Every morning, my partner drives across town. First, he drinks some water as he won’t have access to it for hours. He sanitizes his hands, dons a medical-grade mask, followed by a cloth mask, and sanitizes his hands once more. Ready for the day, he enters his classroom, where he sets up his tech equipment: microphone, camera, monitors. Depending on the day, two to eight students might be present in his classroom, all separated from him and each other by about ten feet and two layers of plexiglass. The rest of his students learn virtually. He’s effectively juggling two classes, and it’s completely unacceptable.
This practice known as “simultaneous teaching” or “concurrent learning” is becoming increasingly common in many districts as some students learn from home while others return to school. From an administrator’s perspective, it seems ideal: it saves on staffing and appeases parents eager for in-person learning. But this compromise is detrimental to teachers and students alike.
The Washington Post highlights the urgency of bringing children back to classrooms that have been closed since last spring, especially since the CDC states that reopening poses minimal risks when guidelines are followed. Unfortunately, many schools lack the capacity to enforce social distancing, which makes doubling up their go-to solution.
The Unsustainable Burden of Doubling Up
My partner is fortunate—he handles this situation better than many teachers facing the same demands, yet he often comes home utterly exhausted, collapsing and gulping down water (he can’t drink while wearing a mask and can’t leave his students unattended). According to The New York Times, Sarah Johnson, a veteran high school English teacher in New Jersey, expressed on Twitter, “I have NEVER been this drained… This is not sustainable.” Many educators report that their workloads have essentially doubled.
The New York Times article on teacher stress specifically identifies doubling up as a significant source of strain. “You’re trying to be two people at once, trying to help the students who are online and the students who are in front of you,” Ms. Johnson shared. Often, students learning online can’t hear their in-person peers, and teachers must monitor social distancing and masking while troubleshooting tech issues for their online students. My partner frequently finds himself enforcing mask-wearing while simultaneously responding to a barrage of private chat messages.
The stress teachers endure is overwhelming—so much so that the Minnesota governor signed legislation preventing teachers from being required to teach both virtually and in-person simultaneously. And students suffer as a result.
The Major Issues with Doubling Up
An article from EdWeek outlines several case studies of teachers navigating hybrid learning. Jennifer Miller, a 7th-grade teacher in Texas, points out a common complaint about virtual education: students may log in but easily disengage. “Without being physically present and constantly reminded to stay on task, it’s enticing for them to log on and just walk away,” she explains. In a double-up situation, some students are compelled to engage while others may simply vanish, leaving teachers powerless to intervene. Miller remarks, “It’s nothing short of exhausting… it’s like teaching two classes in the same period.”
Teachers report feeling overwhelmed, with many claiming they are splitting their focus between online and in-person students, thus failing to give either group the attention they deserve. If there’s genuine concern about students “falling behind,” why aren’t we listening to educators, who argue that doubling up exacerbates the issue? More virtual options could mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on student progress.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, has asserted that this practice must cease: “Hybrid doesn’t work,” she insists. “You can’t livestream and teach in-person at the same time.”
Conclusion
Teachers who venture into classrooms are already risking their health by interacting with students face-to-face. While the exact number of educators who have succumbed to COVID-19 remains unknown, the American Federation of Educators has identified at least 530 cases. A photo featured in The Washington Post shows a first-grade teacher wearing a clear plastic mask that doesn’t adhere to CDC guidelines. Until teachers are vaccinated, they remain vulnerable while performing their duties.
Meanwhile, the practice of doubling up not only magnifies their workload but also elevates stress levels in an already high-pressure profession, especially during these trying times. Teachers are underpaid for one job, let alone for two. As the American Federation of Teachers president has stated, this practice must end—both for our students’ sake and, crucially, for the well-being of our overworked and exhausted teachers.
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