Educators speak

The pandemic has caused all of us to evaluate our daily routines and balance safety with work issues. There seems great pressure to open schools as many with other forms of work depend on teachers to care for and educate their kids. Exactly how this can be done within existing resources to both meet quality education expectations should a different approach be required for some time and to do so meeting requirements for the health of children and teachers has yet to become clear.

I understand that educators feel others seem to be providing suggestions that educators regard as impractical or unproductive so I liked this twitter request. The request generated a 150+ responses when I reviewed the replies. The opportunity clearly raised an opportunity many felt was useful.

In reviewing the replies, I must say I was disappointed, but maybe not surprised. This is a difficult situation. I would guess 75-80%+ of the responses addressed problems and challenges. There were so few actual suggestions or positive comments I began responding to each thanking the contributor for their recommendation or recommendations. Within only a few minutes, I received replies from multiple individuals in response to my comments on their posts. This surprised me and I take it as maybe a sign that others should recognize similar contributions.

We do need positivity. Merchants are concerned for their businesses and worried they won’t be able to continue to support employees. Parents are frustrated with their efforts to meet employment obligations and assist in the education of their kids. Everyone is concerned with the real threat to the health of families and relatives. At some point, we do accept that the challenges are quite real and need to encourage those with ideas for how we can move forward and do the best we can under the circumstances we face and may face for some time.

If you see this post soon after it is uploaded, you might use Twitter to locate the request for input and either add your suggestions or thank those who come up with useful ideas.