PA House Speaker Demands Schools Reopen in the Fall

[esh21167]

I've been teaching for 24 years. I've never had much respect for people or teachers who take a condescending approach towards others. In this case it takes away from any substance your message may have had.

Personally I feel very fortunate to still be working with everything that is going on today. So to anybody reading this, please do not take anything I am typing as a complaint. I just want to post one teachers experience. (I am doing this during my lunch break)

1. My district put out a letter early on saying that teachers were getting paid to do a job and the community deserves our best. I agree 100% with this and try to
live up to this every day.

2. My district requires that we post lessons and grade everyday. We also contact home any day a student does not do their work. There has been a tremendous learning curve for teachers, parents and students. (it's amazing how much trouble not setting up one setting correctly can screw everything up) My first 2 weeks I was starting at 7:30 in the morning and finishing up around 7 at night with a good 4 hours on Sunday (not a complaint, just a statement of fact)
While there was a large learning curve that took up a lot of time others were losing their jobs, businesses etc.....

3. Now I have the technology down and and style of planning that allows me to start at 7:00 and finish at 3 with about 30-45 minutes of break spread throughout the day. It may not mean much but other than a lunch break I am generally working on school work/researching the entire time.

4. In a way I am happy this has happened. I have learned a ton of stuff that I think will make me a better teacher when I get back into the classroom. That being said I can't wait to get back in the classroom. I enjoy the interaction and getting to watch students take steps forward as the year progresses.

5. For some students doing things on line is a positive. There are lot less distractions for them. For others it is a negative. Some need the structure school provides and someone to be there and work with them. I put the question out to my students last week what they thought about on line learning. A few said they liked or loved it. Most said they did not like it and quite a few said they looked forward to returning to school.

As far as teaching being a hard job..... of course it is. But so are most jobs. (Whether you are cook, lawyer, doctor, janitor, truck driver, plumber, mason, tech person etc....). Can anyone teach..... probably not. But there are plenty of jobs I would not be do because of the pressure they have. I have done work as a cook, mason, and a plumber. For me the most stress was being a cook. I could not do that for a living but there are plenty of people who excel at cooking. Every job has it's ups and downs. The secret is finding a job where your personality experiences more ups than downs.

And in the current situation everyone is adapting to figure out how to make things work. As I said, I am extremely fortunate to be in a profession where I can make adaptations instead of being forced not to work, lose my job or lose my business.

I honestly believe that most teachers are doing a pretty good job. But in some circles you're still always labeled a lazy, commie liberal who hardly does anything productive/always trying to indoctrinate students into perverse actions, has summers off, gets a ridiculous salary and raises, as well as a cushy pension, all at the taxpayers expense.

I have to say, one of those circles seems to be here, where nearly everyone jumps on the bash the teachers bandwagon. Teachers are the front line. They don't make policy. The vast majority of the ridiculous stuff comes from D.C. and Harrisburg, and sometimes from administrators who haven't been in a classroom for 15-20 years, if ever.

Putting all teachers in that boat because some are horrible is just like the anti gunners vilifying all of us for the actions of a few.

[Walleye Hunter]

I have attention deficit disorder but they didn't have Ritalin back then, if they did I could have been a rocket scientist. They didn't even have a name for attention deficit disorder for that matter.

[ImminentDanger]

As far as teaching being a hard job..... of course it is. But so are most jobs. (Whether you are cook, lawyer, doctor, janitor, truck driver, plumber, mason, tech person etc....). Can anyone teach..... probably not. But there are plenty of jobs I would not be do because of the pressure they have. I have done work as a cook, mason, and a plumber. For me the most stress was being a cook. I could not do that for a living but there are plenty of people who excel at cooking. Every job has it's ups and downs.

I commend your stated efforts to be a Good Teacher...

I honestly believe that most teachers are doing a pretty good job. But in some circles you're still always labeled a lazy, commie liberal who hardly does anything productive/always trying to indoctrinate students into perverse actions, has summers off, gets a ridiculous salary and raises, as well as a cushy pension, all at the taxpayers expense.

Putting all teachers in that boat because some are horrible is just like the anti gunners vilifying all of us for the actions of a few.

The problem with this is that, just like cops, if the good ones do not DENOUNCE the bad ones, then the so-called 'good' ones are really part of the problem as well. Unionization has caused many a worker to overlook or excuse the FAILURES of their coworkers because they're 'one of us'. These 'members' defend each other against outside condemnations despite the truth, rather than standing up and condemning those who do wrong, no matter their association.

Most gun owners WANT bad gun actors to be prosecuted, and rightly so. When was the last time you saw a group of teachers or cops rally together to get rid of the bad actors in their ranks? It is this attitude of 'our members do no wrong' that 'encourages' others to 'condemn the whole lot' for the actions of the bad apples.

...

[57springer]

I commend your stated efforts to be a Good Teacher...





The problem with this is that, just like cops, if the good ones do not DENOUNCE the bad ones, then the so-called 'good' ones are really part of the problem as well. Unionization has caused many a worker to overlook or excuse the FAILURES of their coworkers because they're 'one of us'. These 'members' defend each other against outside condemnations despite the truth, rather than standing up and condemning those who do wrong, no matter their association.

Most gun owners WANT bad gun actors to be prosecuted, and rightly so. When was the last time you saw a group of teachers or cops rally together to get ride of the bad actors in their ranks? It is this attitude of 'our members do no wrong' that 'encourages' others to 'condemn the whole lot' for the actions of the bad apples.

...

Excellent post!!

[free]

I honestly believe that most teachers are doing a pretty good job. But in some circles you're still always labeled a lazy, commie liberal who hardly does anything productive/always trying to indoctrinate students into perverse actions, has summers off, gets a ridiculous salary and raises, as well as a cushy pension, all at the taxpayers expense.

I have to say, one of those circles seems to be here, where nearly everyone jumps on the bash the teachers bandwagon. Teachers are the front line. They don't make policy. The vast majority of the ridiculous stuff comes from D.C. and Harrisburg, and sometimes from administrators who haven't been in a classroom for 15-20 years, if ever.

Putting all teachers in that boat because some are horrible is just like the anti gunners vilifying all of us for the actions of a few.

IMHO, teachers get the bad rap more from whining about being underpaid while working part time and having a better deal than many of those paying their salaries than they do for the ability to educate students.

[staylo]

They didn't even have a name for attention deficit disorder for that matter.

Sure they did. “Ants in the pants”.

[Qtrborecrazy]

I've been teaching for 24 years. I've never had much respect for people or teachers who take a condescending approach towards others. In this case it takes away from any substance your message may have had.

Personally I feel very fortunate to still be working with everything that is going on today. So to anybody reading this, please do not take anything I am typing as a complaint. I just want to post one teachers experience. (I am doing this during my lunch break)

1. My district put out a letter early on saying that teachers were getting paid to do a job and the community deserves our best. I agree 100% with this and try to
live up to this every day.

2. My district requires that we post lessons and grade everyday. We also contact home any day a student does not do their work. There has been a tremendous learning curve for teachers, parents and students. (it's amazing how much trouble not setting up one setting correctly can screw everything up) My first 2 weeks I was starting at 7:30 in the morning and finishing up around 7 at night with a good 4 hours on Sunday (not a complaint, just a statement of fact)
While there was a large learning curve that took up a lot of time others were losing their jobs, businesses etc.....

3. Now I have the technology down and and style of planning that allows me to start at 7:00 and finish at 3 with about 30-45 minutes of break spread throughout the day. It may not mean much but other than a lunch break I am generally working on school work/researching the entire time.

4. In a way I am happy this has happened. I have learned a ton of stuff that I think will make me a better teacher when I get back into the classroom. That being said I can't wait to get back in the classroom. I enjoy the interaction and getting to watch students take steps forward as the year progresses.

5. For some students doing things on line is a positive. There are lot less distractions for them. For others it is a negative. Some need the structure school provides and someone to be there and work with them. I put the question out to my students last week what they thought about on line learning. A few said they liked or loved it. Most said they did not like it and quite a few said they looked forward to returning to school.

As far as teaching being a hard job..... of course it is. But so are most jobs. (Whether you are cook, lawyer, doctor, janitor, truck driver, plumber, mason, tech person etc....). Can anyone teach..... probably not. But there are plenty of jobs I would not be do because of the pressure they have. I have done work as a cook, mason, and a plumber. For me the most stress was being a cook. I could not do that for a living but there are plenty of people who excel at cooking. Every job has it's ups and downs. The secret is finding a job where your personality experiences more ups than downs.

And in the current situation everyone is adapting to figure out how to make things work. As I said, I am extremely fortunate to be in a profession where I can make adaptations instead of being forced not to work, lose my job or lose my business.

Troll, which way would you say that the children are getting a better quality education from home or actually in school?

[Rotorwash]

"on what i'm not sure because was certain the school year was ended"

I'm a teacher, so I'll patiently excuse your ignorance and attempt to educate you.
Schools, the physical buildings, are closed but education is still continuing. All/Most PA schools have adopted on-line platforms to continue to teach our students and not give up on almost a half-year of learning. Is it different...YES. Is it difficult...YES. Try taking your job, totally eradicating it, and telling you (literally over-night) that you have to do it completely different, remotely, with absolutely no contact with your customers, places of business, or traditional tools.
Stop whining and be happy that we're trying to prevent your kids, grandkids, etc., from falling through a Corona-sized crack.
You're welcome.

Ummm, hello, welcome to the rest of us who are still employed and working from home. I cannot visit my customers any more, or place of business, or use my traditional tools. I'm relegated to zoom calls which has totally changed the way I do business. I know dozens and dozens of people who are in the same boat. I can't stand it when teachers complain.

[Pilot321]

The problem with this is that, just like cops, if the good ones do not DENOUNCE the bad ones, then the so-called 'good' ones are really part of the problem as well. Unionization has caused many a worker to overlook or excuse the FAILURES of their coworkers because they're 'one of us'. These 'members' defend each other against outside condemnations despite the truth, rather than standing up and condemning those who do wrong, no matter their association.

Most gun owners WANT bad gun actors to be prosecuted, and rightly so. When was the last time you saw a group of teachers or cops rally together to get rid of the bad actors in their ranks? It is this attitude of 'our members do no wrong' that 'encourages' others to 'condemn the whole lot' for the actions of the bad apples.

...

Excellent points!

[internet troll]

Troll, which way would you say that the children are getting a better quality education from home or actually in school?

I thought about this a bit today because I want to try avoiding a bias answer and really see it from as many sides as I can. I honestly think the majority of my students get a better quality education in school. But that is for my class alone, I can not speak for other classes. I say majority because not everyone learns the same way and school as it is structured is honestly not for everyone.


Im the type of teacher who likes to actively engage my students and interact with them. I like discussions and debates that do not translate well on line. If I see a student struggling and having problems I like to be there to give them prompts. I like to dress up and act outrageous. I like to have fun when I am teaching. When I am having fun my students are enjoying the class, want to be there and helps their learning. I remember years ago another older teacher would dressed up as a soldier for a Vietnam lesson (he was a Vietnam Vet) and I would dressed up as a samurai warrior with a sword for lesson I did on the Far East. He would roll dummy grenades down the hall trying to blow me up and I would chase him through the halls with the sword. That’s the type of crazy stuff that kids love and gets them interested in going to class and learning. Even being creative you can’t recreate that type of stuff on line. A teachers passion which can also keep students interested and motivated is also hard to recreate online.

On-line lessons are bit mechanical for me right now and to me less challenging than what I do in the classroom. I am still learning and am working on improving the lessons so that may be more me than anything else. But there is definitely a connection between a teacher and the classroom that is loss with on line learning.

There are benefits to doing things on line that I am currently learning. Most of them I will be able to recreate in the classroom when we go back. Honestly I think a hybrid of on-line and the classroom will make for excellent lessons and learning.

Some students though are doing better with on line learning. They were telling me that they like being able to do things at their own pace and that there are less distractions when they do work on line.

A 3rd of my classes have not been doing the on-line work. Of those kids a lot did well in school but the lack of structure seems to be hurting them.

Having thought about it and considering what my students shared with me though I would say the majority learn better in school right now. As things change and technology changes though.... who knows in the future.