Many Parents Will Continue Homeschooling
There are many uncertainties around what school will look like in fall 2020. It is unclear how social distancing will take place, where the curriculum will begin, or even if school buildings will reopen. With so much up in the air, many parents plan on homeschooling their children, even after lockdown ends. (1)
A survey from RealClear Opinion Research polled 2,122 registered voters. More than 40% of parents said that they would continue homeschooling or look into virtual school after the lockdown ends.
John Shilling, the president of the American Federation of Children, said in a statement, “Every single family with kids in school has been incredibly disrupted by the lockdowns. With 55 million students no longer in their normal educational setting, families are clearly considering new options and many are seeing the benefits of homeschooling and virtual schooling.” (1)
1 in 5 Teachers to Leave Classroom
These numbers were collected around the same time as a poll from USA Today, which revealed that around 20% of teachers plan not to return to the classroom this fall. A majority of the teachers surveyed said they were working harder and for longer hours, yet they didn’t feel they were able to properly do their jobs. Because the change to distance learning happened so abruptly, most teachers have not been trained to teach remotely. Additionally, they feel too distant from their students. (2)
“I feel very disconnected from my students,” one language arts teacher said in a follow-up interview with USA Today, “and I feel like they’re falling behind.” (2)
Other teachers are concerned about how safe it will be for students and staff to return to school buildings in the fall. According to USA Today’s survey, 8 in 10 teachers say they would wear a mask while teaching and almost 90% think it will be difficult to enforce social distancing measures among students. (2)
In many cases, it’s still unclear how schools and districts will approach student and staff safety when schools reopen. (2)
“I’m on a committee with my district talking about the what-ifs, because we don’t have answers on what is going to happen,” said J.W. White, a Fort Worth middle school teacher told USA Today. “The expectation of parents and society is we’re sending our children to be educated in a safe environment, and how we’re going to provide that safe environment is completely unknown.” (2)
Keeping Students and Teachers Safe
As a former middle school teacher, I empathize with teachers who are struggling right now. Teaching is a challenge, even on a good day when you’re in the same room as all of your students. To suddenly switch to virtual teaching has to be disorienting and extremely challenging.
I also know how difficult it will be to succeed at social distancing at school, not just during recess and lunchtime but in classrooms as well. Depending on the year, I had 30 to 35 students in each of my classes. It is simply not possible for students to stay six feet apart when you have to fit that many desks in a classroom.
As the academic year winds down, I hope that school and district leaders spend their time this summer constructing clear plans for student and staff safety. And if it’s not possible to protect teachers and students if they return to school buildings, I hope that they lay out a blueprint for virtual learning and training teachers to instruct online. No teacher wants their students to be at risk of contracting COVID-19. And teachers already sacrifice so much to do what is often a thankless job. They shouldn’t have to put their lives on the line to continue teaching.
