Every morning, my partner navigates across town, gulping down water before starting a long day without access to hydration. He sanitizes his hands and dons a medical-grade mask followed by a cloth mask, then sanitizes again. Once prepared, he enters his classroom, where he sets up his tech gear: microphone, camera, and monitors. Depending on the day, he may have two to eight students physically present, each separated by plexiglass and a considerable distance, while the rest attend virtually. This dual teaching approach, known as simultaneous teaching, is not only demanding but fundamentally wrong.
He finds himself effectively managing two classrooms at once: one classroom interacts with him through a screen, while the other sees only a masked face devoid of expression. From a school administrator’s perspective, this setup might seem ideal—saving staff and appeasing parents eager for in-person learning. However, as highlighted by The Washington Post, the rush to reopen classrooms since last spring overlooks vital concerns, especially given that many schools lack the capacity to maintain proper distancing.
The Unsustainability of Doubling Up
My partner is fortunate; he handles the pressure better than many teachers facing this challenging situation. Nonetheless, he often comes home exhausted, barely able to recharge. Veteran teachers, like Maria Collins, a high school English instructor in New Jersey, have expressed their struggles on social media, stating, “I have NEVER felt this drained… This is not sustainable.” Many educators report that their workloads have effectively doubled.
A New York Times article pointed out that simultaneous teaching is a major contributor to teacher stress. Maria Collins explains, “You’re trying to be two people at once, assisting both online and in-person students.” The challenges escalate when online students struggle to hear their in-person classmates, and teachers must juggle monitoring safety protocols while troubleshooting tech issues for virtual learners.
The Problems with Doubling Up
An article from EdWeek highlights case studies of teachers tackling hybrid models. For example, Edward Johnson, a middle school teacher in Texas, described the difficulties of keeping students engaged. “Without being physically present, it’s easy for them to log in and then just walk away,” he noted. When teachers double their responsibilities, some students engage while others may disengage completely.
According to a Kansas NPR affiliate, teachers report feeling overwhelmed, balancing their focus between two groups of students and unable to give either the attention they deserve. If the concern is truly about students falling behind, why are we ignoring educators who say that this approach only exacerbates the issue? Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, has called for an end to this practice, asserting that “Hybrid doesn’t work.”
The Bottom Line
Teachers are already risking their health by teaching in-person while the pandemic continues. Although there is no precise count of educators who have succumbed to COVID-19, the American Federation of Educators has confirmed at least 530 deaths. With many teachers still unvaccinated, they face significant risks on the job.
The practice of doubling up not only multiplies their workloads but also intensifies stress in an already demanding profession. As Randi Weingarten emphasized, this approach must end—not just for our students’ sake, but especially for our overburdened teachers.
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