Teacher Check In

crizz13 · July 2020

Since there are a good number of us and the beginning of the school year is quickly approaching....

How far along are you?

What age/subject do you teach?

What are your plans come fall?

How are you feeling?

Questions/Concerns?

crizz13 · July 2020

How far along are you? 21 weeks

What age/subject do you teach? 5th grade public school.

What are your plans come fall? I'm currently waiting to hear our reopening plan. Our state has tasked every district with coming up with a fully remote option, a fully in school option, and a hybrid. Then the state will tell us which one we have to do. We did remote learning from March-June which required an hour daily of live zoom lessons as well as providing and grading another hour of work daily.

How are you feeling? I have such mixed feelings about going back....going back also means my oldest will be in kindergarten and my second will be in daycare. Which freaks me out as someone who has been taking this isolation thing seriously from the beginning. We have only seen a handful of people (all family) since March and suddenly expanding our circles to HUNDREDS of people all at once freaks me out.

Questions/Concerns? Jut general anxiety about the unknown. I also have no idea what will be planned for my maternity leave.

surlyjaneausten · July 2020

How far along are you? 21 weeks

What age/subject do you teach? First and second grade reading intervention.

What are your plans come fall? I’m playing it by ear. If at all possible I do not want to return to in person teaching. Our district has told parents that they’ll have the option to enroll their kids in online learning at their school. So I’m assuming some teachers will be teaching online. Part of me thinks the plan the district has proposed won’t actually get approved and we’ll end up starting later in the year anyway.

How are you feeling? Incredibly nervous. Our cases keep going up and they’re way higher than they were when school got shut down in March. We don’t have the budget for everything that’s being proposed.

Questions/Concerns? My concerns are pretty much infinite right now. Mostly about if I’ll be able to do online teaching and if I’ll be able to keep my position. I love my current position and really don’t want to get moved to something else.

1MommyRunner · July 2020

How far along are you? 23 weeks tomorrow

What age/subject do you teach? I teach ages 3-16 online English as a second language and substitute for 2 years-12th grade at our church’s small private school.

What are your plans come fall? I will continue to teach online, and may sub a day or two here and there. Thankfully the class sizes are extremely small. (A large class in HS is considered 10 students) The area we live in also has not seen a big amount of cases either. I feel pretty good about it! I talked to the lady in charge of contacted subs yesterday and she said she didnt want to call me in to keep the baby safe. So I’m feeling pretty loved and supported by the school! 💜

How are you feeling? I feel pretty good about it! I talked to the lady in charge of contacted subs yesterday and she said she didnt want to call me in to keep the baby safe. So I’m feeling pretty loved and supported by the school! 💜

Questions/Concerns- If anyone is interested in teaching ESL online, I’d be happy to answer any questions about it. Ive been able to stay home with DD since birth because of it and still bring in a decent income. 👍🏻

crystalmir91385 · July 2020

I'm going to hop in, if that's ok. I'm a certified teacher, but currently running an inhome until my kids are in school.

How far along are you? 22 weeks on weds

What age/subject do you teach? Certified to teach 6-12 Social Studies and Spanish. Currently watching kids 8mos-4.5.

What are your plans come fall? Unknown. 3 of my daycare kids have teacher parents, so if we do remote learning, they're out. I'm thinking if that happens, I may switch to a home school center for parents at our school that need help juggling remote learning due to their work schedules.

How are you feeling? My kids go to a smaller private school, so I'm not as worried. But I also don't want to pay tuition if we end up having to remote learn. I know that sounds petty, but tuition is about 2 months of my income, more right now due to fewer kids coming to daycare.

Questions/Concerns? Just concerned about the unknown.

kitkatz1990 · July 2020

How far along are you? 22 weeks

What age/subject do you teach? I teach 3year olds in a church-based center, certified for PreK-3rd

What are your plans come fall? I don’t know. 😩 I feel like I can’t make a decision until our district announces their plans. My kids will be in kindergarten and 3rd grade this year. My center has an after school program, and my director has said that she will have a program for those kids if we end doing virtual learning, so my kids can go to that but then it still puts them around a bunch of other kids, I feel like I need more details on what that’s going to look like too. I also heard through the grapevine that my director is planning on
moving me and the other people with teaching degrees to the after school program to help with virtual learning which I am NOT interested in doing. It doesn’t even seem manageable to have all those kids doing different things, I could barely keep up with just DS’s stuff last spring. I could leave my kiddos with my SIL (she is watching my oldest this summer anyway) but she is not very comfortable doing the virtual learning. Depending on how flexible it is, I could do it with them when I get home from work or even start leaving earlier, around noon or so. I’ve heard that they are going to be on more of a schedule though, so if that’s the case they will have to do their work in the morning. So then my only choice would be to quit my job and stay home with them. That seems like the most sensible thing to do, but I really love my job. The idea of leaving makes me so sad. I’m also terrified to see what it’s going to be like if the kids all go back to school. I’m afraid the virus is going to end up being more transmittable between children than what they’re currently thinking, and I don’t really want my kids to be the guinea pigs for that experiment. I honestly just don’t know what to do. All the options suck.

How are you feeling? So freaking anxious.

Questions/Concerns? Too many to list!

hedgepig · July 2020

How far along are you? 23+5

What age/subject do you teach? High school Culinary

What are your plans come fall? Ugh, it's so hard! The tentative plan is for school to reopen with students split up into 2 groups (under and upperclassmen), each group attending 2 days a week, for 3 block periods (and shorter school days). Wednesday would be a prep/deep cleaning day. Students would only take 3 classes per semester (year long classes offered as semester courses, college style) so they can focus on fewer classes. Class size would be small, students (and teachers) required to wear masks. I teach part time, so they offered that I could teach 2 classes and only work 1st and 4th quarters to accommodate an extra long maternity leave (and they wouldn't have to get a sub!). However, how do you socially distance and teach cooking? Also, cases are rising significantly here, and I'm looking out for both myself and baby and my family, but my older parents who are necessarily in our bubble (childcare, and they live on the property with us), so I don't know what to do. If we are 100% online then I want to keep teaching but my family is not really comfortable with me back in the classroom. I also suspect that even if we START in this hybrid model, we'll be back to distance learning sooner or later, because it's mandated by the state, or we get a positive case at school and basically everyone has to quarantine. It's pretty much impossible to get subs here normally... At the same time, even though I only work part time, we rely on that income, and I value my job. It feels weird to consider taking a year off. But, I would love to get to spend so much time with baby girl before going back to work, and it's important to me to keep my family safe. My husband says "I value your career, but I value our health more and I don't care about the money, you should stay home and take care of our babies." And it melts my heart...

How are you feeling? See above ^

Questions/Concerns? All of the above. It's not my job to be crushed under the wheels of the capitalist machine.

hedgepig · July 2020

@1MommyRunner I am curious about ESL online - maybe not for me, but I know people who might be interested. Please do tell!

surlyjaneausten · July 2020

@hedgepig I agree with what you are saying! Not our job to sacrifice ourselves and our families so people can keep going to work because there’s zero flexibility in most businesses. If I can’t teach online I might take a year off too. I am also part time, and while my income is important for our family, our health is more important.

I just read that Los Angeles and San Diego announced that they’ll be doing distance learning for the fall. I am not in CA but I’m nearby, and I’m hopeful districts around us follow their lead. I just don’t think there’s a safe way to reopen that’s actually plausible given the budget, buildings, and number of staff.

1sttimemomma98 · July 2020

Hi I’m a senior doing my student teaching, so I hope it’s okay if I post in here!

How far along are you? 20 weeks

What age/subject do you teach? High School self contained SpEd (student teaching)

What are your plans come fall? I’m in a Chicago public school and CPS has yet to announce their plans. My university is all online minus internships (i.e. student teaching), labs and research. My guess is CPS will do absolutely everything they can to do in person classes, but I think it will be very unsafe. Our classrooms are horribly overcrowded, not all of our schools have nurses, and social distancing will be very difficult for many our schools.

How are you feeling? I’m feeling a little overwhelmed with all of the uncertainty, but trying to stay positive! I can only imagine how all of you must feel, not knowing if you will be with your kiddos this year.

Questions/Concerns? I am very concerned about completing my student teaching online. My co-teacher is not the best with technology, and has already mentioned that he doesn’t know if he will be able to accommodate me. To be fair, I don’t blame him, he has enough on his plate as is, just a little nervous as to what that means for me.

kitkatz1990 · July 2020

@1sttimemomma98 every time I see you post, you remind me so much of myself when I was pregnant with my oldest. I was also student teaching at the time. I remember how stressful it was to deal with all of those responsibilities on top of all the changes happening in my personal life, so I can only imagine how you’re feeling dealing with all of this COVID crap on top of it.

So, I’ve had lots of conversations today and I am really leaning towards taking the year off and staying home with my kids. They are not going to school no matter what, so my options are quit my job or work through mid-October and have SIL keep my kids during the day. MH is ok either way. My parents are VERY strongly encouraging me to quit. My dad (super logical guy) talked through everything with me and he made some really good points and I think I am leaning towards going ahead and quitting at the end of the school year. I need to talk to MH again about everything tomorrow after work and I need to make some decisions quickly. The idea of leaving my job makes me very anxious. I don’t like change, lol. I just think it’s what’s best to keep us all healthy. We can afford it, we’ll just have to tighten up a little. I am interested in learning more about the ESL @1MommyRunner! Being able to pull in some income would take some of the stress off me.

hedgepig · July 2020

@surlyjaneausten I am in CA and was so happy to see the announcement about LA and SD school districts! I've been talking to a bunch of my cousins who are all teachers about what their districts are doing and we were observing that smaller districts follow the lead if bigger districts, and, well, you don't get any bigger than that!

1MommyRunner · July 2020

@hedgepig and @kitkatz1990 I work for a company called VIPKID! The hours are kinda wonky as you’re teaching kids in China. Im on the East Coast so my available teach hours are 8:30pm-9am. Classes are 25 minutes long, they are one on one and amazingly fun! You can also pick and choose what time slots you want to open, with no minimum or maximum. The only downside is parents do the class booking, so some teachers have a slower start. It has been amazing though! I’ve learned a lot about their culture and have made friends with some sweet families across the world. 🥰
Here is the link and my referral code if you want to check it out!

https://m.vipkidteachers.com/mkt/landing/personal?referralToken=4cf9064859e754e3ece689ced5374878&refereeId=5640274

SAMAN0070 Is the referral code.

If you have any more questions, feel free to message me! 💜🥰

1sttimemomma98 · July 2020

@kitkatz1990 Aw thank you, if you can make it through than so can I!! 💛

kitkatz1990 · July 2020

Well, our district came out with their plan today, and I feel like they are kind of forcing my hand. You can either choose all virtual or all in-person. There is no hybrid model. You cannot switch back and forth between virtual and in-person, once you are enrolled in virtual you have to complete the school year that way. You have to have your child(ren) enrolled in the virtual school by July 21st. Due to this, I am going to enroll my kids in the virtual school and take the year off with them. The virtual school looks like a huge pain in the butt, so I’m dreading it but I feel like this is the safest option as our numbers continue to soar and people continue to not take it seriously. I just know people are going to send their sick kids to school and with having a newborn, I’m just not willing to risk it. Yes we could still catch it if my husband brings it home from work, but it greatly minimizes our risks. I hate the idea of leaving my job, I love my job. It definitely sucks. I was going to talk to my boss today about it, but I just found out that we had a child in our center test positive and she is trying to get in contact with all the parents and enact the procedures we have for this. Plus she herself was exposed to the child, so after today she will have to quarantine so I don’t know when I’ll be able to talk to her. I might have to do it over the phone. I‘m going to work through August 7. This feels so weird. I’ve been here for 7 years. Hopefully everybody understands where I’m coming from.

surlyjaneausten · July 2020

@kitkatz1990 I’m sorry, I totally get it. That’s too bad about the zero flexibility. I bet you’re making the right choice.

I’m frustrated, my district had a streaming conference yesterday “answering questions” that parents and teachers submitted and I feel like it’s all fluff. I told my husband I feel like they’re living in a fantasy world where we’re all going to be just fine being in a building full time together while wearing masks and washing our hands, and the rest is just details. I know none of their plans have been approved by the DOE and our legislature is still meeting about our huge budget cuts, so nothing is decided. My anxiety is just making me irritated about the whole thing.

kitkatz1990 · July 2020

@surlyjaneausten the crazy thing to me, is that they’re having all these meetings remotely on zoom to discuss if it’s safe to reopen schools! I mean if you can’t have the meeting in person, you probably don’t need to be opening the schools!

I’m just really nervous about it and terrified to see what’s going to happen. I hope and pray that I’m wrong and everything will be fine but I’m going to keep my kids out of it. The disrespect being shown towards teachers is not surprising but still frustrating. Telling them to suck it up and do their jobs, or that they’re lazy and just don’t want to go back to work.

magdaaaa · July 2020

I'm an elementary school nurse so hoping its ok that I jump in - if not, disregard

Since there are a good number of us and the beginning of the school year is quickly approaching....

How far along are you? 23 weeks

What age/subject do you teach? K-5 school nurse - approximately 300 students

What are your plans come fall? im actually going back to work aug 3 for 3 weeks of staff development/work days. kids start back aug 26th. as of right now, im willing to go back for the 3 weeks to get things straight, but I am just not so sure I'll be sticking around for the return of the students. as the first line of sick contact with 300+ kids that could be asymptomatic and lick each other, im just not willing to risk my health or my sweet baby boy's! I'm hoping to take unpaid personal leave until my doc officially writes me out at 36 weeks (his call on this situation), and then use FMLA. I will likely not return to work at all after my maternity leave runs out because this is all just too much and too uncertain

How are you feeling? nervous AF would be the understatement of the century.

Questions/Concerns? ugh - no. or yes, because its all concerning. but that's just the facts I suppose.

magdaaaa · July 2020

@kitkatz1990 ugh! I am so sorry you're having to deal with all of that, and make such a huge decision for the ENTIRE YEAR based off of something right now. regardless, if its any consolation I definitely think you're making the right choice - I would have done the same thing. hugs.

@hedgepig PREACH, sister friend. on alllll of that!! why are we the punching bags?!?!

kitkatz1990 · July 2020

@magdaaaa welcome!! I for one would love to have your perspective in this thread! I absolutely don’t blame you for being hesitant about returning when the kids come back. That is way more exposure than I would be comfortable with! These are seriously the craziest times ever, and the pressure being put on everybody right now is immense.

lindz42 · July 2020

How far along are you? 24 wks

What age/subject do you teach? 9-10 ELA

What are your plans come fall? My district just shared some guidelines today, had a public Zoom Q&A, and will have a meeting tomorrow for teachers only. A lot of uncertainty and generalized statements. The district is big, so it seems like all of the schools will have to come up with their own specific plans. Sounds the majority will be going back to in-person school. There's a distance learning option that you have to apply for and it seems like high risk students and teachers will get priority, but there was very little information about what that means. If I were to opt for the virtual school choice, I'm not sure how my maternity leave would work. They're already talking about a desperate need to hire more substitute teachers for this year. Sounds like they're not requiring masks for students in the classroom, just recommending... teachers are required to wear all day... lunch in classrooms and teachers will likely he responsible for cleaning up lunch??

How are you feeling? Confused and irritated. I don't understand why anyone would think this is a good idea.

Questions/Concerns? Concerned about wearing a mask all day, since I have trouble with my hour long appointments and going to the store. Concerned about not being able to make arrangements for childcare after maternity leave. Our parents have offered to help out and we are hoping to accept their help for the first school year, then look into daycares for next school year. DH has a rotating schedule, so we wouldn't need help every weekday... but should I consider the virtual option more heavily so that I could stay home for the whole year? Idk if I could do that with sanity either because I'm getting restless at home alone most days..

crizz13 · July 2020

surlyjaneausten · July 2020

@warmwinter wow, just recommending that students wear masks would NOT make me feel ok. Our district has said they’ll supply cleaning products to teachers too. I was like great, on top of all the new responsibilities that will come with this year, I’ll get to clean my room several times a day too 😕.

Since I’m in an intervention role and not a classroom teacher at the moment, I’m beginning to think my position won’t exist this year. At our latest Zoom board meeting they mentioned music teachers, librarians and literacy specialists helping out with social distancing and being in new support roles. I’m going to be so bummed if they spring a new position on me, but I totally expect it.

crizz13 · July 2020

In our latest meetings it sounds like we will be doing a hybrid model though nothing is set in stone. All students and staff required to wear masks (but that's not a surprise since it's been a state mandate here for months for anyone over the age of 2) and spaced six feet apart in the classroom. Teachers will be in the building full time whereas kids will be in a/b cohorts and alternating days. On the days the kids are home, they will be doing remote work independently but have an opportunity to zoom in for some drop in office hours extra help with a para or for their specials (art, music, etc.). Parents will have the opportunity to opt for 100% remote, but that will likely be provided and run by the state so will not be the responsibility of our teaching staff.

I'm still trying to sort through all my feelings about it.

crystalmir91385 · July 2020

We are in private school, and I'm still waiting to hear our official plan, but the district they WOULD be in announced their plans this week. Option of 100% in person or 100% remote for the Fall semester. I'm interested to see what parents choose.

hedgepig · July 2020

Update: the COVID situation here is getting worse by the day. We had a union meeting and voted to request that we start the year out doing distance learning, and then the next day the public health official recommended the same, and our superintendent followed suit. So we'll be doing virtual learning this fall at least, and I can't really imagine that we'll be back in the classroom at all this year, but we'lll see. It works out for me because they are remodeling my classroom this Fall!

surlyjaneausten · July 2020

@hedgepig that is awesome!

My coworker who is way more in the loop than I am says our union will be fighting for distance learning and she thinks that we’ll start virtually. 🤞🏻hoping she’s right. DH and I decided that if I can’t teach from home I’ll be taking the year off. Even though it’s not my first choice because I want to keep my salary, it wouldn’t be the worst thing with a new baby at home.

kitkatz1990 · July 2020

@hedgepig good! I wish our district would reconsider, but I doubt they will. Where I live, the majority of parents want their kids back in school and would be very upset if they decided to do distance learning. I’m choosing the virtual program being offered by the district but I’m very concerned about my kids being in front of a computer all day every day, especially my kindergartener!! She needs to be reading and writing and exploring manipulatives...I just wish I had more information about the program they are using and sample lessons and stuff. If I don’t like it I guess I can withdraw her and homeschool. I’m not really comfortable doing that with my 3rd grader but he at least has a solid foundation of early math and reading skills to build off of, and he’s more independent operating the Chromebook and the online programs so I’m not as worried about his virtual learning. The ECEer in me is dying at my 5-year-old being on a computer all day.

1sttimemomma98 · July 2020

My University emailed today that we will no longer be student teaching in the fall

As of now the school I was stationed at is still meeting in person, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they switched to virtual. It depends on what CPS decides especially with pushback from CTU.

Overall I’m bummed that I won’t meet the kiddos, but not too sad that I won’t be student teaching 9 months pregnant 😂
I am worried however that this will affect my graduation eligibility. I have reached out to faculty to see.

I’m keeping the rest of you ladies in my thoughts as you and your districts navigate the next few weeks!!💛

lindz42 · July 2020

@hedgepig Does your district listen to your union enough that the vote would matter? Our union wasn't involved in the decision process at all. It saddens me how anti-union my district's city seems to be, as fire and police have had similar issues...
@1sttimemomma98 I'm so sorry to hear about your student teaching. I wonder what will happen next with your degree and hope you don't have to put too much on hold. Are there still classes you have to take?

I talked to a midwife about work concerns. Covid cases are relatively low right now in my state and are still on a downward trend. The midwife ended up basically telling me that it was my decision to make because she and the practice were not strongly advising one way or the other. She said that with proper group sizes, social distancing, and mask wearing, the risk for someone who's otherwise healthy wouldn't be much different from working at a grocery store right now. But she also said to keep an eye on the CDC and ongoing studies of observed pregnancy risks, because they could change.

I could either opt for a 100% district-wide virtual model or return to my own school with a hybrid model. Right now, I'm leaning towards the hybrid model. Since March, I've been struggling mental-health-wise with staying home constantly, and this summer especially I have really missed my school's community support. The district-wide virtual model would be like starting a new job where I know nobody and I'm not sure how supportive they'd be of my maternity leave. I just can't see myself healthily isolating for an entire year...

hedgepig · July 2020

@warmwinter Our district is super small, and while I don't think the union is very strong, I knew that the administration wanted to go virtual, so more support that way would have been helpful. We also have a really hard time hiring normally, so I think the possible loss of teachers who would have to leave their positions if they were forced back into the classroom might have meant something. I am relieved that the decision was taken out of their hands so they could make it more easily.

surlyjaneausten · July 2020

Our teacher’s union along with the principal and ESP representatives officially opposed our district reopening plan and are requesting nine weeks of distance learning to start the school year. I’m really relieved they are taking the stance. I know it’s always a bad idea to go down the rabbit hole of internet comments, but people were so mean and nasty towards teachers online after the articles were published. I’m feeling really disheartened thinking about how so many people see us as glorified babysitters and have no regard for our health and safety. It was a lot of name calling and accusing us of being lazy. I know most teachers would love to get back in their classrooms if things were safer. I think I need to restrain myself from reading the comments.

kitkatz1990 · July 2020

@surlyjaneausten I have to avoid reading the comments myself. It makes me sick the way teachers are treated in this country.

crizz13 · July 2020

I had a telehealth visit and was told that even if we go back to teaching in person in any capacity in the fall, they want me to stop teaching and self-isolate starting at 37 weeks! Now I just have to figure out with HR if those 3 weeks will count against my FMLA time....

crystalmir91385 · July 2020

The districts here finally announced plans, and they're completely different, which I find interesting.
District #1: choice of 100% in person or 100% remote.
Disrtict #2: elementary 100% in person or 100% online, HS is A/B schedule or 100% online platform (3rd party, NOT our teachers).

Our private school is doing 100% in person. I'm a bit nervous about it, but don't really have a choice, so fingers crossed all goes well!

magdaaaa · July 2020

@crizz13 my OB said the same to me but at 36 weeks. You will actually qualify for the paid emergency FMLA extension for those 3/4 weeks under the new emergency family cares act due to covid! Make sure you ask HR about it, they should bring it up to you, but school systems are 😑 but because it is a doctor ordered isolation for covid reasons and as a pregnant woman you should absolutely qualify if your employer does.

anywho - hope that helps!!

crizz13 · July 2020

@magdaaaa Thanks! I just submitted the regular maternity leave paperwork today, so I'll email them once I get the paperwork that says 37 weeks :-)

lindz42 · July 2020

@crizz13 @magdaaaa This is the first time I'm hearing about this fmla covid extension... I wonder if a doctor ordered isolation would be considered a quarantine-- my contract covers paid quarantine leave so I wouldn't need to use sick days... my doctor office is playing everything by ear right now because things keep changing.

Still no word from my area about the school reopening format. Right now my state is okay with cases, but the city of my district has a disproportionate amount of the cases in the state.

crizz13 · July 2020

@magdaaaa I did a little digging and it looks like the extended FMLA cannot be in addition to the regular FMLA leave that is afforded after the birth of a child. The way I'm reading it (and I could be wrong, I'll email hr) it's 12 weeks total. So If I took the three weeks before under the CARES act, I'd only get 9 weeks after the baby is born. I hate COVID.

magdaaaa · July 2020

@crizz13 aha! You are right! I think I was misunderstanding my HR lady - not unusual 😂 the good news is I have clarified with doc and HR yesterday that it would in fact be paid, and they can not make you exhaust vacation or sick time pay first.

@warmwinter I would think so. Isolation and quarantine are the same thing in my mind - but of course double check. Maybe call HR to verify that your employer qualifies for the emergency FMLA? As a public school system mine does.

surlyjaneausten · July 2020

Our district had a marathon meeting last night to eventually vote to just keep the plan they came up with a few weeks ago, against the district medical officer’s advice. I honestly feel like the whole conversation about covid was lost and it just became a small detail in the conversation. So I’m going to have to figure out if I can do distance learning with the knowledge that I’ll be leaving in November for however long. If my new principal isn’t receptive I’ll request to take a year off. I feel like teachers have been completely ignored in this process and it’s going to be such a mess 😩.

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