I am sick to death of hearing and reading about parents complaining about how they need their kids to be back in school, in-person, full-time. If only those damn teachers would suck it up and deal, right? I have yet to hear a teacher say that in-person teaching is not the best method. What I hear all of them saying is we want to be back in school when it is safe for EVERYONE. Why some parents refuse to accept that teachers want to be back in schools is beyond me. Why is it practically criminal to expect to have a safe work environment for all parties involved? That’s what teachers want: Safety for all of the people in the building. It is NOT a game of us versus them. That kind of crap thinking is common these days because everything in the U.S. has become us or them. So for parents, it’s either the teachers or their kids. Of course parents are going to side with their kids. But the teachers area saying they want everyone to be safe! Why do so many people ignore that?
Let’s say that kids go back full-time in person because that’s “what they need.” You do all realize that this is not going to be a normal school year, don’t you? Students will be going back to plastic dividers, lack of shifting through halls, divided playgrounds for younger students, and everyone in masks. This is not a typical start to the year. And what if a student gets sick? Or a teacher? Then the class is shut down and on quarantine, which will be another blow to the fragile psyche of these young people. And yes, I am sick of hearing about how fragile all of these kids are. Most districts went remote for about 6 weeks at the end of the school year. Then we were all on summer break. Guess what? Summer break happens every year. Nobody bitches about summer break, but suddenly an extra few weeks makes everyone angry, depressed, lonely, and about to jump off the deep end. Are people really suggesting that an extra 6 weeks made ALL of the difference? And if that is the case, then those parents who take their kids out of school for 2 weeks of vacation during the school year, I guess you’d better not do that any more. It might damage the kids. Seriously, people, quit being hypocrites about time missed in school. There isn’t really that much time spent in actual school buildings when you factor it out. I talked about that in another blog post if you missed it (click here).
What about the whole myth of “They miss their friends”? I call it a myth because it is. If they miss their friends, then take them over to see their friends. There’s time, isn’t there? Call up the other parents and have a get together. I imagine one problem there is that the child doesn’t know the other kid’s number or address. If the kids are really friends, there is a way to get together outside of school. In school, there will not be many opportunities to socialize this year anyway. If the acquaintances that your child says hi to and passes the time with in idle chit-chat are suddenly “friends,” then they should work out a way to get together outside of the school day. So how about we stop with the garbage argument of “They need to see their friends.” See their friends. You don’t need school for that.
I am so sick of hearing about how teachers are overpaid and don’t do any work. If that were truly the case, why isn’t everyone clamoring to do the job? If you told me there was a job where I could get overpaid and do less work, I’d be all in. Who wouldn’t? And yet, how many of you out there say that you couldn’t be paid enough to teach? If there is no amount of money that you would take to teach, then why are others who do the job overpaid? How does that work out? Is your time suddenly more valuable than the teachers’? That’s a short walk from your time is more valuable than others to your life is more valuable than others. When we get there, we all lose. If we can start to justify othering and dehumanize others simply because they are others, then we’re in real trouble (see a powerful poem regarding that idea here).
And finally, for those who whine that teachers need to suck it up and work through the pandemic because they are essential employees, what world are you living in? Teachers worked remotely through the end of last school year. They had the summer off, so there is not a comparison to be had with other folks who work for an hourly wage. All of the teachers I know are working their butts off trying to figure out how to make things work now. For districts that are opening remotely, the teachers are doing as much or more work than they would be for an in-person class. I know. I taught 2 classes remotely over the summer, and they were as much or more work than if I were in a face-to-face classroom. As I also mentioned in my previous post (linked above), if you don’t teach, you don’t have a clue what goes into it. Things will be rough. This will not be a smooth transition into bliss for the kids. But just keep in mind all of those kids who grow up in tough circumstances and come out fine on the other end. This too shall pass. And the kids will be all right on the other side of it.