Teacher Depreciation

Earlier this week, the superintendent of Orleans Parish, Dr. Henderson Lewis, announced that all schools will be virtual until September; however, prior to this announcement, many schools created a plan that included some form of in person instruction despite the rates of people being infected with Covid 19 continuing to rise throughout the country. I could not help but to wonder why in person instruction was even considered in the first place; especially the models which placed students in kindergarten through second grade being in class daily. It’s clear that the health of teachers and their families is a second thought (if it’s considered at all) but why? As I reviewed school’s reopening plans and discussed the different models with my colleagues it is clear that charter systems are doing what they have always done which is run schools like businesses. With this business minded strategy, comes alliances with other businesses who have similar interests which in the case of schools includes bus companies and food distribution companies who will not get paid or will receive a cut in their payments if schools remain virtual.

Somehow the public went from having a greater appreciation for teachers when they were tasked with creating homeschools on the spot to ‘my kid, my choice.”

Now is it all about the money? Absolutely not… okay maybe it is because even when we zoom out from the school based businesses that profit from students being in the classroom; in person instruction also allows businesses in the private and public sector to require their employees to return back to the office. It also repositions schools as daycares rather than the institutions for learning that we claim they are. The more pressing question becomes are the “experts” concerned with the potential lost of instruction or businesses and business owners not being able to operate and financial gain from the school system as usual?

And while I have your attention, teachers recognize that teaching from their living rooms does not have the same effect on students as teaching in front of them in their classrooms. It is also extremely hard to have engaging instruction with students while monitoring their webcams, learning new teaching platforms, and navigating multiple taps on your laptop (all at the same time) so no, virtual learning is not easier nor are we lazy. Somehow the public went from having a greater appreciation for teachers when they were tasked with creating homeschools on the spot to “my kid, my choice.”

What about my health, my choice? My family, my choice? My apologies, I forgot that people consider teachers disposable in this system that blocks out teacher unions, give yearly contracts, and holds the power to terminate you at any time. So of course they would not consider our well being, that’s clear by looking at the average teacher’s salary alone so I get it. The business model positions teachers as simply workers that are vital to their systems and interests being pushed forward so of course when the media comments about what the experts believe is best for students, they are not talking about teachers like me; they are talking about the businesses who profit from the school system.