The Weight of Straws
We’ve all heard the expression about “the straw that broke the camel’s back.” Generally, this cliché indicates that we’ve had enough of something, that we can’t take any more. But there is much more to it than that. This expression references a solitary, rather weightless straw as having catastrophic impact. What is NOT spoken of in this expression, yet alluded to with great significance, is the multitude of other straws already on the camel’s back. Furthermore, it is not insignificant that the animal at the centre of this expression is the camel – it is a very powerful animal that can carry tremendous loads; it is resilient and can survive long periods without food or water; and it can run for a long period of time at surprisingly high speeds. But even an incredibly strong and tough animal like this has limits, and if you just keep adding straws without taking any off, at some point that camel will collapse under that immense weight of straws.
Something like the public school teachers of today.
Teaching is a profession that places a tremendous weight of responsibility and hard work on the backs of teachers. Researching topics, planning lessons, preparing materials and activities, and of course actually teaching their students are just a few of the “straws” that teachers carry. But there is much more. They also provide extra help, review, assess, contact parents, supervise, evaluate work, create and mark assignments, develop individual plans for students, write report cards, coach sports, run after-school programs, plan events, run field trips, and far too many other things to list.
It is a unique profession in that the children who come to school are not only under the direction of teachers in terms of education, they are also under the care of teachers in terms of their well-being. This means that teachers don’t just have the responsibility to teach them –they are responsible for them during the day. Whether it is physical safety or the emotional and mental health of students, this is a whole other bushel of “straws” that teachers carry.
That’s the normal weight that teachers carry. It’s a lot. Yet teachers accept this weight without objection. In fact, they don’t just accept it – they embrace it. This is what they do.
As each year transpires, the weight of this load varies. There are very busy times like beginning a new semester or year, exam weeks, report card times. And there are breaks built into the year that allow teachers to remove the weight for a time to rest, such as Christmas, Spring Break and Summer. While there are always straws on the camel’s back, so to speak, there are also occasions when straws get removed.
There is reprieve.
Over the past few years, however, teachers have had to carry an ever-increasing load. Class sizes have increased, especially in early years, when literacy and numeracy are at critical stages. The number and diversity of needs that teachers must meet in the classroom has skyrocketed. Critical supports in the form of educational assistants and student services have been cut. There are more violent incidents in our schools than ever before (and these weigh very heavily on teachers). On top of all this, teachers have been without contracts for two years now, wages have been frozen by our government, and there are concerns about the sustainability of our pension plan.
More straws.
And what have teachers done when they have been asked to carry all this? Well, just like the camel that can keep going through a desert for a long period of time without food or water, teachers have pressed on. Not reluctantly. Not halfheartedly. With professionalism and even harder work.
And then we come to this year.
To say this has been a year unlike any other is an understatement. Although it began in much the same way as any other year, in December many teachers were asked to fulfill the demands of a federal copyright lawsuit. As this unfolded, there were changes in the requirements and considerable uncertainty and stress. Ultimately, reasonable paths were found and teachers were able to get it all done, but the final weeks before Christmas were very stressful.
Another straw.
March brought the mother of all straws -the global Coronavirus pandemic. More like a whole bale of straw actually. Within a span of days, schools were closed, stores were closed, travel was cancelled. Social distancing, disinfecting and self-isolation became the new mantras for the entire world. For teachers, a challenge was issued. Completely reinvent the way they teach. Prepare materials that kids can work on at home. Develop lessons and learning activities that can not only be delivered online, but that can be done at home with parental support.
Did you know that camels can sustain a speed of 25 Kph for quite awhile? And did you know that when called upon they can jump that up to 40 Kph? Considering their size, weight, and the energy required, that is nothing short of incredible.
Interestingly, that also describes how teachers met this pandemic challenge – nothing short of incredible. Teachers jumped up their efforts into a frenzy of activity. They set up google classrooms, made instructional videos, contacted parents, ensured several different sets of plans and materials were created (for the same lesson) so that kids at all levels of ability were able to complete their assignments. They wrote and responded to hundreds of emails from their students, had online video discussions with their students – often multiple times a day. They found innovative and creative ways to interact with students to fulfill their responsibility for learning. More importantly, they found ways to still show their kids that they continued to care for them as well. All while dealing with the circumstances of the pandemic. Just like everyone else, they had to now homeschool their own children, care for elderly parents, self-isolate and stay away from friends and family, and adhere to all the other restrictions associated with the pandemic.
And what compensation did teachers demand for all this extra work?
Nothing.
Not. One. Thing.
Period.
Were they experiencing high levels of stress, anxiety, fear and worry as a result of the pandemic? Of course, but so was everyone else in our communities. As essential workers, teachers knew they had to do whatever they could under the circumstances to provide the best possible learning opportunities. Expectations and directives changed quickly in response to the pandemic, and teachers had to adapt to the realities and limitations of trying to teach in this new environment.
So they did.
They put in the extra work.
They made the necessary revisions.
They did what they had to do.
That brings us to the present, and some pertinent questions. Let’s start by bringing our camel analogy current. How long can a camel run at 40 Kph with an enormous pile of straw, and for good measure, and extra bale of straw on its back?
I don’t know.
I would guess not long. I would also guess that if we kept adding more and more straw onto its back as it is running, we’d see that camel collapse in short order.
So what about teachers? Well, last week our government announced that students would be returning on June 1st. This has caused something of a panic amongst teachers because once again there is extreme uncertainty, many questions, and to date, precious few answers. And very little time to prepare. How many kids are returning? All of them? When? How often? What about the online learning material that teachers so feverishly worked on?
Are they supposed to still continue with that AND have students in class?
That’s like asking the now completely overloaded camel that is already running at top speed to go in two different directions. At once.
Another straw.
This has created other problems for teachers. Childcare, for example. With many daycares across the province still closed, teachers with young children are scrambling to arrange childcare – and NOT having much success, as daycares that are open have no availability.
Another straw.
What about actual health and safety in schools with regards to Covid-19? What will the social distancing protocols be? What protocols will be followed in terms of cleaning, disinfecting, and social distancing? Are there any? And exactly how are teachers supposed to enforce social distancing with young kindergartners? Or even teenagers for that matter?
Another straw.
Some teachers are immuno-compromised, or live with someone who is. What precautions are going to be in place for them? Masks? Gloves? Nothing at all? Granted, with only 16 active cases in Manitoba right now, the risk is exceptionally low. But low risk is still risk, and although there have been references to accommodations being made for teachers in these circumstances, details are vague.
Another straw.
Our camel is in trouble. Out of breath. Stumbling. In dire need of a break. But still going.
So are teachers.
Surely there will be no more straws.
Yes, I wrote that knowing full well that the government has suggested a possible August start to school along with the possibility of losing PD days to increase remedial time for students who have fallen behind. For clarification, the notion that students in Manitoba have “fallen behind” is a matter of perspective. The implication is that students elsewhere have pulled ahead. That is not the case. The entire world was paused by this virus, and the interruption to education is something the entire world has in common. Nobody pulled ahead. Therefore nobody fell behind.
Furthermore, it is important to also clarify that these proposals to cut summer short and to eliminate PD days was not accompanied by a proposal for extra pay - or any form of compensation for that matter. So their proposal is to work an extra week in the summer for free and lose our PD days.
Mmmm. That has the look of a very large straw.
Will it be the last straw?
I really hope I don’t have to find out.
By Wendell Head
May 2020
Something like the public school teachers of today.
Teaching is a profession that places a tremendous weight of responsibility and hard work on the backs of teachers. Researching topics, planning lessons, preparing materials and activities, and of course actually teaching their students are just a few of the “straws” that teachers carry. But there is much more. They also provide extra help, review, assess, contact parents, supervise, evaluate work, create and mark assignments, develop individual plans for students, write report cards, coach sports, run after-school programs, plan events, run field trips, and far too many other things to list.
It is a unique profession in that the children who come to school are not only under the direction of teachers in terms of education, they are also under the care of teachers in terms of their well-being. This means that teachers don’t just have the responsibility to teach them –they are responsible for them during the day. Whether it is physical safety or the emotional and mental health of students, this is a whole other bushel of “straws” that teachers carry.
That’s the normal weight that teachers carry. It’s a lot. Yet teachers accept this weight without objection. In fact, they don’t just accept it – they embrace it. This is what they do.
As each year transpires, the weight of this load varies. There are very busy times like beginning a new semester or year, exam weeks, report card times. And there are breaks built into the year that allow teachers to remove the weight for a time to rest, such as Christmas, Spring Break and Summer. While there are always straws on the camel’s back, so to speak, there are also occasions when straws get removed.
There is reprieve.
Over the past few years, however, teachers have had to carry an ever-increasing load. Class sizes have increased, especially in early years, when literacy and numeracy are at critical stages. The number and diversity of needs that teachers must meet in the classroom has skyrocketed. Critical supports in the form of educational assistants and student services have been cut. There are more violent incidents in our schools than ever before (and these weigh very heavily on teachers). On top of all this, teachers have been without contracts for two years now, wages have been frozen by our government, and there are concerns about the sustainability of our pension plan.
More straws.
And what have teachers done when they have been asked to carry all this? Well, just like the camel that can keep going through a desert for a long period of time without food or water, teachers have pressed on. Not reluctantly. Not halfheartedly. With professionalism and even harder work.
And then we come to this year.
To say this has been a year unlike any other is an understatement. Although it began in much the same way as any other year, in December many teachers were asked to fulfill the demands of a federal copyright lawsuit. As this unfolded, there were changes in the requirements and considerable uncertainty and stress. Ultimately, reasonable paths were found and teachers were able to get it all done, but the final weeks before Christmas were very stressful.
Another straw.
March brought the mother of all straws -the global Coronavirus pandemic. More like a whole bale of straw actually. Within a span of days, schools were closed, stores were closed, travel was cancelled. Social distancing, disinfecting and self-isolation became the new mantras for the entire world. For teachers, a challenge was issued. Completely reinvent the way they teach. Prepare materials that kids can work on at home. Develop lessons and learning activities that can not only be delivered online, but that can be done at home with parental support.
Did you know that camels can sustain a speed of 25 Kph for quite awhile? And did you know that when called upon they can jump that up to 40 Kph? Considering their size, weight, and the energy required, that is nothing short of incredible.
Interestingly, that also describes how teachers met this pandemic challenge – nothing short of incredible. Teachers jumped up their efforts into a frenzy of activity. They set up google classrooms, made instructional videos, contacted parents, ensured several different sets of plans and materials were created (for the same lesson) so that kids at all levels of ability were able to complete their assignments. They wrote and responded to hundreds of emails from their students, had online video discussions with their students – often multiple times a day. They found innovative and creative ways to interact with students to fulfill their responsibility for learning. More importantly, they found ways to still show their kids that they continued to care for them as well. All while dealing with the circumstances of the pandemic. Just like everyone else, they had to now homeschool their own children, care for elderly parents, self-isolate and stay away from friends and family, and adhere to all the other restrictions associated with the pandemic.
And what compensation did teachers demand for all this extra work?
Nothing.
Not. One. Thing.
Period.
Were they experiencing high levels of stress, anxiety, fear and worry as a result of the pandemic? Of course, but so was everyone else in our communities. As essential workers, teachers knew they had to do whatever they could under the circumstances to provide the best possible learning opportunities. Expectations and directives changed quickly in response to the pandemic, and teachers had to adapt to the realities and limitations of trying to teach in this new environment.
So they did.
They put in the extra work.
They made the necessary revisions.
They did what they had to do.
That brings us to the present, and some pertinent questions. Let’s start by bringing our camel analogy current. How long can a camel run at 40 Kph with an enormous pile of straw, and for good measure, and extra bale of straw on its back?
I don’t know.
I would guess not long. I would also guess that if we kept adding more and more straw onto its back as it is running, we’d see that camel collapse in short order.
So what about teachers? Well, last week our government announced that students would be returning on June 1st. This has caused something of a panic amongst teachers because once again there is extreme uncertainty, many questions, and to date, precious few answers. And very little time to prepare. How many kids are returning? All of them? When? How often? What about the online learning material that teachers so feverishly worked on?
Are they supposed to still continue with that AND have students in class?
That’s like asking the now completely overloaded camel that is already running at top speed to go in two different directions. At once.
Another straw.
This has created other problems for teachers. Childcare, for example. With many daycares across the province still closed, teachers with young children are scrambling to arrange childcare – and NOT having much success, as daycares that are open have no availability.
Another straw.
What about actual health and safety in schools with regards to Covid-19? What will the social distancing protocols be? What protocols will be followed in terms of cleaning, disinfecting, and social distancing? Are there any? And exactly how are teachers supposed to enforce social distancing with young kindergartners? Or even teenagers for that matter?
Another straw.
Some teachers are immuno-compromised, or live with someone who is. What precautions are going to be in place for them? Masks? Gloves? Nothing at all? Granted, with only 16 active cases in Manitoba right now, the risk is exceptionally low. But low risk is still risk, and although there have been references to accommodations being made for teachers in these circumstances, details are vague.
Another straw.
Our camel is in trouble. Out of breath. Stumbling. In dire need of a break. But still going.
So are teachers.
Surely there will be no more straws.
Yes, I wrote that knowing full well that the government has suggested a possible August start to school along with the possibility of losing PD days to increase remedial time for students who have fallen behind. For clarification, the notion that students in Manitoba have “fallen behind” is a matter of perspective. The implication is that students elsewhere have pulled ahead. That is not the case. The entire world was paused by this virus, and the interruption to education is something the entire world has in common. Nobody pulled ahead. Therefore nobody fell behind.
Furthermore, it is important to also clarify that these proposals to cut summer short and to eliminate PD days was not accompanied by a proposal for extra pay - or any form of compensation for that matter. So their proposal is to work an extra week in the summer for free and lose our PD days.
Mmmm. That has the look of a very large straw.
Will it be the last straw?
I really hope I don’t have to find out.
By Wendell Head
May 2020