Thursday, June 25, 2020

Response to Fall State Guidelines

My response to the Fall State Guidelines for schools are the following:

The state has done a good job so far
Massachusetts officials have done a good job so far. I value that.

We have many avenues for voice and choice
There are many leadership groups involved in this. So far the school system I work in and my local union has taken the pandemic seriously. There has been a lot of good work done. The good work by these groups and the state so far make me confident.

I will learn all I can and respond accordingly as a classroom teacher
As a classroom teacher I will do what I can to keep the learning/teaching healthy and positive including the following steps:
  • Wearing a mask each day
  • Planning to focus on curriculum that lends itself to socially distancing and safe learning at the start of the year
  • Teaching students all the blended learning skills at the start of the year so that they are able to flexibly learn in both at-home and in-school settings
  • Having plenty of hand sanitizer and hand washing times throughout the day
  • Wearing clothes that cover up and glasses -- that will help with regard to less spread
  • Teaching outdoors as much as possible
  • Working with colleagues to teach in ways that are safe and engaging
  • Using my sick time when needed
  • Working with families and colleagues
  • Advocating for virtual meetings with families and teachers when possible rather than face-to-face meetings
Elevating good health this summer
Using the summer to stay healthy and get healthier. I'm taking a managed risk outlook toward the summer. I don't want to get sick, and in fact, I want to get healthier. The healthier I am in the fall, the better I'll be able to do my job in healthy, positive ways.

Mitigating negativity and elevating voice, good process, and advocacy
Rather than get mired in negativity at this time, I'll rely on good process, voice, and advocacy at this time. We need to speak up if the situation is a health risk. We also need to speak up if we have better ideas. So I'll choice voice, advocacy, and good process over  negativity.