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"...non working teachers can eat and stay on zoom." Permit me to help decode something here. I must assume this comment is meant in all sincerity, but I would point out that teachers are not on vacation, eating bon-bons and watching The Simpsons. Virtually all of them are continuing to do their jobs, remotely, with almost no administrative support. The vast majority of these people had to improvise like mad over the past several months to meet state-mandated specifications in the education code while inventing new ways to deliver curriculum as effectively as possible. Their work loads have increased exponentially. While they are fortunate to still have jobs, to describe them as "non working" is to be tragically misinformed.

Yeah the whole situation sucks. But speaking for a certain 1st grade teacher she is busting her butt harder than even trying to keep her students engaged in a situation where they are easily distracted. To call her non-working is a ####### insult as she CARES. And she is NOT alone. Actually she is in her classroom trying to give the lessons (school has the equipment and web access) to a bunch of little boxes on a screen. Trying to keep a bunch of 6 year old individuals on track with 20-30 open mics is “non-working”? Easily this is the hardest year in 30+ years but that’s not working eh? Not to mention the stress of trying to make this work during the day and worry at night how this is hurting the kids. Oh it’s so easy to judge others... Now instead of playing Monday morning quarterback pointing out all the problems and throwing insults... do you have any suggestions other than send them all back and say “well the kids will be safe”

you mean the same teachers going into buildings where kids arent tested, exposed to kids that go wherever with whoever...yeah my wife's district just went virtual til january because kids and families tested positive left and right, and could spread...and some teachers did too. sorry you hit a nerve here as i am married to a teacher that would love nothing more to be in person with her kids. be if one of them passes it on to her, she could bring it home to my daughter and me. Her district has seen that it came into the schools and spread, affecting kids and adults alike.

teachers are teaching, just not in the traditional ways. in the history of tone deaf comments you have posted here, this may rank among the worst

Bad words? You mean like teachers are non-workers? Now go ahead and put a laughing face as a response as an example of a mature conversation. Your lack of self awareness in what you post is amazing.

Working from home is not a luxury for the vast majority of occupations. It is simply a necessary evil in the time of a deadly pandemic. WFH has meant longer working hours, large negative changes to lifestyle, and very large adjustments to workflow. When compared to working in a germs-riddled workplace like a school, yes, teachers obviously will prefer to work at home for their own physical health's sake, but you are COMPLETELY discounting the massive mental toll being placed on teachers as they have to make massive changes to their lesson plans and workflow and work longer hours than they already did. Every teacher I have had the pleasure of knowing treats their students like their own kids. Imagine how terrible it is for them to have to witness their students struggling and feel like it is their fault for that struggle.

oh we care. far more than you are actually willing to give anyone credit for. I am technically high risk. on the rare occasion i go to meet a customer in a bank branch, even with all of the protections in place, i am taking a risk. but because i have customers that won't do anything online, I take that risk. I am making the choice. Teachers have 2 options...take the risk in a very uncontrolled environment no matter how much cleaning, wiping and fumigating goes on, or not have a job. if you actually understood the transmission rate of germs in a school setting, your head would explode.

and yet positivity rates continue to explode, so just throw them into the fire too. so a teacher gets it from a kid and dies...who replaces them? You act as if teachers grow on trees like the other examples you provided earlier. i appreciate your conviction, regardless of how uncaring it comes off, as long as you get to march

my wife has said this is like being first year teacher all over again

Have to remember you are talking to a child with a child's mind.

In case you are not aware, DCP is not the center of the Drum Corps Universe. Corps do not make any decisions based on comments posted on DCP .

Wasn’t Covid but flu then pneumonia and thanks for the condolences. My point is using deaths as a way to argue a point (and am I sick of seeing fatality rates tossed around) is totally missing that people have lost family and loved ones. It’s like the human cost to this isn’t even considered.

So you expect the worst from people who disagree with you? That might be a good bit of the problem here. As for Fauci, I have yet to see him insult teachers or say people don’t care. Old saying about how the message is given applies here.

And people disagreeing with you on school opening means they don’t care?

I had a student that was 14 make a top 6 corps. First thing I did was sit him down and explain things were going to be very different. Hopefully this kid has someone to help them with the same.

I have a friend ( a teacher ) in a state who was very quick to open ( politically motivated ) and my friend now is very sick with covid, possibly with bad lung damage. Sad

just don't unplug for the coffee pot!

I'd be really surprised if there is anyone who longs for the return of drum corps more than yours truly. I've been involved since 1960. When there is a safe strategy for this, I'll be at the head of the line. But I would ask my colleagues to consider facts, not pipe dream fantasies. Read what JimF says, above: "Lol just did a NYT link to where I would be in line to get a vaccine." Does anyone actually think 18-20 year old musical athletes are going to be at the front of THAT line? Logic says "no" to that. Think about the ramifications of large groups of un-vaccinated young people traveling thousands of miles to converge at one venue to do an un-judged "Showcase" performance over a weekend in Indy in August, then returning whence they came. I want drum corps back so bad I can taste it, but the corps that have declined to make that trip are the sensible ones, and the rest may not have the option, no matter how much they wish it. In the words of Duke Ellington, I don't want "to tear the seams of anyone's dreams", so by all means, dream on. Just recognize that you are dreaming. Maybe it will come true. I'd like that. I

Because this way they get your money twice. For now, and again in 2022. If they let this money count to 2022 then they only get it once.

It means I am confused by your confusion. I didn’t understand why you didn’t understand. I am a riddle wrapped in your mystery inside my enigma. As I think Jim now realizes that his original assumption was not at ALL what she was saying, I think the matter is now moot, and see no point in indulging a kerfuffle over an argument that never really existed to begin with.

Yes, and I plan to calmly and carefully explain it to you, whereupon you will respond by intentionally misunderstanding my explanation, after which I will patiently explain it in a way that seems impossible to misunderstand, at which point you will imply intellectual superiority over a type you ascribe to me, which I will reply to with an example that disproves the ascription, which you will smugly dismiss with a laughing emoji, causing me to realize what a complete wa... Never mind, there is no issue.

Not sure how hot the market is in your area JR, but a RE friend of ours says he could use another 3-4 hours a day with all the activity out here in the St. G area. All those folks who have finally decided to leave CA.

Isn't that who got us into this mess.....Not sure he's gonna help.

It has the tone of the lack of caring. That is my opinion. I am sure you will come back with some censored out swear words and then tell me I should not do what other's do with reaction emoji's. I should have turned it back to you and said you can rise above it all without having to use swear words. Fauci said schools should be back in person. I still have not seen anyone say he is offensive or despicable.

In reality those of us who have family that do not do a job that can be done online would consider the ability to do a job at home online a luxury. Many keep coming back in replies to me about how I am selfish and do not care. They follow with personal stories. My family run a restaurant and grocery store. Everyday since the covid19 pandimic shutdowns they have gone to work. A few have had covid and are back at work. One Aunt we have who is in her 70's was not able to return to work until last month. She had to build her strength. She is high risk and continues to be with family and keeping busy working. So excuse me if I look at this a different way.

Early, late, whatever the date I believe that this thread will go on.

sounds better than what I hear coming from upstairs some days. some good quality buzzing happening right now

That song is now in my head and will stay there for the rest of the day....

"luxury to work online " Ok. I am beginning to understand the OP. Initially, I assumed sincerity in these remarks and I'll maintain that opinion. This OP is a member of our community who cares enough to engage the rest of us. I decline to tell others how to respond, but I for one will stay in character as a teacher and simply attempt to help the OP to understand the actual situation, and dispel the misconceptions that lead to some of these statements. I think most here care enough to do that.

Yeppp

What makes you think people don’t care about what it takes to work or home or anything else for that matter? For reference I would be working at home by direction if I wasn’t retired.

People who do not care about how and what it takes to allow them the luxury to work online is pretty uncaring in my point of view. Never mind the assumptions you make about me personally.

If I had a 'Marching Recorder Band' that had to attend football games, this would be our "closer". (I need a good ukulele chart for the opener.)

That’s probably it thanks. Wild part is he was hunting when he felt sick. Walked a mile and then drove few miles to the house. Told one kid “do me a favor and call 911”. 😳 When his wife got to the ER and found out he was being operated on asked “is it that bad”. Response was “he’s alive, most people with this type are already gone”

not the front end of the sale process anyways. and usually in spite of the challenges of doing this job virtually i achieve results far more than they do

Dude, you’re posting on here 99% of the time.

I have heard the term used to refer to almost totally blocked arteries. Not sure if there is another reference for the term. My neighbor just had three stents put in for arteries that were almost 90% blocked, and they were referred to as widow-makers.

actually other people are too, its why some companies have been sued for flouting the recommendations and seeing employees get Covid while on company time.

I joined an all age corps at 16. One of the best #### things that ever happened to me as got to be around people outside of my own little age group. Really opened my eyes... and my mind....

I'm in the same boat -try teaching a 'how to use a microscope' lab over Zoom when the students don't even have a microscope in front of them.

No matter what anyone says, 2021 will always have an asterisk next to it.

indeed. and subs are in a shortage situation

"...don't the kids also need to be vaccinated for this to happen safely though?" Well, that would be safer, but nobody's going to wait that long to get the little whipper snappers back in their desks. Look at it this way: if some kids get sick, they can stay home from school. If the teachers get sick, school shuts down.

If Cavs et al. put on a full show, yes, judge them and everyone else. Except NO ASTERISKS! There should be the opposite of an asterisks next to whomever wins due to the hardship and challenges that will have to be overcome. If BD and SC don't want to compete (understandably) that's their problem. They don't get to take the ball and go home.

I am 60, been teaching for 21 years. I am not depressed but seem to be stressed! I can't do a concert so I have to video a concert. The kids are not learning as quickly, we can't do a live Music Performance Assessment. So we just learn sight reading, some theory and sing as much as possible. It's not going to school anymore....it's going to work! Teaching face to face and also distance learning. It sucks! I hate it!!! Nothing I can do but my best!!!

I too am over 65, and I have taught in one form or other since Nixon's first term, right up to my subbing in our current district, ending 3/13/2020 when they closed for COVID reasons. I do have some level of medical issues to worry about, so I have not restarted subbing right now. The district has been doing a blended schedule, but some individual schools have gone in and out of all-remote when there are cases found with students and/or staff. I agree on lower grades hurting with all remote. K-8, especially elementary grades K-4, are really taking a hit without in-person instruction. I can't even imagine how a kindergarten or first/second grade student is able to do a lot at home with virtual learning. I have subbed at those levels, and it is a LOT of work keeping the kids involved and learning. Even at the HS level it is important. Sometimes kids just give up and don't bother doing their assignments. There was an article in today's Star Ledger newspaper talking about kids tuning out and not even submitting partial work, receiving the zero instead of a partial credit grade. It is very sad, for sure.

I sometimes watch 1st grade grandson; daughter has it set up so he can learn without distraction, but when some of his classmates un-mute zoom to answer questions it sounds like they are in middle of WW3.

I've been teaching at a college for 35 years, and if you count drum corps instruction, my experience goes back to the Johnson Administration. (Not Andrew, but Lyndon) For the past 9 months, all my interaction with students has been online. Neither my students nor I signed up for this, and not to put too fine a point on it, it flat-out stinks. In-person instruction is vital and must be resumed as soon as possible, especially for earlier grades. (The older ones can much more easily adjust to a virtual environment, limited though it may be.) Teachers must be immunized early on for this to happen safely. On a personal note, I am one of the Phase 2 "lucky" ones, being over 65, albeit free from a compromised immune system, so far. Child care workers and K-8 teachers should come before me.

After I heard the news this afternoon, I thought the event in Indy would be more a collection of corps sending representation to the event but we would not see full fledged competing corps in the way we are accustomed to see them. BD and SCV not participating only confirms this. I think the announcement is intentionally vague because the corps themselves do not know what this will entail. I think what we will see is more like a convention atmosphere rather than a competitive one and it could be like SoundSport on steroids. If health conditions allow, having something in August will be important, even if it is only just a morale booster. Getting 2022 up and running will be more difficult than most anticipate. That being said, it should not be held if it is not safe to do so, and unless DCI is getting Lucas Oil for free, audiences will be small and it could be a venture that will be a loss. Right now I do not anticipate paying airfare and hotels if I’m not getting three days of drum corps.

Definitely agree on the Bridgemen! I remember the sound of their bodies hitting the ground as they "fainted" (76?). It was oddly hilarious. One of the best crops, along with 2-7, to never win DCI. They would have had their guard been better.