Thread by @JenRoesch

Based on our 1st day experience today, I'm guessing a lot of parents are going to be frustrated & upset. From tech to social-emotional aspects to communication styles & schedules, there's room for a lot of disappointment. A thread w/ some initial thoughts: 1/

Teachers spent the last weeks tracking cases in their schools, trying to get windows to open, monitoring ventilation reports, trying to get childcare for their own kids, getting tested & going over safety procedures. There's a lot of fear & it's founded & rational. 2/

This means there was not time for the important discussions about how to deal w/ the trauma kids are bringing to school w/ them, how to engage kids remotely w/o resorting to fear-based discipline & petty consequences, or how to talk to kids about safety w/o scaring them. 3/

It also means that getting kids to comply w/ health measures in school & being able to manage remote classes feel very high-stakes. Principals are juggling shifting #'s & focused on just "covering" all the needs. This can lead to some convoluted & unsatisfactory programming. 4/

There will be a temptation to blame individual schools & teachers for things that go wrong & I'm sure the DOE will be happy to encourage that. But we should be clear that primary responsibility lies with @NYCSchools & @NYCMayor for creating an impossible & dangerous situation. 5/

This doesn't mean families should accept things that aren't working for our kids. When our kids are crying over too many video calls & too many expectations, we should try to reach out to counselors, teachers & sped coordinators. Those w/ IEPs can ask for modifications. 6/

And teachers, who have all my solidarity & sympathy for what you are being asked, I'd encourage you to protest up rather than discipline down. Resisting unreasonable expectations of *you* makes it easier to be there for your students. Fear-based control can't be the answer. 7/

In this video, @BLoveSoulPower says we should refuse to go back to a normal that wasn't working for most of our kids. I know how hard it is right now, but an antiracist, abolitionist teaching perspective can help us all keep our eyes on the prize. 8/

In my class last night, talking about abolitionist teaching, my prof talked about how important it is to have community while doing this work. Here are some pple doing the work so we can support each other: @MOREcaucusUFT @integratenyc @TeensTakeCharge @safeschoolsny @NYCSWSC 9/