Are you sending your kids to school next month?

[Pink Partridge]

Did you see what happen to Sprint employees this week? Being attacked at the counter by 3 young ladies.

You are being very generous when you call those violent criminals "ladies". It's strange how that disgusting incident didn't make the evening news.

Imagine how they behaved in school just a few short years ago. Again, poor teachers.

 

[katie01]

My daughter’s high school is planning for 100 percent in person learning (full school day) this fall, with one caveat: a family can apply to be considered for remote learning if the student or family member is “at high risk of contracting COVID19”. That is a direct quote. Isn’t everyone at high risk for contracting it? Maybe they meant to say at high risk of dying from it? Most parents of high schoolers are in their mid to late 40s like we are, and I have seen far too many stories of deaths in this age group, and many more hospitalizations in this age group, even with no pre-existing conditions. We had fully planned to take advantage of a remote learning option because DD prefers it and we’d feel less anxious as well (plus there are teachers in the school in their 70s and I worry about them with full classrooms) but now it feels like we’d be potentially taking away a remote learning “spot” from someone with higher risk. Now I’m trying to see if the school would take her back for senior year if we withdraw from the school this year and do our own homeschooling, but I have a feeling they are going to give us a hard time

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

My daughter’s high school is planning for 100 percent in person learning (full school day) this fall, with one caveat: a family can apply to be considered for remote learning if the student or family member is “at high risk of contracting COVID19”. That is a direct quote. Isn’t everyone at high risk for contracting it? Maybe they meant to say at high risk of dying from it? Most parents of high schoolers are in their mid to late 40s like we are, and I have seen far too many stories of deaths in this age group, and many more hospitalizations in this age group, even with no pre-existing conditions. We had fully planned to take advantage of a remote learning option because DD prefers it and we’d feel less anxious as well (plus there are teachers in the school in their 70s and I worry about them with full classrooms) but now it feels like we’d be potentially taking away a remote learning “spot” from someone with higher risk. Now I’m trying to see if the school would take her back for senior year if we withdraw from the school this year and do our own homeschooling, but I have a feeling they are going to give us a hard time

Not to mention, Covid has had major damaging effects even after recovery. My friend recovered from a 6 week battle with Covid but now has irreversible damage to her lungs and heart. She now requires a breathing treatment and is at extremely high risk for heart failure. She’s 19.

 

[katie01]

Not to mention, Covid has had major damaging effects even after recovery. My friend recovered from a 6 week battle with Covid but now has irreversible damage to her lungs and heart. She now requires a breathing treatment and is at extremely high risk for heart failure. She’s 19.

Exactly! And I am SO sorry about your friend! That’s horrible. But is the exact reason I think it’s ridiculous that anyone would need to prove they are high risk. It’s Russian Roulette, no one knows. I saw a story of a healthy, fit 12 year old girl with no ore-existing conditions, whose heart stopped due to covid. Thank goodness they were able to revive her with CPR, but who wants to risk that? I just feel like, if measles were running rampant and no one had a measles vaccine, with the positive cases and death numbers we are seeing in our state with covid, no WAY would they send kids into schools with that situation. Why is it ok to send our kids into schools with a virus we’ve only been studying for a few months?

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

Exactly! And I am SO sorry about your friend! That’s horrible. But is the exact reason I think it’s ridiculous that anyone would need to prove they are high risk. It’s Russian Roulette, no one knows. I saw a story of a healthy, fit 12 year old girl with no ore-existing conditions, whose heart stopped due to covid. Thank goodness they were able to revive her with CPR, but who wants to risk that? I just feel like, if measles were running rampant and no one had a measles vaccine, with the positive cases and death numbers we are seeing in our state with covid, no WAY would they send kids into schools with that situation. Why is it ok to send our kids into schools with a virus we’ve only been studying for a few months?

FWIW this isn't my friend directly. There are just a ton of people out there on social media reporting the same thing. Months and months of problems, permanent damage.

 

[cjlong88]

My paragraph 1, "get out in front of it, you know, like Disney did opening the parks. Here's where things went bad, here's what we are doing to improve it." They have done none of that. Do I really believe that teachers, check that, schools in general have done nothing all summer? Yes, yes I do - they have said and done nothing to prove otherwise. YMMV.

Just because you haven't heard anything doesn't mean there aren't individuals working around the clock to figure out every single scenario so we can have a model that is successful. As an educator, I can tell you right now that I have been working all summer coming up with an online plan and an in-person plan. I don't get paid to do this, yet I'm putting in the time and effort to make sure I'm prepared for whatever happens.

Here are all the questions we have to answer...

How will the kids arrive to school? How full will the buses be? Will buses have to make multiple trips? How many kids will we allow to enter the building at one time? Will we stagger start and end times? Will we stay with a traditional 7-period day? Will we move to a block schedule? Will there be designated paths to walk in the halls? How will passing periods work? Will teachers move between classes or will students? How full will the classes be? How will we sanitize desks or other high touch points? Will passing periods be extended to allow teachers time to clean? What about music, art, technology, and PE? How will breakfast and lunch work? What happens students don't comply with mask requirements? What do we do when students refuse to adhere to the safety procedures in place? Will drinking fountains be turned on, or will students be expected to bring their own water bottle? Will we have sports and after school programs? Will teachers be forced to give in person instruction and then also provide an online curriculum?

There are hundreds of variables principals, superintendents, and school boards have to take into account. And they know that after all of the work putting together a plan, they will be left with non-educators criticizing their decision, even though those individuals have no clue what our world looks like.

This is a massively complex issue, and our school district will not say anything until our state department of education gives us the guidelines. And that makes sense because if schools come out with all of these plans that don't meet guidelines, they look stupid and now have to start at square one.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Just because you haven't heard anything doesn't mean there aren't individuals working around the clock to figure out every single scenario so we can have a model that is successful. As an educator, I can tell you right now that I have been working all summer coming up with an online plan and an in-person plan. I don't get paid to do this, yet I'm putting in the time and effort to make sure I'm prepared for whatever happens.

Here are all the questions we have to answer...

How will the kids arrive to school? How full will the buses be? Will buses have to make multiple trips? How many kids will we allow to enter the building at one time? Will we stagger start and end times? Will we stay with a traditional 7-period day? Will we move to a block schedule? Will there be designated paths to walk in the halls? How will passing periods work? Will teachers move between classes or will students? How full will the classes be? How will we sanitize desks or other high touch points? Will passing periods be extended to allow teachers time to clean? What about music, art, technology, and PE? How will breakfast and lunch work? What happens students don't comply with mask requirements? What do we do when students refuse to adhere to the safety procedures in place? Will drinking fountains be turned on, or will students be expected to bring their own water bottle? Will we have sports and after school programs? Will teachers be forced to give in person instruction and then also provide an online curriculum?

There are hundreds of variables principals, superintendents, and school boards have to take into account. And they know that after all of the work putting together a plan, they will be left with non-educators criticizing their decision, even though those individuals have no clue what our world looks like.

This is a massively complex issue, and our school district will not say anything until our state department of education gives us the guidelines. And that makes sense because if schools come out with all of these plans that don't meet guidelines, they look stupid and now have to start at square one.

Not to be dismissive, but none of that matters once they decide they are going full on-line learning. I'm resigned to the fact I will be teaching at least two of my kids (yes, I will be teaching, not the teachers if Spring is any indication). I just want to know what they are doing to make that experience ANY better. While other areas may have school districts that are a lot more proactive, we have seen none of that, and the fact is , past experience, I lack all confidence that that is magically happening behind the scenes.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

Not to be dismissive, but none of that matters once they decide they are going full on-line learning. I'm resigned to the fact I will be teaching at least two of my kids (yes, I will be teaching, not the teachers if Spring is any indication). I just want to know what they are doing to make that experience ANY better. While other areas may have school districts that are a lot more proactive, we have seen none of that, and the fact is , past experience, I lack all confidence that that is magically happening behind the scenes.

Could you at least give the teachers and schools the benefit of the doubt that Fall will be better than Spring before deciding it's going to suck? Because trust me, your kids WILL pick up on your attitude and it will absolutely have an affect on how well it goes.

Teachers turned on a dime in the Spring. Some failed miserably(like my daughter's 3rd grade teacher) while some did amazing (like my son's 5th grade teacher). But one of the reasons schools are making the decisions right now is so that teachers and schools can come up with a well thought out remote learning plan. I have been in contact with my kids' districts and I know that their plans are much better than they were in the Spring. Maybe talk to your district and find out what the plan for distance learning looks like before deciding it will be a flop.

It's not an ideal situation. But none of this is. It feels like you're hoping it will fail so you can say "I told you so" instead of making the best of a crappy situation for YOUR KIDS. Since it's the only option, don't you want to see it work?

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

The one thing we know is that live lessons are much better than daily assignments. So obviously there needs to be a lot more of that.

 

[cjlong88]

Not to be dismissive, but none of that matters once they decide they are going full on-line learning. I'm resigned to the fact I will be teaching at least two of my kids (yes, I will be teaching, not the teachers if Spring is any indication). I just want to know what they are doing to make that experience ANY better. While other areas may have school districts that are a lot more proactive, we have seen none of that, and the fact is , past experience, I lack all confidence that that is magically happening behind the scenes.

It is dismissive to say that. But we teachers are used to being dismissed.

I told all of my parents that I do not expect them to teach, but rather hold their student accountable and teach them to ask for help. Some of my middle school students wouldn’t turn in work, and when mom/dad asked why, they would say they didn’t know how (despite my attempts to reach out personally to every kid and ask if they need help when they didn’t submit their work).

Once the parents walked them through how to ask for help (I had to help parents with this process, and was happy to do it), those students knew to reach out and ask. And now kids were becoming more self reliant and advocates for themselves. We aren’t mind readers. I cannot know from online who understands and who doesn’t. But I did email parents and include videos for my kids that gave them explicit instructions on how to set up a Google meet with me and how to ask for help in our live chat

Every school and teacher is different, but it is my firm belief that parents should not teach our content, but rather hold their child’s feet to the fire to make sure they are doing their job. And when kids don’t know how to do something, parents should show their child how to ask for that help. It’s a partnership.

I don’t know your situation, but it could very well be that your specific school isn't tackling this problem the right way. I can say, however, than so many school districts are committed to making this work the best they can, at least where I am.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

The one thing we know is that live lessons are much better than daily assignments. So obviously there needs to be a lot more of that.

And for mine, there will be. 4 hours a day of live teaching plus 2 hours of small group/independent work/office hours, 5 days a week. They have to follow the same number of instructional minutes per day as if they were in person (my understanding is mandated by the state).

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

Just an FYI

https://www.ocregister.com/2020/07/16/coronavirus-rising-in-kids-teens-with-school-approaching/

 

[diznygirl]

My paragraph 1, "get out in front of it, you know, like Disney did opening the parks. Here's where things went bad, here's what we are doing to improve it." They have done none of that. Do I really believe that teachers, check that, schools in general have done nothing all summer? Yes, yes I do - they have said and done nothing to prove otherwise. YMMV.

No, they did not just take the summer off. School districts in some cases are still finishing out last year. Emptying lockers and classrooms and holding drive-bys to hand stuff back. Graduations were cancelled and they just handed out diplomas last week. Yearbooks haven’t been distributed yet. Transcripts haven’t been sent out. Webinars and zoom meetings about what worked and what didn’t work. They have been working their butts off. And in a lot of cases they have no idea what to do to prepare because it’s not up to them.

 

[quandrea]

My daughter’s high school is planning for 100 percent in person learning (full school day) this fall, with one caveat: a family can apply to be considered for remote learning if the student or family member is “at high risk of contracting COVID19”. That is a direct quote. Isn’t everyone at high risk for contracting it? Maybe they meant to say at high risk of dying from it? Most parents of high schoolers are in their mid to late 40s like we are, and I have seen far too many stories of deaths in this age group, and many more hospitalizations in this age group, even with no pre-existing conditions. We had fully planned to take advantage of a remote learning option because DD prefers it and we’d feel less anxious as well (plus there are teachers in the school in their 70s and I worry about them with full classrooms) but now it feels like we’d be potentially taking away a remote learning “spot” from someone with higher risk. Now I’m trying to see if the school would take her back for senior year if we withdraw from the school this year and do our own homeschooling, but I have a feeling they are going to give us a hard time

I’d just pull her and find independent, homeschooling on your own. No way I’d fuss with applying for online status and risk being told no. I’m in Canada, but I imagine there are many options for you as well for home education. You just need to file the necessary paperwork to homeschool and then access online learning.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

BREAKING: Governor Gavin Newsom announces 32 counties on California's COVID-19 'watch list' cannot physically reopen schools until they're off the list for two weeks straight, will need to distance learn. Those counties make up more than 80% of the state's population.

 

[katie01]

I’d just pull her and find independent, homeschooling on your own. No way I’d fuss with applying for online status and risk being told no. I’m in Canada, but I imagine there are many options for you as well for home education. You just need to file the necessary paperwork to homeschool and then access online learning.

I think so too, I’m looking into the different options now. They would still charge the same tuition price for the remote learning with the school, and I’m sure I wouldn’t get any teaching manuals or anything, so it would be cost effective and probably overall better for her education to go with a company that already has been teaching kids online for years

 

[SaintsManiac]

I think so too, I’m looking into the different options now. They would still charge the same tuition price for the remote learning with the school, and I’m sure I wouldn’t get any teaching manuals or anything, so it would be cost effective and probably overall better for her education to go with a company that already has been teaching kids online for years

If you’re on Facebook search for local homeschool groups. I joined one and have learned a lot.

 

[quandrea]

I think so too, I’m looking into the different options now. They would still charge the same tuition price for the remote learning with the school, and I’m sure I wouldn’t get any teaching manuals or anything, so it would be cost effective and probably overall better for her education to go with a company that already has been teaching kids online for years

Not sure if the US has state paid online learning. We have something called the Independent Learning Centre. I register my daughter as a homeschooler and her student file resides with them. The funding attached to her goes to the ILC. There is no cost to us and she completes her credits online, through them. I’d call your local school board and see what they have. The online courses, as you say, are well established and they are run very well. Dd has done fifty percent of her learning online and she finds the experience superior to in class.

 

[Kestryl]

So our local schools are offering two options: virtual full time or in-person full time. You have to commit for the semester. (The in-person option can be moved online should schools have to close, whatever line that is they would have to cross.) It sounds like the vast majority of teachers would have to teach at least one class in-person. Virtual teachers still have to go into the physical school building.

They’re offering teachers a half-year of unpaid leave.

A quarter of the teachers at my husband’s school have already indicated they are filling out the forms for admin leave if they will be required to teach any class in person. Others (including my husband) are still thinking about it. A few are taking offers at a nearby school that is starting fully online.

Imagine this across the spectrum. Our district employs nearly 4000 teachers. Suddenly 1000 take leave? Good luck filling that. It’s not like they have scores of teachers lined up. The district was originally predicting hiring 107 teachers to help space out kids, and they are having problems to fill those, let alone replace a quarter of their force.

And then there are the subs. They had problems last year filling sub positions and had to cancel a few days because so many teachers were out sick. A nearby district said they have less than half the number of subs for this year they had last year. When the teachers start getting sick, who would step in?

 

[HeatherC]

People in every public facing job everywhere are being "sacrificed for the economy". No one says that those people shouldn't have to work. What makes teachers more important?

You will never get it.