As Chicago's mayor and teachers wrangle over omicron, classes are canceled

搜索

复制

As Chicago's mayor and teachers wrangle¹ over omicron, classes are canceled

Transcript²

Public school classes are canceled again as the teachers union and the city continue negotiations³ surrounding in-person and virtual learning due to the omicron-fueled COVID surge.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Chicago public schools are canceled again today. The teachers union is still in a standoff with the school district over COVID-19 safety, specifically the question of whether it's safe to continue in-person learning during a COVID surge like the one happening now. Sarah Karp from member station WBEZ reports.

SARAH KARP, BYLINE⁴: Annie Gill-Bloyer is spending this frigid⁵ morning in Chicago at a small demonstration⁶ outside the school her children attend. She desperately⁷ wants them to be able to go in to learn. The prospect⁸ of returning to remote learning makes her shudder⁹.

ANNIE GILL-BLOYER: It was so bad. And the idea of going back to that at this point - like, this has been - there's been so much anxiety and tension just in our house this week, just the idea that there might be this return to that.

KARP: She says she doesn't think it's risky¹⁰ to send her children into classes, even as omicron surges. They're fully¹¹ vaccinated¹², and she consented to have them tested once a week through the school district.

Parents like Gill-Bloyer are why Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot says she's backed by the, quote, "will of the people." She's rejecting the union's call to have remote learning for the next week and to put in place a trigger for when a COVID surge would flip¹³ the whole district. Lightfoot spoke¹⁴ Sunday on NBC's "Meet The Press."

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "MEET THE PRESS")

LORI LIGHTFOOT: We've got an enormous amount of parent activism. They are writing letters, emails. They are protesting.

KARP: But it's actually hard to tell who has more support among parents, Lightfoot or the union. A lot of parents want a pause in in-person and a return to remote, especially right now, when COVID-19 seems so out of control.

Shekita Dickens (ph) says she called her children's school last week to ask if they were implementing¹⁵ extra safety measures. She was upset that they said no. So she's glad her children, one of whom is a paraplegic, aren't expected in classes right now. She doesn't understand why Lightfoot is canceling class entirely¹⁶.

SHEKITA DICKENS: Kind of ticking me off because why not let them go to virtual e-learning? Kids can't even get on e-learning to get assignments from the teacher. So it's like, OK, the babies are the ones that are missing out right now.

KARP: Dickens and Gill-Bloyer share one opinion. That is that parents and their children are caught in the middle. And in the meantime, no education is going on in Chicago for 300,000 students.

For NPR News, I'm Sarah Karp in Chicago.

(SOUNDBITE OF TOMMY GUERRERO'S "IN MY HEAD")

1 wrangle   

vi.争吵

参考例句：

• I don't want to get into a wrangle with the committee.我不想同委员会发生争执。
• The two countries fell out in a bitter wrangle over imports.这两个国家在有关进口问题的激烈争吵中闹翻了。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 frigid   

adj.寒冷的，凛冽的；冷淡的；拘禁的

参考例句：

• The water was too frigid to allow him to remain submerged for long.水冰冷彻骨，他在下面呆不了太长时间。
• She returned his smile with a frigid glance.对他的微笑她报以冷冷的一瞥。

6 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

7 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

8 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

9 shudder   

v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动

参考例句：

• The sight of the coffin sent a shudder through him.看到那副棺材，他浑身一阵战栗。
• We all shudder at the thought of the dreadful dirty place.我们一想到那可怕的肮脏地方就浑身战惊。

10 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

11 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

12 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

13 flip   

vt.快速翻动；轻抛；轻拍；n.轻抛；adj.轻浮的

参考例句：

• I had a quick flip through the book and it looked very interesting.我很快翻阅了一下那本书，看来似乎很有趣。
• Let's flip a coin to see who pays the bill.咱们来抛硬币决定谁付钱。

14 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

15 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

16 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。