Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Have you ever met children? | Live Long and Prosper

Have you ever met children? | Live Long and Prosper

Have you ever met children?


Harley Litzelman, Oakland public high school teacher and union organizer, has written a piece for Medium that likely echoes the thoughts of the majority of America’s public school teachers.
We cannot and dare not return to school this fall.
The “reimagining” of public education by non-educators now taking place in board rooms and government offices throughout the country fails to take into account the fact that children are not adults. Trying to force students into social distancing while on the bus, in the classroom, in the cafeteria, and on the playground will result in the very worst kind of educational practices.
Litzelman, a high school teacher, tries his hand at explaining how social distancing would likely fail in elementary schools.
No more group seating. No story time on the carpet. No small group stations. Coloring must be strictly monitored to eliminate sharing, probably requiring children to keep their own personal sets of crayons and markers, revealing stark class differences within classrooms and between schools. No fingers in the mouth or nose, and several minutes spent washing their hands after they inevitably forget. They, too, cannot get out of their seats during class, and no longer can they enjoy the couches and bean bag chairs that their teachers have acquired. Again is the time to ask: Have you ever met children?
The preceding paragraph follows a description of how difficult — and costly — it CONTINUE READING: Have you ever met children? | Live Long and Prosper