COVID-19: Stimulus Checks for Teachers?

[DallasRN]

Perhaps I'm missing something but I just read this on some news site but similar articles are all over the news:

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"Some state governments and local school boards have made the decision to send stimulus money to teachers as a thank you for the efforts they made during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many teachers risked exposure by offering in-person instruction, while many others had to scramble to transition to online coursework during an unprecedented global public health crisis".

And this is the email I just sent to Governor Abbott and Senator Ted Cruz:

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I am horrified the State of Texas is sending $1000 stimulus checks to teachers.  For what?  They sat in the safety and security of their homes most of the past school year, teaching from computers.  Where is the extra stimulus for the nurses and other healthcare providers who literally put their lives on the line each and every day as they cared for people in hospitals, in their homes.  Not only were they at severe and much greater risk than teachers -  they also risked the lives of their family members each time they completed a shift and walked through their front door.  Their spouses, children, elderly relatives..

Also, speaking of elderly, where is THEIR stimulus check.  Are you aware housing (where they are going to live) is the greatest concern of seniors?  How are they going to buy groceries?  Pay for life-saving medications?

And yes?  I am a retired senior nurse.  I'm OK.  I can afford my rent, my food; however, I worked with low income seniors for the past 3-4 years.  Many are homeless.

So explain to me why hundreds of thousands of dollars are going to teachers while you leave out those that saved the lives of those teachers?  And many seniors that made this country what it is?

This plan is abhorrent.  I'm ashamed of my Texas government.

What am I missing here?  I didn't even have room to talk about the nightmare of working in those many layers of PPE, having difficulty breathing through the masks, sweating from all the layers of protective gowns/caps...so many things...for 12-14+ hours...helpless while people are dying before your eyes...not having a family member with them.  And what about all the HCP's that had to go to work (including unit sec, CNA's, ancillary people) and leave their kids at home to try to get computer educated??? 

OK...this is the reason I normally do NOT listen to the news - not good for an old persons B/P.  I'm livid for my peers.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Well, pitting nurses against teachers or anyone else who had to work throughout the pandemic probably isn't the way to go. And also probably unpopular opinion: nurses know going in they are going to be taking care of sick patients, some of whom will have infectious diseases. Unlike those teachers or grocery store cashiers, nurses have education on and (usually) access to use of PPE and infection control measures. If anyone should be paying bonuses or retention incentives or whatever to healthcare personnel, it should the healthcare organizations themselves- they certainly in most cases make plenty of money, and okay, maybe the CEO needs to forgo their 6-7 figure bonus for the year.

[DallasRN]

Rose_Queen, I see your point about grocery workers but I just don't buy in on the teachers receiving the additional stimulus.  First, I'd dare say the vast majority of nurses, while trained and with some knowledge, had no concept of caring for these incredibly sick and dying patients in a pandemic.  Worse, everyone was receiving contradictory information, we really didn't know what was up or down..."masks not necessary," "wear a mask".  Surfaces are dangerous.  No they aren't.  Most of us stayed confused in the early days.  In the meantime, teachers sat at home although their "population" base was the least susceptible and likely to carry the virus.  Most teachers kept their salary while teaching from home.  Millions were unable to earn a penny and lined up at the food banks.  A million factors!

Bottom line, I think, is the teachers have a strong union while nurses do not.  

[StacyAtheNurse, BSN, MSN, APRN, NP]

There are some interesting things to unpack here, but as a nurse married to a teacher (we will not be getting a stimulus as we do not live in that state), my husband was 100% working during the pandemic. Albeit, he was not in person, but he was still creating lesson plans, teaching every day, going to professional development meetings, counseling kids, grading, holding parent-teacher conferences etc. He taught several different grades two subjects because they lost teachers to the pandemic. He went back to teach, in person, without children, prior to the vaccine, on a mandatory basis, and has been there since (with the exception of Summer break). He is now mandated by the state to get the vaccine or he will lose his job. Yes, if they want to give teachers a stimulus, they deserve it. They get paid like crap anyway to deal with our kids and us. I bet a ton of us nurses would NOT do what teachers do on a teacher's salary. 

For the last portion of your statement, I agree, generally, I've seen that teachers tend to have decent unions nationwide. As a unionized nurse, I almost roll my eyes when I hear nonunionized nurses complain about things a union would easily fix. However, the fact is, most nurses don't like, or want unions. So they will take exactly the foolishness they are fed, simple.

Pay those teachers.

[Golden_RN, MSN]

I am in awe of all of the nurses that worked at the bedside over the past year.  But I don't take a pat on the back to teachers as an insult to nurses.  It's really apples & oranges.

Teaching hasn't been a walk in the park for teachers during Covid -  dealing with new technologies, being on the receiving end of anger/abuse from families/community and adapting to change very quickly and trying to teach effectively in a brand new world could not have been easy.  I actually wish they got a stipend every year for the supplies they pay for out-of-pocket.

[summertx]

They seem to ignore that if unlicensed personnel  don't 'want' to take care of covid patients, for whatever reason, the nurse has to assume total care of the patient. There is no 'social distancing' with a covid positive patient. You are all the patient knows at times, when they are on isolation, they rely on you to be turned, repositioned, fed, bathed, their life dependent meds, all their needs. All of a sudden the nurses life doesn't matter when there's political motives.  I guess 'teachers' are the hot button topic right now when they can social distance in the class room and can choose not to go to the classroom if Senator Cruz and Gov. Abbott agree and pull for them, we can't. 

[londonflo]

5 hours ago, summertx said:

They seem to ignore that if unlicensed personnel  don't 'want' to take care of covid patients, for whatever reason,

When AIDS patients came to the hospital, any licensed or unlicensed personnel who refused their assignment, were fired. Is this not the case now?

[GordonGekko, MSN]

Many teachers have used Covid as an excuse to get out of work.  Why would you give people a stimulus for doing their job?  Especially a profession that is already overpaid?

 

[Hoosier_RN, MSN]

On 8/11/2021 at 1:08 PM, Golden_RN said:

I actually wish they got a stipend every year for the supplies they pay for out-of-pocket.

I agree with reimbursing what they pay out of pocket. It's sad that supplies are so expensive that the average family struggles to afford school supplies every year

[summertx]

2 hours ago, GordonGekko said:

Many teachers have used Covid as an excuse to get out of work.  Why would you give people a stimulus for doing their job?  Especially a profession that is already overpaid?

 

Why would teachers be the focus? they didn't risk their lives. It's interesting how teachers get the press and the anger just boils over about their jobs, but it's nurses that are in daily contact and exposed to covid positive patients. 

[toomuchbaloney]

5 minutes ago, summertx said:

Why would teachers be the focus? they didn't risk their lives. It's interesting how teachers get the press and the anger just boils over about their jobs, but it's nurses that are in daily contact and exposed to covid positive patients. 

The focus of what? Extra money?

If the public considers the risk to teachers as we open schools and try to make mitigation affordable and achievable with financial support, does that mean that nurses are somehow unappreciated? Please explain. 

[summertx]

4 hours ago, toomuchbaloney said:

The focus of what? Extra money?

If the public considers the risk to teachers as we open schools and try to make mitigation affordable and achievable with financial support, does that mean that nurses are somehow unappreciated? Please explain. 

No, teachers are not front line workers, if a teacher doesn't go to work, a persons life is not at risk. They also can 'wait' on the government to deem them appropriate to go to work, we can't. We have to go and are expected to go, whether it's appropriate or not.