Real talk:
Teaching online is harder, more time-intensive, and stressful.
We miss our students.
Some of us even miss wearing pants and having quality time away from our pets.
College faculty job security is tied to teaching evaluations and students prefer in-person.

AND

When teachers say we can't all be together in a classroom, it's because we CAN'T. Not because we don't want to.

Because one COVID infection means everyone has to quarantine for 14 days.

Because our students have parents and grandparents.

BECAUSE DISABLED PEOPLE MATTER

This Administration hates teachers unions, hates college professors, hates me and everyone else who chose to help young people seek truth and knowledge.

Maybe they don't want anybody to be left who knows how to read or write history.

I know parents are disappointed; I am one.

Online K-12 ed is really tough on many students. They're missing out. Hey speaking of K12, that's the name of a for-profit online school that @BetsyDeVosED used to tout when she stood to make a buck off of it.

Anyway, though distance learning in college can be great--

Nobody disagrees that the little kids are missing out, and they need our help. Teachers believe this more strongly than anyone. They don't want to be homeschooling their own kids while trying to help yours keep up.

NOR DO THEY WANT TO DIE OR KILL THEIR SPOUSES OR COLLEAGUES.

You want our kids back in school in the fall??

-Lock down for 3-6 weeks and institute and enforce mask orders everywhere.
-Invest $$$$ in schools, which it turns out are essential public goods. Invest as if our communities, our kids, and our economy depended upon it (they do!)

And then if we get out of this, make sure we never again force teachers to pay for tissues and wipes out of their pockets. Give our schools modern HVAC systems, windows that work, safety equipment.

Pay our teachers. Hire legions of NEW teachers to teach smaller classes.

You just can't imagine how you'll survive without your kid's school? Vote like your teacher matters. Vote like education matters.

Maybe revisit your commitment to prioritizing police budgets over school budgets.

Cuz guess what? You can go back to work if nobody's available to escalate jaywalking and broken tail lights to lethal encounters, but you can't go back without safe schools.

While we're at it, raise hell about the #capitalgains holiday being floated instead of school funding.

You on Facebook? Having Zoom chats with the relatives? Defend teachers from political attacks. These people love your kids enough to want them safe. They're more socially responsible than @tedcruz , who's flying around a COVID hotspot without a mask, putting others at risk.

It's deeply unfortunate that we have an Ed Sec who's life's work is about dismantling public education, a president who thinks not testing means no disease, and a Senate who enable both of them. If we had responsible leadership we could all go back to school like Europe.

But we can't even go to Europe, because our house is a mess and they don't want us to track our pestilent $hit into theirs.

But we can at least be allies to people who are doing their best, and want what's best for our kids.

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