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The problem isn’t the kids getting sick, it’s the adults teaching them getting sick and dying. We’ve treated teachers like shit for so long that many are just s

The problem isn’t the kids getting sick, it’s the adults teaching them getting sick and dying. We’ve treated teachers like shit for so long that many are just saying “nope, not dying for a job” because they can go make more money doing literally anything else. We were scraping the bottom of the barrel even before Covid. If kids education were really a priority, the right time to invest was 20 years ago. The system has been broken for a long time already.

animal_spirits 5y ago
> the right time to invest was 20 years ago The second best time to plant a tree is today
- wayoutthere 5y ago
  It’s probably too late, this country is about to fracture. All the indicators point to a coup coming in the next few years which will launch us into an unknown realm of violence. We’re way deep into “the cool zone” now.
  - animal_spirits 5y ago
    I highly disagree. It is never too late. I will continue to roll up my sleeves and work for change and I hope you join me.
    - wayoutthere 5y ago
      As a member of a marginalized community, I don’t have that luxury. Hope for the best, plan for the worst. I’m doing my part in my own way.
      - animal_spirits 5y ago
        Best of luck to you on your journey, friend
nsxwolf 5y ago
This sentiment seems strange in 2022. Vaccines for teachers have been widely available for almost a year now.
- quadrifoliate 5y ago
  > Vaccines for teachers have been widely available for almost a year now. You appear to have missed the news around the Omicron variant being much better at vaccine evasion than Delta. You can't compare the situation a year ago with the one now, which is unique and unprecedented, just like the pandemic was initially.
  - nsxwolf 5y ago
    I thought it was pretty much understood the vaccines weren't doing much for contraction of Delta already. We've moved on to "prevents serious illness and death" which is still true for Omicron and ought to be enough for teachers to return to work.
    - quadrifoliate 5y ago
      In that case, shouldn't it be enough for everyone to return to work? I wonder why top companies in the S&P 500 are delaying return to work then. Clearly they must be operating under the same mysterious constraints that are keeping schools closed.
      - sanedigital 5y ago
        Top companies in the S&P 500 are delaying return to work because many tried it and were met with absolute mutiny. The vast majority of people got a taste of the remote life and don't want to return.
        quadrifoliate 5y ago
        > The vast majority of people got a taste of the remote life and don't want to return. Certainly this couldn't be the case for teachers teaching remotely – they probably enjoy their 10 hour workdays where they are standing most of the time and wearing a mask.
cardamomo 5y ago
I couldn't agree with you more. Teachers and other school workers were not even mentioned in this article.
- biscottigelato 5y ago
  Not mentioned in the article - but definitely already being prioritized for 2 years based on most policy decisions.
  - cardamomo 5y ago
    I see where you're coming from, but, as a first grade teacher, I can say that remote learning doesn't prioritize teachers' needs either. Rather, it reflects the minimal investment a school or district could possibly make. For these past two years, we could have invested in PPE, filtration, and reducing class sizes. We could have prioritized approving vaccines for children. Instead, we're now expecting adults and children to sacrifice their safety in order to go to schools that are roughly the same as they were in 2019.
biscottigelato 5y ago
"The problem isn’t the kids getting sick, it’s the adults teaching them getting sick and dying" Isn't this exactly what the article is talking about? I think recognizing that we are doing this trade is a step in the right direction. Only then can we proceed to discuss how we should make that trade, instead of throwing kids whom have no say, and their future, right under the bus.
- wayoutthere 5y ago
  We can have this discussion until we’re blue in the face, but unless the state is willing to send police to round up teachers and force them to work, teachers will look out for their own health and not go to work when Covid numbers are this high. Most major city school districts had planned to reopen on schedule, but the decision to close was made for them by their staff.

animal_spirits 5y ago

> the right time to invest was 20 years ago The second best time to plant a tree is today

wayoutthere 5y ago
It’s probably too late, this country is about to fracture. All the indicators point to a coup coming in the next few years which will launch us into an unknown realm of violence. We’re way deep into “the cool zone” now.
- animal_spirits 5y ago
  I highly disagree. It is never too late. I will continue to roll up my sleeves and work for change and I hope you join me.
  - wayoutthere 5y ago
    As a member of a marginalized community, I don’t have that luxury. Hope for the best, plan for the worst. I’m doing my part in my own way.
    - animal_spirits 5y ago
      Best of luck to you on your journey, friend

nsxwolf 5y ago

This sentiment seems strange in 2022. Vaccines for teachers have been widely available for almost a year now.

quadrifoliate 5y ago
> Vaccines for teachers have been widely available for almost a year now. You appear to have missed the news around the Omicron variant being much better at vaccine evasion than Delta. You can't compare the situation a year ago with the one now, which is unique and unprecedented, just like the pandemic was initially.
- nsxwolf 5y ago
  I thought it was pretty much understood the vaccines weren't doing much for contraction of Delta already. We've moved on to "prevents serious illness and death" which is still true for Omicron and ought to be enough for teachers to return to work.
  - quadrifoliate 5y ago
    In that case, shouldn't it be enough for everyone to return to work? I wonder why top companies in the S&P 500 are delaying return to work then. Clearly they must be operating under the same mysterious constraints that are keeping schools closed.
    - sanedigital 5y ago
      Top companies in the S&P 500 are delaying return to work because many tried it and were met with absolute mutiny. The vast majority of people got a taste of the remote life and don't want to return.
      - quadrifoliate 5y ago
        > The vast majority of people got a taste of the remote life and don't want to return. Certainly this couldn't be the case for teachers teaching remotely – they probably enjoy their 10 hour workdays where they are standing most of the time and wearing a mask.

cardamomo 5y ago

I couldn't agree with you more. Teachers and other school workers were not even mentioned in this article.

biscottigelato 5y ago
Not mentioned in the article - but definitely already being prioritized for 2 years based on most policy decisions.
- cardamomo 5y ago
  I see where you're coming from, but, as a first grade teacher, I can say that remote learning doesn't prioritize teachers' needs either. Rather, it reflects the minimal investment a school or district could possibly make. For these past two years, we could have invested in PPE, filtration, and reducing class sizes. We could have prioritized approving vaccines for children. Instead, we're now expecting adults and children to sacrifice their safety in order to go to schools that are roughly the same as they were in 2019.

biscottigelato 5y ago

"The problem isn’t the kids getting sick, it’s the adults teaching them getting sick and dying" Isn't this exactly what the article is talking about? I think recognizing that we are doing this trade is a step in the right direction. Only then can we proceed to discuss how we should make that trade, instead of throwing kids whom have no say, and their future, right under the bus.

wayoutthere 5y ago
We can have this discussion until we’re blue in the face, but unless the state is willing to send police to round up teachers and force them to work, teachers will look out for their own health and not go to work when Covid numbers are this high. Most major city school districts had planned to reopen on schedule, but the decision to close was made for them by their staff.