Letters to the Editor: Distance learning is hard. Do parents have more respect for teachers now?

To the editor: I am not surprised that distance learning is being criticized, but I am dismayed by the article “California parents mostly disapprove of distance learning, poll finds.” Nowhere are the efforts of the teachers during this pandemic praised or the difficulties and successes they’ve had mentioned.

Your article notes several times that parents are having trouble helping to manage their children’s distance learning. Shouldn’t this make parents and the public respect teachers more? Shouldn’t teachers be consulted about online learning and then rewarded with more pay and better working conditions once they return to school?

Teachers in my school district are being expected to set up a COVID-19-free zone, take temperatures and clean desks between each class, all while simultaneously providing instruction both online and in person. More attention needs to be paid to promote this most important institution instead of reporting on the failings due to the pandemic.

Rachel Engle, San Clemente