The school district where I teach is one of the three largest in Arizona, but no necessary measures have been taken to protect our students, faculty and staff from COVID-19.
Just three weeks ago, due to the number of infected students and staff in our school (more than 65 on August 10), we had a prominent position in the news, but nothing has changed.
On Friday, I witnessed one of our senior managers walking in the hallway without a mask. Today, I witnessed a second senior manager in our main hallway. More than 4,100 students walk there every day without wearing a mask.
This is beyond my understanding. If managers cannot be role models, how can students learn healthy behaviors?
In addition, imagine that a canteen can accommodate 800 students. At present, there are more than 1,000 students in each of our three lunchtimes. They are all eating, talking, coughing and sneezing, and they don’t wear masks.
The teachers hardly had time to clean every table during the break, although we provided cleaning towels and disinfectant spray, so I paid for Sur.
It is not easy or easy for students to obtain masks, so our children get masks from coaches who provide their own supplies.
I am lucky that our school district deposits money into our HSA (Health Savings Account) every six months because I use this money to reimburse the masks I bought for me and my students. I have started to provide my students with KN95 masks instead of thin cloth masks because I really value their health-and my own health.
This is my 24th year of teaching in Arizona public schools and 21 years of teaching in my school and school district. I love what I do. My students are just like my own children. I worry about them and value them as if they are really the same.
Although I plan to teach for a few more years, I need to consider whether my life is more valuable than the educational needs of the students.
I don’t want to give up my students, nor do I want to give up the career I love. However, I need to consider whether I want to retire early this June to protect myself — or even in the upcoming December, if my school district does not take serious steps to protect its faculty, staff and students.
No educator or school staff should make such a decision. This is where our governor and my district place our staff and faculty.
Steve Munczek has been teaching high school English and creative writing in Arizona public schools since 1998, and has been at Hamilton High School in Chandler District since 2001. Contact him at emunczek@gmail.com.
Post time: Sep-08-2021