Each morning, my partner makes a journey across town. He quickly drinks water, knowing he won’t have access to any for hours. After sanitizing his hands, he puts on a medical-grade mask followed by a cloth mask, and sanitizes his hands again. Once fully equipped, he enters his classroom to set up his technology: microphone, camera, monitors. Depending on the day, he may have anywhere from two to eight students attending in-person, all separated from him and each other by about ten feet and two layers of plexiglass. The rest of his students are learning virtually. This is what’s known as “doubling up” his teaching, and it’s simply unacceptable.
He is essentially conducting two classes at once. One group sees him looking into a camera, trying to engage with them as much as possible. The other group views him, concealed behind masks, with little to no expression visible on a screen. The trend of “simultaneous teaching” has emerged in various districts, allowing some students to learn from home while others return to the classroom. From the perspective of administrators, this seems to be an ideal solution: it conserves staff resources and appeases parents eager for in-person education. However, this approach is far from optimal.
The Washington Post highlights the urgency to reintegrate students into classrooms that have been closed since last spring, especially as the CDC states that the risks of reopening are minimal when proper guidelines are followed. Yet, many schools lack the capacity to maintain necessary distancing, making “doubling up” their go-to solution.
Doubling Up Is Not Sustainable
My partner is fortunate; he copes better than many teachers faced with this dual teaching challenge, even as he returns home each day exhausted, often collapsing and gulping water (which he barely has time to drink during the day). As reported by The New York Times, Sarah Greene, a veteran high school English teacher in New Jersey, expressed her overwhelming fatigue in a Twitter thread, stating, “I have NEVER been this drained… This is not sustainable.” Many educators find their workloads have essentially doubled.
In an article on teacher stress, The New York Times pinpointed doubling up as a significant contributor to this issue. Greene explained, “You’re trying to be two people at once, trying to help the students who are online and the students who are in front of you.” Typically, online students can’t hear their peers in the classroom, complicating the situation further. My partner frequently has to remind students to wear their masks properly, all while answering private questions from students through chat.
Teachers are facing extreme levels of stress—so severe that Minnesota’s governor signed legislation preventing teachers from being required to teach both in-person and virtually simultaneously, according to The Washington Post. This dual approach also means students miss out on effective learning.
The Problems with Doubling Up
An EdWeek article illustrates the challenges teachers face with hybrid learning models. Jennifer Adams, a 7th-grade teacher from Texas, described the familiar frustrations of virtual schooling: students logging in but becoming disengaged. “Without being here and constantly reminded to stay on task, it’s likely tempting for them just to log in and walk away,” she noted. Many students are compelled to engage in person, while online learners may log in and then vanish—leaving teachers powerless to intervene. Adams stated, “It’s nothing short of exhausting… it’s like teaching two classes at the same time.”
According to Kansas’s NPR affiliate, teachers report having their workloads doubled while trying to divide their attention between in-person and online students, leading to neither group receiving the focus they need. If we are genuinely concerned about students “falling behind,” why aren’t we listening to teachers who assert that doubling up exacerbates this issue—suggesting that a completely virtual approach could mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on student learning?
The situation is so dire that NPR reports Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, has called for an end to this practice. “Hybrid doesn’t work,” she stated. “You can’t livestream and teach in-person at the same time.”
The Bottom Line
Teachers returning to the classroom are already risking their health by interacting with students face-to-face, and while the exact number of educators who have died from COVID-19 remains unknown, the American Federation of Educators has identified at least 530 fatalities. An image from The Washington Post depicts a first-grade teacher wearing a clear plastic mask that doesn’t seem to meet CDC guidelines for proper mask-wearing. Until teachers are vaccinated, they remain at risk while performing their duties.
In addition, requiring teachers to juggle both virtual and in-person classes amplifies their workload and stress levels during an already challenging period. We don’t compensate teachers adequately for one job, let alone two. As the president of the American Federation of Teachers has pointed out, this practice of doubling up must come to an end—not only for the sake of our students but, most importantly, for the sake of our overworked and exhausted teachers.
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Summary
The trend of teachers being asked to “double up” by teaching both in-person and virtually is resulting in unsustainable workloads and increased stress. Many educators report feeling overwhelmed, as they attempt to engage students across two platforms simultaneously. This dual approach not only strains teachers but also compromises the quality of education for students. Urgent changes are needed to protect the well-being of educators and improve student outcomes.
Keyphrase: teachers double up teaching
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