There’s no doubt going to be a lot of anxiety this year for North Carolina’s teachers and other school personnel.
Whether their school system is holding classes in school buildings or remotely via computers it’s going to be a tough year. On Monday, Aug.17, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) announced that it’s opening up the existing 24/7 Hope4Healers Helpline (919-226-2002) to the state’s teachers, school personnel and their families.
A Monday press release from the state explained the rationale for the change.
“With schools opening in-person and remotely across the state under new health and safety procedures. NCDHHS and the NC Psychological Foundation can provide these personnel with mental health and resilience supports through Hope4Healers. Hope4Healers is available 24 hours per day, seven days a week. When teachers, school personnel or family members call the helpline, they will speak to someone who is trained to listen and offer support. They then will be contacted within about a day by a licensed mental health professional for a free, confidential, short-term follow-up by phone or video chat.”
Earlier in 2020, working with the NC Psychological Foundation, NCDHHS launched the Hope4Healers Helpline, which for months has been providing mental health and resilience counseling for first responders, health care and childcare professionals and their families.
Everyone knows caregivers have to get care as well from time to time – and that seems to be the state’s plan in this case.
NCDHHS Deputy Secretary for Behavioral Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Kody Kinsley said that school workers were right in the thick of the coronavirus battle.
“Our children across the state will be best served by educators and school staff who are taking care of their own mental health needs,” Kinsley said. “Our educators and school teams are working in an unprecedented situation on the front lines of the state’s COVID-19 response. We want to make sure they have access to the mental health and resilience supports they may need to feel like their best selves in the classroom – whether they are teaching in-person or remotely.”
Awww…the poor little dears. Their “work” consists of dealing with little kids and teaching them the 3 “R”s. They work 9 months a year, knock off at 3:00pm, and produce students who consistently rank around 27th in the World.
But they’re so stressed out! What precious little public sector parasites.
God forbid they get a REAL JOB in the private sector.
Austin Morris, you’ve never been or known a teacher. They work at least 10 months a year and the other 2 months they often go to continuing education classes in order to keep up their teaching certificate and do in-service courses that the school district requires. During the school year, they have to be on campus 45 minutes to an hour before students to monitor bus and car drop-offs and the cafeteria where breakfast is served. They are rarely allowed a free class hour as that time is used now to “tutor” kids who are “failing” because they refuse to do classwork or attend on a regular basis and students are not generally allowed to be “flunked” these days. They have to supervise their classes during lunch so that time is not theirs and watch the hallways during class changes so don’t get bathroom breaks during the day. They are required to attend after school functions, visit all parents of students on their team or their classroom at least once a semester, submit daily lesson plans (individualized for any “special needs” student), fill out form after form after form, make sure no one in the class steals from or mauls anyone else in the class, all while not touching any student or saying anything “offensive” (which changes weekly). They do that while being constantly criticized by parents, trying to keep their classrooms from devolving into chaos, and knowing their administrators only care if their students “pass the test” regardless of any real learning is taking place.
How about going to a local middle, elementary, or high school and helping out for a few weeks once they’re open. Maybe then you’ll understand why it’s so difficult to fill teaching positions and why teacher retention is a problem after the first few years because they decide to move into the “private sector” where the working environment is so much better and the pay is far above what they make teaching our kids in school.
(Been there, done that.)
Yes, they are required to do the work associated with being a teacher. Is that too much to ask of teachers?
Why are they so grossly incompetent compared with the teachers of other nations?
And finally, you are also wrong about me never knowing a teacher.
My mother taught English, music, French and PE after stdying at the Sorbonne.
And please…. Do try not to be so bitter and defensive. These are just the facts.
The lazy teachers don’t need it. But your stereotype is too broad. Actually, they work 10 months, but often do professional development and planning and prepping over the summer for no pay at all. This district, they work 8-4, which is the same amount of hours as 9-5. Many stay far later, some coming in when it is dark, and leaving when it is dark during winter months. I’ve stayed many nights to 7 or 8, grading papers, calling and emailing parents, updating websites, doing data analysis, making copies, and prepping purchase orders.
Yes, there are a lot of teachers who suck. I think they should be gotten rid of. But consider also that the countries that rank ahead of us have tiered schools so the riff raff students don’t derail the focus of students who are actually trying to make something of their lives. They also have parents who are involved in their students education. They actually answer phone calls, come to school events, believe in work ethic, and don’t get hostile when given advice. Kids, in a 24/7/365 calendar, spend much more time outside a school building and parental help (not all the work, just a collaborate effort) would be greatly appreciated.
Blah, blah, blah…. i work so hard, I’m so underpaid, I am such a hero, and – of course – “it’s for the children”.
You people need to have your monopoly broken up, you need a parent-driven voucher system, and you need to quit moaning – at the same time you invariably portray yourselves as saints.
How sickening.
Meanwhile, America’s children receive an education inferior to most Third World countries.
You make me sick.
You make me sick. I supported most of what you said. I hate NCAE and support vouchers, but since I only agree with 95% of what you say and not 115%, it is a big FU from you. Nice to have a civil discussion with you, buddy.
You’re telling me “F.U.” and complaining that the discussion is mot civil?
Your hypocrisy suggests you’re an “educator”.
from YOU. You can read a sentence, right?
Hopefully this HOTLINE will function better than the VIRTUAL SCHOOL SYSTEM.
With an average salary of $54,000 and a 10 month work year (9 mos. by the time you count all the holidays and breaks) I can’t seem to find any sympathy for their “plight.” All the teacher I know seem to spend their entire summer on vacation bragging about no worries. Do us all a favor and get over yourselves…you do not have the hardest job ever and I am sick of your hand always being out for more money. Get back to work like the rest of us people who have worked every single day during COVID.
A common errerr. Teachers do not get a two month vacation. They are paid for the +/- 10 months they work; they are NOT paid when they are not working. Many teacher choose to have their 10-month pay annualized.
I was married to a teacher. It is a stressful job putting up with all the diktat from administrators, who will not back you up if you have any problem (and you WILL have). I won’t even get into the problems involved running herd over the hellions in the classroom.
Those that are any good, will leave the profession if they are smart. More and more of those who are the incompetents, who could hardly get a real job anywhere else. They just reach behind their backs for the cash, without a care for their purpose.
I’ve been there. But don’t take my word for it, check it out for yourself. See with what your kids come home.
The Coop of the Century
Your splitting hairs. The annual pay is either paid in 10 months or 12 months. Regardless of that they still make 54k for actually working only 10; that’s even worse! 5400/mo with no pay in the summer or 4500/mo. including 2 months of no work. Cry me a river…I don’t get paid when I don’t work either.
Si si, si no. My point is that teaches work approx 10 months, and are paid for 10 months. They do not get a two months paid vacation. If it suits you, just figure their monthly pay for 10 months’ work. Unless they elect to annualize, the don’t get a check for months they don’t work.
Dead right Bob! What a bunch of whining incompetents.
That’s right. If they are smart, the competents get out early, leaving the incompetents. That’s who is (expensively) baby-sitting the little darlings.
Politicians in general, and the LEFT in particular, have destroyed public education.