Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent, I find some of these comments disturbing. You are starting to sound like an angry crazy mob. You do know there is a pandemic? You do know teachers will be able to get the first dose of the vaccine beginning Jan 25? I know it's been tough, I have 2 kids at home with me, but surely we can wait until term 4, when numbers will be lower and teachers will have been vaccinated.Just makes more sense.

What makes you think that DCPS elementary schools will reopen for Term 4? Because the WTU and the City Council are on board with the plan?

Hint: they aren't.

+1

There is plenty of evidence at this point that opening elementary schools in a hybrid model with precautions is safe. But that train has left the station. Now that teachers have been virtual for so long it will take a lot more to get them back. A lot of it is fear because they’ve been so isolated- no one I know who is working in person right now is scared of the virus. That includes doctors at hospitals, in person teachers, etc. You have to make people go back to see being in a room with someone does not mean you automatically contract COVID and die.

This is a really good point.

My household super-isolated through September, but I work for a (non-DCPS) school that went back hybrid in the fall. And it was jarring and anxiety-provoking to go back in the building for the first couple times. But once you're dealing with the situation in practice and not in theory ... it's a lot less scary. You see that the precautions are working. You see that it actually would be pretty darn hard to get someone else's germs. The pandemic is scary, without question. But we also have the tools to keep people safe.

My oldest is in DCPS and I think one of the biggest issues has been communication. There is SO MUCH information now about how the virus spreads and how to mitigate it, but I haven't seen any effort to educate people around that.

So true. Lots of hysteria and almost no communication from a public health perspective. Teachers are panicked and dcps should have been more reassuring with proper science info.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent, I find some of these comments disturbing. You are starting to sound like an angry crazy mob. You do know there is a pandemic? You do know teachers will be able to get the first dose of the vaccine beginning Jan 25? I know it's been tough, I have 2 kids at home with me, but surely we can wait until term 4, when numbers will be lower and teachers will have been vaccinated.Just makes more sense.

What makes you think that DCPS elementary schools will reopen for Term 4? Because the WTU and the City Council are on board with the plan?

Hint: they aren't.

+1

There is plenty of evidence at this point that opening elementary schools in a hybrid model with precautions is safe. But that train has left the station. Now that teachers have been virtual for so long it will take a lot more to get them back. A lot of it is fear because they’ve been so isolated- no one I know who is working in person right now is scared of the virus. That includes doctors at hospitals, in person teachers, etc. You have to make people go back to see being in a room with someone does not mean you automatically contract COVID and die.

This is a really good point.

My household super-isolated through September, but I work for a (non-DCPS) school that went back hybrid in the fall. And it was jarring and anxiety-provoking to go back in the building for the first couple times. But once you're dealing with the situation in practice and not in theory ... it's a lot less scary. You see that the precautions are working. You see that it actually would be pretty darn hard to get someone else's germs. The pandemic is scary, without question. But we also have the tools to keep people safe.

My oldest is in DCPS and I think one of the biggest issues has been communication. There is SO MUCH information now about how the virus spreads and how to mitigate it, but I haven't seen any effort to educate people around that.

Anonymous wrote:https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/educators-weve-lost-to-the-coronavirus/2020/04

Scroll this entire list. Better yet, read every one of their names.

Care to add a Hearst teacher to this list? Can you think of one you’d be OK with adding to this list?

Come on people.

Um. Did you actually read this piece?

This memorial site was begun in April, when basically all schools were online. Most people listed passed away in the spring and summer when, again, schools weren't open. The list also includes many teachers who were retired. This piece is meant to memorialize those in the profession who have passed away during the pandemic, not those who specifically became ill due to going back to school.

Anonymous wrote:Ah yes we are back where we started. Look I’m a parent and a teacher. I will be returning (even though I qualify die Cares leave) but my kids will be staying home.

It stinks either way. As a teacher, you can’t make everyone happy and it appears that people are mad that teacher qualify for any sort of leave. Teachers have families, despite all the hysteria, it does matter.

As a parent, it really sucks when your school is bound by teacher availability. It’s frustrating that you see other schools plans and can’t see why you can’t have the same. It also sucks that all these teachers qualify for leave. It does.

This is why DCPS chose to do it this way. Pit parents vs schools and school community vs school community. It’s takes the pressure off of central office and their complete lack of planning this entire time.

Hearst parents...you should complain but it most likely won’t change anything. The principal can force the teachers to take the leave, but then you may be stuck with some grades with no teachers at all. Hearst just didn’t decide this plan. Central office went through these with a fine tooth comb...they thought it was fine. They were ok with two cares rooms and one inperson. You should take some of your anger there. Why are they out here saying schools are opening, when they aren’t?

Good post. Chancellor doesn’t care how weak the plans are. He just wants to say kids are back in school

Anonymous wrote:

This principal just 100% prioritized teachers over parents. If s/he has capital to burn with parents (long track record of happy parents at the school), it’s the easier approach since s/he has to see the teachers every day. If s/he doesn’t have that capital, this will get her/him run out of the school. Frankly, parents at my school would revolt.

THIS

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/educators-weve-lost-to-the-coronavirus/2020/04

Scroll this entire list. Better yet, read every one of their names.

Care to add a Hearst teacher to this list? Can you think of one you’d be OK with adding to this list?

Come on people.

Then close all DCPS schools. Heck, all US schools. Why open some and not others? Either we are ok opening or we are not. But a plan like this isn’t right. Especially when neighboring schools are figuring it out.

They aren’t figuring it out- they’re bigger. They have such big staffs that they can do it. We only have 2-3 teachers per grade so if I had to guess our Principal ran the numbers and realized she’d be shit outta luck with staff and this is the best model she could find. She isn’t my favorite leader but she’s always finagled our budget and our staffing and figured out a way. If she can’t figure out a way here then there must be a good reason.

I’m pretty sure I’d take virtual Hearst over in person most DCPS schools any day of the week.

Anonymous wrote:https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/educators-weve-lost-to-the-coronavirus/2020/04

Scroll this entire list. Better yet, read every one of their names.

Care to add a Hearst teacher to this list? Can you think of one you’d be OK with adding to this list?

Come on people.

Then close all DCPS schools. Heck, all US schools. Why open some and not others? Either we are ok opening or we are not. But a plan like this isn’t right. Especially when neighboring schools are figuring it out.

https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/educators-weve-lost-to-the-coronavirus/2020/04

Scroll this entire list. Better yet, read every one of their names.

Care to add a Hearst teacher to this list? Can you think of one you’d be OK with adding to this list?

Come on people.

Has anyone on this thread even look at DCPS’s covid reporting site? 59 staff positive for covid within 3-4 weeks, which much fewer people in the building than they are now moving to. DCPS announced before the break that they had, I believe, 8 schools closed down already due to too many cases in the community. And I believe it was 12 elementary schools with cases in the community. Those are high numbers, presumably to get worse in January with a) more people in each school and b) the holiday break spike.

I don’t really think reopening is the big life change that everyone on this thread is hoping for.

First of all, if Hearst sends back one teacher per grade, every single kid will be impacted. 10 kids per grade will go back out of about 45. I’m curious how many of the complainers on here are a parent to one of the 10 neediest kids per grade. The other 35 kids will be looped into one virtual class and get barely any individual attention. The kids won’t even all fit onto the Teams screen at once so the teacher may not even have eyes on your kid while they are teaching. Plus about half the kids lose their teacher after half the year. I don’t know about you all, but my kids LOVE their teacher at Hearst every single year. That is our family’s biggest reason for staying here and not moving to the burbs. Both of my kids would be devastated to get pulled from their teacher right now, and I feel they are both too emotionally fragile right now to weather another major change like that.

Second of all, the schools that are “more” open than Hearst have adults in and out of quarantine. DCPS has a sub shortage so there isn’t anyone to cover in person instruction (also in my years of experience with DCPS almost every sub is trash anyways), so guess where your kid is? Back at home in virtual instruction! And god forbid if the teacher actually gets really sick. I have never heard a concrete plan of who would teach my kids’ classes if their teacher got too sick with Covid to teach.

Third of all, whoever on this thread said it above me is right. If you force a blanket return policy, many teachers who CAN work virtually CANNOT work in person. It is not a matter of being “young and healthy”. You don’t know who they live with. You don’t know if they are pregnant or sick in another way. And we DO know that many of our Hearst teachers are parents and live outside the city so their kids may be still in virtual school at home. I’m sure that ADA and FMLA cover a lot more than we realize. Personally, I would rather have my kids in virtual school with their teachers than in in-person school with someone else who is potentially not even a Hearst teacher or has never taught this grade level before. I’ll take what I can get during a pandemic.

I want my children to go back when DC’s community spread rate is below the CDC recommended rate. Right now it is far above. I don’t like it but I understand why teachers may not want to go back right now.

Anonymous wrote:I’m disappointed with the Hearst plan, and will definitely be attending the Town Hall tomorrow, but I’m not ready to jump on the blame the teachers ship. Our teachers have gone above and beyond so far this year, which is consistent with what we’ve always experienced with the staff at the school.

+1

Everyone is frustrated and upset and sick of the pandemic. Of course we all want our kids to be back. Blaming our teachers is not productive. They’re doing their best and working hard to provide content that is I’m sure better than what DCPS gave them to start with. I hope that every Hearst parent on this thread will not type anything here hiding behind an anonymous curtain that they wouldn’t be willing to say to their kid’s Hearst teacher in a direct email. I am disappointed in the lack of empathy shown here. The teachers have their own families to think about, too.

Ah yes we are back where we started. Look I’m a parent and a teacher. I will be returning (even though I qualify die Cares leave) but my kids will be staying home.

It stinks either way. As a teacher, you can’t make everyone happy and it appears that people are mad that teacher qualify for any sort of leave. Teachers have families, despite all the hysteria, it does matter.

As a parent, it really sucks when your school is bound by teacher availability. It’s frustrating that you see other schools plans and can’t see why you can’t have the same. It also sucks that all these teachers qualify for leave. It does.

This is why DCPS chose to do it this way. Pit parents vs schools and school community vs school community. It’s takes the pressure off of central office and their complete lack of planning this entire time.

Hearst parents...you should complain but it most likely won’t change anything. The principal can force the teachers to take the leave, but then you may be stuck with some grades with no teachers at all. Hearst just didn’t decide this plan. Central office went through these with a fine tooth comb...they thought it was fine. They were ok with two cares rooms and one inperson. You should take some of your anger there. Why are they out here saying schools are opening, when they aren’t?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s truly appalling that so many of you expect teachers to sacrifice their own family’s health and well-being so they can teach YOUR kids in person.

Sorry, that doesn't cut it anymore. Since the pandemic started people whose jobs didn't allow for remote work have continued to fill your kids' prescriptions, ring up your kids' groceries, prepare and deliver your kids' takeout meals, collect your kids' garbage, deliver your kids' mail and on and on and on. 9 months has shown us that teaching elementary school is another one of those jobs that is not a job that can be done remotely. Just like the millions of people who have continued to go to work and do their jobs with caution and care, it's time for teachers to do the same.

+1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Says the working-from-home Ward 3 mom!
There’s nothing you can do about teachers taking federally mandated FMLA or CARES leave, sweetie. Better luck next year.

No one from Hearst is taking FMLA or CARES leave. The principal's update made that clear. Your closer makes it clear that Hearst teachers have no intention of returning to their classrooms this year.

They aren’t taking it because she is choosing to allow them to continue to teach kids virtually rather than having them on leave and not available at all

Anonymous wrote:

Says the working-from-home Ward 3 mom!
There’s nothing you can do about teachers taking federally mandated FMLA or CARES leave, sweetie. Better luck next year.

No one from Hearst is taking FMLA or CARES leave. The principal's update made that clear. Your closer makes it clear that Hearst teachers have no intention of returning to their classrooms this year.