A seventh-grade teacher from the Seattle area left her students’ parents flabbergasted when she sent them a message about her unreliable internet access. The teacher, who is currently “living in a forest,” told her students’ parents not to freak out if she does not come to class for the day. Because the teacher has spotty internet access and cannot teach the class from her computer when the power goes out, she told the parents of her seventh-grade students to bear with her as she struggles to cope with the new teaching process and the difficulties with remote learning.
The teacher might have evacuated Seattle for the forest to escape the coronavirus threat. However, her electricity and power remain very unreliable. When it goes out, which seems to have very often, it does not return for the entire day. This means that the teacher is incapable of hosting online learning and only has internet connectivity to answer questions and messages via text.
Jenny Feldman is the mother of one of this teacher’s students. Feldman describes herself as a New Yorker who currently lives in the Pacific Northwest. She posted the shocking message from her child’s teacher, which left her speechless.
The teacher’s note reads, “I am currently living in the forest, and so when our power goes out, it is for most of the day. My internet (from a hotspot) is enough to respond to messages but not to host a live class.”
Public schools have taken a big hit during the coronavirus pandemic. Because schools are already underfunded prior to the pandemic, they are struggling even more now that the situation has become even harder.
The teacher’s message continues, “It is expected that you access today’s folder and complete the work, as it is not required for us to have a live class to complete the paragraph. Everything you need is in that folder, and know that I will be responding to any questions you have on Schoolology or in a Teams chat!”
She concluded her message with an alert that she “recommends that everyone attends officer hours tomorrow to check in!”
Feldman, the outraged mom, wrote: “Srsly. What are we teaching public school kids about the importance of education right now? The more they see themselves as the last priority, the more they are going to check out.”
Feldman fears that her daughter’s teacher will cost her daughter a proper education. Because the teacher is living in the forest because of a personal choice, Feldman believes that another teacher should be assigned to the class or at least some professional who is able to host the class that they signed up to teach.
Politicians have been pushing for teachers to return to in-person classes for months. However, in school districts that decided to force teachers and students back into the classroom, some teachers have contracted COVID-19 and died horrible deaths. While this teacher should not be allowed to work from a location incapable of hosting online learning, teachers need to receive the respect they deserve from the people who control the purse strings.