Saturday, May 09, 2020

WHY NOT EMBRACE OUR CHILDCARE ROLE?

Governor Andrew Cuomo has referred on multiple occasions to the role teachers play in child care. Our child care function is why he dithered and delayed in closing the schools in March. (Who would watch the kids of the healthcare workers?) It is also playing a key part in the decision about reopening school buildings and why part-time school might not work out.  As we stated in covering his April 12 press conference, "Cuomo emphasized that businesses can't reopen without the schools being opened because schools provide education as well as childcare." That statement seems a little at odds with what the Governor said the other day when he announced that Bill Gates was going to take another shot at "reimagining" education in NY.

From Cuomo's May 5 presser:
“The old model of, everybody goes and sits in a classroom, and the teacher is in front of that classroom, and teaches that class, and you do that all across the city, all across the state, all these buildings, all these physical classrooms — why, with all the technology you have?”

NYSUT had a pretty strong reaction to Cuomo's reimagination of NY education. President Andy Pallotta's statement:

“NYSUT believes in the education of the whole child. Remote learning, in any form, will never replace the important personal connection between teachers and their students that is built in the classroom and is a critical part of the teaching and learning process — which is why we’ve seen educators work so hard during this pandemic to maintain those connections through video chats, phone calls and socially distant in-person meetings. If we want to reimagine education, let’s start with addressing the need for social workers, mental health counselors, school nurses, enriching arts courses, advanced courses and smaller class sizes in school districts across the state. Let’s secure the federal funding and new state revenues through taxes on the ultrawealthy that can go toward addressing these needs. And let’s recognize educators as the experts they are by including them in these discussions about improving our public education system for every student.”

The pushback from education advocates is making a difference.

From the Albany Times Union:

Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa in a tweet addressed the critics saying that the task force was not intended to undercut teachers, but to harness technologies that to better reach at risk-student populations.

"Teachers are heroes & nothing could ever replace in-person learning--COVID has reinforced that," DeRosa wrote. "The re-imagine education task force focuses on using technology most effectively while schools are closed & to provide more opportunities to students no matter where they are"

Cuomo officials clarified that the task force will be informed by teachers, parents and other stakeholders.

Sometimes, I cannot understand why we have been downplaying the childcare part of our job as educators. Academic expertise is important but so is the socialization aspect of schooling. I don't think the world is ready to have their children educated and socialized completely at home.

Remote education cannot supplant real school. Parents are discovering firsthand some of the difficulties of teaching during the pandemic when we all stay home. As the father of two elementary school kids who tries to escape occasionally to write blog posts, I have an even deeper respect for what elementary school teachers do. I think many other parents feel the same way. I don't believe the moms and dads of the world want their teens around the house all day, every day either.

This Israeli mother's video is a classic.


This one is pretty good too.


Why fight our babysitting role? Why not embrace it as long as our academic expertise is acknowledged too and of course school buildings are safe to open?

31 comments:

  1. OFF TOPIC,

    Did anyone else's pay stub for pay date 5/15/20 notice a drastic reduction in CAR (cumulative absence reserve) days?

    MIne dropped from 80 Days to 4 days.

    Normally, I wouldn't bring this up (as I'd assume it was a payroll error) but these are different and dangerous times.

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  2. 347,

    Check your car on pay portal as well.

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  3. This morning, the 4 days were added and the CAR was accurate.

    I just checked pay portal and it was not accurate. The numbers were not in the proper spots. My assumption is that there was some sort of a technological glitch knowing the doe and their outdated technology. There were probably too many people logging in today and their servers crashed or another glitch.

    In a few days, it should be straightened out.

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  4. Looks like this is a problem. I would put it on the record just in case with the payroll secretary.

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  5. I just informed my CL that my 26 years of car days are gone plus two Lodi days I had,doesn't matter if you try to go back and check earlier stubs it's all the same Let's hope it's just a regular boondoggle as opposed to a potential dumpster fire

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  6. This morning the 4 days were entered into my CAR correctly as well. Now numbers are all over the place??? Not surprised, they can't even get this right!!!!!

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  7. You put it on the record. The people who are paid to get this straightened out need to do their job now. Keep us posted please.

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  8. I know everyone wants to talk about their cars but the issue James raised should be addressed. James, don't you think that part of the "reform" will also adjust class size so that we babysit larger number of students to allow parents to go to work. Supplemented with distance learning this new world won't need many teachers and schools will become daycare centers.

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    Replies
    1. I think they already see us as daycare but in the current climate how can they increase class size and expect any social distancing? Makes no sense.

      Thanks for getting conversation for a bit back to topic.

      Delete
  9. Please go check your CAR days... the teachers at my school, including myself, were charged 2 days... Anyone else see this??

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  10. I as well am having issues. It says I used 79 days and have only 2 days left. I’m assuming this is some DOE flaw.

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  11. Go on record guys. Clearly they messed up CARs.

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  12. James,

    When you say go on record, do you mean to email the school payroll secretary to notify of this mistake with CAR?

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    Replies
    1. 8:21, Yes email payroll secretary/chapter leader. You are putting it on record.

      However, I would be much more concerned if it was only me. If this is all over the place, then they probably already know.

      Delete
  13. Thanks for sharing this information. This shows that teachers are not babysitter.

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  14. This is a CAR nightmare.

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  15. I had 163 days and now have 2 days...Says I used 157 days.😨

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  16. We have it confirmed with teachers from different schools that the CAR days are a mess. Chancellor and Mulgrew have been made aware.

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  17. If teachers prove how good they can be at remote learning then they are in reality just digging their graves.
    And to all of you snowflakes who are hiding under your beds suffering from Coronaphobia you can bet that New York state will use its budget deficit as an excuse to make major transformations in education. AKA downsizing and layoffs.
    And you can expect the vaccine King himself Bill Gates to lead the way.

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  18. Of course it's a mess. Central has the most incompetent people in the world, yet their jobs are all safe no matter what happens to the economy.

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  19. My Car is fine this morning. Happy Mother's Day to all the teacher mom's!

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  20. One reason we should not embrace our child care role at this time is the mathematics
    and the risks of infection with the NOVEL COVID 19 virus which is highly contagious and deadly. Remember that approximately 60 UFT members died from the novel Corona virus shortly after being exposed in mid March.

    So in order to help you make a data driven decision and instead of speculative and uninformed nonsense, I have attached a link to a poignant article about why it will not be safe to re-open schools in September:

    https://erinbromage.wixsite.com/covid19/post/the-risks-know-them-avoid-them

    This is very good. It is also backed up by the experiences in places where there is a lot of tracing.. like Singapore...

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  21. I am hearing reports today that the CARs are fixed for some but not all.

    Patience ladies and gentlemen and Happy Mothers Day!

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  22. Schools will not be safe for staff and students. Children and teens are showing pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome which may be linked to COVID-19. Officials are not sure. This says it all. Remote learning has flaws and large educational ramifications for students. It can enhance education while schools are in full session and be used due to emergency situations, such as this pandemic, but is not a replacement. This will require students to have someone on their end supervising that they are doing the work. Also, parents/guardians may not be the best person to supervise their own children because the material being taught is not understood.

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  23. Glad to see we are back on topic. People are realizing the job of teaching is not easy at all.

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  24. Most New York City School buildings do not maintain the level of hygiene and adequate ventilation to allow for the reopening of schools next September. !!!PERIOD!!!!

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  25. We are not baby sitters.

    From the Pre-K through grade 12, teachers have a custodial role in the lives of students. We take care of them, at all ages, when they are in our custody. When understood and respected, this role is not at odds with our other professional duties, with the vital role we play in the cognitive and social development of students. And, it is not at odds or disrespectful of caregiving in the many other ways it is done.

    We fought hard to earn respect for our profession and we've fought hard to retain it. But the last 20 years have been an onslaught from every direction, including, and most importantly, from inside the unions, to dismember us through de-professionalization.
    I needn't remind teachers of the history of our profession and how it developed and changed after we organized. That history is important not only because it explains how we managed to get better wages and respect, though teaching remains, sadly, a relatively low-status profession in a city and nation where prestige and wages are closely correlated, but because our profession is inextricably bound to the feminist or women's movement. We are mostly women. This is not only true in NYC and in the USA but everywhere in the world. In fact, in the USA, the percentage of women teachers has increased and is increasing. The critical reason why our wages are low is that we are mostly women in a job market and culture that don’t respect caregiving.
    So, we don’t want to disrespect caregiving by putting up a false wall between our profession and the jobs caregiver do, not on Mother’s Day or on any other day, but by fighting for respect for caregivers and the caregiving workers and for the caregiving duties of educators and by calling for policies that respect the relationship of caregivers and educators, we can earn respect and earn better wages too.
    The greatest threat to teachers is not disrespect by those that call us babysitters, but from automation.
    Forty Percent of Elementary School Teachers' Work Could Be Automated By 2030, McKinsey Global Institute Predicts
    The impact of automation will vary for male and female workers, with women likely being more susceptible to partial automation of their current occupations, according to new projections from the McKinsey Global Institute.

    https://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/DigitalEducation/2019/06/women_future_of_work_mckinsey.html

    The U.S. Teaching Population Is Getting Bigger, and More Female

    https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2019/02/the-explosion-of-women-teachers/582622/

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  26. Happy to report c a r days back to normal with the additional four included as of this morning

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  27. The guy who wants to post the right wing COVID-19 propaganda, please give your sources. Thanks.

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  28. I will tell you what my sources aren't James. I don't get my news from CNN or MSNBC like you do. Maybe you should do your own research to find out that I am exactly correct. And by the way the truth is not owned by the right-wing or left-wing. Science owns the truth and has proven what the behaviour of this virus is. I am sorry to see you are ignorant to science.

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  29. What science? Tell us who your sources are. I have an open mind on most things and am willing to learn. Tell me where to go to be enlightened. I hope you guys are right that COVID-19 is overhyped. I'd be much happier if we could go back to normal.

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