Letters to the Editor: Fired anti-vaccine teachers get little sympathy from readers

To the editor: As a public school teacher, I see my job as pretty straightforward — to care for children. The teachers quoted in your article about those who failed to meet the Los Angeles Unified School District’s COVID-19 vaccination deadline neglected that core duty on a number of levels, and they will never have my sympathy.

Let’s forget for a moment about the very real and very basic public health principles that make getting vaccinated a wise decision. My school, Granada Hills Charter, lost three teachers in the math department. That equates to 16 sections of math classes. That means that 16 sections of students start the semester with one teacher but have to finish with another. The selfish choices of these teachers have left their former colleagues strained and stretched to the limit.

But we, the teachers on the brink of burnout, are compensated. Dare I say, we are compensated well, and we will be able to endure this difficulty. We will work harder because we have to, but we will accomplish less because we are stretched too thin — and for that, the students will be the ones who suffer.

So spare us the sob stories of the selfish few who put their own misguided politics over the well-being of students.

Sean Lewis, Winnetka

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To the editor: I read the story about Jamal Speakes with great sadness. He obviously created a class experience that was dynamic and transformative. One of his students said, “Mr. Speakes always brought joy and energy to his class.”

I was a public school teacher for 15 years, and I know that those types of teachers are rare and inspirational for students. Now his former students lose all that dynamic inspiration and instead sit quietly, do homework and play with their phones.

Meanwhile, the pandemic appears to be waning, and most districts around the state and country do not require teachers to be vaccinated. Students pay the price.

David Waldowski, Laguna Woods

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To the editor: I believe in the laws of God. Humans can create work-arounds, but they cannot change the laws of God.

So, a source of energy can create propulsion to get a heavier-than-air vehicle off the ground and take humans wherever. If the energy source fails, expect the laws of God to prevail — in other words, gravity will have its way.

This coronavirus is lethal for many people’s bodies. Humanity’s work-around is a vaccine. Exempt yourself from the laws of man, and expect to experience the laws of God.

Do you believe that you can get an exemption from the laws of God?

Karen Robinson-Stark, Pasadena