I was speaking to a teacher friend yesterday, and we started talking about going back. And we realized that we would never handle our classroom the way the school system and the union are handling the “return to regular school” planning, and the discussion with us teachers.
For example,
We would never say, “Gee, I hope I have enough crayons for every student.” No! We’d get one for each kid, then three extra because every class has a “Jimmy,” who will eat his crayons on the very first day, so you need extra.
We would never say, “Gee, I hope kids will not sit next to their friends, so they don’t talk all the time.” No! We set up a seating chart.
We would never say, “Wouldn’t it be great if the kids had something to write on that they can wipe off and reuse?” No, we buy whiteboards and hand them out when needed.
We would never say “Gee, I hope that kids line up correctly, and stay on the right side of the hallway, so there isn’t chaos when they change classes.” No! We have procedures — especially in elementary school — so kids can travel safely.
And we would never say, “Gee, I hope everyone knows what to do if I kid gets sick.” No! We have procedures in place before that.
And those are simple but necessary class rules and procedures. If we don’t have them, we have chaos and inefficiency … but nobody dies.
Why, then, are we treating a literal life-or-death situation differently? If we’ve started planning curriculum for next year, it sure isn’t too early to plan what we as teachers will accept in terms of COVID-19 rules and procedures – and what we won’t.
But when I ask about it, people say “It’s too early to start thinking about that.” It seems that no one in leadership in either the school system or the union is thinking through what we as teachers are going to be expected to do.
Dear school and union leadership: NOW is the time to start talking with teachers about how the fall is going to work, in the classroom and elsewhere. Don’t make a bunch of decisions in your corner office, then announce to us how it’s going to be. We’re the ones who have to implement it – so we’re the ones you should be talking with.
And yesterday would not be a day too soon.
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