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Post by Bridget in MD on Aug 6, 2020 14:25:48 GMT
Just curious, are you going into your building or WFH? My kids are going to a private HS so I haven't been paying that much attention to what public schools are doing, but yesterday, I saw there was a petition going around. I do try to keep a pulse on things and just hadn't thought much about it. Anyways, apparently the public schools are going virtual, but teachers were supposed to teach in their classroom. The petition now is to allow teachers to work from home, and has caused a huge uproar. I can see it from both sides: teachers with young kids need daycare/help their own kiddos, but how are they also supposed to teach? I guess I assumed they would be recording/online for class instruction, bc our spring online instruction was a disaster - teachers couldn't create their own curriculum or really interact with students (they had 2 "office hours" a day for students to email them if they had trouble), so I thought they are changing things. Not thinking about it much, I assumed going back into school was kind of a cool idea bc they'd have access to smart boards and internet, etc. The teachers are citing poor circulation in the buildings as why they don't want to go back in, but hell - I think they should have bitched if it was that bad way before this if it was that unsafe (this, coming from someone whose building had asbestos removal done while we have been working from home  ). Just curious what other schools are doing virtually: can teachers work from home? I'll add the whole petition here as a spoiler in case people don't care or what to read the whole thing: We write to you not only as educators, but as community members and parents. We are extremely concerned that SMCPS’ current plan to require educators to return to their school sites beginning August 24th (while 11- and 12-month colleagues are already back and at risk) is unsafe and unnecessary. On July 29th, prior to the SMCPS town hall, Governor Hogan stated, “We find ourselves at a fork in the road—a critical turning point where we could either continue making progress and continue heading in the right direction, or we could ignore the warnings and spike back up like much of the rest of the country.” SMCPS’ decision to not allow teleworking for teachers is doing just that: “ignoring the warnings.”
Throughout the pandemic, the governor has been advising that employees who can telework should telework. On July 29th, when addressing plans to pause reopenings, Hogan specifically stated that work outside of the home is a “higher-risk location” because contact tracing data shows that 54% of recent transmissions occurred in work outside the home, a riskier location than both indoor dining (23%) and indoor retail shopping (39%). This data is extremely alarming to staff who are being ordered back to work sites with no benefit that could begin to measure up to the possible harm for us, our families, and our communities.
By requiring staff to report daily to their assigned locations, SMCPS is also going against the major guidelines put forth by the CDC, OSHA, and the Maryland Department of Health:
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
"Here are some strategies that businesses can use: Implement flexible worksites and implement flexible work hours."
2. US Department of Labor
"Establish flexible worksites and flexible work hours."
3. Maryland Department of Health
"Continue teleworking whenever possible. Give employees flexibility regarding returning to the office."
The only reasoning for educators to work from their buildings that we have heard from SMCPS so far, which came in the July 22nd Board of Education meeting, was a concern about technology, from navigating and troubleshooting the new learning platform to having reliable internet access, a whiteboard, and a larger computer monitor. This reasoning falls short on many fronts that have not only been left unaddressed but at this point seem to have been specifically neglected and avoided. First, if teleworking were to be an option, would SMCPS not trust its educators to come to the buildings to get assistance with technology or internet access or to access resources as needed? How does SMCPS think its educators have been completing their online training in the new learning platform this summer? How does SMCPS think its educators have been importing district curriculum into the new learning platform this summer for instruction this fall? Educators are probably one of the most well-versed professionals in working from home; after all, before the pandemic, it was well known that we spend countless hours on nights and weekends--with our resources--generating the quality instruction that SMCPS values and professes to deliver. Our whiteboards and larger classroom monitors are not what make us good educators.
While for some staff, their school buildings are the best location to effectively instruct virtually, for others, their homes are better for their and their family's health. To provide the families of St. Mary's County with the best possible educational opportunities within the limitations of virtual education, educators need the trust and space to be healthy, creative, and professional.
SMCPS plays a vital role in either decreasing or increasing the spread of the virus. To use the Governor’s words, SMCPS has come to a “fork in the road”- will it take unnecessary risks or do whatever it can to stop the virus in its tracks in our community? Providing us the option to telework is a simple and necessary decision to help keep our community safe. |
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dawnnikol
Prolific Pea
'A life without books is a life not lived.' Jay Kristoff
Posts: 7,988
Sept 21, 2015 18:39:25 GMT
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Post by dawnnikol on Aug 6, 2020 14:41:38 GMT
I'm not a teacher, but my kids are in public elementary school. I was just informed that we had 30% of enrollment opt for virtual for OUR school, the District numbers vary school by school, so they've decided to split each grade into thirds, regardless of the actual number per grade. One teacher will teach virtually for the grade, all those students will be in their class, but the teacher must be in school. The rest of the in person students are being split between the remaining teachers. They also report to a different principal even though they're in that building.
What a clusterfuck.
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Post by Merge on Aug 6, 2020 14:48:23 GMT
We are being allowed to work from home, but there may be a possibility of working from the classroom for some teachers who want to do so. The potential problem of spreading the virus through old AC systems in buildings with poor ventilation is a real concern that has been brought up by health authorities - and yes, teachers have been talking about it for years. I spent a year with constant migraines working in a building that had a mold problem in its ductwork that they just couldn't seem to fix. Now the possibility of dying or suffering long term/chronic illness from a virus spread through AC systems? Forget about it.
Teachers with small kids at home face a real struggle. I don't know what to say about that. I think schools that are smart are combining both synchronous and asynchronous instruction - both because trying to attend "live" sessions for hours on end is not good for anyone, and not developmentally appropriate for most kids, and because it acknowledges the reality that teachers, like most professionals trying to work from home, are balancing their work responsibilities with their home responsibilities the best they can.
I wish we could get to a place where we looked to the best, most compassionate workplace/home policies and said, wow, we should all operate like that, instead of looking to the least worker and family friendly policies and saying, well, if these people are putting up with this nonsense, teachers should be able to do it, too.
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Post by Merge on Aug 6, 2020 14:50:18 GMT
I'm not a teacher, but my kids are in public elementary school. I was just informed that we had 30% of enrollment opt for virtual for OUR school, the District numbers vary school by school, so they've decided to split each grade into thirds, regardless of the actual number per grade. One teacher will teach virtually for the grade, all those students will be in their class, but the teacher must be in school. The rest of the in person students are being split between the remaining teachers. They also report to a different principal even though they're in that building. What a clusterfuck. This was my primary concern with the "give kids and teachers a choice" mantra. The numbers will never be even. Someone (kid or teacher) who isn't comfortable being in school will be forced to be there, someone will have too many students in class, etc. We're either all online or all at school IMO. The choice idea is nice in theory, but in practice it will be a disaster. |
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Post by Bridget in MD on Aug 6, 2020 14:56:55 GMT
We are being allowed to work from home, but there may be a possibility of working from the classroom for some teachers who want to do so. The potential problem of spreading the virus through old AC systems in buildings with poor ventilation is a real concern that has been brought up by health authorities - and yes, teachers have been talking about it for years. I spent a year with constant migraines working in a building that had a mold problem in its ductwork that they just couldn't seem to fix. Now the possibility of dying or suffering long term/chronic illness from a virus spread through AC systems? Forget about it.Teachers with small kids at home face a real struggle. I don't know what to say about that. I think schools that are smart are combining both synchronous and asynchronous instruction - both because trying to attend "live" sessions for hours on end is not good for anyone, and not developmentally appropriate for most kids, and because it acknowledges the reality that teachers, like most professionals trying to work from home, are balancing their work responsibilities with their home responsibilities the best they can.I wish we could get to a place where we looked to the best, most compassionate workplace/home policies and said, wow, we should all operate like that, instead of looking to the least worker and family friendly policies and saying, well, if these people are putting up with this nonsense, teachers should be able to do it, too. First bold: you described my workplace (I'm not a teacher) - i work in a building on the Navy base that has been condemed 2x and rehabbed  for occupation, and my room is in the middle of the building, no windows, completely internal. I had headaches daily, and since I've worked from home, they have basically gone away. So I completely agree that old buildings are not a good! 2nd bold: I also agree. What they haven't done is explain what a day will look like for a student. One of the principals sent out this snippet and I think parents think it's going to be a ton of F2F, like a regular school day but via computer.  |
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Dani-Mani
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,706 
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Post by Dani-Mani on Aug 6, 2020 15:01:05 GMT
Our district is requiring teachers to come in, with exceptions granted on a case by case basis.
Someone started a similar thread in a large (12,000+) school psych group I’m in. I would say 2/3 districts that are virtual are requiring staff to come in. I was a little surprised the number was so high; I thought we were the exception to the rule but it appears now.
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Post by SockMonkey on Aug 6, 2020 15:03:07 GMT
Not thinking about it much, I assumed going back into school was kind of a cool idea bc they'd have access to smart boards and internet, etc. The teachers are citing poor circulation in the buildings as why they don't want to go back in, but hell - I think they should have bitched if it was that bad way before this if it was that unsafe (this, coming from someone whose building had asbestos removal done while we have been working from home ). Just curious what other schools are doing virtually: can teachers work from home?
We will be working remotely until at least Labor Day. Our teachers have the choice to work from their school building or from home. I'd like to address your comment about bitching about air quality. As a private school parent, you may not be connected in to what's happening in your public school buildings (and actually most people are not). School boards and admin make budgetary decisions all the time. New air handlers, boiler systems, filtration systems are costly and often are not prioritized. As a union member, I can say we've fought for YEARS (since the 80s) to improve air quality in our school buildings, one of which was constructed in 1912. Guess what doesn't get prioritized, year after year? Patchwork, band-aid fixes... So, the air that may have been killing us slowly before may just kill us more quickly now. This is why elections matter: - school boards to presidents. Funding for public education should be one of the top priorities in this country. Period. |
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Dani-Mani
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,706
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Post by Dani-Mani on Aug 6, 2020 15:04:06 GMT
One psych In Ohio stated their district deemed them (all staff) essential employees by vote of school board last night, forcing them to come in even if the governor shuts everything down again.
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Post by Merge on Aug 6, 2020 15:04:22 GMT
We are being allowed to work from home, but there may be a possibility of working from the classroom for some teachers who want to do so. The potential problem of spreading the virus through old AC systems in buildings with poor ventilation is a real concern that has been brought up by health authorities - and yes, teachers have been talking about it for years. I spent a year with constant migraines working in a building that had a mold problem in its ductwork that they just couldn't seem to fix. Now the possibility of dying or suffering long term/chronic illness from a virus spread through AC systems? Forget about it.Teachers with small kids at home face a real struggle. I don't know what to say about that. I think schools that are smart are combining both synchronous and asynchronous instruction - both because trying to attend "live" sessions for hours on end is not good for anyone, and not developmentally appropriate for most kids, and because it acknowledges the reality that teachers, like most professionals trying to work from home, are balancing their work responsibilities with their home responsibilities the best they can.I wish we could get to a place where we looked to the best, most compassionate workplace/home policies and said, wow, we should all operate like that, instead of looking to the least worker and family friendly policies and saying, well, if these people are putting up with this nonsense, teachers should be able to do it, too. First bold: you described my workplace (I'm not a teacher) - i work in a building on the Navy base that has been condemed 2x and rehabbed for occupation, and my room is in the middle of the building, no windows, completely internal. I had headaches daily, and since I've worked from home, they have basically gone away. So I completely agree that old buildings are not a good! 2nd bold: I also agree. What they haven't done is explain what a day will look like for a student. One of the principals sent out this snippet and I think parents think it's going to be a ton of F2F, like a regular school day but via computer. The "screencasts" and "interactive activities" tells me it's not all synchronous learning. And that's good. We have to acknowledge that these are not normal times. Our government should be providing financial support for families who are losing income due to the need to be at home with kids. I'll also point out that during a regular school day, only a small percentage of time is actually spent in large group learning, face to face with the teacher. Modern classrooms are very student-driven places. There is a lot of time for independent and small group work. There are transition periods, brain breaks, recess, silent reading time, learning activities that allow students to get up and move around, free choice time, etc. The attitude that some people have that teaching is an 8-hour transaction directly between teacher and student, and that if the teacher isn't online 8 hours they're not doing their job, is baffling to me. That's not how school works at all. |
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Kerri W
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,774
Location: Kentucky
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Post by Kerri W on Aug 6, 2020 15:14:16 GMT
Both of my DDs work for the same elementary school. Our district is starting virtual, but staff will report to their school building. They have been given the ok to bring their kids to work with them, staying in their classrooms/offices, and the superintendent has said she understands this will come with its own level of distraction. They have also said DD1s son and DD2s son *can* be together, with either of my DDs, as they are in each other's small circles that have been together the whole pandemic. (Personally I think that is a slippery slope for the school to ok but it doesn't affect me directly so I'm staying out of it lol)
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Post by Bridget in MD on Aug 6, 2020 15:22:15 GMT
Not thinking about it much, I assumed going back into school was kind of a cool idea bc they'd have access to smart boards and internet, etc. The teachers are citing poor circulation in the buildings as why they don't want to go back in, but hell - I think they should have bitched if it was that bad way before this if it was that unsafe (this, coming from someone whose building had asbestos removal done while we have been working from home ). Just curious what other schools are doing virtually: can teachers work from home?
We will be working remotely until at least Labor Day. Our teachers have the choice to work from their school building or from home. I'd like to address your comment about bitching about air quality. As a private school parent, you may not be connected in to what's happening in your public school buildings (and actually most people are not). School boards and admin make budgetary decisions all the time. New air handlers, boiler systems, filtration systems are costly and often are not prioritized. As a union member, I can say we've fought for YEARS (since the 80s) to improve air quality in our school buildings, one of which was constructed in 1912. Guess what doesn't get prioritized, year after year? Patchwork, band-aid fixes... So, the air that may have been killing us slowly before may just kill us more quickly now. This is why elections matter: - school boards to presidents. Funding for public education should be one of the top priorities in this country. Period. My kids were in the public schools K-8th, and DS just finished 8th grade this spring. So this is the first year we will be completely removed from the public school system, and this was also the first time I'd heard anyone mention the poor circulation in the buildings. I had no idea. Ironically, my kids' (private) high school is comprised of several REALLY old buildings that I am pretty sure haven't been renovated since I attended there 25+ yrs ago. So it just kind of struck me, and since they are supposedly going back F2F for 2x a week, I will be asking about ventilation for sure! |
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Jun 18, 2024 15:40:34 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2020 15:29:59 GMT
Dh is a public high school teacher. Department of Public Health and school cabinet/board along with T.U. agreed that it would not be safe to have teachers at home and not on site. This is due to cleaning and bathroom use as well as need for staff room.
Dh is teaching live. It has to be 50% asynch and 50% synchronous. He does have pre recorded study lessons but it is part of his simi flipped classroom.
At my kids district ROP teachers must be on site. A friend is going to have her kids in class. You do what you have to do.
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Post by mom2rjcr on Aug 6, 2020 15:52:16 GMT
Our virtual teachers will be in the building, unless they are high risk themselves or have high risk family members. I found out yesterday that I am going to be doing virtual and face to face with two of my resource students since I am a special education teacher. Don't think there are enough hours in the day to get that done.
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artbabe
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,120
Member is Online
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Post by artbabe on Aug 6, 2020 16:06:24 GMT
If they make me go to school I will be doing the exact same thing I would be doing from home. The exact same thing. The only difference is that my desktop at home has a large screen and a camera. If I go to school I'll be working on a crappier computer without a camera. With a crappier chair. In a building that will have an uncomfortable temperature. (Temperature is a huge problem at my school and they won't fix it if kids aren't there.) Heck, on normal days when the kids aren't there they don't even turn on all of the lights for the teachers. In a building with 50 other adults. I'm so hoping my district isn't stupid like that. I don't want to drive 40 minutes both ways to sit in front of a computer by myself.
I didn't have a problem working from my house. I was actually on the clock longer than when I was teaching in person. I didn't mind the longer hours because I didn't have the commute and I wanted the kids to be able to reach me any time with their questions. I answered quite a few questions at 11pm.
Our district is against synchronous teaching because of the need for a device for every kid and problems with bandwidth. If a parent is working from home on a computer and 3 kids are on chromebooks at the same time, the internet sucks. We also have a very diverse population (rural, urban, and suburban) with socio-economic and location disadvantages for synchronous teaching. The thought was also that older students would be taking care of younger students so a strict time schedule would be a problem.
So all of our teaching is asynch, except for small group tutoring and help sessions. I had Google Meets every week but I couldn't require kids to be there. Most of our lessions are pre-recorded so kids can do them when it works best for them. I absolutely can do all of this from my house.
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Post by Skellinton on Aug 6, 2020 16:14:36 GMT
We will be working remotely until at least Labor Day. Our teachers have the choice to work from their school building or from home. I'd like to address your comment about bitching about air quality. As a private school parent, you may not be connected in to what's happening in your public school buildings (and actually most people are not). School boards and admin make budgetary decisions all the time. New air handlers, boiler systems, filtration systems are costly and often are not prioritized. As a union member, I can say we've fought for YEARS (since the 80s) to improve air quality in our school buildings, one of which was constructed in 1912. Guess what doesn't get prioritized, year after year? Patchwork, band-aid fixes... So, the air that may have been killing us slowly before may just kill us more quickly now. This is why elections matter: - school boards to presidents. Funding for public education should be one of the top priorities in this country. Period. My kids were in the public schools K-8th, and DS just finished 8th grade this spring. So this is the first year we will be completely removed from the public school system, and this was also the first time I'd heard anyone mention the poor circulation in the buildings. I had no idea. Ironically, my kids' (private) high school is comprised of several REALLY old buildings that I am pretty sure haven't been renovated since I attended there 25+ yrs ago. So it just kind of struck me, and since they are supposedly going back F2F for 2x a week, I will be asking about ventilation for sure! Well ventilation wasn’t really a huge concern before. Prior to Covid a lot of things weren’t a huge concern before, such as children wearing masks or being 6 feet apart. Now that it is a suspected recirculating the air can cause Covid to spread it should be a concern. I imagine that isn’t a concern in my building as we don’t have a/c and our heat is a furnace and random at best (one side of the hall may have rooms that are 80 degrees, the other side 60) , I don’t think anything recirculates in our building but we don’t all have windows that open so I guess stale air would be a problem. I think teachers that want to go in should be able to and those that don’t shouldn’t have to go in. Some teachers may prefer or need access to their classroom tech or supplies, some may just not feel comfortable and that is valid. I feel that way for a lot of jobs right now though. Obviously some jobs have to be done in site, but if not I think people should be given the choice, after all the best way to fight this is to stay home and isolate as much as humanly possible. |
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katybee
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,388
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Post by katybee on Aug 6, 2020 17:07:58 GMT
Forcing teachers to go back to an empty school building to teach virtually, if they can do the exact same job from home, is basically telling them they cannot be trusted to do their job remotely. Other jobs, all over the country, are being allowed to work remotely and nobody’s calling them lazy or entitled. There’s a FB post going around all of my teacher groups from a a group of parents who are organize watches at all the local restaurants and bars to make sure we are not day drinking while we should be teaching.
So What’s the big deal if we do our job from home? Is it that we’re not trusted? Is it a “fairness” thing? If other essential workers have to go in, teachers should, too? I, for one, will be a better virtual teacher from home. I will feel safer, have less anxiety, have good wifi and all the resources I need, and will not be commuting everyday, so I’ll have more time/energy. And the more people that CAN stay home, the less chance the virus will spread. How is that not a good thing?
Some teachers want to go back and teach from their rooms. Good for them. They should be allowed to. I don’t. Thankfully, for the first three weeks when we are all virtual, my district is letting us choose. When we all go back on Sep. 10, everyone has to be on campus, even the virtual teachers (they will do lunch, recess and hall duty).
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Post by Patter on Aug 6, 2020 17:09:51 GMT
My daughter has been told she has to teach virtually but teach from her empty classroom. So sad.
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Post by freecharlie on Aug 6, 2020 17:33:01 GMT
The teachers are citing poor circulation in the buildings as why they don't want to go back in, but hell - I think they should have bitched if it was that bad way before this if it was that unsafe I guarantee they have bitched before, but they just sucked it up. My high school is not air-conditioned and the heat is wonky in may parts. Teachers bring in window a/c and have fans and just sweat in the heat and wear coats and sometimes gloves to teach (except one side of the building that is so hot, teachers open the windows even when it is 0 degrees outside. For me, teaching in the building would depend on how many teachers are on staff. In my small building it might be okay, all windows open...for now until winter. In a building that has 100+ teachers, it becomes more problematic. My governor says office buildings have to run at 50%, but schools should run 100% Also, that doesn't take into account teachers that use public transportation. For me, my commute is 7 minutes with very little traffic. I would probably go in and teach most days as long as it was allowed (FTR, my district is 100% F2F) but that is for my sanity. I'd be irritated it the district made us all go in. We have some teachers that drive 30-45 minutes |
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Post by freecharlie on Aug 6, 2020 17:35:52 GMT
I imagine that isn’t a concern in my building as we don’t have a/c and our heat is a furnace and random at best (one side of the hall may have rooms that are 80 degrees, the other side 60) , I don’t think anything recirculates in our building but we don’t all have windows that open so I guess stale air would be a problem. It must be the design. Our one hallway is exactly like this. One side is hot as a desert, the other as cold as the top of a mounting in winter. |
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CeeScraps
Pearl Clutcher
~~occupied entertaining my brain~~
Posts: 3,841
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Post by CeeScraps on Aug 6, 2020 19:27:19 GMT
Our teachers have a choice of going into the building or teaching from home.
My husband who teaches in a different district also has a choice.
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Post by elaine on Aug 6, 2020 19:37:52 GMT
Forcing teachers to go back to an empty school building to teach virtually, if they can do the exact same job from home, is basically telling them they cannot be trusted to do their job remotely. Other jobs, all over the country, are being allowed to work remotely and nobody’s calling them lazy or entitled. There’s a FB post going around all of my teacher groups from a a group of parents who are organize watches at all the local restaurants and bars to make sure we are not day drinking while we should be teaching. So What’s the big deal if we do our job from home? Is it that we’re not trusted? Is it a “fairness” thing? If other essential workers have to go in, teachers should, too? I, for one, will be a better virtual teacher from home. I will feel safer, have less anxiety, have good wifi and all the resources I need, and will not be commuting everyday, so I’ll have more time/energy. And the more people that CAN stay home, the less chance the virus will spread. How is that not a good thing? Some teachers want to go back and teach from their rooms. Good for them. They should be allowed to. I don’t. Thankfully, for the first three weeks when we are all virtual, my district is letting us choose. When we all go back on Sep. 10, everyone has to be on campus, even the virtual teachers (they will do lunch, recess and hall duty). Just another perspective- it may have to do with controlling internet connections and the infrastructure to support virtual learning. My son stopped attending virtual schooling this summer because his teacher’s internet connection at home kept crashing. He would drive his car to a Starbucks and sit in the parking lot using their internet, conducting class on a laptop from the back seat of his car. After two days in a row of the teacher’s connection going out in the middle of class several times for 5-15 minutes at a time, he just flat out refused to go to virtual school any more. It was too anxiety provoking for my son - he was convinced that his teacher didn’t want to talk to him and that is why he was disconnecting from the classroom. I don’t know what will happen in September, because my son is refusing to do online school now because his teacher’s connection can’t handle it. Will we be un-enrolled because he refuses to attend? Will we lose all our Spec Ed services that we are supposed to receive until he is 22? I’ve asked our school’s social worker and her response is “I don’t know. Let’s not worry about it until September.” Easy to say when you aren’t the one worrying about your own child and his services. |
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Post by freecharlie on Aug 6, 2020 19:59:15 GMT
Forcing teachers to go back to an empty school building to teach virtually, if they can do the exact same job from home, is basically telling them they cannot be trusted to do their job remotely. Other jobs, all over the country, are being allowed to work remotely and nobody’s calling them lazy or entitled. There’s a FB post going around all of my teacher groups from a a group of parents who are organize watches at all the local restaurants and bars to make sure we are not day drinking while we should be teaching. So What’s the big deal if we do our job from home? Is it that we’re not trusted? Is it a “fairness” thing? If other essential workers have to go in, teachers should, too? I, for one, will be a better virtual teacher from home. I will feel safer, have less anxiety, have good wifi and all the resources I need, and will not be commuting everyday, so I’ll have more time/energy. And the more people that CAN stay home, the less chance the virus will spread. How is that not a good thing? Some teachers want to go back and teach from their rooms. Good for them. They should be allowed to. I don’t. Thankfully, for the first three weeks when we are all virtual, my district is letting us choose. When we all go back on Sep. 10, everyone has to be on campus, even the virtual teachers (they will do lunch, recess and hall duty). Just another perspective- it may have to do with controlling internet connections and the infrastructure to support virtual learning. My son stopped attending virtual schooling this summer because his teacher’s internet connection at home kept crashing. He would drive his car to a Starbucks and sit in the parking lot using their internet, conducting class on a laptop from the back seat of his car. After two days in a row of the teacher’s connection going out in the middle of class several times for 5-15 minutes at a time, he just flat out refused to go to virtual school any more. It was too anxiety provoking for my son - he was convinced that his teacher didn’t want to talk to him and that is why he was disconnecting from the classroom. I don’t know what will happen in September, because my son is refusing to do online school now because his teacher’s connection can’t handle it. Will we be un-enrolled because he refuses to attend? Will we lose all our Spec Ed services that we are supposed to receive until he is 22? I’ve asked our school’s social worker and her response is “I don’t know. Let’s not worry about it until September.” Easy to say when you aren’t the one worrying about your own child and his services. is your son in the 18-21 program? |
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katybee
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,388
Member is Online
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Post by katybee on Aug 6, 2020 20:36:19 GMT
Forcing teachers to go back to an empty school building to teach virtually, if they can do the exact same job from home, is basically telling them they cannot be trusted to do their job remotely. Other jobs, all over the country, are being allowed to work remotely and nobody’s calling them lazy or entitled. There’s a FB post going around all of my teacher groups from a a group of parents who are organize watches at all the local restaurants and bars to make sure we are not day drinking while we should be teaching. So What’s the big deal if we do our job from home? Is it that we’re not trusted? Is it a “fairness” thing? If other essential workers have to go in, teachers should, too? I, for one, will be a better virtual teacher from home. I will feel safer, have less anxiety, have good wifi and all the resources I need, and will not be commuting everyday, so I’ll have more time/energy. And the more people that CAN stay home, the less chance the virus will spread. How is that not a good thing? Some teachers want to go back and teach from their rooms. Good for them. They should be allowed to. I don’t. Thankfully, for the first three weeks when we are all virtual, my district is letting us choose. When we all go back on Sep. 10, everyone has to be on campus, even the virtual teachers (they will do lunch, recess and hall duty). Just another perspective- it may have to do with controlling internet connections and the infrastructure to support virtual learning. My son stopped attending virtual schooling this summer because his teacher’s internet connection at home kept crashing. He would drive his car to a Starbucks and sit in the parking lot using their internet, conducting class on a laptop from the back seat of his car. After two days in a row of the teacher’s connection going out in the middle of class several times for 5-15 minutes at a time, he just flat out refused to go to virtual school any more. It was too anxiety provoking for my son - he was convinced that his teacher didn’t want to talk to him and that is why he was disconnecting from the classroom. I don’t know what will happen in September, because my son is refusing to do online school now because his teacher’s connection can’t handle it. Will we be un-enrolled because he refuses to attend? Will we lose all our Spec Ed services that we are supposed to receive until he is 22? I’ve asked our school’s social worker and her response is “I don’t know. Let’s not worry about it until September.” Easy to say when you aren’t the one worrying about your own child and his services. I understand that. Our district is letting teachers choose (for the first 3 weeks, anyway). And we had to sign a work from home agreement that said if we CANNOT teach from home for any reason (disruptions, unreliable internet, etc), then we had to teach from school. Please understand that I also agree that virtual learning sucks. Especially for some kids with special needs or kids from low socioeconomic homes that do not have support or reliable technology. It REALLY sucks. It’s not a good solution. But I am high risk and the transmission rate of CV19 in my area is still high. I am not willing to risk my life for a job that would replace me before I was cold if something happened. And I also genuinely believe that schools will cause CV19 outbreaks. I LOVE my job. I give so much to my job. So this is breaking my heart. For the first 3 weeks, I am going to be the best damn virtual teacher I can be. After that, if I feel that my school does not have an adequate plan to keep students, teachers and the community safe, I will quit.  |
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Post by elaine on Aug 6, 2020 20:44:08 GMT
Just another perspective- it may have to do with controlling internet connections and the infrastructure to support virtual learning. My son stopped attending virtual schooling this summer because his teacher’s internet connection at home kept crashing. He would drive his car to a Starbucks and sit in the parking lot using their internet, conducting class on a laptop from the back seat of his car. After two days in a row of the teacher’s connection going out in the middle of class several times for 5-15 minutes at a time, he just flat out refused to go to virtual school any more. It was too anxiety provoking for my son - he was convinced that his teacher didn’t want to talk to him and that is why he was disconnecting from the classroom. I don’t know what will happen in September, because my son is refusing to do online school now because his teacher’s connection can’t handle it. Will we be un-enrolled because he refuses to attend? Will we lose all our Spec Ed services that we are supposed to receive until he is 22? I’ve asked our school’s social worker and her response is “I don’t know. Let’s not worry about it until September.” Easy to say when you aren’t the one worrying about your own child and his services. is your son in the 18-21 program? There isn’t an 18-21 program here in VA. Just that Spec Ed children who need it attend public school until they are 22. There are a variety of places they can attend until they are 22, including their base schools. There are also vocational training schools and also special schools - like the one my son has attended since 6th grade (when he was 12) and can continue at until he turns 22. |
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Post by elaine on Aug 6, 2020 20:49:47 GMT
Just another perspective- it may have to do with controlling internet connections and the infrastructure to support virtual learning. My son stopped attending virtual schooling this summer because his teacher’s internet connection at home kept crashing. He would drive his car to a Starbucks and sit in the parking lot using their internet, conducting class on a laptop from the back seat of his car. After two days in a row of the teacher’s connection going out in the middle of class several times for 5-15 minutes at a time, he just flat out refused to go to virtual school any more. It was too anxiety provoking for my son - he was convinced that his teacher didn’t want to talk to him and that is why he was disconnecting from the classroom. I don’t know what will happen in September, because my son is refusing to do online school now because his teacher’s connection can’t handle it. Will we be un-enrolled because he refuses to attend? Will we lose all our Spec Ed services that we are supposed to receive until he is 22? I’ve asked our school’s social worker and her response is “I don’t know. Let’s not worry about it until September.” Easy to say when you aren’t the one worrying about your own child and his services. I understand that. Our district is letting teachers choose (for the first 3 weeks, anyway). And we had to sign a work from home agreement that said if we CANNOT teach from home for any reason (disruptions, unreliable internet, etc), then we had to teach from school. Please understand that I also agree that virtual learning sucks. Especially for some kids with special needs or kids from low socioeconomic homes that do not have support or reliable technology. It REALLY sucks. It’s not a good solution. But I am high risk and the transmission rate of CV19 in my area is still high. I am not willing to risk my life for a job that would replace me before I was cold if something happened. And I also genuinely believe that schools will cause CV19 outbreaks. I LOVE my job. I give so much to my job. So this is breaking my heart. For the first 3 weeks, I am going to be the best damn virtual teacher I can be. After that, if I feel that my school does not have an adequate plan to keep students, teachers and the community safe, I will quit.  I hear all of what you are saying. And I know that you are committed to your job. My point was that asking teachers to come in isn’t necessarily because the district thinks that teachers are lazy and cheats, as you stated. I’m certain that my son’s teacher thought that his internet was up to par, until it wasn’t. And by then the damage was done. He has apologized profusely, but it doesn’t matter now, because my son is convinced it will happen any time his teacher doesn’t want to talk to him. I’m sorry that this is so hard for you too. |
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katybee
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,388
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Post by katybee on Aug 6, 2020 20:54:51 GMT
I understand that. Our district is letting teachers choose (for the first 3 weeks, anyway). And we had to sign a work from home agreement that said if we CANNOT teach from home for any reason (disruptions, unreliable internet, etc), then we had to teach from school. Please understand that I also agree that virtual learning sucks. Especially for some kids with special needs or kids from low socioeconomic homes that do not have support or reliable technology. It REALLY sucks. It’s not a good solution. But I am high risk and the transmission rate of CV19 in my area is still high. I am not willing to risk my life for a job that would replace me before I was cold if something happened. And I also genuinely believe that schools will cause CV19 outbreaks. I LOVE my job. I give so much to my job. So this is breaking my heart. For the first 3 weeks, I am going to be the best damn virtual teacher I can be. After that, if I feel that my school does not have an adequate plan to keep students, teachers and the community safe, I will quit. I hear all of what you are saying. And I know that you are committed to your job. My point was that asking teachers to come in isn’t necessarily because the district thinks that teachers are lazy and cheats, as you stated. I’m certain that my son’s teacher thought that his internet was up to par, until it wasn’t. And by then the damage was done. He has apologized profusely, but it doesn’t matter now, because my son is convinced it will happen any time his teacher doesn’t want to talk to him. I’m sorry that this is so hard for you too. I’ve just been reading to many FB comments. People are BRUTAL. |
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Post by freecharlie on Aug 6, 2020 21:15:45 GMT
is your son in the 18-21 program? There isn’t an 18-21 program here in VA. Just that Spec Ed children who need it attend public school until they are 22. There are a variety of places they can attend until they are 22, including their base schools. There are also vocational training schools and also special schools - like the one my son has attended since 6th grade (when he was 12) and can continue at until he turns 22. i know that here, non attendance will drop their from the program and they will be exited from services. Of course that comes after many attempts and documentation. I wish there was a way your son could do something in person. I hope they come up with something |
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Post by elaine on Aug 6, 2020 21:48:46 GMT
There isn’t an 18-21 program here in VA. Just that Spec Ed children who need it attend public school until they are 22. There are a variety of places they can attend until they are 22, including their base schools. There are also vocational training schools and also special schools - like the one my son has attended since 6th grade (when he was 12) and can continue at until he turns 22. i know that here, non attendance will drop their from the program and they will be exited from services. Of course that comes after many attempts and documentation. I wish there was a way your son could do something in person. I hope they come up with something Yeah, if they were to “exit him from services” because due to his teacher’s connection issues that my son refused to keep attending virtual schooling, I would sue the living f&ck out of our school system. I have been documenting each time I have voiced these concerns to school personnel. The last time was during a Zoom meeting- 2 weeks ago - of the Family Resource Team Meeting for my son, attended by 8 people from both the county and the school system. So, well documented on my end. |
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Post by Skellinton on Aug 6, 2020 22:55:41 GMT
I imagine that isn’t a concern in my building as we don’t have a/c and our heat is a furnace and random at best (one side of the hall may have rooms that are 80 degrees, the other side 60) , I don’t think anything recirculates in our building but we don’t all have windows that open so I guess stale air would be a problem. It must be the design. Our one hallway is exactly like this. One side is hot as a desert, the other as cold as the top of a mounting in winter. Our school also has an add on that is even worse. The hallway will be flat out freezing and the classrooms are burning up. We have two gyms right next to each other and one will be Antarctica and the other the Sahara desert. I don’t understand. |
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Post by SAHM wannabe on Aug 7, 2020 1:04:13 GMT
I am grateful our school district has given us the option of working from home, the classroom, or a combination of both.
Yesterday was our first teacher work day. The board pushed back the student start day to Aug 24 (for which I’m also grateful) so the district can provide 2 1/2 weeks of teacher training and preparation. The training is done virtually. We can choose to do that from home or our classroom.
I went to my school yesterday and today. My principal has a lot of new procedures in place and scheduled cleanings from our custodial staff throughout the day. Once again, I’m grateful that she is taking this seriously.
It was definitely different, but I’m determined to provide a quality education despite the challenges we all face.
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for occupation, and my room is in the middle of the building, no windows, completely internal. I had headaches daily, and since I've worked from home, they have basically gone away. So I completely agree that old buildings are not a good!
