The Real Agenda of Teachers Unions

Teachers around the country who are avoiding going back into the classrooms have to be taught a lesson. No work….no pay…no job to return to. But, by wielding their political clout, teacher unions around the country are using the Chinese Virus epidemic as an excuse to basically “go on strike” and refuse to report to their schools and teach, while, of course, getting paid for their absences. The reports we get that teaching is going on with the new found technique of “virtual learning” is hogwash. Lower income kids, mainly those kids of color, who normally have difficulty enough, according to educational reports, of learning while in traditional classroom settings, are not at all being subjected to learning situations while supposedly sitting at their kitchen tables, staring at laptops.

While sitting in their assigned seats during normal K-12 classes, teachers could quietly and efficiently take attendance, physically oversee their classes while monitoring the physical and emotional health of their students individually by simple eye contact. Not possible at all through the computer method. Visual learning may be appropriate and worthwhile in a college setting with mature and focused students, but with 5-17 year olds, a total failure. However, for teachers who “work from home,” this is heaven. No travel to work, no handling discipline problems, no way of being observed for efficiency by their supervisors and no way to focus on slow learners and give individual assistance to those who need help. A total bust.

Do these stay at home, away from work teachers feel any angst or guilt while doing real-live shopping in shops, being catered to by on the job, low paid employees who physically, in person, lay out and prepare merchandise for all their customers? No way. These pampered “educators” have the clout that many others do not. They whine that they are fearful of catching the virus from their students. Not so. Researchers at Brown University found 0.076 % of students had confirmed cases of the virus and 0.15% for teachers. Not too risky at all and less so if masks are worn, temperatures are taken and social distancing is maintained. Cashiers, retail clerks, doctors, waiters and plumbers, to name just a few occupations were at far greater risk in the workplace than teachers. And they’re on the job.

In NYC, the cost to educate a student runs about $24,000 per year. In normal times without the fear of this pandemic, the efficiency of the school system is less than acceptable. In the 2019 figures for those high school seniors taking the SAT exams, only 42% met college reading scores and a dismal 30% did so in math. And these figures were for those who actually took the test in preparations for college entrance. No telling the dismal results coming up later this year for “graduating seniors.” Our teachers, fakingly fearful of returning to do their jobs while earning their salaries are criminally negligent and are deserving of a failing grade. They must be taught a lesson. No work, no pay and no job to return to.