Anyone else work in a school and afraid to go back?
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I will be 64 at the end of September. Like you, despite being stage IV, my mo believes my cancer does not put me at greater risk (not on any immuno-suppressive drugs). Cancer and Covid 19 are two very different things so I’m not sure what your husband is getting at. When our county health department says that we can return to the classroom safely, we will but for now I am glad that the decision has been taken out of my hands.
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My 9 year old grandson learned that he wasn't going back to school until maybe November. He burst out crying. My daughter is a 7th grade teacher and at a different school. They will be doing a hybrid plan and she will have to be at school daily. All paraprofessionals have been let go. I think her school district will okay early retirement. Those who feel compromised can do online learning in any class or take a 6-month leave. My daughter had very few students show up for online learning when school closed, now a parent/adult has to be present at all times. Good luck with that. At the hospital child care was available for all first responders. So far not one child or caregiver has come down with Covid. In Delaware people have commented they would like to see the teachers paid less and property taxes decreased since schools are not open.
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flashlight,
As I'm sure your daughter can attest, what happened in the spring was emergency teaching. We had no time for planning or preparation. I believe that like my school district, most school districts spent the summer, with teachers volunteering their time, preparing for both distance and hybrid learning situations. Our fall distance learning looks nothing like the spring! Since I teach elementary school, first grade, an adult will be present (can't comment on middle or HD). My state has also instituted mandatory attendance and instructional minutes per day. Our schools may not be open but teachers are still working (as we were in the spring) and teaching. Since I was teaching from my dining room table, I actually had to work more! I will be teaching from my classroom, sans students, but it will be easier since I have all my “stuff" there. Again, many of us worked all summer to make sure that distance learning will be rigorous and effective (though not perfect). Many of us spent weekdays helping to organize and distribute grab and go meals so no student went hungry. I can't imagine that teachers in Delaware operate that much differently so I hope someone educates those in the community regarding reacher pay and taxes. In my entire teaching career, I have never worked as hard as I did this summer to insure that all students in my district have a rigorous, robust program to return to. Our aides were not let go and have been assigned mainly to the younger grades. Online, they will work with small groups of students delivering lessons designed by the classroom teacher to address differentiation in learning needs.My county still has a high infection rate, so our county health department does not advise return to in person teaching and learning.
Tell your grandson that this teacher cried too. I'd much rather be together with my students in person but not at the risk of anyone's health and safety. Again, I can only speak for my school district but between our summer planning and great communication with parents and the community at large, the return to distance learning will look much different than it did in the spring.
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exbrnxgrl, Good luck to you. Yes, even in the spring my daughter was working overtime. She still had daily lesson plans, teaching, and had to help my grandson at the same time. The school district had her call daily every student that didn't show up. Some mothers told her "try his cell". We also hope things will be different this time. She did help with grab n go meals and helped empty classrooms/lockers so students could pick up their belongings outside of the school. So far she has only been in her class room once. I think they will have more instruction in the next couple of weeks. The unknown is always scary.
My grandson's 2nd grade teacher did a drive by his house a few weeks ago and he was so excited to see her. I think his school will offer a mental health session to help the younger kids get through this.
I appreciate all teachers!! Best wishes to you.
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Spookiesmom, Please don't make this political. Mikel Jollett is a musician who dislikes Trump. The virus isn't a Republican or Democrat virus. We are in a pandemic with unknowns and both sides have made mistakes. Even the scientist made mistakes. As a nation we will get through this, but it shouldn't mean we have to stay locked in our basements forever. In no way are we at the same level as we were in March. Much more is known and improved. The American people are resilient and we will get through this.
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I taught for 38 years & have been subbing for the last 7. I have no idea what the schools should do. I know that online learning doesn't hold a candle to the 'real' classroom experience (for the kids, and for the teachers), but also know that the safety measures that will be needed to even try to have in-person school will take out much of the fun & excitement of what we would consider to be a 'normal' school experience. Our governor has left it to each school district to decide, which makes sense as we have some towns who might have 8 kids in a whole GRADE. I live in a mid-size town. The middle school where I taught (and where I sub) is very old, with kids crammed into classrooms like sardines. No matter what measures they put in place, I don't see how they can follow the social distancing, 'stay out of crowded places' guidelines. I am 99.9% certain that I won't sub this year, at least until I see how it goes, as it is really just an experiment, isn't it? My heart goes out to my active teacher friends, the students, the parents, the administration, the School Board......every stakeholder. There are no 'right' answers at this point.
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Guess you missed my previous posts where I’ve mentioned my DD is a music teacher in an elementary school with population of over 400. That she intends to keep her 2 kids out of their buildings until this is better. Or that I’m a very thankful to be retired bus driver.
Not intended to be political.
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Flashlight, Trump made the pandemic political, but I agree, it shouldn't be. I will say I am furious that Trump didn't do all he could to stop this from being as bad as it is, and I will always believe he is the cause of the death of thousands of innocent people. I have relatives in Europe who are pretty much back to normal, the Covid virus is under control because their leaders did what needed to be done early.
Opening schools is political, like it or not, a trickle down from the president. It is impacting how schools are opening.
I believe there are remote areas in most states that can safely return to school as they did prior to the pandemic, and areas that should not even consider opening in person for an extended length of time. That is why opening schools needs to be done locally, not state wide and certainly not nationally.
In a perfect world this would all be science based, not political based, but as we all know, that isn't the case and it won't ever be. Every district deals with politics all the time no matter who the president is, school board members are elected to that office.
So, moving forward, we all need to work within the rules that have been set in our individual communities. Going back isn't going to be easy for any of us. I am okay with going back to half the students, but not all. I think that is the way my district is leaning. I worked for years using sterile technique and while I can't say for certainty I won't get the virus, I am going to do what I can to avoid it. If called back into the building I plan to wear a face mask, face shield and gloves. I will clean surfaces, try to keep kids distanced safely, and once home immediately shower and change clothes. Shoes will be off at the door as they are now.
I worry about how opening will play out. Some here said they are opening remotely but a parent of elementary students must be present for on line study and I don't know how that can happen! What about single parents, parents with jobs, etc.? I don't think any of the scenarios are going to work for all, which is why many districts gave options. Our lives have become so disrupted by this pandemic that I don't think "normal" will ever return. What we are doing is trying to find a new normal.
I do find it interesting that many of the parents in my area who are screaming the loudest that their kids need to be back in school full time, are also the parents who screamed that their kids had homework! I am not even talking about too much homework, I am talking about small amounts of homework. You can't learn math in school or remotely if you don't practice the problems after the lesson has been taught. Our school finally caved to parent pressure and gave up on grading homework, but let me tell you, it showed at test time and then those very same parents screamed that the tests were too hard for their child. In my district, the importance of education (not to be confused with importance of being IN a school building), has steadily declined over the last 20 years. I don't know how many other districts caved to the parents, but in my district, parents rule. That is why teachers and staff have not had even one survey about school openings, but parents have had two or three!
I hope this pandemic will have many positive effects on education. I attended Zoom conferences and other on line work shops this summer and they do have a permanent place in education. The middle school I am at already did their science and social studies curriculum using on line programs in the classroom prior to the pandemic.
Anyone who starts school in August, please find a few minutes to let us know how things go!
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flashlight, if it’s any consolationthe parents in my district care very much about education. I teach in Silicon Valley and parents are very active in their children’s educations and value achievement (sometimes too much!). They have no desire to go against country health department guidelines and most would not send their children to school under current conditions.
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Spookiesmom , Sorry this subject has made me so emotional. The children are having such a hard time dealing with this and it is heartbreaking. I know it isn't easy for the parents either. Comments are very interesting. My nephew will be returning to school full time in his district. The classes are small. The local Y is trying to come up with a program to help students while their parents work. Another school is going to let kindergarten to 3rd grade go full time. My daughter will start late August and I will do my best helping my grandson. I still don't understand the new math!! I am trying to make a few masks. My neighbor is an art teacher and she is praying she will still have a job. These are confusing times.
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I think everyone is emotional because everyone is so scared, and there is no clear path forward. Even the brightest scientists can only give educated guesses as this virus has never been seen before. 💗
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flashlight,
If you're talking about Common Core math, check out this website , Engage NY:
Click on grade 3 math and follow the links. I often have parents use this site to help them understand new terminology, such as number bond, and to ease their anxieties. There really is nothing “new”, just a shift away from rote memorization to a deeper understanding. For example, when I ask my students different ways to make 5, I want them to understand that there are different ways to compose and decompose numbers to make 5.
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exbrnxgrl, Thank you I will check it out.
ruthbru, You are right!
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I just called my principal. I am taking a leave of absence. I just can't do this. I can't afford another deadly disease either mentally, psychologically or financially. I'm 63, husband, 64. It's not worth it. (I'm a kindergarten para, so not a teacher, and not exactly in it for the $$ either.)
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kksmom3, Good for you, I think you made a wise choice! I am 66, soon to be 67 and my husband is 79! I am also fearful and might ask for the same. I too am a para. I really need to keep working so I am hoping they will give me something on line to do, similar to last spring. Not sure since our opening is set for first week in Sept. I have a greater fear of bringing it home to my husband. if push comes to shove, I will retire. I don't think it is safe to open schools in my area as numbers are increasing.
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This is a very interesting thread. I am a high school teacher. In July, our area had one of the highest infection rates per capita in the country. Our district pushed the start of school back 10 days to give everyone additional time to prepare, and students who wish to go face to face will be doing a hybrid curriculum in which they will go to school twice a week. Like many others who have posted here, I have devoted many hours over the summer to learning how to teach remotely. Still, there's going to be a big learning curve to this and it's going to be a challenge. I am excited to see my students again though. It was hard on everybody not to be able to say goodbye last spring.
I'm a bit nervous and will take as many precautions as possible, but can't afford to take a leave, am no where near retirement, and really need to keep my job. At this point I just have to accept that what will be will be, so to speak.
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Mavericksmom,
I also should add that I'm in Iowa. It's getting worse here by the day, and we are the only state out of the 50 that has no mandated mask law, nor did our governor mandate online learning. High school with meet 2x a week in person, the other 3 virtually, but middle and elementary all 5 days of the week. There will be at least 20 kindergarten kids in a class, yes, they are supposed to wear masks, ugh, I mean, really, they will be all over the floor, etc. Not the children's fault! But, it's just way too risky for me. I go for my 2nd mammogram and U/S next week, I am just too newly recovered ( if we ever really do, mentally) for this.
And, I wish you all great luck.....prayers you will all be ok!!!
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kksmom3, if I were in your shoes I would do the same. I know in my district a lot of teachers have opted not to come back. And unfortunately a lot of teachers and paras were laid off because of budget cuts. So I am feeling blessed to have a job right now.
I personally don't know if I'm considered "high risk" or not- about to turn 50, no mets, no chemo. But I do have a couple of comorbid conditions like HBP and pulmonary fibrosis (from the rads), and I did have a major surgery a few weeks ago. To me that feels like high risk but my GP says I'm not. So...I don't know-we'll see, I guess.
My administrator said they would install plexi-glass around anyone's desk that felt at risk, so definitely doing that. Another idea that I just saw today is hanging clear shower curtains from the ceiling to create barriers. Something like that might be helpful for those of you going back in the classroom, though I don't know how well they would work with the little ones.
Best of luck to all of you fellow teachers and support staff- this is certainly uncharted waters for us all.
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I spent several hours playing around in my classroom today. After the room was deep cleaned the student desks and most of my furniture was not put back in the right place but I realized it didn’t matter since I would be alone in the classroom while teaching remotely! I am actually looking forward to it. I like a challenge and this will make my last year quite memorable (or drive me crazy 😂).
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ruthbru, I LOVE THAT!!!!! SO TRUE! Thanks for sharing!
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Dear flashlight, you may also like Kahn Academy for common core math (and a lot of other subjects)
https://www.khanacademy.org/coach/dashboard click on courses to get started. There are videos and exercises. You can also search for a topic.As far as back to school....
We (teachers, staff, and parents) are looking forward to our next Board of Education Zoom meeting to update us on more measures for safety in September. Our last BOE Zoom meeting maxed out at 100 people on Zoom, so the BOE is paying for 500 people to attend.
BOE already has a lot of measures in place (see my post on previous page). However, regulations are changing constantly here in NJ.
I also teach at a local Mathnasium. We have started in person instruction again with lot of precautions: limited number of people in the room, with masks, 6 feet apart, etc. At first. the students had a tough time with the masks. A young boy played with his mask most of the lesson. A teen girl let it fall past her nose constantly. We saw improvement over time.
I hope all our students wear their masks properly when we're all back in school.
Good luck to all.
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Mominator , Thank you for the information. I hope the children can get used to the mask wearing and washing their hands. I know it is a challenge.
My daughter's school district had another opened meeting. Parents remain divided with some angry parents wanting teachers to be paid less. One of my daughter's fellow teachers found a college student to help with her children while she is at school and another couldn't find anyone that didn't want $200.00 per child per week.
Good luck to you all!!
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In apparent defiance of our $&#% gov who ordered all brick and mortar schools to be open 5 days a week, a neighboring county has announced the first 4 weeks will be virtual. My DD hopes hers will too.
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Oh what a patchwork of possibilities we have for going back to school!
To those who think that teachers should be paid less if teaching remotely? Sisters, believe me when I say that it's much harder and as this was never our teaching model, teachers have spent the summer doing a lot of learning themselves and doing a million other things that needed to be done to make this work. In my district it will be nothing like the spring. Attendance is mandatory, no more pajamas or eating etc. About 3/4 of the families in my district support distance learning. Additionally, we have the option to teach from home or our classroom. Many of my colleagues are happy to teach from the classroom, myself included. All my “stuff", including my enormous collection of children's books is there! I also think it will help give my day the more typical structure and rhythm that I enjoy. Best news of all for our teachers who have school age children themselves. They learned yesterday that they can have their school age children with them if they are teaching from the classroom. They have to sign some sort of agreement with the district, probably regarding the district having no liability if a child gets sick. My children are adults but many of my colleagues have young children. I am so happy for them because I know the childcare issue was stressing them out.
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spookiesmom,
I,hope your daughter’s district makes that choice too. There are still too many unknowns with this virus. I for one am most comfortable erring on the side of caution and following the science as it evolves
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Well, of course the state caught wind of this decision. And is screaming you can't do that. So I guess it will be see ya in court.
The major state teacher union already has a lawsuit against this. But this is the south, unions are pretty toothless here. Will probably be like the schools that have opened, one day later a bunch of kids and adults are positive, and had to close again. How stupid. What a waste.
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Spookiesmom, I am a professor at a state university that was planning to be open...... until a week ago. We are now moving online for a month, although it's being said that we can stay online for the semester if we want to. Frankly I'm exhausted from the whiplash of watching policies come and go. I know it is a changing problem, but it was clear 2 months ago that rates were going out of control here, so it wasn't hard to know what would eventually happen. I wish they had been honest about going online, but I suspect they were hoping the kids would make plans to come, plans that would be difficult to un-do when we went online......
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