Are you sending your kids to school next month?

[roomthreeseventeen]

My answer is YES, whatever gets him out of the house. Can't stay home forever!

You know we have a pandemic now, right?

 

[ScubaCat]

You know we have a pandemic now, right?

Really?? I wish someone had told me sooner.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

Really?? I wish someone had told me sooner.

I'm just asking because your comment comes off as really cavalier, as if your kids were just lazing around the house with nothing better to do.

Everyone wants their kids to go back to school this fall. It's largely not going to be possible.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

No, virtual learning is not a common thing in the US.

That’s too bad. I feel very fortunate that we have the ILC then. I know homeschooling in the US is far more widespread than Canada, but I guess parents cobble together their own programmes. I like that my kids get the true provincial curriculum and a transcript. Makes university applications a snap.

Homeschooling here in Canada is so rare that my three kids at one time made up fifty percent of the homeschooled children in our district.

It is a thing in some states. Virginia, my state, uses Virtual Virginia. It is an online curriculum that can be used at home by home bound students or classes can be paid for by home school students. I’m not sure exactly how it works (paid or free?) for public school kids.

My little private school has used it (and paid for it) on a case by case basis once or twice to offer credit for a student or two in a class we didn’t offer. We had a super smart 8th grader whose parents wanted him to take Algebra 1, which we offer, and Geometry, which we don’t offer, at the same time. He took Alg 1 in the classroom and Geometry at home with his Alg 1 teacher’s support. I think we split the cost with his parents that time. We did the same thing for a couple of new students this last year for Latin I. Our 8th graders are in Latin I part 2. These 2 new 8th graders were brand new to Latin, so we paid for Virtual Virginia Latin I, which they took during class time with the teacher’s support, so they could catch up to the rest of the class.

 

[ScubaCat]

I'm just asking because your comment comes off as really cavalier, as if your kids were just lazing around the house with nothing better to do.

Everyone wants their kids to go back to school this fall. It's largely not going to be possible.

I have an adult handicapped child actually who attends a day program. They're starting back up this week with a pretty stringent covid protocol. Some parents are afraid still, but it'll be fine. He's going 100%!

 

[trvlgirlmq]

I am very sad that my niece has decided to do the hybrid classes. Once school starts in 2 weeks we won’t be able to have her and my sister over or hang out with them. My DS chose to do virtual school to keep his grandma safe since she lives with us. Guess we won’t be having a family Thanksgiving or Hannukah this year either.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

This piece cites a very large and detailed study out of South Korea that shows children under 10 are less likely to contract and spread COVID. For kids 10-19, that's not the case. They can contract and spread it as well "at least as well as adults".

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/18/...ml?action=click&module=Latest&pgtype=Homepage

Thank you for posting this article. A few weeks ago our diocese shared their plan with teachers. We are currently in Phase 3. They said if we had to go back to Phase 2, grades 4-8 would go to online distance learning, while grades JK - 3 would stay in school for in person learning. I teach 6-8, so I’m fine with this. But they never justified or explained their reasons for leaving JK-3 in person. The lower school teachers were really upset and felt like their health/lives were being put in danger for no real reason. I thought the decision was made so they could have more spacing ( use the whole building for half the school) or because the 4-8 kids do better with online learning than the JK-3 kids do. But now I see their reasons. It would have been nice for them to explain it in the beginning versus upset all the lower school teachers!

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

I have an adult handicapped child actually who attends a day program. They're starting back up this week with a pretty stringent covid protocol. Some parents are afraid still, but it'll be fine. He's going 100%!

For a week, I'm sure. The following week, probably not.

 

[choirfarm]

Does the US not have independent, online learning that is paid for by the state? I homeschool my younger kids. Older dd was homeschooled until grade nine, when I sent her to HS just because I figured it was an easier way to get the transcript done. We however have an independent learning centre here in Canada that is 100% online and 100% funded. If I don’t like the back to school options offered by our school board, all I need to do is initiate homeschool paperwork and she can finish Hs as a homeschooler, fully funded by the ILC. I feel very grateful. No transcript worries. ILC is considered an Ontario high school.

In fact, this whole Covid business, coupled with my older DD’s experience at regular high school, made me decide that my younger twins will just homeschool until grade 12 with the ILC. High school has been pretty much a waste of time for older dd. Her online classes have been far superior and she can work at her own pace. The in class courses have been frustrating.

It isn't just that. It is also the issue of internet access. I live in a rural location. Our internet is slow and we've invested $$$ in trying to get working internet. I cannot take live classes because we can't handle it. But I can do stuff like this. Our neighbors across the street who don't speak Enlgish ( their 5th grade daughter translates for them) . There is NO way they could afford to have working internet. So I don't know what they did when it went digital...oh wait. Nevermind, it didn't go digital. They had to go to the school to pick up a packet and then drop it off once a week. Our district cannot do online instruction because too many do not have access.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Does the US not have independent, online learning that is paid for by the state?

No, virtual learning is not a common thing in the US.

It does exist, though. I've been reading ads for a couple (one called K-12, and the other called Connections Academy) for years. I expect them to really grow now!

 

[Luv Bunnies]

As an educator, going back to the classroom every day is scary. It takes compliance from the entire community to keep everyone safe. I have to trust that my students and their parents are being responsible. I also have to trust anyone they come into contact with outside of school. All it takes is for one parent to get exposed at work. They could end up being asymptomatic, as could my student. Taking temperatures at the door doesn't do a thing if a child is asymptomatic. I also have to trust that every family in the school is being responsible. Are they wearing masks whenever they go out? Are they hanging out with larges groups of people on the weekends? I don't know. Just being out of my home and being exposed to lots of people puts me at risk. I'm safer at home, as are my students.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Does the US not have independent, online learning that is paid for by the state? I homeschool my younger kids. Older dd was homeschooled until grade nine, when I sent her to HS just because I figured it was an easier way to get the transcript done. We however have an independent learning centre here in Canada that is 100% online and 100% funded. If I don’t like the back to school options offered by our school board, all I need to do is initiate homeschool paperwork and she can finish Hs as a homeschooler, fully funded by the ILC. I feel very grateful. No transcript worries. ILC is considered an Ontario high school.

In fact, this whole Covid business, coupled with my older DD’s experience at regular high school, made me decide that my younger twins will just homeschool until grade 12 with the ILC. High school has been pretty much a waste of time for older dd. Her online classes have been far superior and she can work at her own pace. The in class courses have been frustrating.

Do you have a link to that site? My DS wants to go back, but we'll see what the school is doing and how they are going to keep the kids safe.

 

[quandrea]

Do you have a link to that site? My DS wants to go back, but we'll see what the school is doing and how they are going to keep the kids safe.

Sure. You’ll have to get a homeschool letter from his guidance office. As soon as we know what is happening in September (I think the announcement is due August 4) get on it. Call the board if you have to. You can’t register until the ILC has that letter. I emphasise this because they are always slow getting me that letter every year.
Good luck. Let me know if you need anything else.

https://ilc.tvo.org/en-ca/home

 

[Mango7100]

We are in TN, one of the red zone states. My county has seen a pretty big increase (was 20-30 cases a day and now 100+ a day with 13 of our 18 deaths coming in the last two weeks). Her private school starts back Aug 2–they have about 17 kids per classroom. They are requiring temp checks and masks for all. We can do online or in person—I wish they had offered a hybrid with a fraction of the students per day. We have until July 31 to decide. Last week I was convinced she would go, but now we are 75% sure of online. I think school will end up shutting down in a month anyway. She is an only, so I feel guilty for not having her go in person because I know she misses interaction with her friends. My husband is higher risk due to congenital heart disease and my parents who live near us are higher risk as well. I feel like I’m screwing her up no matter what I do. At least her school is flexible, and we can switch from online to i person at anytime during the semester

 

[ScubaCat]

We are I. TN, one of the red zone states. My county has seen a pretty big increase (was 20-30 cases a day and now 100+ a day with 13 of our 18 deaths coming in the last two weeks). Her private school starts back Aug 2–they have about 17 kids per classroom. They are requiring temp checks and masks for all. We can do online or in person—I wish they had offered a hybrid with a fraction of the students per day. We have until July 31 to decide. Last week I was convinced she would go, but now we are 75% sure of online. I think school will end up shutting down in a month anyway. She is an only, so I feel guilty for not having her go in person because I know she misses interaction with her friends. My husband is higher risk due to congenital heart disease and my parents who live near us are higher risk as well. I feel like I’m screwing her up no matter what I do. At least her school is flexible, and we can switch from online to i person at anytime during the semester

Are they taking any other steps to space everyone out and prevent the students from gathering together too close in groups? I guess it would depend on those procedures. I was a little nervous about the day program my stepkid is going to (he's 38 going on 7 FWIW) but they went over the rather significant steps and procedures they're taking and it was more than enough for me. Also, they are doing the hybrid thing (50/50, half day each group) so that definitely helps.

 

[Mango7100]

Are they taking any other steps to space everyone out and prevent the students from gathering together too close in groups? I guess it would depend on those procedures. I was a little nervous about the day program my stepkid is going to (he's 38 going on 7 FWIW) but they went over the rather significant steps and procedures they're taking and it was more than enough for me. Also, they are doing the hybrid thing (50/50, half day each group) so that definitely helps.

They will be moving desks to try to maintain a 3-6 ft distance. They also have talked about lunch in the room instead of cafeteria.

 

[ScubaCat]

They will be moving desks to try to maintain a 3-6 ft distance. They also have talked about lunch in the room instead of cafeteria.

I understand your dilemma. They should present a more concrete plan of all their procedures and how the days will go hour-by-hour, but it sounds like they're only doing about half of what's necessary. For instance you say they "talked about lunch in the [class]room" -- is that definitive or just an idea they tossed out there? It's getting pretty close to July 31st so hopefully they give you a bit more to help put your mind at ease. Otherwise, I'd feel the same as you and would definitely be nervous about it.

 

[Mango7100]

I understand your dilemma. They should present a more concrete plan of all their procedures and how the days will go hour-by-hour, but it sounds like they're only doing about half of what's necessary. For instance you say they "talked about lunch in the [class]room" -- is that definitive or just an idea they tossed out there? It's getting pretty close to July 31st so hopefully they give you a bit more to help put your mind at ease. Otherwise, I'd feel the same as you and would definitely be nervous about it.

I agree...more specifics would be nice. The lunch was a “probably”. She goes to a Catholic school so they usually have church twice a week for the whole school (which obviously is not a good idea at this time), and they said they were still discussing it.I want more specifics and it seems a bit trial and error...which there is not much room for error given the environment now

 

[JM23457]

Bill Nye has a nice video in which he tests several masks by trying to blow out a candle while wearing them -- and the video has a nice ending. I'm thinking of showing it on the first day of class, then letting students try the test themselves.

Hopefully you don't mean having them try this in the physical classroom. Telling your students to forcefully exhale in class is a really bad idea right now.

 

[AndreaA]

I don’t think that people understand that for many people, sending kids back to school is not a choice. They simply CAN NOT stay home with their kids. Not if they want a roof over their heads and food on their table. A lot of us here, who take multiple trips to Disney and have disposable income for a nanny and/or the ability to stay home, aren’t seeing what others are going through. To say nothing of the child abuse that is taking place due to children being home instead of in school.

At a certain point we need to realize a few things. One: there may never be a vaccine. Two: we can never eliminate risk, we can only mitigate it.