On Saturday, the LA Times letters editor Paul Thorton handed over an entire page of the newspaper to let teachers explain why they are resistant to returning to the classroom. Before publishing the teacher’s letters, he wrote:
“Generally, school-age children belong in the classroom — this was beyond dispute
before the pandemic, and in the last 11 months parents have become more reverent
of this truth. But whether kids belong in a classroom under the care of educators
who are frightened for their lives may be another matter. At the very least, reading
these letters should make one thing clear about sending unvaccinated teachers
back onto campus during a pandemic: It is a big ask.”
Although LA County hit the threshold for schools to reopen, teachers are hesitant to resume in-person classes, and for a valid reason.
I firmly believe that it should be up to the teacher’s discretion to decide whether or not it is safe for them to return to the classroom.
An LA Times subscriber responded to Thorton's letter and said, “In the LAUSD’s case, teachers want the district not only to meet U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines on ventilation, masking and social distancing, but also to vaccinate teachers, administrators and other staff.” LAUSD Teacher Jamie Tarlov explains that there is a "huge miscommunication because our union would never vote for us to go back right now."
Although LAUSD teachers unions have more of a say in whether they go back, some private schools (that lack teachers unions) are reopening schools and essentially forcing teachers back into their classrooms.
My sister participated in Teach for America at a school in West Adams, just five minutes away from USC campus. Fortunately (and unfortunately), I had the opportunity to see just how much of an emotional impact teaching has on teachers. For a midwestern native and young adult, her experience was eye-opening. But, the COVID-19 pandemic took things to an entirely different level.
In early April (after all LAUSD schools transitioned to distance learning), my sister would only have a few students show up to class, several of them absent due to insufficient internet access and/or complications at home. She worried about whether or not kids were getting enough food for breakfast and lunch, many of them whom she knew were dependent on both meals for their daily source of nutrition.
Children trying to learn from “educators who are frightened for their lives” seems counterintuitive based on my personal experience. My sister was already worried about the well-being of her students before the COVID-19 pandemic. How can she be expected to teach her 8th grade biology class if all she is thinking about is whether or not she could infect her students or vice versa?
Since March, we’ve seen several attempts to make learning work outside of a traditional classroom setting. It’s almost been a year since LAUSD schools stopped in-person classes, and our country has come together to make meaningful changes to ensure the best learning experiences for children given the circumstances. If we’ve spent a year pouring resources into transitioning to online class, then we can wait until all teachers are vaccinated before making them return to school….
The occupation and responsibility of teachers was widely underappreciated in the U.S. before the COVID-19 pandemic. It's time to realize the essential role they play in child development. Let's not hinder their passion and talent for teaching by pushing them back into classrooms too soon...
God I hate ZoomU, and while I want more than anything to resume in person classes, it is not the way. People need to be patient. It is hard for young kids to stay at home for a year on a computer screen without social interactions and the parts of school that make it slightly bearable. However, when I see people on Twitter dogging Newsome and hating on california saying that we need to get students back in the classroom, it neglects the fact that the teachers are the ones at risk. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen people tweet articles saying “kids aren’t at a high risk.” And while that is true, they aren’t the ones…
Although I see where the problems lay in students and teachers going to school, I think it is more than crucial to get back on track to get students back in school as soon as possible. It is essential for kids at that age to have human interaction with others besides their families for them to advance in other areas besides school. Children learn more than just what's in the books when attending class. I am not saying to force students or teachers to go back to school but to make it more of a priority. In a conversation with a peer, I learned that some schools are staying online strictly because they spent so much time switching to online…
My 11-year-old sister has safely been in the classroom for this entire year. When I initially heard that her school was going to be held in person, I was very skeptical. I thought Covid would break out in no less than three weeks. I was wrong. The kids and teachers have been abiding by CDC guidelines to a tee. They have successfully made this school year as close to normal as it could be with everyone six feet apart and wearing masks. I believe that each school should have the discretion to do what is best under the circumstances. My sister’s school is fortunate enough to have the resources to hold in-person classes without the fear of worsening the pandemic;…
Hi Lizzy,
I completely agree, I think that students and teachers should not be forced to go back into the classroom unless they are vaccinated or feel comfortable doing so. I believe the same goes for the workplace because I know many people whose offices have started opening up due to wider access to the vaccine, but still feel worried about infecting themselves, colleagues, or domestic partners. There seems to be issues on both sides of this argument though because many companies and institutions feel as though in-person communication is the only valuable way to work. It will be interesting to see how this plays out once more and more people in the US are vaccinated. Thanks for sharing.
I agree with you that teachers should not be forced back to school if they do not feel safe. Even though Zoom school is hard on students and teachers, I think it is much better to stay online so teachers can be safe and comfortable. I also agree entirely with your statement, "Let's not hinder their passion and talent for teaching by pushing them back into classrooms too soon." If teachers are forced back into the classroom, they will not teach at their full potential. If it means that it takes a little more time for us to go back to normal, it will be worth it for the teachers and the students.