Erika Mendy and her son. {courtesy}
By Erika Mendy Etzo
Broward County Public Schools hasn’t asked me my opinion on going back to school in August, but I will go ahead and offer it anyway.
I get why people want schools to open. In all honesty, I’ve been locked in my house with a two-year-old since March 13, so I am dying to get out of the house. I actually miss my classroom and my work friends and my students.
However, it is just illogical to reopen in August. Numbers are higher than ever, and summer camps are being infected, with more closing each day.
Why aren’t we using this time to plan for the inevitable? If we go back, it’s just a matter of time. Someone will get it. What then? Do we switch to distance learning at that time? Why not use this time to try to plan on where we will end up anyway at home.
I was brave enough to come to school with the fear of yet another school shooting, but this is scary too. I think I’m brave enough to do it as I don’t have much of a choice if I have to pay my bills, but what if I get it? What if I give it to my son? My father? My students? What if someone I love dies because I have been forced back into a classroom. What if a student gets it on my watch. I can’t imagine living with that.
It’s easy to say, “spread students out and have them wear masks.” But you all know, we just can’t meet the CDC guidelines that will keep us safe. It is impossible with our numbers and resources.
So stop all this back and forth. I want to go back to school too, really badly. But, if you are honest with yourself, it just can’t work. Not right now.
I think it’s irresponsible to toss all our kids and teachers into a classroom and cross our fingers, hoping it will work out. It won’t.
I know what I say doesn’t matter, because why would I know anything? I’ve just been in the classroom for 16 years.
So teachers will probably fall in line and do what we are asked to do without making the money we deserve, without the appreciation we have always wanted, and without any regard for our lives or safety.
Honestly, I’m not surprised. It’s how teachers have always been treated. But I am surprised by the parents who have no hesitation putting their babies in a room full of germs seven hours a day in the middle of a global pandemic.
Erika Mendy Etzo has been a teacher for 16 years. She currently teaches 5th Grade at Ramblewood Elementary School in Coral Springs and lives in Fort Lauderdale. Her views are her own and are not representative of Broward County Public Schools.
Coral Springs Talk welcomes all opinions. Submit yours here.
27 comments
My children’s safety is the utmost priority moving forward and we take all the necessary precautions. I’m tired of hearing about how much at risk my children are at school when we are at higher risk going to the grocery store. “The largest study so far, published in Pediatrics, included analysis of 2,143 children with COVID-19. It found that symptoms of the disease were generally less severe in children and teens compared with adults. Specifically, 4.4 percent had no symptoms, 50.9 percent had mild disease and 38.8 percent had moderate symptoms. Of the children with symptoms, only 0.6 percent developed acute respiratory distress syndrome or multiple organ dysfunction.”
What we can’t do is use Covid-19 as an excuse to allow teachers that work 6 or 7 hours a day to work only 4 and expect a full salary. In fact, my fourth grade child’s teacher only made contact with the students on Zoom once a week (for an hour)…what was she doing the rest of the time? When numerous teachers aren’t complaining about going back to work they are whining about their salaries. Unfortunately, teachers have become too accustomed to working 50+ days less a year less then everyone else but want the same or more pay (not factoring any PTO time). I did some math and it seems most teachers make more per hour or per day than other professions averaging 40-50k a year. For example, a person that works a 5 day-full 40 hour work week, and making 50k would earn about 30% less (about 34.5k) if they only worked hours equal to a teaching schedule.
Do teachers really expect students to achieve the same level of education by distanced learning? This is especially an issue for working families where there is no one with teaching experience to oversee the lessons. The children are falling behind and so far I don’t see the school board or teachers panicking over that fact. This is their paid profession and if the schools and teachers choose not to teach they should choose to resign. Teachers haven’t been forced to go back to work…many people (including my wife and myself) didn’t have the option of working from home…so accepting the new precautions and risks will be necessary if you want to stay at your current job.
I hope that when you finally do go back to teaching fifth graders that you demand that they put more facts and fewer unsupported opinions in their essays than you put in this opinion piece. For example you say “Numbers are higher than ever…” as a justification for keeping schools closed. Exactly which “numbers” and what is their significance? Don’t you ever write “justify your answer” on a student’s paper or do you accept vague opinions as fact? And you say “someone will get it.” Okay so do we shut down the school system because of it? Children are extremely unlikely to have a bad outcome from COVID and the data shows they are very inefficient spreaders too So we’ll do what Publix and Home Depot and Walmart do. When someone is sick they stay home. The rest of us live our lives. If you’re worried about giving it to your father then quarantine him, not the rest of society. What if someone you love dies from COVID? What if someone you love dies in a car crash– will you stop driving? It will be a challenge for you in the classroom but you’re not the only one working harder and under difficulties. Think of health professionals fire and police. They’ve done it every day for months. Brave people like you can do it too.
Just wondering why you attacked the writer of this article. It is an opinion piece and not a fact driven research paper. Knowing that you are a Fox News disciple, you should understand the difference.
her opinion is not based on facts. If youre gonna give an opinion, and your a teacher, at least have your facts straight. Not much to ask of an educator. Throwing foxnews into your response tells me your not capable of of crirical thinking, and needed to try and take a shot to invalidate this persons much more thought out opinion, and much more fact based. Do some research outside the mainstream media and you will see that the teachers opinion does not stand up to what is actually going on. This persons opinion is much more in line with reality.
I will keep this short, you , John Locke and Caleigh are most likely the same person. I think you are spending too much time watching Fox News and OAN. Also, please stop using the name of John Locke. You are embarrassing the name of the philosopher. Finally, John Locke, you have stated in previous posts in this publication that you were a teacher and you are a man of color, i believe that both are lies. Thank you and take care.
nice try, but not true. I also dont watch either of the networks you mentioned. Unfortunately people like you are why we are here right now. i take it your a liberal since you took the standard pot shot at fox news. This thing has somehow become politicized, so the truth, and facts are hard to find. But, info is out there if you actually seek it, and arent afraid that the truth may go against your inherent biases. Bottom line, your part of the problem, not any solution.
LOL John, Caleigh, and truthbetold. Your views are that of Brietbart, Fox and OAN. I know, I watch or read their opinions. Interesting how they can create alternative facts. Do you think my go to source for the truth should be Trump?
Come back to the adult table when your homework is done and you have some facts at your disposal instead of a conducting a drunken rant
John, you are getting nasty. That was a very nasty statement. You are a nasty man!
Sunshine melts the snowflake!!
Hey that was my trump imitation. Are you calling trump a snowflake? Adding to my reply, watched the Chris Wallace interview with trump. Must have been a lot of sunshine during the taping of the interview. So sad, so very sad.
But not as sad as your intellekt. Or the state of public education churning out your partikular brand of bologna.
TJ1950. The data suggest that children are not efficient spreaders of COVID as evidenced here:
https://www.theblaze.com/news/groundbreaking-study-makes-case-for-students-returning-to-school-shows-kids-rarely-spread-covid
I am surprise that you aren’t quoting Alex Jones. Again, you are just vomiting the propaganda from Fox New, OAN, and the Blaze. Keep patting yourself on your back for being so brilliant. Also, are you putting down the people bagging your groceries. I find it to be a very condescending statement from a pompous ass. Also, were you the person without the mask at the checkout counter mocking people with masks for being Sheeps?
Actually, they are lemmings.
I don’t need any help dazzling you with my brilliance and decimating you with my superior reasoning and command of the facts LOL
I think I overheard you talking about me when you were bagging the groceries of the people ahead of me in line today. You used some of the exact same phrases so must conclude it was you, TJ1950
I think you have watch CNN and MSNBC way too much. Put down The Communist Manifesto. Typical dem call other people liars when all that comes out of your mouth are lies, and name calling.
people like you think people can just spout off opinions without facts? we can have different opinions but there is only ONE set of facts. John Locke ask her about which numbers shes talking about–she say *the numbers* but what number she talking about? smh
Do you understand an opinion piece does not need to be fact driven? That is the reason it is called an opinion.
even opinion pieces should be based on facts. pretty ridiculous to have opinion pieces with no basis in fact. like “all liberals are child molesting monsters” that would be opinion, but does it have any connection to fact? of course not
Again, opinion pieces do not need facts. It can be anecdotal in nature. Also, did trump make the statement “all liberals….”?
You’re so funny, thinking that adult opinions need not be based in fact. Children can have opinions based on wishful thinking and fantasy but not adults, TJ, that’s what distinguishes adult opinions from children’s. Get an adult opinion, little guy
Facts appear to be foreign to you. Propaganda, though, is your forte.
If you are stating an opinion you need facts behind it, not just crying unreasonably,
https://goodmorningamerica.com/amp/wellness/story/pediatricians-pushing-kids-back-school-fall-71696668
My children’s safety is the utmost priority moving forward and we
take all the necessary precautions. I’m tired of hearing about how much
at risk my children are at school when we are at higher risk going to
the grocery store.
“The largest study so far, published in Pediatrics,
included analysis of 2,143 children with COVID-19. It found that
symptoms of the disease were generally less severe in children and teens
compared with adults. Specifically, 4.4 percent had no symptoms, 50.9
percent had mild disease and 38.8 percent had moderate symptoms. Of the
children with symptoms, only 0.6 percent developed acute respiratory
distress syndrome or multiple organ dysfunction.”
What we can’t do is use Covid-19 as an excuse to allow teachers that normally work just 6
or 7 hours a day to work only 4 and expect a full salary. In fact, my
fourth grade child’s teacher only made contact with the students on
Zoom once a week (for an hour)…what was she doing the rest of the
time? When numerous teachers aren’t complaining about going back to work
they are whining about their salaries. Unfortunately, teachers have
become too accustomed to working 50 or more days less a year less then everyone
else but want more pay (not factoring PTO time). I did some math and it
seems most teachers make more per hour or per day that other people
averaging 40-50k a year. For example, a person that works a 5 day-full
40 hour work week, and making 50k would earn about 30% less (about
34.5k) if they only worked a teaching schedule.
Do teachers really expect students to receive the same level of education
by distanced learning? This is especially an issue for working families
where there is no one with teaching experience to oversee the lessons.
The children are falling behind and so far I don’t see the school board
or teachers panicking over that fact. This is their responsibility and
if the schools and teachers choose not to teach they should choose to
resign. The teachers aren’t being forced to go back to work…many
people (including my wife and myself) didn’t have the option of working
from home…so accepting the new precautions and risks will be necessary
if you want to stay at your current job.
I’m fed up with teachers who don’t want to go back to work in the classroom. The doctors and nurses never quit. The police and firefighters never quit. Not even the stock boys, cashiers and baggers at Publix quit. So what makes a teacher’s job more hazardous than the other jobs? The only thing teachers like Erica Etzo have taught us is that she and teachers like her are not essential workers. I urge everyone to withdraw their children from the Broward County Public Schools and enroll them in Florida Virtual School. http://www.flvs.net Unlike Broward Schools, FLVS has experience doing teaching online. If your child experienced the fiasco that was March, April, and May of last school year, you’ll agree. Oh, and fire any teacher that doesn’t return to work in the classroom!