“There’s been a lot of people working on lots committees to try and accomplish distance learning while we have students coming into the building at the same time,” said Valerie Volthus, president of Anoka-Hennepin Education Minnesota. “Teachers believe that distance learning for everybody, obviously, is the safest way to teach. It’s the only way they can stop COVID from transferrring in the school setting, obviously.”
However, Volthus said a survey of the union’s 3,000 teachers showed that while 80% say distance learning is the best option, fewer than 40% want to teach in a distance learning environment.
“That tells me there’s a lot of teachers out there that are willing to step in harm’s way,” said Volthus. “I think they realize the value of having students in school, in-person, because there’s so much more to be gained. It’s better instruction, the teachers have better control over that learning environment and they don’t have the connection they would have with their students if they’re at home.”
According to Volthus, the district is offering accomodations–most notably the shift to distance learning teaching opportunities–to those teachers who request them based on a tiered-need system: Tier 1 would be any teacher who is considered at highest risk for contracting COVID-19, Tier 2 is any teacher who lives with someone with a higher risk of contracting COVID-19, and Tier 3 is anyone who is a caregiver for someone who does not live with him or her but may be of highest risk for contracting COVID-19. Based on that criteria, teachers who ask for a change in status can be assigned to distance learning positions. However, that is not meeting the needs of the demand in the district.
“As it is right now, there are more students that would like to be distance learners than we have teachers who want to teach distance learning,” Volthus said.
She said district leaders have been cooperative and have improved communication with teachers as the school year draws nearer.
“Our teachers in our district are probably the highest-educated workforce you could find,” said Volthus. “I think if (the district) wants to hear from the experts and the ones that are on the ground and the ones that have good ideas, they don’t need to hire a consultant. They have the best that money could possibly buy right there at their doorstep.”
Volthus praised the district for its efforts so far.
“I don’t want to criticize them at all, because I know they’re all working very hard,” she said. “This is all new territory for all of us and we’re all struggling to make things the best for our students and we just want the teachers to be safe. Want COVID to be gone, and we want to be back in the classroom.”
