NYC Educator: A Week Off, or Makeup Week?

NYC Educator: A Week Off, or Makeup Week?

A Week Off, or Makeup Week?

Some districts are ending the year early so they don't have to actually pay teachers for the seven extra days we worked. Is that a good idea? For Governor Cuomo, it was absolutely unacceptable for students to have a week off in April, even though every district in the state had agreed to it with their unions. This was because, he said, it was too risky for young people to be free that week.

According to Governor Cuomo, when young people are at liberty, they get together and socialize. They don't worry about whether or not they're spreading a pandemic. They aren't conscientious like the governor, the model of reason and judgment, who himself failed to take action when it could have saved a whole lot of sickness and death. (And just like Donald Trump, Governor Cuomo takes no responsibility for this.)

Kids are another thing. The governor boldly insisted they not have that week off. Evidently they lack his sterling judgment. This notwithstanding, his actions have given many of them an additional free week in June. So you have to ask yourself what's more risky--giving kids a free week of beautiful weather, or a chilly one in April? Then you have to ask yourself whether Cuomo, who failed to close the state when it could've made a crucial difference, knows how young people think. As far I can tell, Andrew Cuomo was 42 years old the day he was born.

Here is Fun City, we're looking at using the last week to catch up students who are failing, or NXing, as it were. Of course no one wants students to fail. However, it's hard for me, at least, to understand exactly how students make up in one week what other students spent months doing. For example, if I were to pass a student for simply making up assignments I'd given, I'd be saying that every single student who spent months coming to my virtual classes had wasted their time.

In fact, I'd be saying that I wasted my own time giving those classes. Why did I bother doing activities with them when I could have simply assigned homework and grading it? In fact, having heard from my students, parents and UFT that kids were CONTINUE READING: NYC Educator: A Week Off, or Makeup Week?