What Teachers Want You to Know About Reopening Schools

All over the country, schools are developing reopening plans. All over the country, teachers want nothing more than to go back to normal. But what happens when a teacher is asked to choose between their health and their livelihood?

As a high school English teacher I am longing for the days when my students sat at their tables and talked about adolescent brain development and the juvenile justice system after reading Romeo and Juliet alongside excerpts of Just Mercy. I miss listening to my students debate gun-control laws after reading an op-ed about active shooter drills. I miss reading their essays alongside them during writing conferences, sharing ideas and providing feedback. I miss watching them grow into more mature young people. I can’t believe it’s been four months since we sat in my basement classroom reading and recommending books. It’s been four months since I handed a new book to a student. I also miss the non-academic parts of school- the club meetings at lunch, the informal chats in the hallway, and the afterschool activities.

When schools in New Jersey closed in March we were told we’d be back in two weeks. Two weeks turned into a month. Then six weeks. And then the governor announced that school buildings would remain closed for the rest of the school year. Teachers were suddenly immersed in crisis schooling…