News Information and Media Site: Teachers are nearing their breaking points

THE BIG STORY

Teachers are being pushed to their breaking points

It's understandable why so many parents want schools reopened — the pandemic and the lockdowns and anxieties have been stressful, and people have had to navigate those while trying to help their kids with virtual learning. Not to mention the worries about children's mental health.

Still, in the rush to assemble school reopening plans across the US, many educators are feeling undervalued and ignored. We asked teachers around the country to share how they are coping right now.

Hundreds of teachers responded, revealing their uncertainty about the future, burnout, and frustration with parents, who they say look at them as glorified babysitters. Some teachers even expressed their desire to quit.

For some teachers, the stakes of premature reopening are quite high. Here's how one teacher put it: "What we are discussing is what is the acceptable number of public school teachers to die."

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STAYING ON TOP OF THIS

Prosecutors suggested that the Oath Keepers had a special force ready with weapons during the Capitol insurrection

During a detention hearing for Jessica Watkins, a member of the Oath Keepers charged with conspiracy and other crimes, a federal prosecutor said that the government's "working understanding" is that the Oath Keepers had a "quick reaction force" prepared with weapons, stationed outside Washington, DC on Jan. 6.

This is new information. None of the Oath Keepers charged so far are accused of carrying or using weapons, but the suggestion that they had a plan to access arms suggests the riots could have been even more violent and dangerous for police and lawmakers inside the Capitol.

After US District Judge Amit Mehta pressed for more information, he and Assistant US Attorney Ahmed Baset quickly moved into an off-the-record session to discuss the government's evidence.

SNAPSHOTS

The FDA has approved a single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. The approval adds millions more doses to the vaccine armory against the pandemic, as early as this week. According to clinical trial data, the shot reduced moderate to severe COVID-19 diagnoses by about 66% among vaccinated people a month later.

Lady Gaga's dogs have been safely returned as LA Police continue to search for suspects. Authorities said that the French bulldogs were turned in unharmed Friday night, two days after Gaga's dog walker was shot and the dogs were stolen.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo apologized for "misinterpreted" comments after two women accused him of sexual harassment. Two women have now spoken out about the conditions they faced while working with the New York governor.

A Trader Joe's employee says he was fired for asking for better COVID-19 protections. Ben Bonnema says that he was fired for requesting that employees be given the ability to remove maskless customers from stores. Trader Joe's said that the employee was fired not because he raised safety concerns but because of "disrespect he showed toward our customers."

So the Golden Globes were last night. Hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler roasted the hell out of the awards ceremony, pointing out "the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is made up of around 90 international, no-Black journalists." Anyway, here are the winners.

PRECARIOUS CONDITIONS

After the Texas snowstorm knocked out this woman's power, she had to race to keep her daughter alive

Millions of Texans were without water, heat or electricity after a snowstorm wrecked the state last week.

But for the tens of thousands living along the border with Mexico, losing these services didn't just mean struggling through a few cold nights. Their lives were already so precarious that the freezing temperatures made even survival a challenge.

We talked to those living in a community of informal settlements known as a colonia in South Texas, where government neglect has long been a fact of life. They told us the conditions were bad before the storm, but now they are dire.

People like Nohemí, a mother of seven who was left without electricity, which she desperately needed for her 16-year-old daughter, who has a condition that requires a machine to get food into her body. She considered checking her family into a nearby hotel that usually charged $45 a night, only to find that the rate was up to $110, much more than they could dream of paying.

Nohemí's daughter has achalasia — a condition that requires a machine to get food into her body. Veronica G. Cardenas for BuzzFeed News

MULTITASKING

So, uh, a plastic surgeon logged into traffic court via Zoom while operating on a patient

Ok, sure, the pandemic has allowed us to dial in to important calls from unusual places, but surely there are limits?

When the courtroom's clerk asks Dr. Scott Green, a plastic surgeon, if he is available for his traffic court hearing, he replies, "I am, sir. I'm in an operating room. I'm available for trial. Go right ahead."

Green tried to assure the court that he is willing and able to go ahead, despite the fact that he is in the middle of a surgery — with operating lights beaming, medical equipment beeping, and other medical personnel in blue scrubs milling around the room.

Understandably, the frazzled judge rescheduled Green's hearing.

Play that one song that always gets you motivated (and also, share it with me),

Elamin

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