TEACHERS WANT TO BE IN THEIR CLASSROOMS, BUT NOT UNTIL IT’S SAFE

…Is this the American school of the future

Any teacher in a classroom by this Fall, is rolling the dice for their health

Educators are now being asked to consider returning to their classrooms during this pandemic.  The reality is that many US classrooms are in aging, neglected buildings.  Some classrooms have no windows; others, have no windows that open.  And some of their support staff, such as occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech therapists, when available, they have to work out of actual classroom closets.  And let’s not forget that some school buildings have highly questionable air conditioning systems.

Before the pandemic, the basic supplies in many classrooms, including any hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes and tissues, they were only available because they were donated by the parents.  For the schools today, to be allowed to open, all class sizes would need to be halved or cut by two-thirds, just to enforce safe distancing.

Let’s face it, there is no place that many teachers would rather be, than in their school with their students.  However, most teachers don’t know how that can happen safely. The American Academy of Pediatrics has “strongly” advocated that "all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with a goal of having students physically present in school.”  But in being a teacher, many have concerns about how that can be managed while prioritizing the safety of both the children and the adults who make schools function.

Many teachers accept that teaching is only one aspect of the job they love.  They’ve accepted that they will spend their my own money every year to buy, school supplies and other classroom materials, just because US public schools are chronically underfunded.  They’ve accepted that in the absence of any paid-leave policies, the parents will often choose between sending sick children to school, or risk losing their jobs.  And the teachers have accepted that they will ask their personal friends, at least twice a year, to donate food for their private “snack closets.”  That is because ending childhood poverty, hunger, and many of the hardships that involve it, seem to be beyond today’s American society.

Yes, and they have accepted that they might someday have to lock some students in that same closet, just because reasonable gun control seems to be beyond our society.

We’ve all seen how a lack of a coordinated federal response has affected hospitals and essential workers.  Reopening schools will not mean a return to the school experience we all remember, as today It’s unclear what school will look like going forward.

What happens when a student or a teacher gets sick, or when one of their family members gets sick?  How do schools help parents when their child is sick, yet they still must go to work?  How will the inevitable staff absences be dealt with when substitute teachers are unavailable?  What steps will be taken to ensure that instruction is meaningful when districts have to return to remote learning?  How do the schools better support both the teachers and the parents, when that day comes, which it will?

In just some of the school basics, what will a school recess look like in this new normal?  Where will school breakfasts and lunches come from and how will they be served?  How can the younger student’s movements be safely incorporated into the classrooms, because kids rarely hold still for long.  So, how will they be maintaining the safe social distancing?

Most teachers are very worried for their students. They realize that they need social interaction and they just need to keep learning.

We all know that school has always been about more than academics.  That is a fact that has been painfully hammered home this Spring.  Everyone would like for everything to get back to normal, and going back to school would offer a quick glimpse of the existence we all miss.

But whether schooling takes place in person or at a distance, this academic year will be unlike previous years. Children will be dealing with layer upon layer of trauma, while the educators will need to make time and space for all that.  Most American schools had to close for some portion of the last Spring session, and if students are behind, they’re behind some arbitrary lines that educators and administrators drew.  A line that might need to be amended to reflect today’s reality.  We need to meet the kids where they are, but many of today’s teachers don’t want to hear anything about student testing, unless today, it involves a nasal swab.

Teachers do  understand however, that they might be expected to teach more content in less time to more students.  And parents will be obviously be juggling work and their children, who might be distance-learning or participating in a weird, hybrid school schedule.  And we will need policies that reflect that we all want what’s best for our children. Teachers and families need to offer each other workable programs to achieve what’s best for both..

The American Academy of Pediatrics has said: “The pandemic has reminded so many … that educators are invaluable in children’s lives and that attending school in person offers children a wide array of health and educational benefits. For our country to truly value children, elected leaders must come together to appropriately support schools in safely returning students to the classroom and reopening schools.”

Teachers, custodians, bus drivers, instructional assistants and other school staff need the public to help us open schools safely in the coming months. That means wearing a mask. Staying home as much as possible, and supporting favorite restaurants by continuing to order takeout.  Everyone must be intentional about when and why you go out of the home. 

People who don’t do those things, but want a teacher in class in September, are asking them to make far bigger sacrifices than the ones they’ve been willing to make themselves.

No teacher should be asked to go back into a classroom until it can be guaranteed safe, and that day, as of today, is a long way off.

Copyright G. Ater 2020.