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Post by ghislaine on Jul 23, 2020 13:13:10 GMT
Our district is offering hybrid (2 days in person, mask wearing, socially distant, for half the kids Monday/Tuesday, then flip halves for Thursday/Friday) or all online. For us the decision is easy because I'm a SAHM. By choosing online I'm helping the district have less students in the buildings benefiting those families with less choice and minimizing risk to my family so it's a win-win. The only regret I have is that my eldest may not get to have her second year with the team of teachers she did so well with last year. The middle school is set up so that you keep your team of teachers for two years. My eldest has ADHD so to have had a team of teachers that were able to work with her so well last year was amazing, even when we did go online in the spring. I am waiting to hear what the expectations are for online elementary school for my youngest as I'm not sure a lot of online time would be the right thing for them.
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Post by Merge on Jul 23, 2020 13:16:25 GMT
There are also other factors at play besides exposure. One of my friends has very limited English (and her husband has less). Her daughters do speak English because they have attended school and daycare but they are 1st and 2nd grade so very young and don't read well enough to do it on their own. She told me this week that trying to help her kids with online classes is beyond her English speaking skill and that it takes hours because she has to use translator programs to help her. She also really can't afford for one of them to stay home. Their daycare may be offering additional programs/teachers for home schooled kids during the day but it will probably increase her daycare costs by 2 to 3 times or more and they also can't afford that. So her choices are to send her children to school if it is even open and hope that it doesn't get closed (it will), leave her job to stay home and spend frustrating hours for all of them because of her limited English (which they can't afford), or hope that the daycare has another solution (which she also likely won't be able to afford). This sounds like a job for a national honor society student at their local high school. I would encourage you to reach out to the high school on her behalf and suggest a service project like this to their NHS coordinator. Certainly there are bilingual students among their members who could help out via Zoom. Our very large district has already put out a call for recent graduates currently enrolled in college to Zoom tutor for $12/hour (paid by the district, not the parent). Big emphasis on needing lots of tutors who are bilingual. I suspect there will also be a push for NHS kids in high school to do the same once they're back in school. This is a great opportunity for young adults to step up and be part of the solution here.
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Post by Linda on Jul 23, 2020 13:17:00 GMT
it was a difficult decision here - mostly because DD13 strongly preferred to go back to school and DH leaned toward in-school. She's going to go virtual. I'm a SAHM and I just have one in school (and one in college online) and she's old enough and motivated enough to work independently.
I do have friends who are agonising over it. One comes to mind - she has 3 college kids (all online) and 5 school kids (all with IEPs or 504 plans) from 1st grade to high school. She struggled with virtual schooling in the spring and eventually gave up. They don't have enough devices, the kids can't work independently (even the high schooler), the kids need services that weren't provided virtually. Yet because she has to kids with heart conditions - she isn't comfortable with in-person. It's really hard for her.
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TankTop
Pearl Clutcher
Refupea #1,871
Posts: 4,798
Location: On the couch...
Jun 28, 2014 1:52:46 GMT
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Post by TankTop on Jul 23, 2020 13:20:27 GMT
I have agonized over the decision. Ds is going to be a sophomore, so he could stay home alone and do online.
I teach 2nd grade and will be back full time, so in the end I decided to send him back. He will be pulled if I start to feel uncomfortable.
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Post by Merge on Jul 23, 2020 13:36:15 GMT
I'm glad it's a decision I don't have to make until at least mid-October. The numbers in Houston are so high right now I just wouldn't feel comfortable sending my senior back (or going back myself). But the district is online only through mid-October at least, so I can put the decision off.
It's especially difficult because she is a senior, and I don't want her to miss ... well, everything. She is sad and lonely without her friends, and desperately misses her music ensembles. Honestly, I think she'd get over missing prom and graduation next spring, but to never sit with her orchestra or chamber group again? Devastating.
I really hope the state of Texas gets its shit together to the point where we can drastically reduce numbers and send our kids back to school.
(Meanwhile, a local parent from one of the wealthiest schools/zip codes in the city has started up a group called Red Apple Protest saying that kids should be back in school because they need the social interaction. Please note that we currently have a positivity rate in excess of 20%. She comes off as a privileged twit. She gave an interview to a local TV station saying that teachers were only doing half the work, so they should only get half the pay. Apparently she would have no problem sending her kids back, but guarantee she'd be the first one to file a lawsuit if one of her babies gets sick.)
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Post by shescrafty on Jul 23, 2020 13:36:27 GMT
I do think so. I am a teacher and completely feel virtual is safer, but I am still torn about but being able to connect with K students. For parents that have multiple kids, that work full-time, who have special needs children I think it is a terrible choice. Even for parents who are able to stay at home there is always the question if it being safe or not. None of this is easy no matter where you are in the equation.
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Post by JustCallMeMommy on Jul 23, 2020 13:42:16 GMT
Our district is letting students choose between 100% distance (5.5 hours in your "virtual seat" a day, supply your own internet, until Covid computers come in, supply your own laptop if you don't already have one issued) or 100% in person (allowed to participate in extracurricular, masks during transitions, mask-off time in class when (in theory) socially distanced, parents send written statement to the child's health each day and temp is taken at certain points).
My choice was easy: my senior didn't do well at distance learning in the Spring. She basically gave up, which didn't hurt her because her district locked in grades from March 6 and was only giving bonus points on the yearly average. She had decent grades to begin with, so a few bonus points in the beginning when she was motivated gave her a nice 4.0 with most grades over 100%. However, she got nothing out of the last 2 months of school. Once you add in that she can't perform in band if we select distance learning, and the choice is easy. I assume she would also lose the private study ceramics class that she is looking forward to if we chose distance, and since she should have late entry, the 5.5 hours of seat time would be an issue. Plus, she is way more responsible with me with masking and social distancing, so she's the one who will be keeping her friend group in line.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Jul 23, 2020 13:47:33 GMT
This is why I advocate for remote learning for most, hybrid in-person for some, especially language learners or students with disabilities for whom remote learning is impossible (some students with serious cognitive disabilities, for example). Some students with disabilities (health issues, some students with autism, anxiety) actually seemed to do BETTER with remote learning. Keeping most at home limits community risk and spread, prioritizes in-person instruction for those who need it most, and is the safest choice to meet kids' needs right now. I don't envy most parents. It is SO hard any my parent friends (many of whom are ALSO teachers) are having hard conversations and making hard choices. There are no good answers. I don’t know what our options are exactly going to look like yet until next week when our governor offers more guidance to the schools as far as what they can offer, but this setup sounds the most reasonable to me. Some families have zero choice, their kids have to be either in school or some other all day care situation so they can go back to work. My family is not in that situation, so I feel that keeping my kid home with me is helping to do my part to limit how many people are in school and that makes everyone stay safer. My kid doesn’t NEED to be there, so I strongly feel that she shouldn’t be there taking up a spot that someone else desperately needs. ETA: For me it isn’t a difficult decision at all. My kid hates school to begin with and I worked from home anyway pre-Covid so I am here and can help her with stuff. She does miss her friends, but I have a strong suspicion several of her BFFs will end up doing 100% online school so she wouldn’t be seeing them in school anyway. The kids who will likely be present in school are the loud mouth troublemaker kids she can’t stand, so being stuck with them inside a classroom all day social distancing would be worse than torture. I want to help alleviate some of your concerns. I teach in a public school. Every year I have several students that come from private schools. It is the very rare exception for such a child to be above or even at the same level of his/her peers. Every single one had parents that would have sworn their kids were advanced because of the private school education. Some of these kids came from prestigious schools in New York and L.A. I don’t know the specifics of your schools of course, but don’t assume that the public school will have lower academics. Private school parents pay for private school grades. I wanted to comment on this too. I attended a private Catholic school from 1-7th grade and was always at the top of my class academically every year. I hated it and was so incredibly bored. When I was allowed to switch to public school for 8-12th, it was like the whole world opened up wide. For the first time in my life I was actually challenged at school. It was a welcome change for me and my only regret was that I didn’t push my mom harder to let me switch earlier. In my experience, the private school I attended didn’t have any of the resources to offer advanced placement for advanced students like the public schools do. The one I attended was a joke and it’s pretty bad when even an elementary aged student can see it.
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Post by gypsymama on Jul 23, 2020 13:53:01 GMT
I sat in on 2 google meets yesterday for our district. I'll prob be a little rambly... Our district is pk-12, all one building, shared specials teachers, shared cafeteria, gyms, music and art rooms, buses, etc...
I work in one county (washington for locals) and live in another (saratoga) and my 7th grade son attends the school where i work. Our numbers are very low. Schools have to submit reopening plans by the end of the month and the first week in aug, Gov Cuomo will announce reopening plans. we don't know if it will be state wide, by the regions he assigned us for phased business reopening, county by county, or what.
We have 25-40 kids per grade. 2 sections of each grade. We are adding a section for each grade in Elem. Unknown about cafeteria or gym use at this point. District is encouraging all parents who can to drive kids to school to reduce bus density. there will need to be 12' spacing for gym and music (if there is singing or instruments playing). school has ordered masks for students and staff, face shields for staff, and we will each get a plexi glass barrier to put on our desks or use at a table etc... state sent out 145 page document for reopening and they recommend no teacher desk or collaborative learning tables etc... - i guess to give more room to spread out. in spite of what our Elem principal wants, Super. says 5 days full time. she wanted 4 days, maybe friday off for students so teachers can have all their planning periods then, or wed off and a deep clean mid week, he said no. mostly due to parents working. we are a small rural district with very low income... a lot of families with no cell or internet service. lots of kids going to grandma, aunt, etc...stories of a dozen kids all staying wiht one relative so parents could work. so admin feels its better to get them back into school
ok, for the MS/HS side.. different principal. we will do either alternating days or 2 on 2 off, remains to be decided... dividing each grade in half. staggered passing periods to reduce contact. tables in one of our 2 gyms to make a 2nd cafeteria so that both halves of the school can be spread out for lunch. state wants syncronous learning, so the half of the kids who are at home will be watching classroom instruction either live or watching a recording later.
my son didn't do well with online learning... it was a struggle daily to get him to submit work etc... and he "forgot" every time there was a google meet. he wants to do online again, i think that's more xbox based than anything else, haha! i'm going to send him to school at least for now, and see how it goes.
sorry for all the random info, also, masks required on buses but not while sitting at their desks for pk-5. required all the time for ms/hs bc they don't have "their" desk, they will be changing classes as usual so desks are shared.
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Post by Skellinton on Jul 23, 2020 14:01:33 GMT
DH and I both work full time so one of us would need to quit in order to do at home teaching with our children. Our 'choice' would be sending them to school or paying for a tutor/private teacher to teach them which we have talked about. I wish there was some kind of tax break for not using the public school services. I can drive my kids to school so they wouldn't have to take bussing. It would mean they would be at school almost an hour before school started but would limit the risk of being in a small bus with so many people, So we will probably do this at the very least. Just curious, how old are your kids? Are they going to be allowed to be at the school unsupervised? At my school kids can’t be dropped off any earlier then when breakfast is served and that is 20 minutes before the first bell. I mean, parents could drop them off at the playground but that wouldn’t work in our weather for most of the fall as there is no covered area. Maybe your kids are older then elementary though? I disagree with there being a tax cut for kids not using public school. I guarantee you what you pay for schools is minimal and if there were a tax cut for people not utilizing schools (so anyone without kids or with older kids p, etc) schools would have next to nothing and they are struggling as it is. Schools benefit everyone even if you aren’t utilizing it. I haven’t used my car insurance or health insurance in quite awhile (knock on wood) but it doesn’t mean I am willing to give it up.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Jul 23, 2020 14:07:06 GMT
I also wanted to add that the district sent an email today telling parents that due to our governor’s recent order making masks mandatory in all public places, parents should plan to make or buy enough masks for their kids to wear in school and to start getting them used to wearing them “for extended periods of time.”
I can’t wait to see what else will be coming down the pike from the school district RE: what the school day is actually going to look like for these kids. Maybe once my clueless DH realizes how awful the school day would be for our kid, (possibly no lunch or recess with friends, being stuck in the same desk/place all day, no art/music/PE/media specials) he will finally understand why I’m wanting to just keep our kid at home.
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Post by AnastasiaBeaverhausn on Jul 23, 2020 14:15:59 GMT
I am also reading where even if students return to the class, they are going to be doing the same things as the virtual kids at home. Meaning, they are just there on a computer but they are physically in the room. That helps with social distancing because they don't need a fully credentialed teacher in the room with them. So if you are considering sending them to school, make sure you are clear with what they are doing. Sitting in a room on a computer, wearing a mask does not sound like back-to-normal schooling. I think at that point, we truly consider school to be childcare.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Jul 23, 2020 14:20:54 GMT
Just curious, how old are your kids? Are they going to be allowed to be at the school unsupervised? At my school kids can’t be dropped off any earlier then when breakfast is served and that is 20 minutes before the first bell. I mean, parents could drop them off at the playground but that wouldn’t work in our weather for most of the fall as there is no covered area. Maybe your kids are older then elementary though? I disagree with there being a tax cut for kids not using public school. I guarantee you what you pay for schools is minimal and if there were a tax cut for people not utilizing schools (so anyone without kids or with older kids p, etc) schools would have next to nothing and they are struggling as it is. Schools benefit everyone even if you aren’t utilizing it. I haven’t used my car insurance or health insurance in quite awhile (knock on wood) but it doesn’t mean I am willing to give it up. For the first part of your post, maybe their schools are offering before and after school care likes ours are still planning on doing. Our elementary schools have been utilized as child care centers all along for essential workers, and it appears that will continue into the school year. And I totally agree with you on the second part. A solid public education for all kids is the best insurance money can buy.
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Kerri W
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,776
Location: Kentucky
Jun 25, 2014 20:31:44 GMT
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Post by Kerri W on Jul 23, 2020 14:44:07 GMT
I can't really imagine this is an easy choice for most people. It sure wasn't for our family. Our district laid out three options. 1) in person 5 days a week with social distancing (impossible with the numbers given and classroom size), altered schedule to only four core classes, masks at all times and no socializing. 2) Teacher led virtual, online 8-3 daily. 3) Self directed virtual-no schedule. There will be no elective classes at all this year.
DS wanted to go back in person. I really wanted to keep him home. We talked about it with him to get his input (incoming Freshman) but said we would make the ultimate decision. DH and I were thankfully both on the same page that it wasn't something we wanted to risk and we can easily keep him home. We have good internet, a separate room we can make a 'school room,' both work from home and our district is 1 to 1 Chromebooks or iPads. DS mentioned a couple days ago that no-one in his friend group would be attending in person. This really surprised me as he is friends with several kids whose parents are teachers in our district.
Last night our board voted to start 100% virtually and reassess in 6 weeks, which would be fall break. The reasoning from our superintendent is that they physically CANNOT socially distance in most of the classrooms and adhere to the state guidelines. She gave a very well spoken argument that our teachers should be allowed the remaining time left before they go back to come up with virtual plans so they can be more successful than the spring when they had to make last minute decisions. I'm happy with the decisions the district is making. They are working SO HARD for our kids.
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Post by Skellinton on Jul 23, 2020 14:56:50 GMT
Just curious, how old are your kids? Are they going to be allowed to be at the school unsupervised? At my school kids can’t be dropped off any earlier then when breakfast is served and that is 20 minutes before the first bell. I mean, parents could drop them off at the playground but that wouldn’t work in our weather for most of the fall as there is no covered area. Maybe your kids are older then elementary though? I disagree with there being a tax cut for kids not using public school. I guarantee you what you pay for schools is minimal and if there were a tax cut for people not utilizing schools (so anyone without kids or with older kids p, etc) schools would have next to nothing and they are struggling as it is. Schools benefit everyone even if you aren’t utilizing it. I haven’t used my car insurance or health insurance in quite awhile (knock on wood) but it doesn’t mean I am willing to give it up. For the first part of your post, maybe their schools are offering before and after school care likes ours are still planning on doing. Our elementary schools have been utilized as child care centers all along for essential workers, and it appears that will continue into the school year. And I totally agree with you on the second part. A solid public education for all kids is the best insurance money can buy. Could be that they are going to before care, I just assumed she would have aid that was it the case. I am glad your school is offering before and after care, that is part of what the program I work for does (I am the pre-K teacher but work before care too) but we are losing our space for the time being due to the school needing our room for adequate distancing and we won’t be able to offer it this year. They might be able to do after school, they are still trying to figure that out. I like that you see public school as insurance too, that is exactly what it is. Just like other services people support without utilizing it is something that benefits everyone. It irritates me to hear people saying they don’t use schools so why should they pay for them. Sorry for the hijack of the thread. I don’t envy parents making this decision, and I especially don’t envy the parents who don’t get to make the decision but have to send their kids back because they need to pay their rent/mortgage and keep food on the table even though they understand the risks for their children and the staff.
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Post by mandolyn9909 on Jul 23, 2020 15:08:33 GMT
DH and I both work full time so one of us would need to quit in order to do at home teaching with our children. Our 'choice' would be sending them to school or paying for a tutor/private teacher to teach them which we have talked about. I wish there was some kind of tax break for not using the public school services. I can drive my kids to school so they wouldn't have to take bussing. It would mean they would be at school almost an hour before school started but would limit the risk of being in a small bus with so many people, So we will probably do this at the very least. Just curious, how old are your kids? Are they going to be allowed to be at the school unsupervised? At my school kids can’t be dropped off any earlier then when breakfast is served and that is 20 minutes before the first bell. I mean, parents could drop them off at the playground but that wouldn’t work in our weather for most of the fall as there is no covered area. Maybe your kids are older then elementary though? I disagree with there being a tax cut for kids not using public school. I guarantee you what you pay for schools is minimal and if there were a tax cut for people not utilizing schools (so anyone without kids or with older kids p, etc) schools would have next to nothing and they are struggling as it is. Schools benefit everyone even if you aren’t utilizing it. I haven’t used my car insurance or health insurance in quite awhile (knock on wood) but it doesn’t mean I am willing to give it up. I have two in high school and one in middle school. All would be fine outside for an hour if need be. High school used to be open at 7 am for kids to get caught up on school work if they need to (not sure if that will change or not). Middle school opens 1/2 hour prior to school start, so he would be outside for half hour. We live in northern ontario so definitely have harsh weather here, they are used to dressing appropriately for the weather, so no worries there. I drive them to school 95% of the time already and this is what we do as their bus ride is 50 minutes long and they detest riding the bus. Another issue we have in our area is that very few of our kids would have access to computers/internet at home. We have a satellite internet at home (one of the very few, neighbours come to our house to use our internet) but very limited GB. I think we have 50 a month and it isn't really good enough to watch videos, or zoom calling. Our at home schooling from March to July was one email a week outlining some exercises for each day.
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Post by mrssmith on Jul 23, 2020 15:24:59 GMT
Here's an interesting article that lays out some options from a racial equity perspective: medium.com/@shaylargriffin/some-students-should-go-to-school-most-should-stay-home-8a57894b8487My district is all virtual for the 1st month and then you can opt in for 4 days/week in person and 1 day virtual or all virtual. You can switch at the trimester if you want to go to in person. You can switch to all virtual at any time. In person is based on whether it is deemed safe in my state - Illinois. If we slide backward to Level 3, I think in person is off the table. Masking is mandatory, kids eat in the classroom, some physical activity breaks (distanced), no small group work, virtual kids "present" with their peers for some things. So complicated. But sound like virtual would be more robust. In the spring my older kid was done in 2 hours. Unfortunatly, I had more than 2 hours of work.
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Post by withapea on Jul 23, 2020 15:28:51 GMT
It was a hard choice for us because there isn't a great option. My daughter didn't like distance learning, she has some issues that make that kind of learning more difficult and the things she loves at school she can't do. She's going to be a senior. She's isolated and worried about classes leading up to graduation etc. I'm a very at risk person so having her exposed is a real danger. We considered letting her move in with her sister so she could attend in person but that would mean I wouldn't get to see her either. She's going to be doing the first nine weeks on-line. We decided as a family. So far our district will let you decide whether to do distance or in person at each grading period for at least the first semester.
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breetheflea
Drama Llama
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Posts: 6,049
Location: PNW
Jul 20, 2014 21:57:23 GMT
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Post by breetheflea on Jul 23, 2020 15:33:23 GMT
Am I torn, yes!
Our options are one week on one week online A/B schedule or 100% virtual. The virtual program is 5-6 hours a day and is a separate program through the district (not regular classroom teachers trying to teach online).
I have a first grader, a 6th grader, an 8th grader, and a 10th grader. The older two want to go back to school but can handle online with only minimal help. The first grader is going to need me by his side all 5-6 hours.
Then we get to the 6th grader... first he got into a magnet program middle school. The magnet classes are not covered in the virtual program so he'd be going to "regular" middle school. Does that mean he's out of the program or just behind a year? I was so excited he got in, because he needs a smaller school, and the subject matter is his "thing," plus the electives are more his style (aka not art or music) Ugh. He also has ADHD so will need me telling him to pay attention 5-6 hours a day for 6 classes. I'd be dealing with the 1st grader as well. There is only so much patience in my reserves...
If the schools do "everyone online" for a few months, the 6th grader would do that so at least he has his own middle school classes and teachers to start the year with... I'm not sure what we'll do once they decide physical school is ready to open.
The virtual program at least would be consistent, not "we're open for business, nope we're closed, now we're open again, nope Johnny tested positive closed again."
Yes, I am torn. ETA: I am a SAHM with my kids finally all in school (so I would be finding a part time job if not for Covid... ) so I know I'm "lucky" to have the choice... It still stinks though.
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Post by belgravia on Jul 23, 2020 15:40:15 GMT
I really feel for anyone faced with this decision. It seems like there are no good options! My daughter graduated high school in June and will start university in September. So far, it appears it will be all online. It sucks all around, but I’m thankful I’m not faced with the impossible choices so many of you are 😕
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Post by auntkelly on Jul 23, 2020 15:52:53 GMT
I tutor at a low income school in a district which just announced it was doing all online school next semester.
The little first grade boy I tutored last year did not speak one word of English on the day school started. By the time we had our last tutoring session in March, he understood spoken English very well, but was still not confident speaking in English. He was just beginning to learn to read simple English words. He loved it when I read books to him about animals. (I do not take any credit whatsoever for him learning English-he learned from his teacher and other students).
I worry about that particular student I tutored and all the students in the district. I think a large percentage of the students are not going to have access to the internet at home and their parents are going to be unable to help them with online classes because English is not their first language. I worry that a lot of very young students are going to be left at home alone in unsafe neighborhoods because their parents, many of whom are undocumented, will have to work. I fear that many high school students will just drop out of school and some might join gangs.
I understand teachers' worries about their own safety and the safety of their students. I honestly don't know what the answer is, but I fear a huge segment of students are going to fall behind and maybe never catch up when certain schools go 100% online.
The whole situation is a disaster. I just pray we have a vaccine soon, but I'm not sure that will happen.
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artbabe
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,195
Jun 26, 2014 1:59:10 GMT
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Post by artbabe on Jul 23, 2020 16:10:11 GMT
I'm a teacher. We are going back with a hybrid schedule with the idea it will be 5 days a week by the end of September. I can't see that happening and I will be very, very upset if it does. I'm scared to go back but not enough to quit my job. Our students have a choice to do this or to go all virtual. I don't know how many students will choose virtual. I would like to do a hybrid schedule all year but I can see it going to all virtual.
I have nephews 10, 15, and 17. My sister really struggled with the choice of hybrid or all virtual. I talked with her about it and she decided to go with the hybrid schedule, but she is afraid. The problem is my nephew (who is gifted) basically dropped out of school in January. He has multiple mental health issues and she could not physically make him go. And she tried over and over, with therapists, emergency room trips, etc. He did no online learning. If he does not physically go into the school building this year I think he will end up dropping out for good and it will screw up his whole life. So there is much more at stake with getting him physically back at school. The oldest and the youngest want to go back for both social and educational reasons. So she is going to send them, but she is definitely afraid.
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Post by peano on Jul 23, 2020 16:17:33 GMT
DS is in college and will be 21 so I have no say in the matter, even though I’ve encouraged him to take a year off or at least get a single living arrangement. He refuses.
If he were still in public school, I would homeschool in a hot minute, even though that seemed like one of the most difficult situations parents and students faced at the beginning of the pandemic. The heart (or at least my heart) is impervious to statistics. And yes, I recognize how privileged this makes me.
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Post by busy on Jul 23, 2020 16:22:11 GMT
We haven't had an official announcement yet but it's going to be staring the year online-only, then moving to a hybrid model when it's deemed safe (half of the school in-person Mon/Tues, half of the school in-person Thurs/Fri, and distance learning the other three day), and then back to fully in-person at some point (fingers crossed).
What we have to decide between is the "comprehensive distance learning" - which is based in their normal school, led by the regular in-person teachers at that school and largely mimics the typical school experience, but from a distance. Opting for that route is opting for returning to school when the district and state decide it's safe (and I'm comfortable with how they've been making decisions about that so far, so have no reason to think they'll want to reopen in-person school prematurely). DS REALLY wants to go that route. He wants to interact with the classmates he knows and get back to school as soon as it's safe. I have serious reservations about the teachers' ability to teach remotely. That's nothing against the teachers - they're GREAT at what they do in-person. But remote education requires a different skill set and even with their best efforts, the teachers have only and a few months to learn and practice. I've no doubt about their dedication but it's a huge transition.
We also have a remote-first option. Our district already offered an "online academy" that has been fully up and running for years. It's an option school and people enroll their students there for a lot of different reasons. Some because of family scheduling/travel issues, some for behavioral issues, a lot of TAG students... all kinds of motivations. I've only known a few people who've sent their kids there, but they've all been happy. There's the opportunity to advance at one's own pace - which is what the TAG parents and students I know there have loved. The teachers are all experienced online educators, so they are not learning new skills. They are part of a larger consortium of similar schools, so that opens up the opportunity to take classes in subjects our district may not employ specialists to teach. Academically, I think it would be a better fit for DS. But it's a full-year commitment. He could go back to his normal school the following year, but if you go this route, you're there for the year. DS is super hesitant about that and I don't blame him. Missing your first year of middle school (though he definitely wouldn't be alone) would be tough.
Fortunately, we have some time to make a decision. I don't know what we'll do.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Jul 23, 2020 16:25:50 GMT
I understand teachers' worries about their own safety and the safety of their students. I honestly don't know what the answer is, but I fear a huge segment of students are going to fall behind and maybe never catch up when certain schools go 100% online. The whole situation is a disaster. I just pray we have a vaccine soon, but I'm not sure that will happen. The thing is, ALL students regardless of where they go to school are going to be in the same boat. Even the kids who go to school aren’t going to have the same kind of experience everyone is used to. I’m not sure what our district has planned for the kids who physically go, but with distancing measures in place (meaning kids have to stay at their desks all day separate from other kids, no recess, no gym, etc.), having to wear masks, having to spend more time washing hands and cleaning surfaces and likely more screen time even for the physical in school kids, all grades will have fewer options and less time overall will be spent on instruction. It’s just reality. Some will definitely fare better than others, just like they do now. I think we are going to have to adjust our expectations for all the kids who are in this situation.
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Peal
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,524
Jun 25, 2014 22:45:40 GMT
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Post by Peal on Jul 23, 2020 16:39:35 GMT
Our district is offering the option of online or in person. What online entails is a little bit sketchy still. grades k-2 math and language arts education only. 3-5 math, lang arts and science only, then upper grades should match closely to what they would get in person. But how closely, no one has said. I have a sophomore in honors classes. Are those being offered online? Who knows.
Masks are mandated for all students and the schools will be providing one mask per student.Masks on buses. eating outside weather permitted, grab and go lunches. No dressing out for gym (how is that going to work)
It's all so...hopeful? they are groping around in the dark. We all are. Whatever option you chose for your kids, you have to commit for a full trimester. So, if you chose the online option and it turns out to not meet your needs, you're stuck with it for 9 weeks. At least with the in person option, they can move in and out of in person and distance learning as needed, I think.
I have agonized over what to do for months. We decide this week to send DS to in person school. Class starts in 5 weeks. I guess we'll see if it was a good idea or not.
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Post by epeanymous on Jul 23, 2020 16:47:23 GMT
My district looks to be going all-online.
I will admit I was a bit torn over my kindergarten student. She is a model classroom student but hides in a corner for online classes; I still most likely would not have sent her, but our district considered only having an in-person component for K-2, and had that been an option, I would have thought about it at least.
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Post by gizzy on Jul 23, 2020 16:55:09 GMT
We agonized with this decision for weeks. We finally decided that we are homeschooling this year. Our district will let you do online learning only with a Dr's note stating why you need it. No. No one gets to decide this except for us.
We're fortunate that I'm able to stay home with him. I feel for everyone who doesn't have this option.
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Post by auntkelly on Jul 23, 2020 17:05:49 GMT
I understand teachers' worries about their own safety and the safety of their students. I honestly don't know what the answer is, but I fear a huge segment of students are going to fall behind and maybe never catch up when certain schools go 100% online. The whole situation is a disaster. I just pray we have a vaccine soon, but I'm not sure that will happen. The thing is, ALL students regardless of where they go to school are going to be in the same boat. Even the kids who go to school aren’t going to have the same kind of experience everyone is used to. I’m not sure what our district has planned for the kids who physically go, but with distancing measures in place (meaning kids have to stay at their desks all day separate from other kids, no recess, no gym, etc.), having to wear masks, having to spend more time washing hands and cleaning surfaces and likely more screen time even for the physical in school kids, all grades will have fewer options and less time overall will be spent on instruction. It’s just reality. Some will definitely fare better than others, just like they do now. I think we are going to have to adjust our expectations for all the kids who are in this situation. Believe me, I completely understand that just about every student in the entire world is suffering due to changes that are necessary due to covid. I’m not arguing that these changes aren’t necessary. I do feel sorry for each and every kid whose life has been impacted. Not having an end of the year band concert or a prom, for example, is a rite of passage for a lot of kids and I feel sorry that kids are missing these things. However, certain changes, such as online classes v. in person classes are going to have a much more drastic effect on certain segments of the population than others. Just because we acknowledge the negative impact online classes will have on some kids doesn’t mean that we are burying our heads to the dangers of covid or that we think it isn’t necessary to go to online classes. I think we need to acknowledge the reality that all online classes are going to impact certain segments of the population more than others, and try and come up w/ ways to lesson the impact, both now and when things get back to normal, if ever. Teachers have always had a tough job, but I can’t even imagine the challenges they will be facing when in person classes resume and some kids have basically been doing nothing academically for the past year and a half, not through any fault of their teachers, but because the kids don’t have access to computers and/or their parents can’t help them keep up with assignments.
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bethany102399
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,565
Oct 11, 2014 3:17:29 GMT
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Post by bethany102399 on Jul 23, 2020 17:10:05 GMT
My goodness yes parents are torn.
Choose to send them back to the classroom? get raked over the coals for "forcing" your kid on teachers and a system that can't handle the social distancing requirements, oh and your kid is going to be miserable wearing a mask all day.
Keep them home for virtual learning? Get raked over the coals because the online program our district chose was a "joke" and your kid is going to be behind where he needs to be, not to mention the fact that I then get to spend the bulk of my day sitting on my younger child who did NOT respond well to the rush to online learning in the spring.
Now the urban core of our city is recommending we don't start back until after Labor day, Looking at their numbers (which are highest in the city) it makes sense. But our suburban district is looking at our case numbers and going we don't see a reason to. Our surrounding counties are also low. People are now screaming about that. We do have a plan if we need to go to 25 or 50 percent capacity. I think the district is trying to get kids to start in the classroom, get their Ipads in hand as quick as possible so when the inevitable E-learning does happen they can be ready. Or at least that's what I'm hoping they're doing.
It just sucks all around, and has honestly made me ready to lash out at people who aren't wearing masks. I'm just so damn tired.
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