What This Teacher Wants You To Know

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Abstract

that could kill me and rob our family of these precious future events.</p><p id="24c4">At the same time, I detest all of the comments online stating teachers simply <i>don’t want to work</i>. It’s unprofessional to tell other’s their hurtful comments suck, but they do! Like so many career teachers, we love what we do. We have fed and clothed kids in need. We pray for and wish our students well. Many of us love being an important adult in their lives. We need them as much as they need us.</p><p id="4969" type="7">When people take to keyboards pounding out hateful comments like “Fire them all” or teachers are “greedy and lazy”, Its infuriating and heartbreaking. Had Covid never happened, teachers would have continued to be working class professionals hanging out in the backdrop of society, going unnoticed by the masses.</p><p id="cd73">Now, when the going gets tough for the entire world, many have turned on educators because we can’t fix something out of our control. You want us to just <b><i>do our jobs </i></b>even if that means we could die and leave our own children uncared for. I know the risk is worth it for some. It’s not for me. My children, mother, sisters, husband and family agree. I bet if you asked your loved ones, they would say the same about you.</p><p id="d3dd">While the world waits for a cure, greedily consuming headlines about schools closing due to spikes in cases, or this week’s headline of <i>a 28 year old African American teacher who who was diagnosed with Covid, and died 3 days later (<a href="http://A 28-year-old elementary teacher dies three days after coronavirus diagnosis in South Carolina By Faith Karimi, CNN">Reported by CNN</a>),</i> just remember these are not just <b>tendencies.</b> They are actual people with real grieving families.</p><p id="7c0b">Most of us became teachers because we care. We would still be doing our jobs, in classrooms had Covid never happened. It did, and just like you, we want a fix that makes everyone happy and safe. <b>I want you to know that I’m not ready to die.</b> We teachers want to come out of this alive and ready to serve our students. The key word being ALIVE!</p><p id="4893">More By Kim Jagwe</p><div id="ec01" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/ba

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We hear your hateful, angry comments!

“Every state and every community has school leadership that can sit down and can figure out solutions to the problem of reopening,” DeVos said. “It’s not a matter of if, it’s just a matter of how.”

… “there is a tendency on the part of some to be fearful of taking that next step toward where we need to go to get schools to reopen. “ — Betsy Devos, reported by Talia Kaplan | Fox News

Recycled air pumped back into classrooms, social distancing made impossible by smaller cramped spaces. Substitutes ghosting schools who need them for teachers on leave. Extra personal for expanded bus routes due to social distancing guidelines and PPE for all teacher and students who need it are in short supply. These aren’t just tendencies on our parts to be fearful. These are real life and death circumstances. Let’s drop the political jargon and talk about who gets to live and who gets die!

The one thing Devos and I agree on is the fear factor.

This is a terrifying position to be in. I’ve been teaching for nearly 2 decades. I turn 50 in a matter of months and wonder if my body is able to survive a bout with Covid-19. Am I more at risk being African American and middle aged? I’m not just a teacher. I’m also a mom to two fantastic teenagers and a wife to Solomon. I dream of the day my husband and I celebrate our children’s milestones: first romantic relationships, grand kids, first home purchases and graduations. I don’t want to expose myself to a disease that could kill me and rob our family of these precious future events.

At the same time, I detest all of the comments online stating teachers simply don’t want to work. It’s unprofessional to tell other’s their hurtful comments suck, but they do! Like so many career teachers, we love what we do. We have fed and clothed kids in need. We pray for and wish our students well. Many of us love being an important adult in their lives. We need them as much as they need us.

When people take to keyboards pounding out hateful comments like “Fire them all” or teachers are “greedy and lazy”, Its infuriating and heartbreaking. Had Covid never happened, teachers would have continued to be working class professionals hanging out in the backdrop of society, going unnoticed by the masses.

Now, when the going gets tough for the entire world, many have turned on educators because we can’t fix something out of our control. You want us to just do our jobs even if that means we could die and leave our own children uncared for. I know the risk is worth it for some. It’s not for me. My children, mother, sisters, husband and family agree. I bet if you asked your loved ones, they would say the same about you.

While the world waits for a cure, greedily consuming headlines about schools closing due to spikes in cases, or this week’s headline of a 28 year old African American teacher who who was diagnosed with Covid, and died 3 days later (Reported by CNN), just remember these are not just tendencies. They are actual people with real grieving families.

Most of us became teachers because we care. We would still be doing our jobs, in classrooms had Covid never happened. It did, and just like you, we want a fix that makes everyone happy and safe. I want you to know that I’m not ready to die. We teachers want to come out of this alive and ready to serve our students. The key word being ALIVE!

More By Kim Jagwe