Sunday, August 2, 2020

Wary' Teachers Now Opposed to Both Online and In-Person Classes, Threaten To Strike

Via John Can you spell "a year long paid vacation?"  Medical workers, gas station workers, supermarket employees, truck drivers, etc.  have been working all through the pandemic. Why? Because they are considered to provide essential societal services.  ALL the medical and educational expertssay children MUST be in school - but teachers don't seem to think the their kids, and by extension, their jobs, are "essential." If we following their reasoning that teaching jobs are not essential jobs, then they should do what other non-essential workers have done; get laid off and collect unemployment. The public should not be on the hook for paying non-teaching teachers. This is really outrageous and  once again shows how little regard unionized teachers have for the taxpayers, their students, parents and even their own profession. I would pay working teachers a premium this fall, and  at the same time, I would terminate those teachers who feel the world owes THEM a living (for no apparent reason).  Let them go flip burgers -another job which is also considered essential. I would allow older teachers (55+) with a previously diagnosed and verified comorbidity to find an alternate way to contribute to education and keep their jobs.  Clearly this is emblematic of why we pay more for education than any other nations, and have the worst results to show for it. If that isn't a damning indictment all by itself, then I do not know what is. Send this message EVERYWHERE.  Teachers will bitch and moan when they read this, but too bad - either your job is essential, or it isn't. 
My advice to teachers. take your pick, but by all means, get ready to go back to your essential work and stop embarrassing yourselves. 


Teachers protest in front of the Hillsborough County School District Office on July 16, 2020, in Tampa, Florida. Teachers and administrators from the school system rallied against the reopening of schools due to health and safety concerns amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

With public school districts nationwide beginning to cancel in-person learning for the fall semester in answer to COVID-19 transmission fears, a number of teachers unions already are moving the goalposts.

According to The New York Times, educators in the hard-hit states of Florida and California might be “wary of returning to class” this back-to-school season, but that concern hasn’t stopped them from shooting down alternatives such as virtual learning.

Widely promoted as the logical alternative to traditional learning, online video instruction was a go-to for many public institutions when coronavirus-related lockdowns first took effect in late March. Several major teachers unions now argue, however, that the practice was stressful, distracting and detrimental to learning — and they want to see their educators provided with alternatives or a reduction in labor hours this fall should virtual learning become the standard.

More @ WJ

10 comments:

  1. The unions in California have a list of demands straight from Marx himself. That is exactly what this is all about. Lame excuses like teachers feeling uncomfortable of teleconferencing from home because of anguish over a messy home is just that, a lame excuse. It and other lame excuses are the unions doubling down because there is push back against the union's demands.

    Incidentally, the whole business about teacher's anxiety started with a union rep in Florida. Unions across the country have picked up on it. They see the back to school craze as a golden opportunity to make demands, demands that mostly have nothing to do with teaching or students.

    There have been teacher's conference where the teachers discuss with each other their concerns and problem solving. They have discussed 'green screens' as a backdrop when video teaching from home. The teachers are pissed at the unions.

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    1. The teachers are pissed at the unions.

      Good and hope they get more pissed.

      Delete
  2. Sign held by a young healthy teacher: "I can't teach from the grave". Then maybe she should aspire for a "safer" vocation in the military or law enforcement.

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    1. maybe she should aspire for a "safer" vocation in the military or law enforcement.

      Such a novel idea! :)

      Delete
  3. I'm a retired teacher, with many friends still teaching. When I've heard them talking about this on social media, I couldn't believe how over the top they were in their hysteria about possible DEATH - for themselves!

    Clearly, they have worked themselves into a state of frenzy; they do seem to honestly believe that their lives will be in jeopardy, should they return in the fall (or, for that matter, until there is a vaccine available).

    For some, retirement would make sense - they are still wanting to continue teaching, but their health is fragile, due to pre-existing conditions. But, they are fighting for online schooling, rather than what is a sensible alternative - retirement for them.

    Some of the younger teachers have other reasons to fear - they are fat - morbidly obese. I'm not just talking about a few post-pregnancy pounds, but the kind of overweight that makes walking very far a serious problem.

    I gained weight, too, but am currently exercising and dieting to take it off (which, given the higher risk, is a good idea for most of us).

    It's time for the parents to call their bluff - they can stay out, if they accept unemployment as their compensation. No guarantee of a job if they later return.

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    1. Well done and thanks. https://freenorthcarolina.blogspot.com/2020/08/comment-on-wary-teachers-now-opposed-to.html

      Delete
  4. given your attitude I suspect you would be a better teacher below ground than above.

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  5. So what the heck are their proposed alternatives? They're too scared to run in-person classes. Not willing to spend the time and effort to help parents shift to online learning. And the teacher's unions and school administrators have been trying to strangle Home and Private schooling out of existence for decades. So again, what do they want to do?

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