Schools districts across the U.S. are drawing up plans for how they’ll possibly reopen classrooms for the 2020-21 school year based on recommendations from state and federal officials.
If schools do reopen in the fall, many teachers may not be there. USA Today and Ipsos conducted a poll of teachers and 1 in 5 of those surveyed said they are unlikely to return to their classrooms if they are reopened.
Many of the teachers say they haven’t been able to properly do their jobs under the restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, like having to lead students through remote learning.
The poll found a stunning 83% of teachers say they’re having a harder time doing their job and about 66% of them say they’ve had to work more than usual.
Understandably, the poll found that the oldest teachers, those 55 and older, had the most difficulty dealing with the technology needed to teach remotely, with about 1 in 4 saying it hasn’t been easy.
However, it seems the more experienced teachers have had an easier time distance teaching overall. Educators who have been on the job for five years or less have struggled the most, with 6 in 10 saying they hadn’t been trained well for the task, the poll found.
While teachers may not be enthusiastic about returning to their classrooms, it seems parents aren’t very keen on their kids returning either. A separate poll of parents with at least one child in grade school found that 6 in 10 say they would be likely to pursue at-home learning options instead of sending their kids back in the fall.
