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It's actually astonishing to me how many articles can be written about schools reopening that don't describe any other policy choices that led to this place
It's just "teachers unions vs local officials" "one side says it's safe the other says it's not!" "Hands in the air, no way to know anything!"
Just...idk y'all some other countries managed to not completely fail at this thing! Maybe we could discuss that instead of blaming teachers, always, for major societal and governmental failures!
I spent the better part of the last two months talking to teachers who are killing themselves teaching online and desperately want to be back in the classroom but not at the expense of their, their students, and their students' families' lives.
The same publications that will run articles shaming people for in-person gatherings then also shame teachers for not wanting to be forced back into desperately overcrowded school buildings. For fuck's sake.
You think i'm joking:
Anyway, I didn't start this rant for book promo (also, buy Megan's book) but it's not like this is a new problem https://mobile.twitter.com/LadyOfSardines/status/1358533861634838528
Also this. Vaccines are going out! But new variants are also spreading! We have to speed one and slow the other! https://mobile.twitter.com/RealMeMP/status/1358787972695552001
This could be the beginning of the end of this thing, which we all so desperately want. Or we could force reopenings and spread it further, pushing us all back into more lockdown.
As i'm ranting about teachers' sacrifices, the news that Karen Lewis passed away feels like a punch in the gut. https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/former-ctu-president-karen-lewis-dies-after-years-long-battle-with-brain-cancer/2432331/
I hear Karen's voice in my head talking about who cares about the students. I can only imagine how much worse things would be right now without the flame she and @CTULocal1 lit a decade ago.
Karen was our first-ever guest at Belabored. She was sharp, funny, warm and tough as nails all at once. No one cared more. https://www.dissentmagazine.org/blog/belabored-podcast-launches-sarah-jaffe-josh-eidelson-karen-lewis
Teachers in Philly outside in the cold because the idea that it's laziness and not real concern for safety keeping teachers out of buildings is ridiculous https://mobile.twitter.com/mindyisser/status/1358781651237695488
OK yes there is much more on this in my book. Particularly: https://bookshop.org/a/1518/9781568589398
Anyway. I have work to do but if you appreciate this thread: it really does matter for y'all to share the good work as often as you hate-share the bad.
Teachers who are back in the classroom: unsurprisingly, nothing about it is "normal" https://twitter.com/MsLaBarge/status/1358823435862896647
IMMORAL. Are you kidding me? https://twitter.com/bibliolisa/status/1358846633019072514
It's just heartbreaking to hear this over and over. https://twitter.com/wigglyyyworm/status/1358850188388036608
Keeping this thread going because still hearing from teachers: https://twitter.com/sufficiency/status/1358997687400603648
What "back to normal" schools are like right now: https://twitter.com/MsLaBarge/status/1359105645069406208
