Schools are closing because they don't have the staff to work. All the dedicated substitutes are covering long-term positions because educators have left because behavior has gotten so bad and COVID protocols require so much more documentation, and all their planning periods are gone covering staff who are out for doctor appointments, sick kids, family emergencies, flat tires, etc. Again, teachers teach because they want to help kids, not for the money. And Chicago isn't striking because they want more money, or even really because they feel threatened by COVID, but because their jobs have gotten so awful. Parents are suffering, kids are suffering, and teachers are suffering. Unfortunately your post, like almost every opinion I read, makes it seem like an all-or-nothing approach. I read a great article in The Atlantic today that described what we maybe should've been doing from the beginning, which is prioritizing families with high needs for in-person learning and sending others virtual. Wish we'd gone this way from the beginning... https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/01/school-closures-america-britain/621168/
Thanks, Abigail. I’m not sure where I wrote in this post about things being all or nothing. This post was simply about the shift in the punditry and public discourse about the benefits of closing schools to contain COVID at any cost. School closures have hurt kids. I understand that, especially at this moment, school closures are happening for multiple reasons, including just a lot of sick staff and kids. But let’s not mince words. This is horrific for kids, particularly for kids like mine who have special needs.
Schools are closing because they don't have the staff to work. All the dedicated substitutes are covering long-term positions because educators have left because behavior has gotten so bad and COVID protocols require so much more documentation, and all their planning periods are gone covering staff who are out for doctor appointments, sick kids, family emergencies, flat tires, etc. Again, teachers teach because they want to help kids, not for the money. And Chicago isn't striking because they want more money, or even really because they feel threatened by COVID, but because their jobs have gotten so awful. Parents are suffering, kids are suffering, and teachers are suffering. Unfortunately your post, like almost every opinion I read, makes it seem like an all-or-nothing approach. I read a great article in The Atlantic today that described what we maybe should've been doing from the beginning, which is prioritizing families with high needs for in-person learning and sending others virtual. Wish we'd gone this way from the beginning... https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/01/school-closures-america-britain/621168/
Thanks, Abigail. I’m not sure where I wrote in this post about things being all or nothing. This post was simply about the shift in the punditry and public discourse about the benefits of closing schools to contain COVID at any cost. School closures have hurt kids. I understand that, especially at this moment, school closures are happening for multiple reasons, including just a lot of sick staff and kids. But let’s not mince words. This is horrific for kids, particularly for kids like mine who have special needs.