Claudia Rivera 

cmr6395@psu.edu

Editor in Chief

It is hard to fully understand what teachers across the world are going through until you are in their shoes. The teachers of Chicago are protesting the beginning of in person classes that were set to begin in the first week of January 2022.  Teachers are arguing that they do not want to teach in person classes due to the sudden spike in COVID-19 cases in the area. The teachers have begun protesting while the rest of the city claims that it is safe for students to attend in person classes. 

This case is a little complicated because there are little children involved but I completely understand where the teachers are coming from. It is hard to keep yourself safe in a pandemic but it is even harder when being in a classroom with 20 students, who may be taking off their masks, may not be vaccinated, or may be carriers of  the COVID- 19 virus. There is a sudden spike in cases and it is hard to blame teachers who do not feel comfortable working in a school but do want to continue the education of thousands of children via remote ways. 

Teachers are exercising their right to protest in a safe and needed way and they are within their rights to do so, and while I do not agree with students being deprived of their education because of matters that are out of their control, I do believe that the school district should put their egos aside and listen to what their faculty are asking of them. Remote classes are not the best way to educate students, but while all of us face the struggles of this pandemic, it might be the best and safest way. OMICRON spreads faster and more easily than previous strains of COVID-19, so I can’t help but wonder if remote teaching would be the safest way to control the rise of cases. Even if this isn’t the best solution, I do strongly believe that the district should be listening to their faculty and staff  and support their workers through these hard times. 

The strike shouldn’t be lasting as long as it is. I believe that the district should answer those teachers and allow them to work remotely for their safety and the safety of the students, whom they are trying to protect.