Well, there’s one bright side to returning to the classroom this fall for face-to-face teaching. There’s a possibility I might finally be rated Highly Effective! On the other hand, I could die. But whatever; I’ve never been rated Highly Effective before. This could turn out to be a real opportunity.
If you refuse to make this decision, many more people will get sick from COVID-19 than would otherwise. Many more people will eventually die. These are teachers, mothers, fathers, grandparents, and – yes – even children. You can do something about that. You have a responsibility to do something about it.
Read MoreDeasy resigned before the legal investigation by the FBI and LA County District attorney got under way. This time the Broad Academy stepped in to hire him as “superintendent-in-residence.” That was in 2015. In 2018, Deasy was off to be Superintendent in Stockton; resigning this year with ethical and legal malfeasance charges mounting.
Read MoreImproper filters on HVAC systems can cause COVID to spread into the air ducts and throughout an entire school building. The Federal government estimates that at least 36,000 schools will need HVAC upgrades. Custodians are concerned that their older buildings will not have upgraded HVAC systems in time to keep people safe.
Would you rather err on the side of keeping school buildings closed and later realize it wasn’t necessary? Or do you want to take the chance of not one super-spreader event, but 98,000 super-spreader events? (Number of estimated schools in the U.S.)
Read MoreA full reopening of schools even with safety precautions brings the highest risk. However, the hybrid model also brings significant danger to students, teachers and families – even if somewhat less than full reopening.
Read MoreLet us understand from the beginning here—it is not parents versus teachers. We are all in this together. Teachers are parents. Parents are teachers. We are not two different groups; we are one. We all care about our children.
Read MoreTeachers across the nation are preparing for the worst. We are finalizing wills, upping our disability insurance, and maxing out on life insurance benefits. Many teachers are already purchasing PPE, cleaning products, plexiglass dividers, and other band-aid solutions to the astronomical catastrophe that awaits upon school re-entry.
“This Time, You’ll See” A poem by - NY BAT, Carolyn Rennie
Read MoreSummer 2020 has finally forced the need to rebrand the Dedicated Teacher image. Lives now depend on reframing what it means to support our students. Classroom life has been shattered, and the moment commands we demonstrate our care beyond physical walls to broader activism.
Schools have been reopening in various countries since this spring. A key characteristic that countries reopening schools took into consideration was virus transmission rates. Solid testing regimes and contract testing were believed essential.
Read MoreSchool at its most deepest essence is the people. It is teachers and students, supported by staff and administrators, wandering down the challenging paths of illumination and discovery. The people count. A school is its people.
Read MoreThe uncertainty is hard, but it’s better than some certainties. I still have every hope that my community will not sacrifice my life. But if it does, I will not go quietly. I can’t be here for your kids, if I’m not here.
Money does not stop a virus. Some unions are making conflicting statements, in one breath proclaiming that teachers and students will not return until the schools are safe, but in the very next breath pushing for federal funding to be in place so that we can reopen.
Now is the moment in history where we need to recognize the fact that we have a responsibility to stand for what is right and declare that we will no longer be victims of oppression.
In whatever form the schools reopen, we must immediately tend to the social and emotional needs of our students. Focus less on how far behind they are academically and just be there for them.
“Charters claim to be ‘public schools’ when that’s where the money is,” she said. “But when the money is available for small businesses, they claim to be small businesses.”
Read More“If they were in the path of the trolley, what would I do?” If the answer is, “Everything in my power to save them,” then you already know the truth: we cannot open schools.
Read MoreImagine trying to get a message across to a classroom of middle school children with a piece of fabric hiding half of your face, obscuring your expressions and garbling your words.
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