Do you know who we haven’t heard from recently? Teachers. Oh, wait, we have. Newsweek did a piece on teachers writing their wills because Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was reopening the schools. Teachers in Washington, D.C. public schools staged a body bag protest about going back to work. Both The Hill and CNN highlighted teachers in Iowa who were writing their own obituaries and sending them to the governor to protest going back to work. Oh, and in New York City, teachers put aside social distancing to march in the street, dragging behind them prop caskets and a guillotine.
In case you hadn’t gotten the message, NBC News gave teachers a forum to share, anonymously, their feelings on returning to the classroom during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Totally heartbroken."
"I feel like a sacrificial lamb."
"I thought I was a teacher. Oh no, a social worker. Wait, a police officer. Now a front-line health care worker."
Teachers share anonymous feelings about going back to school amid the pandemic. https://t.co/fW2PMaeOLa
— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 10, 2020
NBC News reports that it asked for anonymous coronavirus confessions from teachers and received hundreds in a matter of days. “I feel like a sacrificial lamb. Some of my colleagues will die before school boards and governors are willing to risk closures,” reads one. “I feel that teachers are grossly underpaid. Now they are being asked to risk their lives so that families can go to work,” reads another. “I’m a teacher and single mother. If I die teaching my students, who will care for my daughter?” asks one teacher.
One thing we would have liked was to have each teacher post their age. We’re curious how many are in high-risk groups.
"Welp, time to order some more stuff off The RealReal while I wait for my Doordash."
— Regs (@r3gulations) August 10, 2020
With so few new movies coming out, teachers are really gunning for winning some Oscars and they might just do it.
— FM29 (@FMUSA29) August 10, 2020
Non-essential workers
— Tony Pepperoni 5’10” (@anthony_2049) August 10, 2020
Lolz. These same people would be furious if their grocery store or Starbucks had closed down over Covid. By the way, police and fire departments have actually been working this whole time, too.
— Branden Hankins (@tweetsofhank) August 10, 2020
Hey, if gov't teachers are determined to convince everyone that they're less important to society than Amazon drivers & grocery checkers we should let them. And the next time their unions demand more benefits, taxpayers can remind 'em how non-essential they told us their work is.
— Neverevernever, nope – not ever! (@leilanitexas) August 10, 2020
Apparently teachers are non-essential workers.
— Rod Laurenz (@LaurenzRod) August 10, 2020
Then step aside for a teacher that wants to work.
— Lesley Stover (@lesley_stover) August 10, 2020
A sacrificial lamb? Are you kidding me!?! What about all of the “essential” workers that have been forced to face the public every day of this pandemic?? Teachers are essential…do your damn job or resign!!
— Timmy (@trobbins88) August 10, 2020
Feelings. Feelings. Feelings. The world apparently now runs on feelings ?
— Kïru Antetokounmpo ???? (@nkirukabee) August 10, 2020
No work, no pay. Abolish teachers unions. Oh and grocery store clerks making minimum wage would like a word.
— Kerry Heiss (@cirk162) August 10, 2020
They need to buck up. I taught for 18 years and was administrative after that. Most of my time was in at risk schools. This is embarrassing and really doesn’t represent most of the teachers.
— Donna (@donnapahmiyer74) August 10, 2020
I'm old enough to remember when tax levies were imperative, that "It's For The Kids" was the battle cry. Now, not so much…
oh, and they're still raising taxes because "we can't do this alone"
— He's Not Wrong (@405_Winchester) August 10, 2020
So tired of hearing these whiners
— C’mon on Man, That’s Malarkey! (@mikediller) August 10, 2020
Oh they are so so whiny. Grow the hell up. They go to grocery stores all the time and see people making less than them interacting with more people every day than they will in a month. And they keep plugging away. Same with so many professions. Sick of the “holier than thou”
— Dan Simoneau (@dsim329) August 10, 2020
Teachers are so weak. If everyone else can work through the pandemic so can they.
Talk about privilege thinking they should get paid for not working…
— Cal? (@AnonymousStaffr) August 10, 2020
Here teachers unabashedly display the disdain they hold for parents, condescension towards workers they think are below them (retail, day care, healthcare) and their absolute inability to gauge risk. No wonder so many parents homeschool.
— Nondescript Adult Human (@taboo_red) August 10, 2020
Europeans are laughing at ridiculous American teachers.
— Pokey (@pokey_84) August 10, 2020
I've never felt so ashamed of my fellow teachers. This is pathetic.
— Archer the Perpetually Defiant (@ArcherMint) August 10, 2020
As a frontline healthcare worker, suck it up
— Boston joe (@ramadiroach) August 10, 2020
Oh my god you would think they were being sent off to war ?
— matthew (@chewymonsterr) August 10, 2020
Few teachers are bold & heroic. The majority are not intrepid. They are bookish, meek and easily influenced by the smallest of threats. They attempt to claim public servant status; they are much closer to bureaucrats than police or fire services.
Pension hounds. Shame on them.
— Biden, cowardly debater (@DelawareSold) August 10, 2020
My husband, who has worked through this entire thing, and the 16 year old that works at our local grocery feel for you?
— jennydee (@jenndee19) August 10, 2020
Not aware of any laws that would require the teachers to go back to work if they don’t want to. Districts will find others to take their jobs or parents will send their kids to private or charter schools.
— KeepUrDoctor (@KeepUrDoctor) August 10, 2020
Why don't they resign and find jobs where they needn't contact people?
The number of people who whine, instead of affirmatively solving their problems themselves, is ridiculous.
— James ✝️?? (@wjamesawill) August 10, 2020
Go to work or find another job.
— Max Nordau (@MaxNordau) August 10, 2020
Half of these teachers are out rioting. Spare me this nonsense.
— High Tension Wires (@davidwi32478240) August 10, 2020
It doesn’t appear that more stories in the media about wills and caskets and obituaries are having the effect the teachers intended.
Related:
BuzzFeed piece about poor teachers threatening to quit rather than ‘put their lives at risk’ BACKFIRES, only makes them look WORSE https://t.co/gEAC8WLkQj
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) July 17, 2020
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