Letters to the editor: Teaching online, meat plants and Democrats

Remote teaching

In April, after 36 years in education, I became an “online instructor.” Here’s what I’ve learned.

The negative:

• I miss my students! I miss their energy and curiosity; and their willingness to try and fail and try again. I miss how they keep me on my toes. I miss their smiles and hugs, pouts and grimaces.
• Teaching remotely is HARD! I cannot connect with all my students in the same way. I feel I am failing some of them.
• Technology has definite limitations.
• Parents face significant challenges: multiple children schooling from home, limited technology access and job stresses.

The positive:

• I can run Google hangout meetings while working math problems on a shared iPad screen.
• My students and families are doing the best they can.
• School is important to my students! They miss the magic of face-to-face, interactive learning.

What I’m grateful for:

• Connecting, even in this limited way, with my students and their families,
• how hard families are trying to make this work, and
• the support from my colleagues and family.

For now, this has to be enough. Still, I eagerly anticipate the day when we can get back into the classroom and dive into a good science experiment!

Alyssa Carter, Boise

Teaching online

It was very helpful when the Boise School District teachers called their students’ parents to see how we were doing and what we needed regarding learning online. I really appreciated my conversation with Mrs. Boulton. She took the time to answer my questions; she did not make me feel rushed, and she made me feel like she was interested in all of my concerns. With four kids in four different schools, I was concerned with online learning and how it would affect my children. I felt so much better after talking with Mrs. Boulton. I understood why my daughter, Maddie, likes her so much as a teacher. Mrs. Boulton is always very positive and encouraging. She makes my daughter feel that she is smart and can succeed in math, which has been great for Maddie’s confidence. Maddie followed the plan Mrs. Boulton outlined to improve her grade. She was so excited when she earned a 100% on her math test. She continues to work on her math to improve her skills due to Mrs. Boulton’s weekly emails about doing the work for herself now. Maddie knows this practice will benefit her in the future.

Katherine Bean, Boise

Meat plants

An open question to Idaho’s Republican senators and congressmen from a fourth-generation Idahoan: Thank you for your service to Idaho, supporting President Trump and the free market. President Trump has issued an executive order that overrides the free market and forces COVID-19-infested meat plants like Tyson’s to produce meat. This is obviously a risk to the worker and the consumer, a body blow to the economy as it is opening up. Anybody want to buy bacon or chicken at a grocery store after it has been packaged by a covid-infested worker? My question: Do you agree with President Trump’s executive order to override the free market and force COVID-19-infested meat plants to produce meat before they were ready to open? This is a yes or no question. No political gobbledygook. Yes, I agree with the president’s executive order to force covid-infested plants to open: You agree with Trump the risk is worth the reward. No, I do not not agree with the president’s executive order to force covid-infested plants to open; I think businesses can solve their own issues. Yes or no?

Michael White, Boise

Democrats

If you listen to the Democrats and their supportive media you’d think that we would be much safer from the coronavirus if they were in total charge with their fear-based, big government, total control policies rather than allowing any Republicans to govern with their approach that allows for more trust in the common sense and judgment of the people. When the virus broke out, many Democrats were predicting that the careless red states would get their comeuppance and suffer much more than the blue.

So how have things worked out in the real world?

A recent tabulation shows that Republican governors have experienced 57.53 coronavirus deaths per million while Democratic governors have 179.74 deaths per million of population, over three times that of Republicans. Even excluding the state of New York Democrat governors preside over twice as many deaths.

And who do Democrats revere as their greatest present hero who many wish to be president: The greatest failure of all Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York.

They have a lot of nerve placing the blame for deaths on Trump and Republicans, but that is what they are good at, blaming others rather than finding solutions.

Joseph Dewey, Boise