returning to school - really?

[Sherri Bublitz]

Good afternoon, All,

I just finished listening to Secretary Stewart and Dr. Scrase talk about schools in New Mexico returning to in-person school.  I know things are (apparently) looking up.  I know that's a good thing.  I also know we've been doing our two-hours of in-person school for one week and one day at the secondary level.  The idea that we somehow have enough data to make a decision to move into full-time school again at this point seems ridiculous to me.  The Secretary and Dr. Scrase were using two weeks of data, since New Mexico as a whole has been allowed to return in some form of hybrid for two weeks - but not all schools have actually been *in* school for two weeks.  Our LAPS secondary schools most certainly have not.    

If we go back to in-person school in April, we are only eight short weeks from the end of the school year.  I am trying to figure out what good reasons there would be to go back at this point.  Any good teacher will tell you that when we start school in the fall, we spend at least two weeks setting up routines and helping students fully understand expectations in our classes.  Although we have certainly done that in remote learning, the expectations for our in-person classes entail many more details.  The two-hours twice a week we are currently doing hasn't been something all of us (teachers and students) can access; it also hasn't been something that is set up the same way as a full day - the colleagues who are there tell me that it is a much more relaxed atmosphere than it would be if we were in full-day school.  Beginning of the year routines and expectations would need to be taught *in April* just like we do in the fall.  That means two weeks less of actual full instruction than what it looks like on paper.  

Additionally, parents will (presumably) be able to opt out of having their students be part of this model.  Where are those students going to go?  Will teachers be expected to somehow teach both in person and remotely?  I believe this was addressed by the Union in the fall when we thought we were going to be teaching in some sort of hybrid model where students would be in both remote and in-person learning, but I can't honestly remember. 

How is this going to work for teachers who cannot be in their classrooms on April 5?  My 2nd vaccine is scheduled for 3/14, but that means I am not supposed to be in my classroom until 4/15.  That means that my students, if they return on 4/5, will be without me for eight school days.  How does that work?  Am I in my home teaching them from there on a screen, or do I need to line up a sub?

Speaking of subs: when I asked about this last week (my son is graduating from college in May, so I need to work on getting someone lined up now to ensure I actually have someone in May), I was told we don't have many subs willing to come in for in-person teaching.  Some, certainly, but not many.  If there are many of us who cannot be in the building on 4/5, do we have enough subs to cover those positions if that is the direction we are going? 

Dr. Scrase talked about maintaining physical distancing.  I am not sure how that is going to happen.  My largest class is 27 - my room doesn't have the space to spread out that many students with appropriate physical distancing - and that is an issue *all* teachers with classes of 25 or more will have.  Our buildings weren't built with the idea of keeping six-foot distances between people.

Finally, if LAPS decides we need to go back to 100% in-person learning in April, I am going to advocate strongly for allowing at least one day for teachers to get their rooms ready.  Some of us, due to medical reasons, have not been in our rooms at all.  Some of us, for personal reasons, have not been in our rooms at all.  Others of us (this would be me) haven't been into our rooms, and our rooms are currently being used in hybrid by someone else - so we *cannot* get into our rooms to set up due to other classes using our rooms for hybrid in the afternoon.  If the idea is that we use Spring Break to set up, I, like other teachers, have plans for Spring Break.  I won't be leaving town - I am on doctor's orders not to be around people until four weeks after my 2nd shot - but I have multiple things that I have put off around my house that need doing; I also plan to rest and to rejuvenate, something all of us need desperately right now, particularly since we have been creating and implementing new schedules on a dime repeatedly all year (I believe you are aware, but we have had at least five different schedules this year already due to the constant changing ideals of PED).  

  

Bottom line: we are feeling stretched very thin already.  As teachers and staff, we worked at super-human speed to come up with a solution to get us into the current hybrid model we are using.  I have heard from multiple colleagues who have considered retiring after this year because it has been such a difficult year.  Personally, if I were that close to retirement, this would push me over the edge.  Consistency is what we need at this point.  Starting in the fall at 100% makes so much more sense at this point in the year.  

Respectfully,

Sherri Bublitz, NBCT

Los Alamos Middle School
Drama
Speech

Hawktalkers Speech and Debate Team Coach

New Mexico Speech and Debate Association Secretary 

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