we are so very very sorry. The pandemic was mishandled by school boards, the president who threw out the CDC pandemic playbook, superintendents and the NIH. Teachers taught these people and are therefore responsible for their actions. It is true, even teachers themselves made errors of judgement and wanted to work from home. In the next global emergency we will act differently. This new, improved and better plan will be based upon the needs of the pandemic of 2020, not whatever future situation the world will be facing.

Thank you for demonstrating my point. It’s a problem that teachers haven’t acknowledged the harm they did to kids through their actions. It’s not even clear many of them fully understand that harm or the role they played.

It is currently a larger problem that people like you who continue to harbor anger against teachers don’t understand the harm or role even the they are currently playing in hurting children and schools.

Using your argument the harm teachers “did” to kids was in the past. The harm you are doing is in the present and can now be changed. So do it. Be the person you expect teachers to be. Stop being angry. Help or at the very least, stop harming.

Don’t cry over spilled milk.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking of temper tantrums, how does being so angry and irate at teachers 2 years later help your child learn this year?

Is your vitriol helping children get help or is it making the situation worse?

Or are only teachers expected to put your child above their family/yourself?

Is that how you’d characterize the situation of the tens of millions of people that worked through the pandemic in public-facing and/or crowded conditions? Including the people that made sure you had food, utilities, medical services/supplies, public safety services, and countless other essential (and nonessential) goods and services?

No it is how I characterize this thread and people who are still rehashing this argument after 2 years.

There are different issues now. Are they related? Sure
If you want to help and not just spew anger then help. If not your anger is just anger and only you can change that.

Schools and teachers can help by acknowledging their past mistakes and promising to act differently in the future.

In the summer of 2020 my district (Fairfax County) surveyed teachers to see if we were willing to teach in person. DW and I, both ES, responded in the affirmative. We were definitely ready to start the school year in person. By the start of school the school board decided we would all be virtual. I think they tried to please everyone and just couldn’t make it work, so in my mind we were essentially locked out. We both went into the building to teach online, as did many others, but it was not a good situation.

I have no apologies to make.

What was the academic benefit of going into the school building to teach online? Or did you have issues with self-discipline or childcare? Otherwise, it’s about the optics or virtual signaling with zero actual benefit to the students.

Wow, lady, did you not understand half of her post? You really need help with your anger issues. Remember, a full half of us did NOT want our kids in the buildings during covid and absolutely wanted online instruction.
Anyway, this is all about much more than the pandemic. This crisis has been brewing for a long time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking of temper tantrums, how does being so angry and irate at teachers 2 years later help your child learn this year?

Is your vitriol helping children get help or is it making the situation worse?

Or are only teachers expected to put your child above their family/yourself?

Is that how you’d characterize the situation of the tens of millions of people that worked through the pandemic in public-facing and/or crowded conditions? Including the people that made sure you had food, utilities, medical services/supplies, public safety services, and countless other essential (and nonessential) goods and services?

No it is how I characterize this thread and people who are still rehashing this argument after 2 years.

There are different issues now. Are they related? Sure
If you want to help and not just spew anger then help. If not your anger is just anger and only you can change that.

Schools and teachers can help by acknowledging their past mistakes and promising to act differently in the future.

Ok we are so very very sorry. The pandemic was mishandled by school boards, the president who threw out the CDC pandemic playbook, superintendents and the NIH. Teachers taught these people and are therefore responsible for their actions. It is true, even teachers themselves made errors of judgement and wanted to work from home. In the next global emergency we will act differently. This new, improved and better plan will be based upon the needs of the pandemic of 2020, not whatever future situation the world will be facing.

Thank you for demonstrating my point. It’s a problem that teachers haven’t acknowledged the harm they did to kids through their actions. It’s not even clear many of them fully understand that harm or the role they played.

School boards and health officials kept schools closed. Teachers don’t have that kind of power. The only influence teachers had is that many would probably have quit or retired if asked to come back. I would bet at least 5 to 10% would have. Even schools that did reopen in hybrid had very few kids come to school in person. So, again teachers had little influence on any of these decisions. Weird that people think we have that kind of power.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking of temper tantrums, how does being so angry and irate at teachers 2 years later help your child learn this year?

Is your vitriol helping children get help or is it making the situation worse?

Or are only teachers expected to put your child above their family/yourself?

Is that how you’d characterize the situation of the tens of millions of people that worked through the pandemic in public-facing and/or crowded conditions? Including the people that made sure you had food, utilities, medical services/supplies, public safety services, and countless other essential (and nonessential) goods and services?

No it is how I characterize this thread and people who are still rehashing this argument after 2 years.

There are different issues now. Are they related? Sure
If you want to help and not just spew anger then help. If not your anger is just anger and only you can change that.

Schools and teachers can help by acknowledging their past mistakes and promising to act differently in the future.

In the summer of 2020 my district (Fairfax County) surveyed teachers to see if we were willing to teach in person. DW and I, both ES, responded in the affirmative. We were definitely ready to start the school year in person. By the start of school the school board decided we would all be virtual. I think they tried to please everyone and just couldn’t make it work, so in my mind we were essentially locked out. We both went into the building to teach online, as did many others, but it was not a good situation.

I have no apologies to make.

What was the academic benefit of going into the school building to teach online? Or did you have issues with self-discipline or childcare? Otherwise, it’s about the optics or virtual signaling with zero actual benefit to the students.

As I said, it was not a good situation. I went in because I didn’t want to sit in my house all day. My building is less than 2 miles away. I needed to get out and see people in person. In the building I had space. I had room for an extra monitor and document camera. I didn’t have to create a space at home. I had other adults with whom I could talk and have lunch.