Jeanette Deutermann is the parent on Long Island in New York who launched “Long Island Opt Out.” It is now part of NYSAPE, New York State Parents and Educators, which has led the successful opt out movement. She read some angry posts on Facebook, with blame as the common factor. And she wrote this plea on her Facebook page, which has been widely shared:
All of our Facebook feeds are filled with posts of parents furious with teachers giving too much work, too little work, teachers furious about kids not logging on, kids sleeping in, and kids not completing the work. I want to implore everyone to keep one word in the front of their brains right now: EMPATHY. We all like to think we have empathy for others, but now is the time to prove it.
For parents: if you think a teacher is assigning too much work, just realize – some teachers are untenured with chairpeople scrutinizing each and every assignment. Some are getting nasty emails from parents demanding more work. Some just are unaware of how long it is taking students to complete their work. Communicate with them. Most teachers will respond “no problem! Just do what you can!”.
If you think a teacher isn’t assigning enough work, just realize- maybe the teacher is sick themselves. Maybe they are trying to lighten the load for the student. Maybe they have three kids of their own that they are dealing with. Maybe they are dealing with the loss of someone they love. Just today I heard of a teacher who lost both parents to the virus but has continued to work putting out assignments. Assume everyone is doing the best they can. Communicate.
Teachers: if you think a student is being lazy or not taking responsibility for not completing work, just realize – maybe the student has to help taking care of siblings. Maybe the student is sick themselves. Maybe the student is struggling with mental health issues that are now exacerbated by this issue. Maybe they are dealing with the loss of a loved one. Maybe it’s something as simple as sharing computers and devices with family members. Or maybe it’s more complicated. Are some just refusing to do work? Maybe, but most likely there is something else going on. Students that were in therapy before this started now have to have phone therapy or none at all. For some, being in school WAS their safe space. Kids that were active and on sports now have no access even to most fields to run around or exercise. For many, their home is a stressful environment. That is only going to increase tenfold now. Sleep issues are escalating for both kids and parents, so waking up early isn’t possible, reasonable, or healthy for many.
My advice to everyone: HAVE EMPATHY. No one truly knows what is happening in each other’s lives. WE’RE ALL DOING THE BEST WE CAN. Stop tearing each other down and lower your expectations. For some their best will be a full day of homeschooling, board games and a home cooked meal. For others it will be surviving the day. Both are normal, both are acceptable. Breathe, take care of each other, and realize that these are the little things. Let’s come out of this proud of how we treated each other. #crisisschooling
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Here! Here!
On a similar line, I posted this: https://academeblog.org/2020/03/27/compassion-for-our-students/
LikeLike
I can tell you whom I have NO EMPATHY FOR–the state education officials and district administrators who are insisting that kids be online doing these stupid distance learning classes at a time when their parents and the whole freaking country are under enormous stresses. Talk about a failure to understand the basic hierarchy of needs!!!!! In most schools around the country, the last month and a half are a wasteland of standardized testing and test prep anyway. The world will not end if kids miss a few weeks of school over the course of their lives. This is ridiculous. It’s like people buying up cartloads of toilet paper. It gives folks the feeling that they are doing something, even though it just causes more problems on top of the BIG PROBLEM that we all have right now. Enough.
My sympathies with the teachers who have to put up with this nonsense.
LikeLike
Well spoken. If parents are stressed out, why should kids be in a mood to complete online learning stuff? There is a LOT to be concerned about and having homework is not important.
Teachers, who also are in some cases putting their lives on the line, should not have to comply with this nonsense. I sometimes wonder about the minds of administrators. [Adminimals anyone.]
LikeLike
People need to be concentrating on what they need to be doing to keep safe. Some families have members who are still, of necessity, going out to work. Are they attending to making sure that these folks shower with soap and change and isolate their work clothing? Many are depending on deliveries of food. Are the attending to making sure that those items that can be washed are washed, that bread and items like that are put aside for a couple days and not touched, that hands are washed after handling these items? or are they worried about little Malcolm or Yolanda’s online gerunds worksheet. Priorities, for crying out loud!!! This is not the time for distractions. It is a time for focus.
LikeLike
Bien dicho.
LikeLike
And those districts that are distributing packets of work or making these available for pickup are ENDANGERING EVERYONE INVOLVED. SARS-CoV-2 can survive on paper for 1-2 days, and the folks handling these could well be asymptomatic carriers. These well-intentioned but not particularly thoughtful people could potentially kill kids and parents and grandparents.
LikeLike
Thank you for posting this … it’s perfect.
People need to just STOP railing on teachers and take DEEP breaths.
This is not the end of the world.
I listened to a bicycle racer on TV complain about not being able to race, and thought, “Are you awake?”
LikeLike
If these folks wanted to do something valuable, they could simply have sent out vetted links to free online Covid-19 resources, free online books, free online lessons and classes, etc., with no requirement that these be used and certainly no grading. Now is not the time. You do not polish the brightwork on the sailboat when there is a hole in the hull.
LikeLike
Thank you Diane and Bob!
LikeLike
Thank you for reminding us of our humanity and what really matters in times like this.
LikeLike
FREE THE CHILDREN!
LikeLike
I don’t understand why schools could not have just closed and allowed teachers to plan for the fall when this virus will probably come back (according to Dr. Fauci). We would be in a much better position to plan for this should it come around again. But no. I’ve never had any faith that our education department would make logical decisions. I agree with Bob that schools should be in the business of educating people about the facts of this virus and how to deal with it. Most schools have been negligent in this as far as I can tell from their websites. It’s nice to want to educate kids but now isn’t the time. I remember way back to the first doctor who started speaking about this being a real threat to our lives and daily experience. I forgot her name. Right from there, I started shopping for some extra groceries. At school, I moved all the students desks away from mine. I opened the windows everyday. I didn’t stand in the hallway or go in a closed bathroom. I stayed out of the faculty room. I used a kleenex to touch door handles and disinfected everything. Of course, I washed my hands a lot. Yet next to nothing was being said in school about this. I know of many schools in which nothing was being said about it. Wake up education department!!! I know teachers with students whose parents are first responders. Their kids are taking care of younger siblings while they work 16 hour shifts!! The parents are under tremendous stress. Wake up education department! These kids could possibly lose both parents to this virus and you are worried about doing exercises on the computer? It’s ludicrous.
LikeLike