I accidentally went down some threads of comments about teachers this morning regarding virtual openings & it was not pretty. I knew we were up against a lot, but had no idea how bad our PR problem is as far as helping the general public truly understand all that our jobs entail.

Also, it seems people are stuck in an either/or belief of perceived risk about COVID that is death or not dying. But there's a vast spectrum in between of those who will have long-term health issues and/or be impacted in debilitating ways that don't lead to death. Those matter 2.

So when we talk about being worried about going back to in person school, please understand - it's not just about deaths (though the acceptable # should be 0) or that kids don't get/pass the virus as much, but also other health impacts on staff, students, & their families.

Another aspect I couldn't put words to but my husband did: Yes, we train for active shooters but know it's unlikely that risk to our lives to save kids in our care will occur. But COVID-19 is not the same. It is a known, definite risk of health issues/deaths occuring if we return

Many say Ts are the same as other essential workers. Not equal - teachers have to be in poorly ventilated spaces, with many people, for hours at a time - it's NOT the same as grocery workers, etc. And health care settings have environments & materials designed for protection.

One big things the public doesn't understand about teachers' jobs is that spring was a crisis situation-not true remote learning with time to plan & design well. Plus going back in person will not be return to school as we knew it before-distancing prevents much of good pedagogy.

In many of those comments I read, people seem to think if we aren't in school buildings we aren't working. Umm...many of us will be working harder! Buildings closed doesn't mean teachers aren't doing their jobs-we're just doing them differently so all can be safer.

This is the other related thing! Teachers are not super human. We are also feeling the physical, mental, & emotional impact of months of collective trauma. And now we are blamed as uncaring when we just want to have our school communities safe & alive. https://twitter.com/AliMCollins/status/1285286742480703488?s=19