I know it's not intended as such, but this whole thread is really disrespectful to teachers and their training. It is much more difficult than just having government spend a bunch of money hiring new teachers and throwing kids in empty spaces. https://twitter.com/AlexUsherHESA/status/1279929871620362241

For one, where are you getting the new teachers from? You can't import them from outside the country, and the ones in universities right now aren't getting the practicum experience to graduate.

You could use practicum students as free labour, I suppose, and it allows them to graduate, but then it's an issue of quality. Do parents really want practicum students teaching their kids full-time?

If the idea is to pull from those with Education degrees who are not teaching, why would those people do that? They will have jobs, and they won't be in teaching shape. I'm one of those people, and I'd never do it, especially considering how poorly teachers are treated.

Say you got all the teachers you needed. Ok, great. Now what? They have to be certified. Clear background checks. Many of them will need some re-training. Curriculums have been updated. Assessment practices have evolved. Lots of students need Individualized Program Plans.

This isn't even counting lesson planning. You'd have to have people creating generalized lesson plans that could be distributed widely. All of this takes time. And I'm sure I'm missing things. If you're looking for a September start on this plan, good luck.

I agree with the central thesis, that we need to figure out school before we can figure out the rest. I also agree that it's going to be cheaper and wiser investment for governments to follow this sort of plan than letting our economy stagnate.

I also understand that this is a general framework, and therefore lacking in details. But the thread acts (unintentionally, imo) as if there are only three parties involved: government, parents, and students. This is wrong, and the result is you won't get teacher buy-in.

Teachers are not babysitters. Nor are they servants at society's beck and call. They are trained professionals in the world's most important job. Nowhere in this thread does it ask what teachers want, or consider their needs as professionals and as humans facing COVID risk.

Again, I know this was not the intent. I'll surely be called out for being too harsh. But there are far too many conversations around education where teachers are taken for granted, and their skill set diminished, and it gets my back up.