VOA慢速英语--病毒有可能导致一些教师离职

Virus Risks Pushing Some Teachers Away from Teaching¹

As pressure grows for teachers to return to their classrooms this fall, concerns about coronavirus risks are pushing many away. Some are finding² other jobs while others are mobilizing³ in an effort to delay the reopening of schools.

Among those choosing early retirement⁴ is Liza McArdle. She is a 50-year-old high school language teacher in New Boston, Michigan. She thought about the health risks and other issues, such as trying to teach French and Spanish while wearing a face covering. She also thought about how she might have to teach students online and decided⁵ it was time to go.

"We're always expected to give, give, give. You're a teacher. You have to be there for the kids," McArdle said. She said now teachers are being asked to risk their lives because children need to be in school.

Teachers' unions have begun pushing back against what they consider unnecessarily fast reopening plans. The largest unions say reopening should depend on whether school districts have the ability and money to enforce⁶ rules that keep students and teachers safe.

On Monday, a teachers' union launched⁷ a legal case to block the reopening of schools in Florida. State officials said school districts should reopen schools unless local health officials decide it is unsafe.

Teachers in several U.S. cities have called for the school year to start with online classes. Some have joined protests⁸ in Arizona. Three teachers in the state, who shared a classroom during summer school, got infected with the virus. One of them reportedly died.

Regina Fuentes is a high school teacher in Columbus, Ohio. She told the Associated Press that "teachers and students shouldn't have to go back to school just to save the economy." Fuentes is entering her twenty-second year of teaching.

American Federation⁹ of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said her union is pushing for safety in reopening schools. But she has not ruled out the possibility of strikes.

A recent study from the non-profit group Kaiser Family Foundation¹⁰ examined the health of teachers. It found that nearly 25 percent of the nation's teachers are at a higher risk of serious illness from the coronavirus because of health conditions or age. That is nearly 1.5 million teachers.

A survey by the Michigan Education Association¹¹ last month asked about 15,000 teachers about their plans. Twenty-three percent said they were considering retiring early or leaving their jobs because of COVID-19. Seven percent said they planned to leave.

Not all teachers are concerned. Karen Toenges said she would love to restart¹² face-to-face lessons with her young students in Orlando, Florida. She disagrees with people who say it is not safe. Even as cases sharply¹³ rose in the state, Toenges, who is 60, said she has not been covering her face and is not worried about getting COVID-19.

"It really has become a political issue, which really bothers me," Toenges said. But school reopening plans could get a lot more difficult if large numbers of teachers leave.

Mary Morris has been teaching for 30 years in Toledo, Ohio. She will not return this fall to the Catholic¹⁴ school where she teaches. A temporary change to online learning¹⁵ this spring caused her to cry. But at that time, she still decided to stay another year.

Then she tried to start planning for kindergarten lessons. The new virus safety rules include: Keep children separated. Do not share play things. Continuously clean all objects used to teach counting.

"Everything that I believe in, I can't do," Morris said. "It's all going to be paper and pencil. And that's when I sat down and I thought, ‘What am I doing?'"

Other teachers feel their only choice is to stay.

Retiring now is not financially possible for Deb Waddell, a 61-year-old science teacher who misses her students. But she worries. She and her close family have health conditions that put them at a higher risk than healthy people. She is hoping to get an online teaching position for her rural¹⁶ district in Columbia, Kentucky.

Waddell said she has spent part of her summer working on changes to her classroom lessons. And she got surplus¹⁷ masks. But she is not happy thinking about wearing one all day in a room where the heating¹⁸ and cooling system is, she said, older than her. She also ordered clear eye coverings to help her avoid touching¹⁹ her eyes, which dry out because of a health condition.

David Kitzmann teaches wood and metal work at a high school in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Kitzmann, who is 61, said explaining his own higher risk to students could help push them to keep wearing masks, washing their hands and social distancing.

He said he would hate to see any of the students or teachers die from the virus. "And if we're smart, we don't have to."

I'm Alice Bryant.

Words in This Story

mobilize²⁰ – v. to come together to take action on an issue

kid – n. a child or young person

union – n. an organization of workers in an industry that is formed to support their interests as a group

district – n. an area established by a government for official purposes

survey – n. an activity in which many people are asked a series of questions to gather information about what most do or think about something

lesson – n. a single class or part of a course of instruction

kindergarten – n. a school for children who are younger than grade school age

mask – n. a covering used to protect your face or cover your mouth

1 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。

2 finding   

n.发现，发现物；调查的结果

参考例句：

• The finding makes some sense.该发现具有一定的意义。
• That's an encouraging finding.这是一个鼓舞人心的发现。

3 mobilizing   

动员起来，调动，鼓动起( mobilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• It is one of mobilizing all positive forces to build socialism. 就是调动一切积极力量，为了建设社会主义。
• We can do the work well only by mobilizing all positive factors. 只有调动一切积极因素，我们才能做好这项工作。

4 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 enforce   

vt.实施，执行；强制，强迫；加强，坚持

参考例句：

• You have no right to enforce your own views on me.你无权把你自己的观点强加给我。
• They tried to enforce agreement with their plans.他们企图迫使人们同意他们的计划。

7 launched   

v.发射( launch的过去式和过去分词 )；[计算机]开始（应用程序）；发动；开展（活动、计划等）

参考例句：

• He launched a bitter diatribe against the younger generation. 他对年轻一代发起了猛烈的抨击。
• The product was launched amid much fanfare worldwide. 这个产品在世界各地隆重推出。

8 protests   

n.[体]抗议；抗议，反对( protest的名词复数 )v.声明( protest的第三人称单数 )；坚决地表示；申辩

参考例句：

• The protests have forced the government to back-pedal on the new tax. 抗议活动已迫使政府撤销新的税目。
• Plans to build a new mall were deep-sixed after protests from local residents. 修建新室内购物中心的计划由于当地居民反对而搁浅。

9 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

10 foundation   

n.[pl.]地基；基础；基金会；建立，创办

参考例句：

• The foundation of the university took place 600 years ago.这所大学是600年前创办的。
• The Foundation gives money to help artists.那家基金会捐款帮助艺术家。

11 association   

n.联盟，协会，社团；交往，联合；联想

参考例句：

• Our long association with your company has brought great benefits.我方和贵公司的长期合作带来了巨大的利益。
• I broke away from the association ten years ago.我10年前就脱离了那个团体。

12 restart   

vt.重新开始，重新启动；vi.重新开始，重新启动

参考例句：

• Restart the computer in Safe mode or VGA mode.重新启动计算机在安全模式或VGA模式。
• After the restart the program continues to run automatically.重启后，程序仍然自动运行。

13 sharply   

adj.锐利地，急速；adv.严厉地，鲜明地

参考例句：

• The plane dived sharply and rose again.飞机猛然俯冲而后又拉了起来。
• Demand for personal computers has risen sharply.对个人电脑的需求急剧增长。

14 catholic   

adj.天主教的；n.天主教徒

参考例句：

• The Pope is the supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church.教皇是罗马天主教的最高领袖。
• She was a devoutly Catholic.她是一个虔诚地天主教徒。

15 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

16 rural   

adj.乡下的，田园的，乡村风味的

参考例句：

• He lived a rural life.他过着田园生活。
• We left the city for a rural home.我们离开城市，去农村安家。

17 surplus   

adj.过剩的，多余的；n.过剩，剩余额

参考例句：

• The manufacturers in some countries dumped their surplus commodities abroad.一些国家的制造商向国外倾销过剩产品。
• The surplus steam was blown off through the pipes.多余的蒸气通过管道放掉了。

18 heating   

n.加热，供暖，暖气装置；adj.加热的，供暖的

参考例句：

• They will install a heating and lighting system in our house.他们将在我们家装上供热供电系统。
• If the pressure is too low,the heating system will act up.如果压力太低，供暖系统就会出毛病。

19 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

20 mobilize   

vt.动员，调动，鼓动起；vi.动员起来

参考例句：

• The troops received orders to mobilize.部队接到动员令。
• He is trying to mobilize all the supporters.他正在竭力把所有的支持者动员起来。