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Why every single school in West Virginia is closed again
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Nearly 20,000 teachers and 13,000 school service employees didnt head into work again on Monday or Tuesday, which led to closed schools across 55 counties. - photo by Herb Scribner
West Virginia wont see its teacher strike end on Tuesday.

According to CNN, nearly 20,000 teachers and 13,000 school service employees didnt head into work again this week, which led schools across 55 counties to close their doors.

Tuesday was the fourth day in the ongoing work stoppage, in which teachers and school employees are demanding better pay and benefits.

Christine Campbell, president of the American Federation of Teachers-West Virginia, which represents teachers and staff, said teachers are ready to head back to the classroom once a deal can be reached.

"We are ready, we are willing. We stand on the right side of public education, by being back here and outside our schools tomorrow," Campbell said.

Teachers and staff are hoping for salary increases, a better health care package and better legislation that will stop attacks on seniority, according to NPR.

Right now, West Virginia ranks 48th in the nation for average teacher pay, according to the National Education Association.

It still remains unclear if a solution will arise. Gov. Jim Justice pledged to offer teachers 2 percent raises next year and 1 percent for the following years. However, the teachers said this isnt enough of an increase, USA Today reported.

Legislation has remained in a freeze, however, as the legislative session is coming to a close.

Lawmakers, such as Senate President Mitch Carmichael and Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, said the work stoppage is illegal. According to Vox, it is illegal for teachers to strike in West Virginia. Thats why some schools said they were closed for staff development or the weather.

"This is, in large measure, a county issue. They must decide whether they are going to declare this an illegal strike as that is clear from law that it is or if they're going to just close school for another day on other grounds," Carmichael told reporters on Monday, according to NPR. "So, to the extent that the counties have flexibility in how they manage their school system, the ball is in their court. So, we'll see how each county (proceeds.) We certainly don't want to tell them what to do. We're not doing that by any means."

However, House Speaker Tim Armstead offered a more measured response, saying he hopes the state and teachers can work out a deal.

"We in the House have heard loudly and clearly the message of our teachers, service personnel and state employees, Armstead said Friday in a written statement, and I don't believe it's necessary to continue this strike and keep our kids out of the classroom to draw attention to these issues.

In the meantime, state food banks are helping students who depend on school meals to eat. Child care centers have also been set up to help those children, according to local news reports. Teachers have also handed out free lunches to students.

"Before they made the decision to strike they wanted to make sure their students' needs were taken care of," Jennifer Wood, with the American Federation of Teachers union in West Virginia, told WSMV-TV.
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How to avoid 'sharenting' and other paparazzi parenting habits
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A recent study revealed parents often spend up to two hours staging a single photo of his or her child to post online. - photo by Amy Iverson
Before having kids, some people just dont appreciate their friends baby posts. But after having a child of their own, three fourths of new parents jump right on the parental social media bandwagon. If you have become a member of this group, there are some rules to follow for posting responsibly.

Much of a parents worry is how to teach their children to use social media responsibly. We talk with our kids about privacy, oversharing, and setting restrictions on their devices to keep them safe. But parents themselves need to look in the digital mirror once in a while. Before having children, it doesnt take as much effort to think about what to post online. Its up to us to decide what we share about our own lives. But once you become a parent, there are many questions to think about regarding what is appropriate to post about your kids on social media.

In a recent survey, kids clothing subscription company Mac and Mia surveyed 2000 new parents to find out how they are documenting their kids lives on social media, and what concerns they may have.

First of all, people without children seem to feel a bit differently about the onslaught of baby pictures online than those who are parents. 18 percent of people say before they had kids, they were annoyed by their friends baby posts. But after having children of their own, 73 percent admit they post progress pictures of their little ones every single month.

Not only are new parents letting the world know each time their baby is a month older, but they are posting about their kids every few days or so. Men and women report they post 6-7 times per month about their baby.

And while 70 percent of new parents say the benefit of using social media is how easy it is to help family and friends feel involved, there are some downsides. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfall of becoming paparazzi parents.

Dont miss the moment

In the Mac and Mia survey, some parents admitted to spending up to two hours to get the perfect shot of their baby. That seems a little extreme. New and old parents alike should be careful about spending so much time taking pictures and videos that they dont enjoy the moment. Years ago, I decided to never live an experience through my phone. A study by Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, found that when people took pictures of objects in an art museum, they didnt remember the objects as well as if they simply observed them.

This photo-taking impairment effect can happen to parents as well. If we are so consumed by getting the perfect photo, we can miss out on the moment all together, and our memory of it will suffer.

Dont forget about privacy

60 percent of couples say they have discussed rules and boundaries for posting their babys photos, according to the Mac and Mia survey. Even so, men are 34 percent more likely to publish baby posts on public accounts. If parents are concerned about their childrens privacy, keeping photos off of public accounts is a given.

In the Washington Post, Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida, and Bahareh Keith, a Portland pediatrician, wrote that sharing too much information about kids online puts them at risk. They write that all that sharenting can make it easier for data thieves to target out kids for identity theft. Check that your privacy settings are where they should be and never share identifying information like full names and birth dates.

Dont be paparazzi parents

36 percent of parents say they take issue when their childs photo is posted online by someone else. Responsible social media users will always ask permission before posting a photo of another child. But parents should also think about whether their own children will take issue with their own posted photos a few years down the road.

When parents are constantly snapping pictures and throwing them on social media, it can be easy to forget to pause and make sure the post is appropriate. I always use the billboard example with my kids. I ask them to picture whatever they are posting going up on a billboard in our neighborhood. If they are okay with that, then their post is probably fine. Parents should ask themselves this same question when posting about their children. But they should also ask themselves if their child would be OK with this post on a billboard in 15 years. If it would cause embarrassment or humiliation, it might be best to keep it private.

Once children reach an appropriate age, parents should include them in the process of deciding what pictures are OK to post. Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and found children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should. The kids in the survey said sharing happy family moments, or accomplishments in sports, school and hobbies is fine. But when the post is negative (like when a child is disciplined) or embarrassing (think naked baby pictures or messy hair), kids say to keep it off social media.
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