- Apr 16, 2014
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Here is what I don’t understand, reopening is so inconsistent across the board-how can you justify packing a stadium in the Midwest but schools are still closed? Like we should be focused on reopening schools because remote learning is by and large, much worse than in-person education and a lot of poorer people who can’t afford childcare send their kids to public schools during the day. Even worse, those who depend on public school meals to feed their kids.
As a teacher first and foremost I do agree with you. Remote learning is worse and not as effective as in person. No way around that but public education as whole in this country isn't equal. COVID didn't create these gaps in our school systems it just made them more obvious.
My first teaching job was in a rich suburban area, brand new building 5 floors, beautiful courtyard, 50in tv's in every classroom and in the hallways. I got a brand new computer lab my 2nd year just because "We had money to burn". When the shutdown happened we had a few kids that needed devices and hotspots but nothing crazy. Every household was taken care of after about a month.
The school buses were doing food dropoff's everyday for kids who needed the meals all they had to do was fill out the google form to get added to the list. I teach AP and most days I had perfect attendance all 90 kids would at least log in to the virtual meetings.
Now in my new school, same state approximately 2 hrs away to the east. Title 1 school, most kids still don't have devices so I have to print packets each week, half of my kids log in (on a good day, Fridays you might as well forget about it). The software my kids at my old school had predownloaded on their devices already. These kids don't have. There is no money for it which is where the packets and youtube videos come in to play. I don't even want to go into test scores because I'd be typing all day long story short it's about a 60% gap in the scores.
With all that being said. I still don't think schools should open. Its not feasible, yes low-income families can't afford childcare but what will they do once their kid gets sick and then they have to stomach that medical bill? That's not even going into the fact that most teachers and school personnel are high risk themselves.
Our government leaders failed us, and it's not the grossly underfunded public school systems responsibility to fix it.