I’m a teacher (big people) and the number of teachers (at all levels) who I hear say bad things about vaccines and masks is too high. But—most of my colleagues who are in favor are quiet about their views because we get insulted by the public (in my science-denying location) for expressing views so I keep that in mind.
As a teacher, I am going to do EVERYTHING I can to keep my classroom running this year. I’m vaccinated, wearing a KF94, social distancing as much as possible, limiting my outside activities, and if it would help, I would stand on one foot while turning 145 degrees and leaning at a 27 degree angle. I really want to TEACH my kids and I cannot do that if I am ill.
I really want to yell that at the top of my lungs to those teachers who are anti-mask and anti-vaccine and want a “normal” year. We all want normal—but that probably won’t happen—so can’t we just settle for as few disruptions as possible year?
My area is no mask mandate. The district just announced all employees have to wear masks for two weeks and no parents on campus. I’m praying the charter schools in the district follow (my kids are at a charter due to the school hours).
I work in higher ed. My full-time admin job is at one campus and my adjunct position is at another - both in the same university system. We are required to be vaccinated, and in places with higher case loads (both of my campuses qualify), if you are on campus, you have to do weekly testing.
Our kids’ school district released the vaccine rate amongst teachers and it was like 90%. I’m hoping the 10% who didn’t are mostly people who can’t for medical or religious reasons. I was glad it was so high here.
The same kinds of antivax people are in healthcare too, sadly. I know several nurses on my unit who are anti vax, and we have literally had covid patients spend weeks in our critical care subunit and shipped some of them out to places for ECMO. One of the very first covid patients we had needed an emergency CS when she was 20 something weeks (24, 27? I cant recall), she ended up being ventilated and cut in the same shift she arrived, then was on our unit ventilated for weeks before going to another hospital for ECMO; she did eventually come off, though I dont know what her recovery really looked like, but her baby died in NICU while she was still intubated. This past week there was a news story about an 11 month old with covid having to be shipped AWAY from our med center because there wasn't an appropriate bed available within 100 miles, and staffing has been rough lately with lots of staff catching covid (many vaccinated, and mild cases, but they still have to be out for a while). And STILL we have nurses talking about the "experimental drugs" being forced on everyone! It's enraging and mind boggling. I'll be very glad when the vaccine mandate goes into effect for our hospital (I assume it's coming, it has for several nearby orgs here already), and I'll be very, very glad if those nurses quit over it.
The same kinds of antivax people are in healthcare too, sadly. I know several nurses on my unit who are anti vax, and we have literally had covid patients spend weeks in our critical care subunit and shipped some of them out to places for ECMO. One of the very first covid patients we had needed an emergency CS when she was 20 something weeks (24, 27? I cant recall), she ended up being ventilated and cut in the same shift she arrived, then was on our unit ventilated for weeks before going to another hospital for ECMO; she did eventually come off, though I dont know what her recovery really looked like, but her baby died in NICU while she was still intubated. This past week there was a news story about an 11 month old with covid having to be shipped AWAY from our med center because there wasn't an appropriate bed available within 100 miles, and staffing has been rough lately with lots of staff catching covid (many vaccinated, and mild cases, but they still have to be out for a while). And STILL we have nurses talking about the "experimental drugs" being forced on everyone! It's enraging and mind boggling. I'll be very glad when the vaccine mandate goes into effect for our hospital (I assume it's coming, it has for several nearby orgs here already), and I'll be very, very glad if those nurses quit over it.
I’m really wondering if teachers will follow through and quit. I kinda hope so - I figure if you can’t be swayed by the idea of protecting your students, you have no business being in the classroom 🤷♀️
"Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind.”
I legit do not understand teachers who won't get the vax/are anti-maskers. Newsflash, people: we're not shutting down schools again.
Our district pushed hard for us to get the vax early in late Jan./early Feb. and I was so relieved I cried the day I got my first dose. I was months ahead of H (he got his in mid-April).
How can people rail on about safety and truly serving kids and at the same time not be willing to do whatever it takes to do just that (masks & vaccines)? It's bananas. Do not understand.
And here’s where I get possibly flamed for saying that teaching and certification programs need to be much, much more rigorous. (And I say this as a teacher)
And here’s where I get possibly flamed for saying that teaching and certification programs need to be much, much more rigorous. (And I say this as a teacher)
I support this. And then actually pay us what we are worth and treat us like professionals. (I'm also a teacher).
I don't know an official percentage of teachers vaccinated in my district. Anecdotally, all the teachers I personally talk to and interact with at my school got the vaccine. And since I'm in IL, we have a school mask mandate, which makes me feel a lot better. We never did social distancing, even last winter, so school will pretty much be everything as normal, just with masks. I am not sure how they are doing quarantines; they told us we won't find out Covid protocols until the first day of school!
And here’s where I get possibly flamed for saying that teaching and certification programs need to be much, much more rigorous. (And I say this as a teacher)
No flames. I often wonder how some people are teachers. My son had a math teacher one year who sat on her phone. Luckily he’s good at math and it was just pre-algebra, but he’d bring home the book every night and I’d teach him the lesson so he was prepared for the next year.
I’ll add that there needs to be a way to get a credential that works nationally, not just in the state you get it. I have friends and family who are military spouses who can’t get jobs when the family transfers because the credential is not valid in the new state.
And here’s where I get possibly flamed for saying that teaching and certification programs need to be much, much more rigorous. (And I say this as a teacher)
DH says this all.the.time.
But I don't know how you can do that when teachers are so so underpaid and underappreciated in most of the country anyway.
And here’s where I get possibly flamed for saying that teaching and certification programs need to be much, much more rigorous. (And I say this as a teacher)
DH says this all.the.time.
But I don't know how you can do that when teachers are so so underpaid and underappreciated in most of the country anyway.
You can’t. I think secondary teachers need degrees in their fields and then a more rigorous masters program. If you want to teach Chem, you should have a degree in Chem followed by two years of good solid teacher training. If you’re any to teach history, same thing.
Thankfully here we get salary bumps for grad courses, but the shitty part is that most of the courses are stupid and do nothing to help your actual classroom.
I legit do not understand teachers who won't get the vax/are anti-maskers. Newsflash, people: we're not shutting down schools again.
Our district pushed hard for us to get the vax early in late Jan./early Feb. and I was so relieved I cried the day I got my first dose. I was months ahead of H (he got his in mid-April).
How can people rail on about safety and truly serving kids and at the same time not be willing to do whatever it takes to do just that (masks & vaccines)? It's bananas. Do not understand.
Saaaaaaaame. I really can’t understand it. Every single teacher at my school is vaccinated and has been since April. I was so relieved to get it - the end of the year felt so much safer in my classroom.
"Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind.”
And here’s where I get possibly flamed for saying that teaching and certification programs need to be much, much more rigorous. (And I say this as a teacher)
My hill to die on. You’d never let a surgeon into an OR with twice the training and screening that TPP get, yet this is what we trust with the education of our children? It’s unbelievable to me. If we created more stringent programs and requirements (then paid us like the professionals we would be), you’d get better quality teachers. Right now, teaching is a backup profession in many parts of the country.
"Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind.”