We are told regularly that it is wrong to assume that a poorly behaving group of people doesn’t represent the larger group of people that support similar causes.
Rioters don’t represent all protesters. Bad cops don’t represent all cops. White supremacists don’t represent all of those who support Confederate monuments … oh wait, they say the opposite in that situation.
But, in reality, this usually depends on the particular cause at hand and how it is handled.
In fact, the president can directly rebuke white supremacists who appear at a rally and defend those who were protesting the statue’s removal and it becomes a talking point for a liar running for president and his media enablers.
The discussion over reopening schools is thought to be a situation where the national teachers union and the rank-and-file teachers are miles apart, where the teachers want to return to school, and their “leadership” wants to play politics.
This gap may not actually exist.
Last week, a union “leader” in California said schools won’t open until the election is over.
A recent survey of teachers in Huntsville indicates that they don’t want to go back to class right now.
The survey of voluntary and anonymous was open to all Huntsville City Schools employees and the numbers are pretty clear:
- 49.5% are uncomfortable returning
- 70.9% want to continue with remote learning
- 88% don’t feel properly prepared
- 41.9% considered leaving the profession
The last part seems rather hard to believe, especially amongst educators.
There has been no talk of pay cuts, and the risk of layoffs seems small. In the era of the coronavirus pandemic, this is a great perk.
If they wanted a real test of where these teachers stood, they should have asked them about how they felt about not returning to school versus not getting paid.
Those numbers would change significantly.
Many parents are making this choice.
Recent history indicates that children’s risk is extremely low, and the outbreaks since schools have reopened have been limited.
In colleges, where there have been legit outbreaks, hospitalizations are virtually non-existent.
Students need a legit chance at a good education that they will not get in front of a laptop at home.
Every school system has a plan if outbreaks start. They aren’t tossing children and teachers into a vat of coronavirus like some in the media are claiming. Teachers just don’t want to go back to the classroom.
Teachers should welcome the opportunity to become part of the solution, not attempt to shirk that responsibility because they don’t fear the consequences of not getting back to work because government employees are always the last people hurt in any crisis.
Dale Jackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 7-11 AM weekdays on WVNN.
