My goal this summer was to write more blog posts to not only put my thoughts “to paper” but also to put it out there in the universe so as to hold me accountable for my words. Normally summers are a time for me to relax, enjoy the little things in life, and eventually find my bearings so that I can be a better teacher for my students in the fall. But this summer (like the past four months) have been anything but normal. I have tried to stay away from social media and the news because I typically come away either more frustrated or more confused than before. However, after scrolling through a little bit of both (a terrible habit I need to break as that shouldn’t be the way to start my morning), I came to the realization that it’s time for me to put my thoughts “to paper” and to put it out there in the universe as to hold me accountable for my words. After all, I cannot expect others to do things if I am not willing to do it myself first. To be clear, I cannot make anyone do anything. But I can model for them what I’d like to receive in turn.

This message has been relayed in many ways…

• “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12 NKJV)
• “Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself” (Confucius, The Analects)
• Golden Rule Treat others as you want to be treated
• “Be the change that you wish to see in the world” (Gandhi…) oh wait, apparently, his actual words are a bit different . . . “We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him” (Gandhi, 1913)

My point is…no matter the culture or religious or non-religious affiliation, the Golden Rule is present in some way, shape, or form. I say this because I want to be clear, my goal is to assume positive intent when taking in what people are saying, writing, and doing. That’s not to say that I am going to approach things in a naive manner. But I am going to assume that people are coming from a positive place. . . until their actions show otherwise. 

But I also say this because I would like people to also assume positive intent in what I’m writing (if they decide to keep reading, that is).

Okay here goes.

I have watched and read numerous news articles, video clips, tweets, and blog posts berating teachers for not wanting to go back to in-person instruction in the fall. So many people have been chiming in on this from all walks of life. Yes, I believe everyone has a right to their opinion (I am a firm believer in the First Amendment), but I don’t understand the vitriol that is being targeted at teachers who raise legitimate concerns about going back to in-person instruction in the fall. 

People who say that schools closed in March, and who believe that no learning occurred when the physical aspect of schools closed, apparently do not realize that the majority of teachers worked harder than ever before trying to transition what they were previously doing in-person to an online format. In my district, we had ONE DAY to transition, but more tragically, we didn’t get to set our students up for the change. 

Now those who know me, my background, and skillset know that I thrive in an online environment. Both of my graduate programs were online (and I learned so much in both so the naysayers about the rigor and value of online learning perhaps did not have the same experience – or any experience with online learning). But I digress.

Moving from in-person to online learning was albeit a bit easier for me since I have the knowledge and skills to run not only a blended but fully online course. Those who tout that online learning is not learning or is not as valuable as face-to-face learning likely (a) have not experienced an online course that was thoughtfully created and masterly facilitated by a teacher trained in how to deliver an online course and (b) have little knowledge of the pedagogy behind effective online course design and delivery. To be clear, what occurred in March when schools transitioned from in-person instruction to an online format cannot and SHOULD NOT be called online learning. Distance learning? Sure. Remote learning? Why not. Crisis learning? Sounds closer to the reality. But true online learning? No.

Luckily I have experience teaching in the face-to-face, hybrid, and online formats. But I realize that means little to those K12 teachers who are looking at the possibility of teaching hybrid or fully online courses in the fall.

I mention all this because teachers cannot be expected to know HOW to teach online if they do not have the skills or knowledge. And teachers shouldn’t be blamed for that. K12 teachers made a choice to teach in-person or online—and based on that choice, they chose the trainings and workshops to help them master their craft. 

The sudden transition from in-person to online instruction meant that the formerly face-to-face K12 teacher was immediately thrust into the online teaching and learning realm. One that they were not adequately trained for…and likely was not something they were interested in doing in the first place. BUT that doesn’t mean teachers weren’t/aren’t willing to learn to do what’s best for their students.

But they need the training to do so (I’ll save that for a blog post for another time).

Many of the most frustrating things I’m reading in the news and in social media rest on blaming teachers for the inadequate learning for their students when in-person classes suddenly switched to online in March. What are people basing this “inadequate” learning on? As far as I can tell, standardized tests were cancelled (not a bad thing – and most certainly a post for another time). District benchmarks were cancelled (also not a bad thing). Many governors and their respective superintendents for departments of education put out directives to hold students harmless when it came to assigning grades. So based on that, how are people determining that “inadequate” learning occurred? What kind of metrics were used? How can one come to a conclusion without any type of data or measurement?

In looking at my own students—who kept a Living History Journal for the 13 weeks that in-person instruction was cancelled—I see that many of them learned quite a bit. They learned how to be self-regulated learners (e.g., make a schedule, get enough sleep, review their To Do List, eat a healthy meal); they learned new hobbies (e.g., how to bake a cake, sew, master a new video game); they learned how to develop better relationships with their siblings and parents; they learned that they needed to build a support system to help them navigate how to “do” remote learning; they learned that voices (in particular, their voices) mattered when it comes to social justice issues…those were just some of the things they learned.

So, I’m not buying the idea that “inadequate” learning occurred as a result of cancelling in-person instruction.

How do I know this? I read it in their journals. 

Oh, and my students also learned how to get their ideas across in the written format (journal writing), articulate their thoughts verbally (via Flipgrid videos), and demonstrate their learning using visuals (sketchnotes posted to Padlet). In short, my students had plenty of opportunities to practice reading, writing, listening, speaking, and digital literacy skills.

Not sure how that’s “inadequate” learning…? Hmmmm.

But back to my original point, please assume positive intent when teachers (and I’m including myself in this group) are concerned about going back to in-person instruction in the fall. In California the number of positive COVID-19 cases are rising. The science (SCIENCE!!!) says that wearing masks AND maintaining a distance of 6 feet BOTH are necessary to prevent the spread of the virus. Anyone who has been a classroom teacher knows that students can follow rules. But do they choose to follow the rules? All of the time? Do people calling for schools to offer in-person instruction in the fall honestly believe that students are going to wear masks for six hours AND maintain a distance of 6 feet? 

Yes, I’ve read the reports that transmission of the virus is low among children. But who do you think these children go home to? And just because the transmission of the virus is low among children, it’s adults who are teaching the class. It’s adults who are supervising them on the playgrounds and the lunch room. It’s adults who are on supervision duty when students enter and leave the campus. So while the transmission of the virus may be low among children, they are in contact with a variety of adults throughout the school day. And these adults (including me) go home to our families…some of whom have underlying health issues. 

So you see, resuming in-person instruction in the fall without a cure for the virus or data that indicates that mitigation is having an effect in my area is a legitimate concern. Oh sure, my 25 years in the classroom has given me quite a bit of immunity to the myriad of germs that students bring into my classroom day-in and day-out, but that doesn’t apply to COVID-19. And it doesn’t make me feel comfortable to be in a closed environment (did I mention that the windows in my classroom DO NOT open?) where I could conceivably catch the virus and then take it home to my husband who has a weakened immune system due to previously having cancer. It is not selfish to want to keep my husband safe. It is not selfish to not want to catch a virus where the symptoms have varying degrees of effects on people. It is not selfish to want to be extremely cautious in light of the many and often contradicting messages from (supposedly) reputable sources. 

Believe me when I say that I want to be back in the classroom. I LOVE being with my students. It was HEART-BREAKING to not be able to provide comfort to them during that highly confusing and scary time in the spring. It was SO HARD to end the school year with a written announcement instead of playing games and giving them hugs as they left for summer. I HATED not being able to see their faces to get a better idea of how they were really doing. And it was HARD to create assignments that would work online for students who were not used to doing everything online. 

Nothing about what is happening right now or for the past four months has been ideal. Heck, this whole thing sucks.

But I tell you one thing, I am not behind any proposal that puts humans in harms way. Starting school in-person in the fall is not putting humans first. The fact that people are dying and that some are experiencing lingering effects (the long-term impact being unknown) should be enough to indicate that resuming in-person instruction in the fall is a bad idea for students, teachers, administrators, support staff—children, sisters, brothers, wives, husbands, parents, and grandparents.

Please do not assume that I’m writing any of this because I don’t want to work in the fall. I fully intend (as do most of the K12 teachers) to be working harder than ever to provide as many meaningful learning experiences we can for our students—our children—our kids. Just because teachers aren’t in the classroom in-person doesn’t mean that we aren’t teaching. We are. We have been. And anyone who says otherwise is speaking out of ignorance. AND I suspect that the majority of us (teachers) on summer break have not stopped thinking about our in-coming students and what the fall will look like—regardless if it’s in-person, hybrid, or online. 

What I’m trying to relay in this extremely long post (sorry!) is please assume positive intent when teachers share their concerns about the virus and their hesitation to return to in-person instruction in the fall. I am one of those teachers. I want to be back in the classroom with my students. But I also want to protect my loved ones.