Bashing teachers is hardly a new phenomenon in America. After all, we ALL spent years in some form of schooling and when we spend enough time around something we develop opinions. In a way, most of us just assume we are somewhat "expert" when it comes to education.
Most educators, however, would point out that being a student does not equal understanding how classrooms and curricula work, and certainly does not demonstrate that being a teacher is like or how difficult it is.
I noted a comment from a legislator recommending that it would be a great idea for some harried businesspeople to step away from the "rat race" and enjoy far less stress by teaching for a while.
I actually laughed out loud when I read that.
Don't get me wrong. There are many positives about education as a profession, despite the criticisms and misunderstandings and low pay (compared to many positions requiring similar levels of training and education). But lack of shared experience can lead to confrontation and anger and, sometimes, chaos.
Here in Douglas County, one of the richest counties in America and a firm bastion of the Republican Party, the latest bit of chaos is happening tomorrow -- yes, we actually schedule our chaos around here.
Due to several decisions made by a rabid, reactionary school board majority (installed in December after a board election that drew only a small percentage of voters), many teachers are frustrated and angry.
The last straw appears to grow from those four radical board members demanding that the superintendent resign or be fired (and today was the deadline he was given to decide). The reason for this is quite clear: he chose to join the side of the mask argument in continuing them in DCSD schools after the county ended any mask mandates. One of his stated reasons was to protect the most vulnerable students and teachers in the district -- those who are immunocompromised, for instance -- and slightly inconvenience the vast majority of students and teachers who are either fully vaccinated or not at much risk of serious illness.
In brief, the superintendent chose the general position of "whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do to me." That may be too religious a take, so how about "a nation should be judged by how it treats its most vulnerable citizens"?
Everything being a political decision or position these days, the fact that most young students seem to be at least OK with masking to protect their classmates and teachers -- so long as they can actually be in school -- is overwhelmed by a percentage of adults who come down on the side of personal freedom getting more weight than "loving thy neighbor."
None of the radicals on the DCSD school board would agree with my somewhat simplistic comparison, but that doesn't mean it is not true. It is simply uncomfortable.
And NOT loving thy neighbor is not an automatically unethical decision. Taking care of ourselves first is defensible (as in putting on OUR mask when the oxygen drops down on a plane before putting the mask on our child). But even the most fanatic defender of personal choice has lines.
The disagreement nearly always comes down to finding the line.
At last report, at least 1,300 teachers have called in "sick" for tomorrow, with the aim of protesting at the school board offices against the board and asking for more support. It is key to know that there are about 3,400 teachers TOTAL in the district, and that means that today's snow day is likely to lead to another snow day on Thursday. There is no way school can be held when nearly half of its teachers don't show up at work.
So the chaos has been scheduled. Strikes by teachers are illegal in Colorado, so this is NOT a strike or even a work stoppage. This is a fiction that is allowed by law and practice, with so many teachers all being sick on the same day.
The temperatures on Thursday begin below zero. There will be lots of snow and ice.
But the sight of over a thousand teachers braving the elements to protest has to be impressive, whatever the observer's view on the protest itself.
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