7 ms·

Clever. But also tragic. The poor teachers who have been caught in the middle of all this really make me feel sad. Teaching is already a rough gig, and being f

Clever. But also tragic. The poor teachers who have been caught in the middle of all this really make me feel sad. Teaching is already a rough gig, and being forced to improvise with limited to no support from communities, schools, or governments.

notatoad 6y ago
Being forced to improvise with limited support is a fairly normal situation for teachers tbh.
- jsjohnst 6y ago
  But should it be is more the point I think GP was making?
  - notatoad 6y ago
    No, it obviously shouldn't. Just because I replied, doesn't mean I disagreed with the comment I was replying to.
- thomasfortes 6y ago
  I had to buy pens for white boards even though I was volunteering to help students prepare to university exams as a math/physics teacher, I wasn't getting a single penny and I had to pay for minimal resources because they were only available for free for the hired teachers. I have nothing but a giant respect for teachers that are usually underpaid for the giant importance that they carry on their shoulders, a good teacher can help completely change the life of their students.
  - Symbiote 6y ago
    I know of teachers buying all sorts of stuff for school, or for specific children. Cheap sports shoes so the poor kid isn't left out after he lost his shoes but can't afford new ones, pens etc for children who lose them and don't have friends who will lend them one, tampons or sanitary towels for girls whose parents refuse to accept she's growing up. Example article on this: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/nearly-1-in-10-school-staff-are-bringing-in-food-tampons-and-pens-for-children-in-need_uk_5bb499cce4b028e1fe393bd4?guccounter=1 https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/nearly-1-in-10-school...
- gumby 6y ago
  ...in some countries like the USA, India, Nigeria... Typically governments find education a good area to invest in (including two of the three counties I used as examples).
- entire-name 6y ago
  That is precisely why it is tragic.
macspoofing 6y ago
>being forced to improvise with limited to no support from communities, schools, or governments. Everyone is trying to figure out how to continue life during this pandemic. Why would you expect all levels to have this figured out?
- JadeNB 6y ago
  > >being forced to improvise with limited to no support from communities, schools, or governments. > Everyone is trying to figure out how to continue life during this pandemic. Why would you expect all levels to have this figured out? There's a big difference between, on one hand, complaining "why haven't communities, schools, and governments figured this all out?", which would be a ridiculous complaint and which no-one is making; and, on the other hand, observing that communities, schools, and governments have collectively thrown up their hands and declared that it's all the teacher's responsibility, which is a real and justified complaint.
  - macspoofing 6y ago
    >and declared that it's all the teacher's responsibility, which is a real and justified complaint. Is it a real complaint? I don't see anybody claiming it's all the teacher's responsibility. I don't see that from the parents, or school board, or any government of any level.
    - JadeNB 6y ago
      > > and declared that it's all the teacher's responsibility, which is a real and justified complaint. > Is it a real complaint? I don't see anybody claiming it's all the teacher's responsibility. I don't see that from the parents, or school board, or any government of any level. No indeed, it is usually not stated explicitly, just as racism and sexism often are not. But few to no resources are given to teachers, and the first port of call for governmeents, school administrators, and parents looking to apportion blame is teachers, so the effect is the same, even if no one explicitly acknowledges it.
      - 6y ago
josefrichter 6y ago
Maybe the teacher used this because it’s actually simple and using specialized hardware would be just waste and hassle?
- Pfhreak 6y ago
  I mean maybe. But a basic Wacom is like $100. Surely that would be preferable?
  - shard 6y ago
    I don't seem a Wacom providing $100 of extra value compared with a working solution that is free.
    - aaomidi 6y ago
      A wacom provides a ton of value that you can't just get on pen and paper. The ability to have infinite space in teaching is extremely useful.
      - Shared404 6y ago
        > A wacom provides a ton of value that you can't just get on pen and paper. I had teachers who I know for a fact had wacom tablets available, as they taught the photography/graphics course, who still chose to use pencil and paper. I have to assume therefore that there is some benefit to using pencil and paper over a wacom.
      - deleted 6y ago
        [deleted]
      - shard 6y ago
        I am not denying the value of a Wacom tablet, I'm simply considering the teachers' salaries, and comparing the cost of a $100 Wacom tablet with a free CD and pencil plus a $1 notebook.
    - ClumsyPilot 6y ago
doctorOb 6y ago
K-12 is a terrible system in the US which seems entirely reliant on the desperation of people who devoted 4-8 years of education to retain their jobs in a very limited market.

notatoad 6y ago

Being forced to improvise with limited support is a fairly normal situation for teachers tbh.

jsjohnst 6y ago
But should it be is more the point I think GP was making?
- notatoad 6y ago
  No, it obviously shouldn't. Just because I replied, doesn't mean I disagreed with the comment I was replying to.
thomasfortes 6y ago
I had to buy pens for white boards even though I was volunteering to help students prepare to university exams as a math/physics teacher, I wasn't getting a single penny and I had to pay for minimal resources because they were only available for free for the hired teachers. I have nothing but a giant respect for teachers that are usually underpaid for the giant importance that they carry on their shoulders, a good teacher can help completely change the life of their students.
- Symbiote 6y ago
  I know of teachers buying all sorts of stuff for school, or for specific children. Cheap sports shoes so the poor kid isn't left out after he lost his shoes but can't afford new ones, pens etc for children who lose them and don't have friends who will lend them one, tampons or sanitary towels for girls whose parents refuse to accept she's growing up. Example article on this: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/nearly-1-in-10-school-staff-are-bringing-in-food-tampons-and-pens-for-children-in-need_uk_5bb499cce4b028e1fe393bd4?guccounter=1 https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/nearly-1-in-10-school...
gumby 6y ago
...in some countries like the USA, India, Nigeria... Typically governments find education a good area to invest in (including two of the three counties I used as examples).
entire-name 6y ago
That is precisely why it is tragic.

macspoofing 6y ago

>being forced to improvise with limited to no support from communities, schools, or governments. Everyone is trying to figure out how to continue life during this pandemic. Why would you expect all levels to have this figured out?

JadeNB 6y ago
> >being forced to improvise with limited to no support from communities, schools, or governments. > Everyone is trying to figure out how to continue life during this pandemic. Why would you expect all levels to have this figured out? There's a big difference between, on one hand, complaining "why haven't communities, schools, and governments figured this all out?", which would be a ridiculous complaint and which no-one is making; and, on the other hand, observing that communities, schools, and governments have collectively thrown up their hands and declared that it's all the teacher's responsibility, which is a real and justified complaint.
- macspoofing 6y ago
  >and declared that it's all the teacher's responsibility, which is a real and justified complaint. Is it a real complaint? I don't see anybody claiming it's all the teacher's responsibility. I don't see that from the parents, or school board, or any government of any level.
  - JadeNB 6y ago
    > > and declared that it's all the teacher's responsibility, which is a real and justified complaint. > Is it a real complaint? I don't see anybody claiming it's all the teacher's responsibility. I don't see that from the parents, or school board, or any government of any level. No indeed, it is usually not stated explicitly, just as racism and sexism often are not. But few to no resources are given to teachers, and the first port of call for governmeents, school administrators, and parents looking to apportion blame is teachers, so the effect is the same, even if no one explicitly acknowledges it.
    - 6y ago

josefrichter 6y ago

Maybe the teacher used this because it’s actually simple and using specialized hardware would be just waste and hassle?

Pfhreak 6y ago
I mean maybe. But a basic Wacom is like $100. Surely that would be preferable?
- shard 6y ago
  I don't seem a Wacom providing $100 of extra value compared with a working solution that is free.
  - aaomidi 6y ago
    A wacom provides a ton of value that you can't just get on pen and paper. The ability to have infinite space in teaching is extremely useful.
    - Shared404 6y ago
      > A wacom provides a ton of value that you can't just get on pen and paper. I had teachers who I know for a fact had wacom tablets available, as they taught the photography/graphics course, who still chose to use pencil and paper. I have to assume therefore that there is some benefit to using pencil and paper over a wacom.
    - deleted 6y ago
      [deleted]
    - shard 6y ago
      I am not denying the value of a Wacom tablet, I'm simply considering the teachers' salaries, and comparing the cost of a $100 Wacom tablet with a free CD and pencil plus a $1 notebook.
  - ClumsyPilot 6y ago

doctorOb 6y ago

K-12 is a terrible system in the US which seems entirely reliant on the desperation of people who devoted 4-8 years of education to retain their jobs in a very limited market.