Oh, For Crying Out Loud

This so-called "sympathetic" article that talks about how many "families" cannot afford "summer vacations" just pisses me off royal.

Schools are NOT babysitting services, for fuck's sake, because the insinuation is that teachers, who have the hardest job there is on the planet, should work even more weeks out of the year (with of course no additional compensation). Parents have kids, and it is part of THEIR job to provide for their kids during the breaks. There are plenty of summer camps and other alternative programs out there if parents avail themselves to them.

"Learning loss" is mostly a myth promulgated by "reformers." Kids don't lose much of anything, and many teachers provide materials to students for the summer for them to review what they have learned. I know where I work, with kindergartners, kids have workbooks put together for them to use during the summer. It is up to the PARENTS to make sure the kids use those books, read to their kids, and so forth.

Summer goes extremely quick as it is. Fuck these bastards who think that teaching is so "easy" teachers should work the same as workers in other fields. Guess what? Because teaching is so labor- and emotionally stressful-intensive, teachers NEED the time off to recharge. There would be even more turnover than there already is if they are required to do the same goddamned work schedule as parents who fail to provide for their kids.

Of course the "author" of this article isn't a teacher. It shows in the piece.