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Rising Covid-19 cases and a second wave of lockdown measures have reignited the debate over school re-openings. Stuck in the middle of it all are teachers, forced to choose between their lives and their livelihoods.
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An Impossible Choice: Teachers Resign Amid Lack Of Covid Protections | NBC News
They didn’t care about students/teachers being shot by sick people. Why would they care about students/teachers dying from a virus or spreading it to others?
Healthcare workers go through the same thing. It’s cruel and sad. Take care of yourselves, no matter the cost. Don’t let them have your life.
“61% of students have CHOSEN to return to schools…”
Was it the STUDENTS or the PARENTS who made that decision for the students? I would be willing to bet parents are sick and tired of having their kids underfoot and told their kids to go back in person.
Makes me wonder why people have them if they can’t wait to get away from them?
Lol no its called wanting there kids to be educated my kids are in high school I don’t need a babysitter but I want my kids in school so they can get an education. Online school is not good my kids say it’s not helping them so yeah I’ll take in person schools over online. We as inAmerican people need to work through this before we have a whole group of dumb adolescent kids
@Terri Parker and? What does that have to do with parents making potentially unwise decisions for the entire household? During a pandemic that has killed >300k in this country alone.
Even Sweden has said the herd immunity attempt was a mistake. Remote options are the best that can happen for the time being.
Teachers should be essential workers and be given enough PPE to feel safe. If the cashier at the grocery store is an essential worker so can can teachers. Also, Has anyone stop to think about the children? Their mental health, their wellbeing? My kids have to seat in front of a computer all day and do homework in the afternoon, all these hours have caused anxiety, stress, and headaches….
ALL the teachers need to stay home.
Prayers for all you Teachers that are reading this. Thank you for your attention towards our young and Love for all the children you have taught along the way 💗
Mass exodus of teachers, I don’t blame them. No one wants to be expendable.
Teachers are the one of the most important workers in society.
Subs payed 8.49 an hour to teach your child who most are very disrespectful and these subs are putting themselves at risk to help your kids….they need better compensation.
Its sad but teachers are not dealing with cov cases on a regular basis nurses an doctors are protect yourself an go to work . This is new America this ain’t going away no time soon . I chose my career in the medical field because I love helping people pandemic is not going to stop me from doing what I love to do I protect myself an keep it moving.everyone working tho this pandemic put there life’s on the line every day we should get payed more but we don’t
So True.. haven’t heard them mention Teachers to be amongst the first to get vaccinated?!
In my state, teachers will get vaccinated after nursing home residents and hospital workers get theirs
@Julienne Tully what state are you in?!
@*dijah RI
@Julienne Tully New Inflamed?!
Teachers quiting is understandable. The failure is not theirs. It is the political system that in mass want to develop generations of uneducated students because of government’s failure to act truthfully and decisively about this pandemic from the onset. Shame on them.
Nurses have it far worse.
💔💔💔
No one is making these people teach? Whose advocating for the kids mental health? The children with disabilities?with the exception of the one that had cancer the other teacher looks quite healthy…. I bet that same teacher goes to the grocery store, Target and other places to which she might be exposed but going in to work like the rest of us commoners is too much! Mkay, whatever you gotta tell ya self!
Sad😢
First year teacher and this video makes me want to cry. I was so happy to finish my program but the thought of having to teach in person makes me feel sick! I hate think of all the teachers and families forced into those situations.
So far this fall we’ve been hybrid (half in class half online) and it’s so much better than the quality in the spring. Mind you most kids are back in school full time so the few teachers who are doing hybrid WANTED to and are fabulous at it.
Wow my eyes water for these teachers, this is so sad.
Why isn’t this on the National news?
They should have resigned for reasons that it’s all lies. Be glad teachers for this Catch-22!! Be very glad!!
If you can read this, thank a teacher! Apprecialove NBC, thank you, teachers! ❤💛🖤💚🙏🏼🌎
I’m a teacher who also resigned in September. After several requests to admin to work from home as a virtual teacher they refused. I realized they don’t really care about me or any other teachers. They couldn’t care less if I caught Covid, nor would they do anything about it. They need us in the classroom to babysit…not necessarily teach. I have learned that I have to be my personal advocate because no one will love and care for me like I will.
This is not representative of all teachers. I know a handful that would have no issue teaching in person amid COVID.
My son has advanced more in education staying at home with me than last year where his school teachers had him play in class all day.. they called it “learning in play” …. smfh …..bad idea it took me 2 months to get my son to sit down calmly an actually focus an Learn.
It’s true ppl. talk a lot about front line workers and never mention teachers. Parents rely on teachers. They have to work and many cannot leave kids alone at home. Also a lot of parents say they cannot keep routine and discipline of their kids doing remote work. They are glad that schools are open. But not a lot of ppl. commend them. Teachers are so important in society. Without them we have less educated ppl. leading to poverty and poverty leads to chaos with more criminal activity bc of lack of adequate work/income.
The message of this isn’t so much talking about the lack of support from government but rather the lack of support and empathy from our districts. This is exactly what I’m going through with my district. My district refused to continue to let teachers work remotely and since we have all returned there have been many covid outbreaks. It’s the district and the school board that care so very little about their employees. We are also being micro manager and harassed when we are unable to keep up with our ever increasing workloads. Administrators and upper admin should be the ones resigning. They are overpaid and incompetent!
.
Incredible selfishness. Administrators want schools open because otherwise they lose major contracts with local and national businesses (not to mention that their administrative position would be under threat of being exposed as redundant). And parents just want their kids out of the house so they don’t have to take care of them all day or because they want to save money on childcare.
Kids should be in school period
you gotta do what you gotta do
and no one is under appreciated and underpaid like teachers smh
I quit college and decided to take online classes with masterclass, skill share, and find free stuff online to advance my knowledge. Best thing I ever did. I’m learning more than I ever did in college. Find alternatives, they are out there. If you are a teacher, use these platforms to teach. It’s time to be creative.
American educational system has been a failure for decades. Let it all fold. Homeschooling is best. Not remote learning. Homeschooling.
I have a documented autoimmune illness. My doctor gave me a note in order for me to stay remote. My district refused.
The way my district is wording everything makes it sound as though if we choose to do remote teaching, we won’t have a position at our home-school. I am so sorry your district did this to you. It is horrendous. Blessings to your and your students.
I have been very tempted to leave the profession, myself. When I found out we were going back to campus, in August, I was willing to quit. Then, we ended up doing online classes. I am very willing to do those online classes. I don’t think they are as effective as in-person teaching, but for the time being, it is a solution to quitting. Teaching is my calling, as well, and I would hate to give up my career for Covid. The plan is to go back in January. I honestly, don’t think it’s even an option. The Covid cases are not going down anytime soon. But if we do go back to in-person, before the cases go down, I will probably quit. I am not the only teacher thinking this. Many are. It is very sad that people are not considering the teachers, when all we do is care for your child. We consider them to the determent of ourselves, on many occasions. We put up with such nonsense, on a daily basis, from parents, students, administration, and government officials. We still do it with a smile on our faces. We try our best to give the children in our classrooms attention, love, acceptance, encouragement, and a quality education. This is the one time that we finally said, “no, I won’t teach in these conditions”. The least the administration can do is support us, in these unprecedented times. From what I hear, most families are wanting to keep their children home, anyway, according to the most recent survey.
There job is to misinform children about life so that they’ll buy a bunch of garbage. No they don’t care about you.
Schools should just shutdown for a year or two..and open once the virus is gone. By that time, people will have new respect for the school system and teachers…
If you think you had a teaching shortage before ..
You don’t realize how hard teaching is…
We all could learn from this
Don’t judge someone until you have walked a mile in their shoes
Screw them. Strike.
Nurses (I’m one of them) and doctors face covid-19 in the face all the time for 12 hours where patients demand we go into their isolation rooms frequently eventhough we provide health teaching against constant exposure and opening of isolation room doors which could spread the virus just because the patients feel anxious and “lonely”. I have never once thought about quitting. I became a nurse not because of money but because this is a vocation. It is either this or become a nun.Lol
These people are living in a pandemic and are only worried about teaching YOUR children. They care so much. If only someone would care for them
Now you know how the Russians felt in ww2 fighting the germans with either a stripper clip or an empty mosin rifle !
Oh please cry me a river. Hospital doctors and nurses have worked tirelessly and heroically with the lack of PPE through out the pandemic get they keep doing because it’s their job and a sense of duty. I have many teacher friends who are just like that. They care about their students and feel it’s a duty to help the kids. They wear a mask. Make sure they get tested and none have gotten sick. They say there are plenty of teachers like the complainers in the video and those who just don’t want to work.
I left my nursing position because my husband injured his foot and I decided not to go back to my job. My child will not be going to the school to possibly get covid. I had so much ti.e to think about things. I am a vet and I did my time but atleast I had proper gear for a war. Trachers and nurses do not, it’s sad
For ages it’s been teachers who’ve fought for the kids, often harder than many parents, so Thank You. But who’re now accusing all the parents and the school districts, if allowing their children to attend school, the children themselves threaten their teachers actual survival? What?!? Ever heard of not burdening children with undue stressors an adult brain can manage, but theirs cannot but still accept the leftovers as feelings of shame & guilt that they could’ve helped somehow. Part of our society that had long-since evaporated before the virus; the shaming of adults in severe conflict in the presence of a child.
Thes teachers are effectively exploiting the childrens’ need for education, in pursuit of an unhealthy and likely pre-existing delusional need for martyrdom, expecting the entire system to grind to a halt based on a perceived, backed-into corner as now bullied, frightened petunias in the crosshairs?
Geesh, you replace one summer break over the course of their careers with a coronavirus, and they succumb to a major psychotic break? Addicted To Summer, much?
EVERY leading medical scientist and researcher has unequivocably and repeatedly shouted from the rooftops are NOT in any way known or suspected of being transmitters of the coronavirus, well, except all of them – spawn of you murderous monsters!. #HystericalMisdirectomy #BradPittsAbsenceKillsWomen
Thanks Betsy DeVos! The utter worse person to be put in that position.
Stop voting for these A-holes to office. Texas and Florida is vicious.
On top of their impossible loans they may never be able to pay off and bare above minimum salary
Teachers are actually pretty well paid considering the time off for summers and holidays.
@Hippie Bits perspective….I have three educators in my family and I work for NYS education as support staff and every one on my team was once a teacher ……from all of the information…..they don’t get paid enough.
These teachers would never make it as nurses. Wha wha wha!!! I guess teachers are not essential because we nurses did not get to choose not to show up.
Not even comparable…Mad respect for nurses but their job expectations are different. It’s a given that they may encounter communicable disease on a regular basis. Teachers shouldn’t have to “make it” as nurses…two entirely different fields.
I can’t imagine how school bus drivers are getting by with no unemployment
I’m tried of seeing teachers being disrespected. Teachers deserves so much more
Where are all the liberal-bashing Texans?🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️
I’m retired. Many friends still in teaching and it is very difficult. Also read that on teacher forums the top discussion subject has been “how to write a will”. Yes you should have a will, but this was never a common topic (usual subjects—accommodating students with disabilities, teaching certain subject matter, hands on math ideas, etc.). Most schools I taught in would be dangerous for covid–long distance to bathrooms (sinks), so much for frequent handwashing; poor air circulation, cleaning of rooms is cursory–was never meant for controlling a pandemic. I’d also worry re: how much of the staff and students take this seriously.
School boards and state members that set the budget for schools all need to be or have been teachers, this is just stupid. Also there are too many sh**ty parents, I have repeatedly gone on our nextdoor app and bashed the people that have even threatened the lives of teachers because they don’t want to parent these peoples sh**ty kids.Thanks to politicians hacking away at budgets for education we already had a brain drain and this epidemic of stupidity will end up doing what republicans want and that is to nearly wipe out public education.
The Wuhan Virus is doing exactly as intended by the Communist Chinese. Ruining education AND the economy. And to think we have a China-owned senile apologist as “president-elect”.
What do you expect from a Republican state? It’s as simple as that.
Things won’t change until parents realize that treating teachers like trash will push more teachers out of this line of work. Maybe they’ll learn to parent their little “angels”
Our children are receiving a subpar education because teachers are refusing to return to the classroom. This is why parents are angry not because we “want to send our kids away for the day.”
It is like this all over the country. Teachers are never respected or valued.
So, that’s why I’ve been receiving LOTS of substitute positions from schools via Indeed within the last month. I haven’t accepted any because I also feel like the districts aren’t doing enough, and won’t do enough to protect my health. I refuse to work on site. Which is why I’m only been taking Distance Sub opportunities. I have my family to think about.
I am sorry teachers. We appreciate you. The choices we are having to make are disheartening. Did you say 18 students in a room? yikes.
My concern is that we are working as though there is no pandemic. I love our district and serving our children. It’s a blessing to serve and teach in the communities we live in. But now, due to stress, family illnesses, added expectations, stress about being evaluated by TEM, lesson plans and meetings after meetings, you are drained. And you still have family at home to tend to and the looming threat of the emotional and financial impact of Covid 19. We need modifications and accommodations too. Especially as it relates to workload manageability and TEM expectations. I’m just so sad to have to resign, I really love my students. I must commend Dr.Ray for putting safety first, despite the backlash and threats from the community. I still don’t plan to give up on this ministry. Just take a mental break to plan and gather myself.
Say no more, TEXAS…..Republican……
Teachers the republicans are doing this to you because of the fact that you belong to a union and the republicans hate unions and getting rid of you they can get rid of unions.
Teachers want to teach our students in person. We see how much online sucks! But we also want to do it safely. Having school in already crowded classrooms because there are no caps is not safe! We can’t properly socially distance that way.
My mom has made the decision to retire next December from teaching and honestly it can’t come fast enough.
Schools, not right wing death camps.
It’s not only teachers at risk but also social workers.
Amid this pandemic, social work case managers continue to do home visits and drive comsumers to necessary appointments.
Social Workers help people in rhe community. Social Workers are always around people.
Social Workers are also at Department of Human Services helping the public with either food stamps, etc.
So not just teachers lives are ob the line but social workers lives are on the line too.
You are watching the decline of the American Empire.
Parents suddenly became appreciative of teachers because now they were forced to raise their own children.
Texas sucks
Normal will never be, so why not give the people the choice to make a decision on the new Beginnings.
covid has a 96% or so survival rate
Medical and disability leaves are unpaid? In what state is this?!
Oh, as I was typing this comment, I learned that it’s Texas. As a Texas native and a California teacher, I’m ashamed of my home state. So sad.
You know what they say: Those who can teach, those who can’t become P.E or Art .
8:45 Say it louder for those in the back!!!
My school is bringing all the kids back this Monday. 24+ kids in each class. I do t understand how the Idaho mayor said to keep gatherings less then 10 peeps but it’s ok to pack kids in school.
It’s so true. I’ve gotten at least one email a week, if not two to three, about new covid cases in the district. Yet all the super does is yell at parents to keep sick kids/kids with sick family members home. I guess he forgot about asymptomatic cases?? He won’t take any responsibility for it at all, it’s pathetic.
We takes risk everyday you can’t live a cowardly life , life is precious but you cant live in Fear, step out in Faith.
You know how you know a women is a Teacher or a Nurse ? They will tell you. 😎
I don’t think the world is ever going back to the way it was pre covid. I hope the other side is better than pre-covid- but I wonder what the outcome will be for all of the kids coming up in the wake of covid. So much screen time- no nature, no social connection- or very little of it. What a world we have created. Angels in heaven must be crying for our ignorance and self-created distruction.
Of course…Texas. Didn’t they (TX) just sue on behalf of other states’ electoral votes? 🤔
The plexiglass does nothing if there isn’t a good air filtration system in each classroom. And windows need to be open.
I don’t understand why we are pushing to reopen schools when it is surging in many states and the new variant strains are 70% more contagious. Kids are not immune and they also transmit the virus.
Every level of government DOES NOT CARE ABOUT US!!
So…medical personnel had to work thru the pandemic, grocery store workers had to work thru the pandemic, utility workers had to work thru the pandemic, truck drivers had to work thru the pandemic, so many others had to work thru the pandemic….but teachers are so special that they don’t have to go back to work? What exactly am I missing?
thinking about you both today
Take the Supreme Court injunction out of it and this is my district’s story too. Not getting promised safeguards such as plexiglass barriers, inflexible mandates, and inadequate contact tracing.
I quit my job as a 4th grade teacher due to the increasingly lax situation in regards to COVID at a charter school. It was my dream to be their teacher, and I loved every single one of my students. The school was the only one in the district that opened up for in-person in the beginning of September, therefore there was an influx of students who wanted to get their kids back in the classroom. My class size in-person was 25, my counterparts as high as 30, plus 11 students online. I live with my mother who is 65 and I just couldn’t stay knowing it was just going to get worse. ]
I admire the people who stay, but I also know that I as a person and my health are worth more than how they treated me. I am a great teacher, and if districts would care for their teacher’s more, more great teachers would stay.
Teachers should be the most respected members of our community!
My child’s school has already lost some teachers since the start of the school year. The teachers have been having to teach both online and in person students due to the lack of teachers. We’re doing digital school online at home. Can tell the teachers are overwhelmed. So are the parents.
Yeah, that 99.8% survival rate is scary. More chance of dying in the car on the way to work. Thanks a lot media…
My heart goes out to the teachers! They have a very hard but rewarding job, teaching! They should be better protected! This pandemic is real! They should be allowed to teach virtually until this thing passes!!
Protect our teachers!
Fake school learning
its easier to show “appreciation” and call someone a hero than to make fundamental changes
And the ohio freaking governor has made it a requirement for teachers to go back to school in order to get the vaccine. It should be the other way around.
keep voting republican