The 'she-cession': Teachers, a majority-female workforce, grapple with what's next
More than 3.5 million Americans are full, or part-time, public school teachers— and 76 percent of that workforce is female.
By Ali Vitali and Molly Roecker
There are no good options, and no playbook.
Across the country, schools are grappling with what “back to school”
looks like in the time of a pandemic. And pressure from the White House
and President Donald Trump to send kids back into classrooms, comes with
questions from educators about how best to do that while keeping everyone
— including themselves and their loved ones — safe.
“I want to be with my kids,” Stephanie Viramontes, a 57-year old high
school teacher in Santa Clarita, California told NBC News. “I don’t want
to affect my family.”
It’s just one of the concerns rippling through one of the nation’s
largest workforces. More than 3.5 million Americans are full, or
part-time, public school teachers— and 76 percent of that workforce is female.
Some teachers who spoke with NBC News said they felt left out of the
discussions about reopening, or that the debate leaves out the realities
of the classroom that they know well. For instance, how kids, especially
younger ones, will likely need frequent reminders to not touch their face,
their mask, or their classmates. Or, as Laura Hammock, an elementary
school teacher in Jacksonville, Florida, already foresees, there could be
difficulty social distancing because of space constraints in
classrooms.
“It’s gonna be hard to put … 20 kids in a classroom with desks six feet
apart,” she said. “You know, it’s not like we have extra money to add on
to our classrooms.”
Other educators, like Amanda Lukesh, a middle school teacher in Lincoln,
Nebraska, fear that by going back “it's not if you get COVID, it's when.
When am I going to get it?” She has even discussed the possibility with
her husband of drafting a will before going back to school. CONTINUE
READING: The 'she-cession': Teachers, a majority-female workforce, grapple with
what's next