# How is "school at home" going?   Kids?  Teachers?



## mdurette (Apr 4, 2020)

DD is a 7th grader in a small private school.   We were lucky as her school was already closed the last 2 weeks of March for spring break so they had the time to plan for this.    This was our first week of what they call, distance learning.    So far so good.    She has a structured day from 9 to 2:30 that follows a similar schedule.   It is a mix of live video instruction from teacher and on her own time with assigned work.    Yesterday, she even had PE class which the gym teacher lead via video that was mostly aerobic activity.

So the education piece seems to be working.   But, what I think is even more important is the continuation of the social connection she has with her classmates.    She could come down and have lunch with me, but instead she brings it upstairs, they all get on a video group and have lunch together, same with snack time and recess.    It is great to hear her chit chat and laugh with her friends.

So many schools were just thrown into this with little time to prepare.   I have friends that are teachers.   Some are working their butt off trying to meet the demands of their school system has put in place and others are doing the minimum required because their systems have no structure and they feel it really isn't working anyway.    

At this point, I don't really see schools reopening this year.   I wonder if there will be school requirements over the summer.....


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## Patri (Apr 4, 2020)

I feel bad for families, especially if parents are working and now also have to monitor education. Children definitely need some structure. There are too many families without electronic devices or wifi too, so that creates a whole other issue. Special ed kids are vulnerable. And there will be a certain number of parents who just don't care or don't have the ability to teach. If they didn't already have good discipline standards in place, how is more stress going to affect their children? The delivery of education is certainly going to change after this, as well as healthcare.


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## bbodb1 (Apr 4, 2020)

I want to address these points:


mdurette said:


> ....So many schools were just thrown into this with little time to prepare.



These comments are made in general @mdurette so please understand this is not an attempt to throw you (or your teacher friends) under the bus personally...

Now then.

Schools have had ample opportunity to prepare for this and have failed.  I say this because distance learning has been around for quite some time and many (but not all) school districts still have not invested the resources required to make it feasibly meaningful to the educational process.  Why is this?
In some cases, school districts are far too encumbered by required spending in areas that benefit only a handful of students and ignore the needs of the overwhelming majority of students.  I hate to bring up the money point here, but it does contribute to the problem.

But the larger issue is the educational sector is starving for staff with even a minimum level of technical knowledge.  Far too many teachers are still adverse to technology because they do not posses a minimum level of technical knowledge to function in an educational system that should be moving more toward online options.  Some people will say this problem will correct itself as the older teachers leave the teaching ranks.  However, this observation also applies to younger teachers as well because teaching has become the default (fall back) profession for too many people who could not make the grade in other professions.  In other words, the student who enters college wanting to be an engineer one day discovers calculus is a LOT harder than they thought and switches majors.  Business sounds good because the math is easier.  The student goes along for another semester or two and discovers the mysteries of economics baffle the mind so they switch majors again.  Students like this eventually turn toward an education degree because they find the academic demands of an education degree are minuscule when compared to other academic pursuits. 



mdurette said:


> Some are working their butt off trying to meet the demands of their school system has put in place and others are doing the minimum required because their systems have no structure and they feel it really isn't working anyway.



My experience supports this observation.  During this time away from school, I would say about 30-40% of the teaching staff are making a decent effort with respect to distance learning.  The rest are making little or no effort or are riding on the coattails of those making an effort.

The problem with this reality is the educational system will NOT recognize those people who contribute individually and reward them.  The world of elementary and secondary education does NOT adequately recognize and reward individual contributions like the private sector does.  That must change if we are to see meaningful improvement in our educational systems.

This is where school board and administrations continue to fail in their responsibility to increase the educational rigor in their respective districts. 




mdurette said:


> At this point, I don't really see schools reopening this year.   I wonder if there will be school requirements over the summer.....



I hope schools close for the remainder of this school year and take measures to start the 2020-2021 SY on schedule (if the medical concerns are addressed).  This year is shot as the announced cancellation of required EOY testing means students have pretty much tuned out as they usually do AFTER EOY testing is given.  Which brings up two other points...

EOY testing is NOT given at the end of the year - rather (in some cases) 6-8 BEFORE the EOY.  This should have been addressed years ago as computer based testing become the norm and move the EOY testing to the last 2-3 weeks of school.

_*If we (as a society) are ever going to move off the agrarian influenced school calendar, NOW is the time to do exactly that. *_


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## missyrcrews (Apr 4, 2020)

I am an ed tech, working with 8th graders who have special needs.  However one feels about technology and learning...there is NO substitute for being right there with a child who has special needs.  I'm using zoom, email, phone calls, google meets, paper worksheets that I mail...anything and everything.  And I still wish I could just take my white board and go be outside their window.  I think we'd get more done.  It is EXHAUSTING in a whole different way, but I'm giving it everything I have.  I'm working crazy hours, because the kids that I serve aren't necessarily up and moving at 8am.  So I might be doing things with them after I get home from Target....you get the picture!

And to the previous poster...it's too early in the day for my blood to boil...so I'm going to ignore you and go on about my day.    I am doing what I'm doing because I am called to do it.  It is where I belong.  I stand in the gap between students and teachers.  I am not doing this because I am *less than* in any way, or because I couldn't make the grade.  It's a choice, and I love it.  Period.

I, too, think we'll be out for the rest of the year.  I serve an area that has loads of low-income kids.  They don't have internet access, or the connections aren't great.  They depend on school for socialization and food.  The emotional and mental fallout from this is going to be huge, and we will need to start off next year (or whenever we go back!) addressing the tolls.  School closure was needed, for sure, but I think there's more at stake than we initially realized.


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## needvaca (Apr 4, 2020)

Bbodb1- where on earth are you coming up with your comments?  They seem way off base to me, at least in my region.  The teachers I know, both in my kids’ schools and my friends, all work extremely hard and after hours, and it’s not about the pay for them, because if it was, they’d leave in a heartbeat. 

The teachers in my district are handling it fairly well, better than I would I think, and they all seem technically proficient. My 10 yo had her first Zoom meeting the same day I had my first zoom meeting for work. 

I have 4 school age kids, all doing elearning , and I’m working from home and am very busy with that. Luckily my husband is on a work break and is handling the kids. Man, it is crazy busy in my house now. He laid in bed all morning today, just to unwind. Kids are doing great and taking it seriously, and luckily we have a big backyard for “recess” time, because 4 kids staying inside all day would be horrible


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## bbodb1 (Apr 4, 2020)

I will add more details here in a bit but I too work in the educational sector.  Read my post again - I am saying the system as a whole was and is woefully underprepared for what is taking place now.  

Are some teachers making herculean efforts at present - yes, definitely.   
But far too many teachers lack the technical skills required to function in the classroom on a daily basis.  They are even further behind as we turn to distance based learning.


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## dayooper (Apr 4, 2020)

bbodb1 said:


> I will add more details here in a bit but I too work in the educational sector.  Read my post again - I am saying the system as a whole was and is woefully underprepared for what is taking place now.
> 
> Are some teachers making herculean efforts at present - yes, definitely.
> But far too many teachers lack the technical skills required to function in the classroom on a daily basis.  They are even further behind as we turn to distance based learning.



What sector wasn’t woefully underprepared? So you are saying that all teachers must have prepared for online learning in case we have a situation where we move to online learning to to some unforeseen natural disaster?  Understood.

While I understand what you are saying teachers not being technologically proficient enough for online learning is an issue, you should probably not say that most teachers are people that couldn’t cut it in a different profession. It’s offensive and very disrespectful. If you want respectful discussion, you start by being respectful. I don’t think you were trying to offend, but you were so toward many educators and their families. I really hope you don’t show that attitude when you deal with educators in your professional life. 

Sure, there are educators who aren’t good as good as they should be. There are doctors, lawyers, tax accountants, graphic designers, reps from the educational sector that are not good at what they do either. Here’s a hint. You want better people teaching? Show the profession more respect. In 2018, The University of Toledo graduated 18 teachers. That’s k-12 all subjects. Michigan State University had 2 science teachers apply for student teaching. That’s 2 out of ~30,000 students. There are districts in rural Michigan that have had emergency substitutes in science for over 2 years. They can’t find anybody to teach those classes and when they do, they are hired out from underneath them by districts that have more money.

While I think online education should be offered (and in many districts it is), nothing beats face to face teaching. Being able to perform hands on learning, using phenomena to start the topic (videos that are teacher created are nice, but lose the luster and wow factor of watching it in real time), developing the course of action and then have small group and whole class discussions are vital in science. I have been using Zoom to teach my classes, showing them in person the results, using the chat for them to give answers and calling on them to respond. Here’s the thing, I’m in a fairly affluent community where my students have the means to. In a places like Detroit, Flint or other poverty stricken places, they don’t. Many school districts don’t even have money for school supplies or curriculum. How are they going to support technology in every classroom or even building.

I understand you think quality educators need to be able to teach using technology. While it can be very helpful, technology isn’t the answer to everything. A quality teacher knows their subject matter, able to effectively deliver the content and makes connections with their students. That’s first and foremost. Delivering quality education isn’t dependent on it being completely infused with technology. Can it help? Absolutely! Is it right for every situation and student? Nope. An experienced, effective educator knows when technology is right and when it isn’t.


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## jehb2 (Apr 4, 2020)

In our school district we already had an active system in place so moving to homeschool was not a difficult transition at least for the middle and high school.  All middle and high schoolers have a school issued laptop.  All teachers use google classroom.  Most assignments are put in google classroom and a lot of work is turned in google classroom.  Teachers also put their PowerPoint presentations and other relevant materials.  And now they using Zoom.  I they’re doing a really good job given the circumstance.


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## geist1223 (Apr 4, 2020)

In Salem Oregon the School District is issuing Chrome Books to every student. A different issue is if the students have adequate WIFI at home.


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## bbodb1 (Apr 4, 2020)

geist1223 said:


> In Salem Oregon the School District is issuing Chrome Books to every student. A different issue is if the students have adequate WIFI at home.



A good number of districts are doing this from what I can read.  Some districts are also trying to set up short term use hotspots around the community.  It does (once again) give attention to the subject of internet access (which, while related to this, is likely worthy of a discussion on its own...).


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## bbodb1 (Apr 4, 2020)

jehb2 said:


> In our school district we already had an active system in place so moving to homeschool was not a difficult transition at least for the middle and high school.  All middle and high schoolers have a school issued laptop.  All teachers use google classroom.  Most assignments are put in google classroom and a lot of work is turned in google classroom.  Teachers also put their PowerPoint presentations and other relevant materials.  And now they using Zoom.  I they’re doing a really good job given the circumstance.



While it is encouraging to hear of districts that have embraced tools like Google Classroom, what is often overlooked is the content they are placing in those Google Classrooms.  In too many instances, a teacher takes their lesson or lecture notes, enters the into PowerPoint (or Slides, or any other online tool) and considers this a successful implementation of technology in the classroom.  

Our schools are failing to modernize their content and the methods of delivery of that content.  In other words, that old worn out lesson that has been delivered the same way for years is being presented on PowerPoint (or something equivalent).  We have more content, better models, better conceptual tools available today than ever before, yet our districts all too often fail to consider _*what*_ is being presented while they worry about _*how*_ it is being presented. 

This is where the embracing of technology misses its potential because too many districts and teachers believe the presence of technology in the classroom is a measure of progress.


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## bbodb1 (Apr 4, 2020)

dayooper said:


> What sector wasn’t woefully underprepared? So you are saying that all teachers must have prepared for online learning in case we have a situation where we move to online learning to to some unforeseen natural disaster?  Understood.



Just to be clear on this point, my position was (and is) education should have already embraced a move (or been much farther along) toward online based education many years ago.  Online resources have been increasingly available over the last decade but many school districts lack coherent and imaginative policies and procedures on how to use technology resources in the classroom.  Teachers are left on their own in too many cases.

Forward thinking districts are making technology support a higher priority these days.  And while late is better than never, that is a move that should have occurred a decade ago. 

In other words, education _*should already have been embracing online education on a much wider basis long before the COVID 19 crisis started.*_

I'll address your other points here in a bit...


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## WVBaker (Apr 4, 2020)

geist1223 said:


> In Salem Oregon the School District is issuing Chrome Books to every student. A different issue is if the students have adequate WIFI at home.


When last updated on 2/6/2020, 94,000 people in Oregon don't have any wired internet providers available where they live. What do we do those students?








						Internet Access in Oregon: Stats & Figures
					

Oregon is the 34th most connected state in the USA with 97% of Oregonians having access to 10 MBPS internet service from 248 broadband providers.




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## jeffox (Apr 4, 2020)

I tried homeschooling, but after lunch the kids were found in the backyard smoking weed, with their teacher, and their weed was better then mine.

Just kidding, my kids are grown, I was in the backyard alone.


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## bbodb1 (Apr 4, 2020)

WVBaker said:


> When last updated on 2/6/2020, 94,000 people in Oregon don't have any wired internet providers available where they live. What do we do those students?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The easy retort (of course) is satellite based internet service - but in many instances, the cost of such a service is prohibitive (at best).  We have similar issues here in Arkansas.


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## bbodb1 (Apr 4, 2020)

jeffox said:


> I tried homeschooling, but after lunch the kids were found in the backyard smoking weed, with their teacher, and their weed was better then mine.
> 
> Just kidding, my kids are grown, I was in the backyard alone.


Well, you are in Colorado.......


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## WVBaker (Apr 4, 2020)

"School at home" has one very important problem to be successful. Just not enough viable internet access or access at all. Add stay at home to that problem.


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## WVBaker (Apr 4, 2020)

bbodb1 said:


> The easy retort (of course) is satellite based internet service - but in many instances, the cost of such a service is prohibitive (at best).  We have similar issues here in Arkansas.


Not to mention reliability which sucks at best.


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## bbodb1 (Apr 4, 2020)

@dayooper - I understand the points you were making earlier and I will come back to some of your other points later.  The rain has finally stopped outside and I have some outside chores to attend to....

More to follow.


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## Miss Marty (Apr 4, 2020)

Before the Internet and YouTube 

Not to long ago, colleges in our area would broadcast classes on cable television.  You were also able to record them and watch whenever you wanted to.  The college continues to show  local events, updates and graduations exercises.

Hopefully, regular television stations will broadcast educational programs for families who do not have access to the internet.


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## travelhacker (Apr 4, 2020)

Our oldest is in Kindergarten. I certainly applaud the school's efforts to get up and running in just one week (the only week off was our planned spring break), but I think there is WAY too much work. She's in half day Kindergarten, and she has to do about 40-60 minutes of learning apps on an iPad, and then she has typically 7-9 pages of homework (math pages, tracking weather, writing assignments, etc). It takes about 4 hours to get through all the assignments, which is about an hour longer than she would be in school for. 

It's been hard.


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## Miss Marty (Apr 4, 2020)

travelhacker said:


> Our oldest is in Kindergarten. I certainly applaud the school's efforts to get up and running in just one week (the only week off was our planned spring break), but I think there is WAY too much work. She's in half day Kindergarten, and she has to do about 40-60 minutes of learning apps on an iPad, and then she has typically 7-9 pages of homework (math pages, tracking weather, writing assignments, etc). It takes about 4 hours to get through all the assignments, which is about an hour longer than she would be in school for.
> 
> It's been hard.



Thats way too much for a little one!
Plus not everyone owns an ipad or computer


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## Miss Marty (Apr 4, 2020)

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## TravelTime (Apr 4, 2020)

I am impressed that schools have been able to go online as quickly as they have. I praise the schools for how much they have been able to achieve in such a short time.


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## mdurette (Apr 4, 2020)

WVBaker said:


> When last updated on 2/6/2020, 94,000 people in Oregon don't have any wired internet providers available where they live. What do we do those students?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I would assume most households have cell service, that can easily be turned into a hotspot.     Now, the question of data usage and the cost.   Most of the big companies are offering free data for hardship which I believe this would fall into.     Granted it won't cover everyone, but a lot.      OR....the school system I would assume is saving a tiny bit of money somewhere in this shut down.  Even just not heating and cleaning buildings.   Maybe they allocate funds for those that need????


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## mdurette (Apr 4, 2020)

TravelTime said:


> I am impressed that schools have been able to go online as quickly as they have. I praise the schools for how much they have been able to achieve in such a short time.



I think when we all come out of this, we will realize how much more we can do with technology.   I think about companies that are still up and running and 80% of their work force is home, when it use to be 5%.   How we do business and educate everyone may change from all this.


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## mdurette (Apr 4, 2020)

MissyCrew, You are kicking butt lady!   And all in the name of making a difference and helping others.


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## bbodb1 (Apr 4, 2020)

mdurette said:


> I would assume most households have cell service, that can easily be turned into a hotspot.     Now, the question of data usage and the cost.   Most of the big companies are offering free data for hardship which I believe this would fall into.     Granted it won't cover everyone, but a lot.      OR....the school system I would assume is saving a tiny bit of money somewhere in this shut down.  Even just not heating and cleaning buildings.   Maybe they allocate funds for those that need????


Admittedly this applies to the mostly rural areas, but cell service is still quite lacking throughout the country.  While we can get cell service where we live, it is not reliable enough to use as a hotspot on a regular basis.  The problem worsens the further out (more rural) one goes.

I know we are all aware of this but it is in the addressing of the quality of cell service for the remaining areas of the country that a lot of cell towers will need to be built and the ROI is going to be very slow (very unattractive) to cell phone companies.


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## WVBaker (Apr 4, 2020)

mdurette said:


> I would assume most households have cell service, that can easily be turned into a hotspot.     Now, the question of data usage and the cost.   Most of the big companies are offering free data for hardship which I believe this would fall into.     Granted it won't cover everyone, but a lot.      OR....the school system I would assume is saving a tiny bit of money somewhere in this shut down.  Even just not heating and cleaning buildings.   Maybe they allocate funds for those that need????


These are trying and difficult times. Even our children must sacrifice.


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Apr 4, 2020)

DW has been running her fourth grade classes for three weeks now using Zoom.  She is on-line three times per day doing  her instructional sessions that she used to do in her classroom. In between on-line sessions the kids do their assigned work, as they would have typically done in her classroom.  he gives out assignments, and kids submit homework by email.  She feels it working as well as can be expected.  

She has received numerous emails from parents commending her on what she is doing, Many of them appreciate how having the kids in the on-line sessions and doing homework has freed the parents to be able to do their work-from-home activities.

That being said, she says one of her biggest  problems is hovering parents. They make the students nervous or feel pressured to perform.  And sometimes parents start feeding the kids the correct answers.  And sometimes parents will intervene during her on-line sessions with criticisms.  That elicits an immediate response from to stuff it and submit those comments off-line (email).


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## bbodb1 (Apr 4, 2020)

mdurette said:


> I think when we all come out of this, we will realize how much more we can do with technology.   I think about companies that are still up and running and 80% of their work force is home, when it use to be 5%.   *How we do business and educate everyone may change from all this*.



This - definitely.


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## SteelerGal (Apr 4, 2020)

We are fortunate that we are on a small SD but my friends aren’t as fortunate.  However I am very concerned w/ the needs of my SN children who are receiving the bare minimum at this point.(I have restarted private resources at this point which many parents do not have the option to do).. I understand why but if schools are allowed to waiver IEPs, this will negatively affect today’s and future SN children.

I do agree w/ @bbodb1 inregards of the vast # of SD not being modernized.  Hell a significant # of SD were barely surviving prior to the Pandemic.  Hopefully we as a society will begin to prioritize education.


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## Miss Marty (Apr 5, 2020)

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## bbodb1 (Apr 7, 2020)

Add Arkansas to the growing list of states that have closed their schools for the remainder of the 2019-2020 SY.
And I wholeheartedly agree with that decision..


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## needvaca (Apr 7, 2020)

bbodb1 said:


> Add Arkansas to the growing list of states that have closed their schools for the remainder of the 2019-2020 SY.
> And I wholeheartedly agree with that decision..


how are states without Shelter in Place orders going to close their schools for the rest of the school year, like Arkansas?
where are those kids going to go while their parents have to leave the house to work?  who's going to watch those kids?


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## bbodb1 (Apr 7, 2020)

needvaca said:


> how are states without Shelter in Place orders going to close their schools for the rest of the school year, like Arkansas?
> where are those kids going to go while their parents have to leave the house to work?  who's going to watch those kids?



It is a bit of a misnomer to say (as the national media has done) that Arkansas does not have restrictions in play here because we do indeed have those.  While there is NOT a SIP order in effect at this time, the state has closed schools and restricted any gathering of 10 or more people.  The state has been pushing social distancing with every available breath it seems.  

As an aside, you can view the current business limitations on this link: https://www.healthy.arkansas.gov/images/uploads/pdf/Business_limitations_April_4.pdf

If you are interested in more info on COVID-19 in Arkansas, click this link: https://govstatus.egov.com/ar-covid-19

A lot of work is being done from home in Arkansas - a lot of it for the first time ever in many cases.  Businesses have been encouraged to allow work from home as much as possible.  Obviously, that doesn't apply to every job here but the number of people out and about has radically decreased.  Watching kids is indeed still an issue here but thankfully we have not seen any significant increases in crimes as it seems there are more gatekeepers in more places these days.   One county (Saline) has a stay at home order and you can read about that by clicking here.

One other resource - Gov Hutchinson explains why he has not issued a stay at home order for Arkansas - click here

As an aside, our SY was coming to an end around May 22 so another reason I supported the closing of schools for the remainder of the year is the fact there is not that much school left anyway.  All in all, we seem to be doing better than most states here.  We certainly could be better but could easily be worse.  Our first case was much later than other states so we are likely to peak later.


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## b2bailey (Apr 8, 2020)

On the lighter side, seems many students are hoping they don't get the same teacher next year.


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## T-Dot-Traveller (Apr 8, 2020)

jeffox said:


> I tried homeschooling, but after lunch the kids were found in the backyard smoking weed, with their teacher, and their weed was better then mine.
> 
> Just kidding, my kids are grown, I was in the backyard alone.



heard this one - first day of (home) school 
- 2 kids got suspended & a teacher got drunk .......


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## bluehende (Apr 8, 2020)

T-Dot-Traveller said:


> heard this one - first day of (home) school
> - 2 kids got suspended & a teacher got drunk .......



I heard it

2 kids got suspended for fighting
a teacher got fired for drinking on the job
but that is ok because she is sleeping with the principal.


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## Miss Marty (Apr 12, 2020)

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## pedro47 (Apr 13, 2020)

Questions are kids at home, still required to wear uniforms to class and turn in homework assignments on time?

LOL


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## MrockStar (Apr 13, 2020)

pedro47 said:


> Questions are kids at home, still required to wear uniforms to class and turn in homework assignments on time?
> 
> LOL


I will let you know next week when my wife starts teaching High school physics online next week after the School board approves the curriculum.  This should be interesting.


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## Miss Marty (May 8, 2020)

*Teachers Guide for Classroom and Home School *

Teacher's Guides have been developed at SeaWorld and Busch Gardens to help you teach students in an active, hands-on way. Each guide includes goals and objectives, information, vocabulary, a bibliography, and classroom activities. Activities strive to integrate science, mathematics, geography, art, and language.

https:// seaworld.org /teachers/guides/

The SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Education Departments offer more than 75 print educational resources for teachers. Information booklets and Teacher's Guides provide animal information and classroom activities.

Great Opportunity for Teachers and Parents to  teach students and children "While Staying At Home".  All you need is a computer, laptop or phone with access to the internet and a way to open & save pdf files or a printer to print out booklets & guides.

Activities strive to integrate science, mathematics, geography, art, and language.

Thank You _SeaWorld and Busch Gardens_  for these amazing educational tools to help teach our children  (K-Grade 3 and Grade 4-8) especially during these uncertain times.


----------



## bogey21 (May 8, 2020)

bbodb1 said:


> The easy retort (of course) is satellite based internet service - but in many instances, *the cost of such a service is prohibitive (at best)*.  We have similar issues here in Arkansas.


My Son has satellite Internet service.  It works like a charm and in case anyone cares it costs him roughly $75 per month.  I'll leave it to others to decide if this is prohibitive or not...

George


----------



## MULTIZ321 (May 9, 2020)

'l Am Doing My Best ' - Teaching Math During the School Closure Crisis.









						'I Am Doing My Best' - Teaching Math During the School Closure Crisis
					

Four teachers offer remote teaching tips for math instruction, including recognizing that nothing they do is going to be anywhere near




					mobile.edweek.org
				



.


Richard


----------



## bbodb1 (May 9, 2020)

Just an update from our frontline:

As we near the end of what would have been our school year (2 weeks to go), participation rates (both paper and online) have cratered. However, to be fair, were we still in school we see this phenomena occur at this time of year as well.  Once EOY testing occurs (which for us is in early April - which makes no sense either), the last month (or so) of school is so filled with other EOY stuff as to render those weeks nearly useless. 

Our district is trying to figure out how to start next year (assuming we can start in person AND with all students present).  
In fact, that may be a good place to pause this report. 
Due to what may still be in play come August (social distancing requirements), there is NO way we can use existing classrooms, buses, hallways, and cafeterias and maintain anything close to appropriate social distancing.  

The problem here is you have to make plans and take into account any possibility that might occur. 
And that is going to make for a very complicated summer leading up to the '20-'21 SY.


----------



## needvaca (May 9, 2020)

Educators- do you think this elearning will help push a movement back to TEXTBOOKS?  I've been appalled over the years how schools are just dropping them.  My high schooler has 0 textbooks for all her classes, my middleschooler only has 1.  I'm finding it almost impossible to help my kids understand algebra, or other complicated subject without textbooks clearly laying out the steps to problem solve.

Let's be real- school have ditched textbooks, simply as a cost saving measure, nothing else.  Books have been used for centuries- they work.  Watching a youtube to learn a complicated equation will NEVER be the same as being able to review and study it repeatedly in a book.  And I'm sick of trying to find/purchase old used textbooks in order to teach my kids what they should be learning from school


----------



## pedro47 (May 9, 2020)

MULTIZ321 said:


> 'l Am Doing My Best ' - Teaching Math During the School Closure Crisis.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Math theories and steps have not changed . It is the method in the classroom, using computers to solve problems, that have changed .  IMO, there are some students that do not know the step by step process to solve mathematical problems.
That is the big change. IMHO.


----------



## pedro47 (May 9, 2020)

MrockStar said:


> I will let you know next week when my wife starts teaching High school physics online next week after the School board approves the curriculum.  This should be interesting.


Did your spouse take physics in high school or college and how many years ago????.
The theory is the same, but the method of teaching physics has changed. LOL.


----------



## MrockStar (May 9, 2020)

WVBaker said:


> When last updated on 2/6/2020, 94,000 people in Oregon don't have any wired internet providers available where they live. What do we do those students?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The same thing we are in Metro Detriot. USPS mail.


----------



## pedro47 (May 9, 2020)

Miss Marty said:


> Attn: Kentucky Parents and Teacher
> 
> Public schools in Louisville and Lexington Kentucky are among those implementing Kentucky’s non-traditional instructional program for the first time next week, having a state approved distance learning plan for each student in exchange for not having to make up days this school year.
> Families having technology issues can call (859) 381-4410 to talk with technicians.
> ...


Where is the state of Arkansas educational system ranked out of the fifty (50th) 
states in the United States of America?


----------



## MrockStar (May 9, 2020)

pedro47 said:


> Did your spouse take physics in high school or college and how many years ago????. LOL.


No, she worked at Wane state in a tissue culture Lab with high tech cell cameras, radio active doping for 15yrs before becoming a teacher. She her BS in Microbiology degree, there. Then went for her BE in education while pulling Strait A's and working full time. So thanks for your concerns about her Professional qualifications. PS She is DX certified to teach ALL science subjects.


----------



## pedro47 (May 9, 2020)

MrockStar said:


> No, she worked at Wane state in a tissue culture Lab with high tech cell cameras, radio active doping for 15yrs before becoming a teacher. She her BS in Microbiology degree, there. Then went for her BE in education while pulling Strait A's and working full time. So thanks for your concerns about her Professional qualifications. PS She is DX certified to teach ALL science subjects.


I liked your comments. Now how many other parents will have her qualifications to teach physics at home?


----------



## MrockStar (May 9, 2020)

pedro47 said:


> I liked your comments. Now how many other parents will have her qualifications to teach physics at home?


Thanks Pedro, her coworkers science teachers are all very skilled and up to date on modern teaching skills. Not sure about other districts. YMMV


----------



## pedro47 (May 9, 2020)

MrockStar said:


> Thanks Pedro, her coworkers science teachers are all very skilled and up to date on modern teaching skills. Not sure about other districts. YMMV


Your school district is blessed to have science teachers that are all skilled and up to date using computers to teach modern science courses. IMHO.


----------



## dayooper (May 9, 2020)

pedro47 said:


> Your school district is blessed to have science teachers that are all skilled and up to date using computers to teach modern science courses. IMHO.



Ummmm . . . I guess the district I teach in is in that catergory to. I teach middle school science, and the majority of our teachers are doing the same. The majority of the teachers in my subject/grade level meet via Zoom regularly to go over what we are doing and share our lesson ideas. Most of my/our assignments and curricular materials are Google based so the transition of getting the work/materials our students and parents was easier. The use of simulations such as pHet (from the University of Colorado in Boulder) also makes online learning easier. Michigan Tech has created, through its Mi-Star program, a series of lessons that can be taught at any point in the curriculum, no previous knowledge needed.

Are any of these programs and techniques even as close to being effective face to face teaching? Absolutely not.


----------



## louisianab (May 9, 2020)

needvaca said:


> Educators- do you think this elearning will help push a movement back to TEXTBOOKS?  I've been appalled over the years how schools are just dropping them.  My high schooler has 0 textbooks for all her classes, my middleschooler only has 1.  I'm finding it almost impossible to help my kids understand algebra, or other complicated subject without textbooks clearly laying out the steps to problem solve.
> 
> Let's be real- school have ditched textbooks, simply as a cost saving measure, nothing else.  Books have been used for centuries- they work.  Watching a youtube to learn a complicated equation will NEVER be the same as being able to review and study it repeatedly in a book.  And I'm sick of trying to find/purchase old used textbooks in order to teach my kids what they should be learning from school


My kids math and reading textbooks are more like workbooks - with the stories and the problems built into the book. I think it is great. They integrate real time into the lessons - for example - the reading textbook has the kids go back and highlight or underline certain context clues or words, then they use those things to create summaries or further explorations or arguments. It is also much easier since they sent them home and they don't have to return them.


----------



## dayooper (May 9, 2020)

needvaca said:


> Educators- do you think this elearning will help push a movement back to TEXTBOOKS?  I've been appalled over the years how schools are just dropping them.  My high schooler has 0 textbooks for all her classes, my middleschooler only has 1.  I'm finding it almost impossible to help my kids understand algebra, or other complicated subject without textbooks clearly laying out the steps to problem solve.
> 
> Let's be real- school have ditched textbooks, simply as a cost saving measure, nothing else.  Books have been used for centuries- they work.  Watching a youtube to learn a complicated equation will NEVER be the same as being able to review and study it repeatedly in a book.  And I'm sick of trying to find/purchase old used textbooks in order to teach my kids what they should be learning from school



Eh. In Science, we have the New Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Textbooks can be very difficult with the three strands. There are textbooks out there (I saw some a couple of years ago) and they were basically old school textbooks with a couple of Cross Cutting Concepts (CCS) and Science and Engineering Principles (SEP) that really didn’t cover. Those particular strands are best done by hands on and discussion. We use our science logs as our books as everything we do goes in there. Our slide guides have the DCI’s and we also give out info to our kids that goes in there as well. Everything handed out in class is available on line.

Teaching has changed so much in the 20 years I have taught. We used to have our students regurgitate facts and call that knowledge. We now ask our students to use what they know to make decisions, assess data to create solutions to problems, argue their point using evidence and reasoning and have them work cooperatively to solve problems. These are 6th - 8th grade students. The days of reading text books in class, taking notes from power points (or death by PowerPoint) and regurgitating facts are fading. Do text books have a place? Absolutely, as reference material.


----------



## pedro47 (May 9, 2020)

dayooper said:


> Eh. In Science, we have the New Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Textbooks can be very difficult with the three strands. There are textbooks out there (I saw some a couple of years ago) and they were basically old school textbooks with a couple of Cross Cutting Concepts (CCS) and Science and Engineering Principles (SEP) that really didn’t cover. Those particular strands are best done by hands on and discussion. We use our science logs as our books as everything we do goes in there. Our slide guides have the DCI’s and we also give out info to our kids that goes in there as well. Everything handed out in class is available on line.
> 
> Teaching has changed so much in the 20 years I have taught. We used to have our students regurgitate facts and call that knowledge. We now ask our students to use what they know to make decisions, assess data to create solutions to problems, argue their point using evidence and reasoning and have them work cooperatively to solve problems. These are 6th - 8th grade students. The days of reading text books in class, taking notes from power points (or death by PowerPoint) and regurgitating facts are fading. Do text books have a place? Absolutely, as reference material.


Are today's students learning to retain knowledge or they being taught only how to pass the SOL or the SAT or ACT tests.

Are today's students learning how  to write in cursory or are they been taught only how to print?

Are today's students taught how to sign their name?
Everybody first and last name  cannot be "X."

Can today's student write a 500 word essay without using a computer?


----------



## Miss Marty (Jun 10, 2020)

Ignite students' love of history  

*Digital History For Teachers -  Modules About American History*
~ 24 topics that correspond to the major periods in American history ~





__





						Digital History
					





					www.digitalhistory.uh.edu


----------



## Miss Marty (Jun 20, 2020)

When you are unable to Visit the Capital in person or on a school trip
Here is a 52 page pdf Guide to The National Statuary Hall Collection



			https://www.visitthecapitol.gov/sites/default/files/documents/brochures/low-res/CVC_17-117_GuideToStateStatues.pdf
		


National Statuary Hall: Guidebook for a walking tour - Paperback - January 1, 1995


----------



## pedro47 (Jun 20, 2020)

Thanks Miss Marty, I will share this with some history teachers in the 757 area.


----------



## Passepartout (Jun 20, 2020)

The pendulum swings. The state powers that be have decreed that school will commence on Aug. 17, fully 2 weeks ahead of the usual start time- traditionally after Labor Day. Time (and Covid-19) will tell. I think parents are tired of having the little monsters under foot since late Winter.

Jim


----------



## Cornell (Jun 20, 2020)

Passepartout said:


> The pendulum swings. The state powers that be have decreed that school will commence on Aug. 17, fully 2 weeks ahead of the usual start time- traditionally after Labor Day. Time (and Covid-19) will tell. I think parents are tired of having the little monsters under foot since late Winter.
> 
> Jim


I’m moving to Idaho !


----------



## bbodb1 (Jun 20, 2020)

Here in the middle of the high radiation belt (AKA Arkansas), our usual start date is the middle of August. 
Let that sink in for a bit......
100+ degree highs.......90%+ humidity.
Elementary kids.......recess (albeit abbreviated).  

The olfactory senses are overwhelmed .... and that is as nice as I can say it.

Starting after Labor Day would make so much more sense here...


----------



## bogey21 (Jun 20, 2020)

Fortunately my kids are grown and finished with school but if I was a parent today I would carefully watch how much my kids were getting out of "Distance Learning".  If I wasn't satisfied, there is a chance I would consider having them repeat the grade when (if) things get back to normal...

George


----------



## PigsDad (Jun 20, 2020)

bogey21 said:


> Fortunately my kids are grown and finished with school but if I was a parent today I would carefully watch how much my kids were getting out of "Distance Learning".  If I wasn't satisfied, there is a chance I would consider having them repeat the grade when (if) things get back to normal...


I could possibly see holding back a 5 yo before kindergarten, as that is done all the time.  But I cannot imagine holding back an older kid, as the social ramifications would just be too great.  For example, having a HS Junior repeat a year?  I think its been a long time since you have dealt with school-aged kids...

Kurt


----------



## bogey21 (Jun 20, 2020)

I was thinking more of grammar school kids.  If I were to hold them back I would do what I did with mine (although they weren't held back).  I let them finish 5th grade in their Public School then transferred  them to Private School starting in 6th grade.  It did wonders for them and there were no social ramifications...

George


----------



## Miss Marty (Jul 16, 2020)

*Learning at home for...
Teachers - Adults -  Kids *

The white house historical association is a private, nonprofit organization founded in 1961 by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy with a mission to protect, preserve, and provide public access to the rich history of America’s Executive Mansion.

*Presidential Portraits*









						Presidential Portraits
					






					www.whitehousehistory.org
				





*First Lady Portraits*









						First Lady Portraits
					






					www.whitehousehistory.org
				





*History: Portraits and Podcasts *


----------



## spirits (Jul 16, 2020)

needvaca said:


> Educators- do you think this elearning will help push a movement back to TEXTBOOKS?  I've been appalled over the years how schools are just dropping them.  My high schooler has 0 textbooks for all her classes, my middleschooler only has 1.  I'm finding it almost impossible to help my kids understand algebra, or other complicated subject without textbooks clearly laying out the steps to problem solve.
> 
> Let's be real- school have ditched textbooks, simply as a cost saving measure, nothing else.  Books have been used for centuries- they work.  Watching a youtube to learn a complicated equation will NEVER be the same as being able to review and study it repeatedly in a book.  And I'm sick of trying to find/purchase old used textbooks in order to teach my kids what they should be learning from school



You are absolutely right.  They got rid of curriculum developers years ago because of the expense.  As a teacher, I loved having a textbook with the ability to adapt my lessons by utilizing my own adaptions.  So much of it was driving by administration touting the benefits of technology...and they had a point.  Teachers were almost forced to utilize technology or be thought of as dinosaurs and shuffled out the door.  And to be fair...being adept at technology is going to be a strength in today's world.
Work with us...we are trying to do the best we can.  There are many good sites online that teachers will be utilizing and getting out to their students.  RIght now paper handouts are impossible due to Covid.  It will be digital...whether at home or at school.  
Teachers were thrown into a digital world this spring and have spent the last 6 months exploring the capabilities of Google classroom this summer.  Hopefully what will be in the fall will be a big improvement over what was there this spring.
I do know that many students find it hard to do deep reading on a computer screen....but I am not sure if textbooks are the answer.  Publishing companies do not make a lot of money with textbooks.


----------



## rickandcindy23 (Jul 16, 2020)

I think some parents will be home schooling after this debacle.  They will discover that so much can be learned at home with good curriculum.  I know our neighbors taught their kids and realized how little time it takes, if the kids know that recess is the entire afternoon.


----------



## Miss Marty (Jul 21, 2020)

*
Programs at Gettysburg National Military Park include interesting
Lesson Plans (YouTube) Lectures, Reading Adventures and more.

Experience America: National Parks and Historic Places 
Distance Learning Online for Educators, Parents & Kids. 

_A Valuable Educational Resource 
Especially during Covid-19 pandemic._





__





						Teachers (U.S. National Park Service)
					






					www.nps.gov


----------



## Miss Marty (Aug 2, 2020)

*
History and Education

Articles and Photos from Gettysburg Daily will help inspire and 
educate students of all ages  to experience Gettysburg online.

Click on website - Open Archives - Select Article 
View pictures - Read and Listen to some Videos

_An Educational Resource for learning at home
Especially during the pandemic._ 









						Archives | Gettysburg Daily
					

Search July 2022   17: Little Round Top looking to Big Round Top in 1881. May[...]




					www.gettysburgdaily.com


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Aug 7, 2020)

Rare syndrome linked to COVID-19 found in nearly 600 U.S.children: CDC.










						Rare syndrome linked to COVID-19 found in nearly 600 U.S. children: CDC
					

Nearly 600 children were admitted to U.S. hospitals with a rare inflammatory syndrome associated with the novel coronavirus over four months during the peak of the pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a report on Friday.




					www.reuters.com
				



.


Richard


----------



## pedro47 (Aug 8, 2020)

Interesting article.


----------



## Miss Marty (Aug 22, 2020)

*Attn: Parents and Educators
kindergarten through high school*

Are your children and/or students interested in,
wildlife, habitat conservation, visual arts and stamps?  

Connect Children with Nature Through Science and Art!
~ Federal Junior Duck Stamp Conservation Program ~

Please be a part of this American tradition, 
be a part in conserving America’s future by 
purchasing Junior Duck Stamps. 






						U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - Migratory Bird Program | Conserving America's Birds
					

The Federal Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program is a dynamic art- and science-based curriculum that teaches wetland and waterfowl conservation to students in kindergarten through high school. The program encourages students to explore their natural world, invites them to...




					www.fws.gov


----------



## Miss Marty (Aug 24, 2020)

_Attn: Parents and Educators (Great for Home School learning) _

Are your children and/or students interested in postage stamps?  

Here is a link to the 2020 Stamp Catalog from USPS. 
with Bugs Bunny on the cover... 

You can save it as a 48 page pdf, 
print it out or order your free copy. 



			https://www.usps.com/stamp-collecting/assets/pdf/usa_philatelic_catalog.pdf


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Aug 29, 2020)

University of Alabama now has more than 1 ,000 COVID-19 cases with nearly 500 in the past three days.









						University of Alabama now has more than 1,000 COVID-19 cases -- with nearly 500 in the past three days
					

As COVID-19 cases continue to mushroom, the University of Alabama says it coronavirus quarantine capacity could be over-strained.



					www.usatoday.com
				




Richard


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Aug 29, 2020)

One university may have the best COVID testing 
operation in the U.S. and tests students twice 
a week 









						One university may have the best COVID testing operation in the U.S.—and tests students twice per week
					

An Illinois school has radically revolutionized large-scale COVID testing.




					fortune.com
				




Richard


----------



## needvaca (Aug 29, 2020)

Our school district started back on Monday, on a totally remote basis (even though families wanted hybrid, we live in IL that has a mandatory mask policy)
Our schools had internet’s outages every single day, with a daily apologetic email from the school district. I have 4 kids in 3 different schools (elementary, middle, high school). It affected all of them. 
This was in addition the the nationwide Zoom outages on Monday.


----------



## Cornell (Aug 29, 2020)

MULTIZ321 said:


> One university may have the best COVID testing
> operation in the U.S. and tests students twice
> a week
> 
> ...


This article is so misleading.  I have many many friends who have kids at U of IL and this twice a week testing thing is NOT going well at all.


----------



## WVBaker (Aug 29, 2020)

Cornell said:


> This article is so misleading.  I have many many friends who have kids at U of IL and this twice a week testing thing is NOT going well at all.


Not going well?  Did anyone not see that coming?


----------



## Cornell (Aug 29, 2020)

@needvaca Not sure if you saw my post in the school thread that got closed but D214 released their metrics for re-opening last night.  I don't see it happening this year . If ever.


----------



## Monykalyn (Aug 29, 2020)

needvaca said:


> Our school district started back on Monday, on a totally remote basis (even though families wanted hybrid, we live in IL that has a mandatory mask policy)
> Our schools had internet’s outages every single day, with a daily apologetic email from the school district. I have 4 kids in 3 different schools (elementary, middle, high school). It affected all of them.
> This was in addition the the nationwide Zoom outages on Monday.


Ours started past Monday as well, with hybrid although parents overwhelmingly wanted all in person. 
I hope the virtual 3 day a week gets into a rhythm and goes better-kid (HS freshman) is done with lessons/assignments within 1.5 hours. He has gotten up at 730 to start lessons and is back taking a nap by 930. I have to work (from home since March) but I think I am going to need to start doing "split shift" so I have time in middle of day to do extra with him. DH is sometimes home, sometimes out. 
The teachers are unhappy about how the hybrid works as it is literally DOUBLE work for them. They really didn't have much say in how it was to work-more TOLD this is how it is.


----------



## Cornell (Aug 29, 2020)

Monykalyn said:


> Ours started past Monday as well, with hybrid although parents overwhelmingly wanted all in person.
> I hope the virtual 3 day a week gets into a rhythm and goes better-kid (HS freshman) is done with lessons/assignments within 1.5 hours. He has gotten up at 730 to start lessons and is back taking a nap by 930. I have to work (from home since March) but I think I am going to need to start doing "split shift" so I have time in middle of day to do extra with him. DH is sometimes home, sometimes out.
> The teachers are unhappy about how the hybrid works as it is literally DOUBLE work for them. They really didn't have much say in how it was to work-more TOLD this is how it is.


This cannot be easy on teachers. Full remote must be very difficult too.


----------



## needvaca (Aug 29, 2020)

Monykalyn said:


> Ours started past Monday as well, with hybrid although parents overwhelmingly wanted all in person.
> I hope the virtual 3 day a week gets into a rhythm and goes better-kid (HS freshman) is done with lessons/assignments within 1.5 hours. He has gotten up at 730 to start lessons and is back taking a nap by 930. I have to work (from home since March) but I think I am going to need to start doing "split shift" so I have time in middle of day to do extra with him. DH is sometimes home, sometimes out.
> The teachers are unhappy about how the hybrid works as it is literally DOUBLE work for them. They really didn't have much say in how it was to work-more TOLD this is how it is.



Actually the majority of our parents (60+%) also wanted full-time in school, but we’re willing to settle with hybrid, so at least we’d have some in school time, but the district and teachers union insisted on full remote (even though 2/3 of the teachers were willing to go back to the classroom. ). They even cut the school day by 2.5 hours. So, in the end they picked the option that only satisfied 10-15% of the families, and it’s not working well.


----------



## bogey21 (Aug 29, 2020)

WVBaker said:


> When last updated on 2/6/2020, 94,000 people in Oregon don't have any wired internet providers available where they live. What do we do those students?



What am I missing here.  My Son lives in rural Texas.  He uses satellite internet.  The cost is roughly $75 per month.  I have been to his house and used it extensively.  It works great.  Is satellite internet not available in Oregon...

George


----------



## WVBaker (Aug 29, 2020)

bogey21 said:


> What am I missing here.  My Son lives in rural Texas.  He uses satellite internet.  The cost is roughly $75 per month.  I have been to his house and used it extensively.  It works great.  Is satellite internet not available in Oregon...
> 
> George



Hi George,

I've spoken with many friends scattered throughout the Mid-Atlantic and have heard of mixed results. Some of those live in rural areas where satellite internet is the one and only option. One thing that you can say is, satellite internet is available and works virtually anywhere. It also saves the costs of having to use mobile hotspots.

All have complained that it simply can't match the speed of wired internet. This of course means that a user, in an overwhelming number of case, will have trouble with VOIP. Video will be hit or miss as well. The reason for this is a high latency, or “ping factor”.

Those who reside in a densely forested area will most likely not be able to use satellite internet unless a clear and straight access line of sight is available. In these cases, the trees, in that line of sight, will need to removed. Testing must also be completed in the summer because of the leaves on the trees. You may have a line of sight in the winter and not in the summer. Satellite internet is also notorious for loss of service during inclement weather.

Satellite internet will in most cases will be expensive, have prohibitive data caps, won't support a VPN and have long minimum contracts.


----------



## PigsDad (Aug 29, 2020)

bogey21 said:


> What am I missing here.  My Son lives in rural Texas.  He uses satellite internet.  The cost is roughly $75 per month.  I have been to his house and used it extensively.  It works great.  Is satellite internet not available in Oregon...
> 
> George


You said you've used it "extensively".  Have you used it to live stream video?  Have you used it on Zoom or other two-way video conferencing calls?  There are major differences in the speed (upload, download, latency) required for these online interactive teaching tools vs. checking email or surfing the web.

Kurt


----------



## bogey21 (Aug 29, 2020)

PigsDad said:


> You said you've used it "extensively".  Have you used it to live stream video?  Have you used it on Zoom or other two-way video conferencing calls?  There are major differences in the speed (upload, download, latency) required for these online interactive teaching tools vs. checking email or surfing the web



The answer is "No".    Maybe I am being naive...

George


----------



## TravelTime (Aug 29, 2020)

bogey21 said:


> What am I missing here.  My Son lives in rural Texas.  He uses satellite internet.  The cost is roughly $75 per month.  I have been to his house and used it extensively.  It works great.  Is satellite internet not available in Oregon...
> 
> George



You would think internet would be accessible and reliable everywhere but it is not. 

We live 10 minutes from Auburn, CA is an upscale country club community. The internet is bad out here. We have two internet providers in our home so when one goes down, we can use the other. One is AT&T and the other is SuddenLink. AT&T is really slow and we get a lot of interference. When I am on Zoom calls, I often get a “internet is slow“ warning. SuddenLink is fast but it goes out several times a day so it is unreliable. We are paying $155 per month to have the two services. My husband says that satellite is an option but it is slower than AT&T. We are waiting for SuddenLink to update its equipment and hope it will not drop as often. We can‘t get cell service in our home either so my cell phone runs on WiFi in my house.

I had satellite internet in Roseville, CA for an office in a suburban area. I could not get regular internet there because no one served that location. I could have gotten a fiber line for $400 a month. I had direct line of sight to the tower so it worked very well for me.

We have some land in another country club community in Carmel. Reliable internet service is a problem there. It is a huge 20,000 acre community (the size of Manhattan) so it is a vast area. 

Even in Los Gatos, CA, a major town in Silicon Valley, we had trouble with internet. We started with Verizon and switched to Comcast. 

Maybe my standards for internet are too high?


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Aug 29, 2020)

University of Arizona scientists say they prevented campus coronavirus outbreak through wastewater testing 









						University of Arizona scientists say they prevented campus coronavirus outbreak through wastewater testing
					





					theweek.com
				





Richard


----------



## TravelTime (Aug 29, 2020)

mdurette said:


> I would assume most households have cell service, that can easily be turned into a hotspot.     Now, the question of data usage and the cost.   Most of the big companies are offering free data for hardship which I believe this would fall into.     Granted it won't cover everyone, but a lot.      OR....the school system I would assume is saving a tiny bit of money somewhere in this shut down.  Even just not heating and cleaning buildings.   Maybe they allocate funds for those that need????



We do not have cell service in our house.


----------



## TravelTime (Aug 29, 2020)

pedro47 said:


> Questions are kids at home, still required to wear uniforms to class and turn in homework assignments on time?
> 
> LOL



We are lucky that kids are wearing their underwear. LOL


----------



## amycurl (Aug 29, 2020)

The University of Arizona experience has gotten everyone on college campuses in my neck of the woods very excited. A little science, which ties into the mission of the university, PLUS, protecting and prohibiting spread. For those that didn't read the article, they discovered the virus in effluent from a dorm, started testing, found two asymptomatic carriers, isolated them, and protected the other 300+ students from spread. 

THIS kind of monitoring is what it will take to really mitigate/ control the spread of the virus in lieu of a vaccine.

The other successful strategy seems to be widespread, ongoing "sentinel" testing of random folks, which allows you to pick up virus presence quickly, target further testing, and isolate positive cases.


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Aug 29, 2020)

Over 1,000 students have tested positive for Covid-19 at University of Alabama 
since classes resumed 










						Over 1,000 students have tested positive for Covid-19 at University of Alabama since classes resumed | CNN
					

More than 1,000 students at the University of Alabama have tested positive for Covid-19 since classes resumed on the Tuscaloosa campus less than two weeks ago, according to the University of Alabama System.




					www.cnn.com
				





Richard


----------



## Monykalyn (Aug 31, 2020)

needvaca said:


> Actually the majority of our parents (60+%) also wanted full-time in school, but we’re willing to settle with hybrid, so at least we’d have some in school time, but the district and teachers union insisted on full remote (even though 2/3 of the teachers were willing to go back to the classroom. ). They even cut the school day by 2.5 hours. So, in the end they picked the option that only satisfied 10-15% of the families, and it’s not working well.


 Yeah our plan was "developed" with everyone other than teachers-including some who may be financially benefiting from the arrangement. What's really frustrating is all the surrounding districts are 5 seated days a week. Football is going on, but all marching band competitions cancelled. And for those who are seated 5 days a week if quarantine at home is needed then the teacher is required to do the online teaching for them as well. 
Would it not have made more sense for a dedicated set of teachers who do online only? And those who desired to be in the classroom allowed to be there? My street has 5 teachers in about 10 houses-not a single one is happy with the plan. Our district is looking for a whole heck of a lot of "sub" teachers-state only requires 20 hours training to become a sub; hub is considering it as his business is hugely impacted. 


TravelTime said:


> We are paying $155 per month to have the two services.


 Wow! And for iffy service. Wish those who want to brush off virtual learning as "easy" or the "only option" actually considered the ramifications for at risk families. 


amycurl said:


> THIS kind of monitoring is what it will take to really mitigate/ control the spread of the virus in lieu of a vaccine.


Remember reading something about how wastewater could be used to identify community outbreaks or potential outbreaks/hot spots before they got out of control pretty early on. Pretty cool to see it in practice!!


----------



## TravelTime (Aug 31, 2020)

This story is just nuts. Some kids were using WiFi at Taco Bell. Someone called the authorities on them for child neglect. 









						Little Girls Use Taco Bell's Wi-Fi for School Get Help from Community — TMZ
					

In a previous version of this story, a social media post stated the children were almost taken from the mother by local law enforcement for possible child endangerment and neglect.




					apple.news


----------



## Luanne (Aug 31, 2020)

Some creative ways employers are making virtual learning work for their employees.

https://news.cuna.org/articles/118219-credit-union-school-is-in-session


----------



## PigsDad (Aug 31, 2020)

Luanne said:


> Some creative ways employers are making virtual learning work for their employees.
> 
> https://news.cuna.org/articles/118219-credit-union-school-is-in-session


What a great, heartwarming story!

Kurt


----------



## needvaca (Aug 31, 2020)

TravelTime said:


> This story is just nuts. Some kids were using WiFi at Taco Bell. Someone called the authorities on them for child neglect.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



This is what happens when schools are closed. 
Kids left alone to fend for themselves. Especially those below the median income level. 
This is not a “parent” problem. It’s a society problem. But no one wants to take ownership.


----------



## Cornell (Aug 31, 2020)

needvaca said:


> This is what happens when schools are closed.
> Kids left alone to fend for themselves. Especially those below the median income level.
> This is not a “parent” problem. It’s a society problem. But no one wants to take ownership.


Very disturbed by child neglect in this remote learning scenario.  It is just a matter of time before we start hearing of children who are really too young , left alone, for long periods of time day after day.  So depressing and awful.


----------



## bogey21 (Sep 1, 2020)

Her is a real world update on my Daughter's 3 kids (ages 13, 11 and 7 or 8).  All attend a relatively small K thru 12 Christian School.  They are in their 3rd Week of real in person school.  So far only one confirmed virus case.  It is a Sophomore in HS who contracted the virus from his Brother who is attending college.  My Daughter's school did a lot of contact tracing and to be safe required a couple of kids, although uninfected, to work from home for about 2 weeks.  So far, so good...

George


----------



## Monykalyn (Sep 1, 2020)

TravelTime said:


> This story is just nuts. Some kids were using WiFi at Taco Bell. Someone called the authorities on them for child neglect.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I am surprised we aren't hearing more of this. 
"California is second to Texas in the states with the highest number of students without adequate access. "

For all my griping about our stupid hybrid plan our district started a plan a few years ago to ensure every k-12 student who needed a hotspot got one, and every student had a chromebook. Technology is taken care of, but home supervision remains a huge challenge.


----------



## Cornell (Sep 1, 2020)

Monykalyn said:


> I am surprised we aren't hearing more of this.
> "California is second to Texas in the states with the highest number of students without adequate access. "
> 
> For all my griping about our stupid hybrid plan our district started a plan a few years ago to ensure every k-12 student who needed a hotspot got one, and every student had a chromebook. Technology is taken care of, but home supervision remains a huge challenge.


We are now 3 weeks into remote learning in my neck of the woods.  Zoom uses an incredible amount of bandwidth.  Parents are now complaining that their internet is being throttled by their Internet providers.  The fun continues!


----------



## Cornell (Sep 1, 2020)

In the state of IL, the SAT is a graduation requirement.  Class of '21 should have taken them last spring.  My district still can't figure out how to "safely" administer the test.  Not sure how they are going to pull this off.


----------



## WVBaker (Sep 1, 2020)

*Hampton teacher filling classroom with photo cutouts of students, others    *

Students and teachers across Hampton Roads are preparing to start the school year virtually.

Mark Mingee has taught for nearly 20 years. The history and government teacher at Kecoughtan High School believes the start of the new school year brings new challenges and opportunities.

“You started to see these images on screens various places, or in the transition of cardboard cutouts of people in the stands,” he said. “The more I thought about it, the more I thought, ‘Hey, if I'm going to be in my classroom, and I want there to be people around me, the best thing to do is try to emulate that in some way.'"









						Hampton teacher filling classroom with photo cutouts of students, others
					

Students and teachers across Hampton Roads are preparing to start the school year virtually. One Hampton teacher is taking a unique approach towards filling his classroom ahead of the new year.




					www.wtkr.com


----------



## Monykalyn (Sep 1, 2020)

Cornell said:


> In the state of IL, the SAT is a graduation requirement.  Class of '21 should have taken them last spring.  My district still can't figure out how to "safely" administer the test.  Not sure how they are going to pull this off.


This -honestly- sounds like it would take some time and work to figure out but NOT rocket science. Needs someone who is willing to do work. perhaps the buck keeps getting passed in the district?. 
There are plenty of testing sights-nursing boards, MCATS, etc all require testing - I did my GRE at a Sylvan learning center. So lack of space shouldn't be an issue, but logistics of getting time/dates assigned just seems to require some good old fashioned work effort     Also-testing is silent (low risk of forcibly expelled droplets), mask wearing, GOOD ventilation, for the LOWEST risk group...common sense at SOME point has to prevail right??


----------



## Monykalyn (Sep 1, 2020)

bogey21 said:


> Her is a real world update on my Daughter's 3 kids (ages 13, 11 and 7 or 8).  All attend a relatively small K thru 12 Christian School.  They are in their 3rd Week of real in person school.  So far only one confirmed virus case.  It is a Sophomore in HS who contracted the virus from his Brother who is attending college.  My Daughter's school did a lot of contact tracing and to be safe required a couple of kids, although uninfected, to work from home for about 2 weeks.  So far, so good...
> 
> George


Good stats-curious how they found the "case"? Symptomatic or through the mass testing?


----------



## Luanne (Sep 1, 2020)

Cornell said:


> In the state of IL, the SAT is a graduation requirement.  Class of '21 should have taken them last spring.  My district still can't figure out how to "safely" administer the test.  Not sure how they are going to pull this off.


First I was wondering why the SAT was made a requirement for graduation.  I couldn't find anything, but I did find information about the SAT being waived for students graduating in 2020.  Maybe that waiver will be extended.  But I still want to know why it's even required.

You have probably already seen this document.

https://www.isbe.net/Documents/Grad-Req.pdf


----------



## PigsDad (Sep 1, 2020)

Monykalyn said:


> common sense at SOME point has to prevail right??


I haven't seen any evidence supporting that statement.    

Kurt


----------



## Monykalyn (Sep 1, 2020)

PigsDad said:


> I haven't seen any evidence supporting that statement.
> 
> Kurt


----------



## Cornell (Sep 1, 2020)

Monykalyn said:


> This -honestly- sounds like it would take some time and work to figure out but NOT rocket science. Needs someone who is willing to do work. perhaps the buck keeps getting passed in the district?.
> There are plenty of testing sights-nursing boards, MCATS, etc all require testing - I did my GRE at a Sylvan learning center. So lack of space shouldn't be an issue, but logistics of getting time/dates assigned just seems to require some good old fashioned work effort     Also-testing is silent (low risk of forcibly expelled droplets), mask wearing, GOOD ventilation, for the LOWEST risk group...common sense at SOME point has to prevail right??


The district owns 8 MASSIVE high school buildings.  Come on -- figure out how to spread the kids out.


----------



## Cornell (Sep 1, 2020)

The latest in *SCHOOL WARS *!  You can't make this stuff up. 
From my local suburban mom Facebook group. It's getting ugly out there.

For context:  OLW is a Catholic school which is fully OPEN.  
Westgate is a public school which is closed and parents are doing remote learning.


----------



## TravelTime (Sep 1, 2020)

Cornell said:


> The latest in *SCHOOL WARS *!  You can't make this stuff up.
> From my local suburban mom Facebook group. It's getting ugly out there.
> 
> For context:  OLW is a Catholic school which is fully OPEN.
> ...



So now the public park belongs to the public school?


----------



## Cornell (Sep 1, 2020)

TravelTime said:


> So now the public park belongs to the public school?


LOL - that's what she seems to be implying.  These people want to make my head explode.


----------



## Cornell (Sep 1, 2020)

Luanne said:


> First I was wondering why the SAT was made a requirement for graduation.  I couldn't find anything, but I did find information about the SAT being waived for students graduating in 2020.  Maybe that waiver will be extended.  But I still want to know why it's even required.
> 
> You have probably already seen this document.
> 
> https://www.isbe.net/Documents/Grad-Req.pdf


I certainly hope that waiver is NOT extended.


----------



## TravelTime (Sep 1, 2020)

Students in France return to schools, even as covid-19 cases soar

France pushed forward with the reopening of schools on Tuesday, sending more than 12 million students back for mandatory in-person classes, even after the country reported a sharp rise in new coronavirus cases.

Government officials have warned about a possible need for a second national lockdown, and some schools in highly affected regions will remain closed. But the government wants most students in their classrooms, to facilitate the return of parents to work and to curb a learning gap between high- and low-income students that authorities believe worsened during the two-month lockdown in the spring.

“Not everything should be destroyed by the health situation,” Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer told France’s Journal du Dimanche newspaper. “We must be vigilant, but not forget the educational and social imperatives, nor deviate from our two objectives: improving the educational level of each child and reducing inequalities.”

Despite the recent increase in cases, 79 percent of French parents were in favor of sending their children back to school Sept. 1, according to a recent survey by France’s Ifop polling agency.....



			https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/covid-schools-reopen-france/2020/08/31/21afbd94-e93e-11ea-bf44-0d31c85838a5_story.html?hpid=hp_world1-8-12_france-schools-845am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans


----------



## Luanne (Sep 1, 2020)

Cornell said:


> I certainly hope that waiver is NOT extended.


Why?  Are you in favor of the SAT being a requirement for graduation?  Or maybe you want them to figure out how to administer the SAT for those students who need to take it for college admission.  As I said in my earlier post I was trying to find out how, and why, this became a requirement for graduation.  Are all students then also required to pay for the test?


----------



## DannyTS (Sep 1, 2020)

MULTIZ321 said:


> Over 1,000 students have tested positive for Covid-19 at University of Alabama
> since classes resumed
> 
> 
> ...


I read that the tests are  too sensitive. I am curious how many are actually contagious.


----------



## am1 (Sep 1, 2020)

My sons started 2nd grade in March and less then a week later schools were closed.  ($300 in new uniforms).  Bought double books thankfully at amazon prices and not local but they could have shared.  

At first it was learn by module and then a month later changed to online classes.  The best of a bad situation.  Other privates schools held out till they saw the writing on the wall. (Did not want to offer a significant discount, ours is doing 25% but if the building they rent is a sunk cost and teacher pay has been cut and other jobs eliminated then 25% is not enough.). Purchases two ipads (one the screen has already broke).  

The best part is the it gives my sons something to do, see their friends and learn to learn from online meetings. But teachers come late, end class early, do not cover the material they are suppose to but still due when posted according to google classrooms.  Then there is phys. ed where not much activity can be done.  For sure not easy for any party involved.  But it really comes down to how much the parents put an emphasis on it. I make sure my kids do all the material.  It is for their future and I am paying for it.  

Public schools started in mid July but will still finish in December.  Not right but keeps the calendar the same.  Not nearly as complete and not easy as people live without wifi, electricity, a one/two room apartment or house. 4-5 kids with the grandmother or aunt looking after the kids as the mom and possibly dad are working.  

A few months ago I figured it would be all online this year.  Only chance would be push back from public school parents but after 6 weeks there has been none.  

Thankfully for my kids I am the best teacher although I do suffer from not being able to explain simple math because it is just that. Others are very good at explaining all the steps to adding, subtracting and multiplication.  

Thankfully my kids are at an age where they are able to learn online but not too old where they miss out on the close relationship with a teacher, other students and a focus on what really interests them.


----------



## TravelTime (Sep 1, 2020)

am1 said:


> My sons started 2nd grade in March and less then a week later schools were closed.  ($300 in new uniforms).  Bought double books thankfully at amazon prices and not local but they could have shared.
> 
> At first it was learn by module and then a month later changed to online classes.  The best of a bad situation.  Other privates schools held out till they saw the writing on the wall. (Did not want to offer a significant discount, ours is doing 25% but if the building they rent is a sunk cost and teacher pay has been cut and other jobs eliminated then 25% is not enough.). Purchases two ipads (one the screen has already broke).
> 
> ...



Your situation sounds okay. You are doing the best you can with the situation.


----------



## Cornell (Sep 1, 2020)

DannyTS said:


> I read that the tests are  too sensitive. I am curious how many are actually contagious.


I shared a story elsewhere in TUG but will mention it again.

My good friend's son got a false positive at his university through one of these mandatory test deals (he wasn't sick, wasn't exposed to anyone who was).  It created havoc with entire family.  When they thought he was positive, dad drove 10 hours round trip to pick up son so he wouldn't be quarantined the university covid + dorm.  In the meantime , mom (my friend) had to tell her employer her son was positive and she missed work.  Sister , too, had to miss work.  After son came home he retested twice and negative both times.  All family members negative.  

These mandatory test programs produce false positives and have serious real-life implications .


----------



## am1 (Sep 1, 2020)

Thanks we are trying. Thankfully my sons are in the same grade but different classes by choice originally but would have been better to be in the same class for online.  They benefit from having the best English speaking parent in the school or close to.


----------



## am1 (Sep 1, 2020)

Cornell said:


> I shared a story elsewhere in TUG but will mention it again.
> 
> My good friend's son got a false positive at his university through one of these mandatory test deals (he wasn't sick, wasn't exposed to anyone who was).  It created havoc with entire family.  When they thought he was positive, dad drove 10 hours round trip to pick up son so he wouldn't be quarantined the university covid + dorm.  In the meantime , mom (my friend) had to tell her employer her son was positive and she missed work.  Sister , too, had to miss work.  After son came home he retested twice and negative both times.  All family members negative.
> 
> These mandatory test programs produce false positives and have serious real-life implications .



Better for ten negatives to test positive then one positive to test negative.  Or something like that.


----------



## TravelTime (Sep 1, 2020)

Interesting perspective. She makes a good point that none of the Tuggers have mentioned. Essential workers can’t do home schooling bc they are not home. Essential workers also tend to be lower income and people of color so the educational divide will unfairly affect these groups.

*****

To the Editor (New York Times):

As a proud former New York City teacher and principal for over three decades, I can’t help but applaud the announced opening of schools (now delayed until Sept. 21). We are engaged in two pandemics: Covid-19 and the pandemic of racism. Our youngsters face at the very least years of academic slide, if not trauma.

As we know, Black and Hispanic families have faced the greatest losses. Many of these students are children of essential workers who couldn’t be schooling them at home. Remote learning for poor and special needs children was less than smooth. Finally, schools are the first line of defense for identification of health risks and abuse.

Where else but in classrooms can conversations and healing begin? Teachers are the front line for the care and welfare of our city’s young. Our schools have retained national recognition for excellence. This is possible by the brilliant work of our city’s teachers and administrators, who work tirelessly at creating pathways to reach all youngsters. Perhaps this will be the greatest and most needed challenge to undertake.

Yes, there are risks of infection and spikes. So, too, are there risks for health care workers, supermarket workers and restaurant workers.

I know the greatness of these educators. They will, as always, “make it work.” Our children deserve no less. The classroom must continue to be the safe haven.

Phyllis Reggio
Rockaway Park, Queens


----------



## Cornell (Sep 2, 2020)

"More than 100,000 children across 80 North Texas districts never engaged in assignments or stopped doing them by May 1, weeks after their schools closed down because of the COVID-19 crisis, according to an analysis by _The Dallas Morning News_ of new state data.
_The News _also found that 19,000 students were never in contact with school officials or dropped out of contact.
Educators and researchers worried that this disconnect could result in significant gaps for students at the start of the 2020-21 school year, with some children potentially behind as much as a year of instruction."











						Thousands of North Texas children could be among the ‘lost generation’ of students after they stopped participating in online learning
					

More than 100,000 children across 80 North Texas districts never engaged in assignments or stopped doing them by May 1, weeks after their schools closed down...



					www.dallasnews.com


----------



## Luanne (Sep 2, 2020)

*Report: Coronavirus Cases Rising in Children*

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/report-coronavirus-cases-rising-in-children/ar-BB18DPBz?li=BBnb7Kz


----------



## am1 (Sep 2, 2020)

Cornell said:


> "More than 100,000 children across 80 North Texas districts never engaged in assignments or stopped doing them by May 1, weeks after their schools closed down because of the COVID-19 crisis, according to an analysis by _The Dallas Morning News_ of new state data.
> _The News _also found that 19,000 students were never in contact with school officials or dropped out of contact.
> Educators and researchers worried that this disconnect could result in significant gaps for students at the start of the 2020-21 school year, with some children potentially behind as much as a year of instruction."
> 
> ...



Best solution is to not pass them.  Some will step up to avoid that others will benefits from an extra year of learning.


----------



## bogey21 (Sep 3, 2020)

am1 said:


> Best solution is to not pass them.  Some will step up to avoid that others will benefits from an extra year of learning.


If my child didn't progress to my satisfaction with all that is going on, I'd request that he/she repeat the grade next year when things are back to normal.  I feel this way based on my personal experience.  When I was in 3rd grade we moved.  My old school's year started in January and my new school started in September.  As I had only completed half of 3rd grade when we registered at the new school in September my Parents were given a choice.  I could start 3rd grade over or start in 4th grade.  They opted to have me start 3rd grade over.  I have always believed that decision gave me a leg up on my classmates and started me on a lifetime of academic excellence...

George


----------



## Cornell (Sep 3, 2020)

K-12 Parents' Satisfaction With Child's Education Slips
					

Although a majority of parents of K-12 students are completely (32%) or somewhat satisfied (40%) with their child's education, this marks a 10-point drop in satisfaction since last year.




					news.gallup.com


----------



## TTSDavid (Sep 3, 2020)

Well our school is what we call a charter school. It is not a public school. So they can do things differently and are usually held at a higher standard for learning. They are doing hybrid style teaching due to Covid. So they have distance learning for those that do not want to come in and in class as well. In class size is no more than 15 kids. It is less though. My oldest has 12 in class and my youngest has 8. 

The distance kids are watching live via zoom with the in class. They are social distancing during  class and do not share anything in class either. Lunch is at their desk and not in the lunch room. They do take them outside at lunch to play but again socially distanced. They wear a mask all day as well as all the staff. Temperatures are taken before going on campus and again at lunch. Start and release times are staggered so there is not many coming and going. Only core classes: Social Studies, Math, English Language arts and Science. So the day is shorter. Rooms get cleaned thoroughly every night. If anyone has a fever they cannot come on campus and if they get sick during the day they are taken to a quarantine room right away and the parent is to pick up right away.

So my kids have been doing well with all the changes and not bugged by it at all!

They prefer going! We asked them since they did have their first-week distance. haha

We feel good about all the changes! They even spent a ton to improve the air system to help purify the air as well.


----------



## am1 (Sep 3, 2020)

bogey21 said:


> If my child didn't progress to my satisfaction with all that is going on, I'd request that he/she repeat the grade next year when things are back to normal.  I feel this way based on my personal experience.  When I was in 3rd grade we moved.  My old school's year started in January and my new school started in September.  As I had only completed half of 3rd grade when we registered at the new school in September my Parents were given a choice.  I could start 3rd grade over or start in 4th grade.  They opted to have me start 3rd grade over.  I have always believed that decision gave me a leg up on my classmates and started me on a lifetime of academic excellence...
> 
> George



Our sons start the school year in March.  We have thought about moving for a year to an area where school starts in September.  They are currently one of the youngest in their grade by birthdate but could not finish a grade by 3 months and jump forward and would be too young for that next grade but just by a few weeks.  Then have to work out the reverse coming back somehow.  In theory go March to end of August in their normal grade.  Then September - March in higher grade and take a knee and restart that higher grade again in March back home.  Or do the same but finish the higher grade in June and then come back home and start midway through the year at that same grade.  The whole point of it is just to expose them to another area/school but if it does not work out its all for nothing other then the trying.


----------



## TravelTime (Sep 4, 2020)

Love or hate them, pandemic learning pods are here to stay — and could disrupt American education

...Teachers throughout the nation are sketching out schedules and pondering whether they can squeeze in pod tutoring after virtual school. They are weighing health risks, deciding on ground rules — should all pod students wear masks? — and asking parents how much they will pay. (A lot, it turns out.) Sometimes, they are quitting their jobs to lead pods instead...

That is what Kendra Newton is doing: The 24-year-old first-grade teacher resigned from her job with Orange County Public Schools in Florida after learning she would have to teach in-person this fall. She is moving across the country to Oregon, where she will lead a pod of eight students — for a higher salary than she earned in Florida.

“It gave me a way to feel safe working,” Newton said. “I will have guaranteed money coming in and a stable idea of what my life will be like because there won’t be a school district changing its mind every two seconds. For my mental health, it’s just a better option.”...

Felicia Drake, principal of a Northern Virginia elementary school, said the sudden push for pod learning has shocked her beyond anything else in her 30 years as an educator. The change is so seismic, she said, that it calls to mind the development of charter schools....

And in Denver, the Board of Education posted an extraordinary, more-than-1,000-word statement in mid-August pleading with parents not to start pods.

“If you choose to participate in a pod, please do not hire [Denver Public Schools] teachers,” the statement reads. This “pulls [educators] away from students that need them most.”...

In Maryland’s Montgomery County, private child-care providers have organized “distance learning hubs” in which small groups of students will bring their Chromebooks to empty public school classrooms each day and participate in online learning together. This has spurred protest from some parents who ask why, if this program is allowed, regular school cannot reopen. In the nation’s capital, some businesses are offering families a version of learning pods...



			https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/love-or-hate-them-pandemic-learning-pods-are-here-to-stay--and-could-disrupt-american-education/2020/09/02/3d359f8c-dd6f-11ea-8051-d5f887d73381_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-banner-low_podjobs-645pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans


----------



## jabberwocky (Sep 4, 2020)

I realize we have a lot of covid/education-related threads, so mods feel free to put this in the "online education thread" if you feel it is close enough of a topic.  I thought I would share some of our experiences in sending our kids back to school in-person.

Short background: 
- we have four kids (Grades 2,3, 7 and 9) who normally attend a public school.
- we live just outside of a major Canadian city - current active covid cases in the metro region are around 50/100,000.
- The school is in the city (we drive them).  The neighborhood where the school is has an active case count of 6 (or 18/100,000).
- the covid test positivity rate for our health region is around 1.5%
- All parents in our district were given the option of online school or in-person.  There is no "hybrid" option.  
- You can switch between online/in-person after 12 weeks.
- If you choose online, you will be assigned to a random online class at your grade level for those 12 weeks.
- Masks are mandatory for grades 4-12, optional for K-3.

Our oldest two were supposed to move into a new building and start classes yesterday, but the city hasn't issued the occupancy permit yet, so they will start next week.  The teachers did a couple of daily "check-in" sessions with the class on Google Meet.

The youngest two had their first day today.  The school is staging the return with half of the kids attending for each of the first two days.  Today was basically an orientation session so they understand the protocols.

All kids meet their teacher outside of the school in a designated area and are then taken into the school.  No outside individuals or parents are allowed into the school - even if lunch is left behind.  After school, the teachers bring the children out to the same designated area. 

Within the school, each class is considered a "cohort" and is restricted to certain areas of the school where they can go.  The same applies to recess outside.  No mixing of cohorts is allowed.  Handwashing is mandatory at certain times of the day and before/after some activities (i.e., lunch).

I must say I was really impressed with the teachers.  They greeted our two youngest by name when we walked up - even with their masks obscuring our kids' faces.  Both teachers were very relaxed and said they were so glad they could be teaching in-person as online just isn't the same.  They said the school had been really responsive with the protocols and implementation.  The teachers like the school, so they tend to stick around and families with multiple children get to know the teachers and vice-versa.  For all the bashing teachers get on this issue, I think it is very much a stereotype perpetuated by a vocal minority and not grounded in reality.

Maximum class sizes are set at 25 students for both classes.  I asked how many had chosen the online option.  In our son's grade 2 class cohort only one child chose to go online.  In grade 3, three children were going to be online in that cohort.  Overall for the school campus (grades K-12), 12% choose online.  This compares to 30% for the district as a whole.  

The one thing that surprised me was that the teachers told the kids at the beginning of the day (as well as us parents), that they would encourage the children to be comfortable - and if that means not wearing a mask in the class then that was okay with them.  They are trying to make it as "normal" an experience as possible.  Desks are spread out as far as they can be, and the normal "pods" of four desks facing each other have been replaced with the more traditional rows all facing the front.

I was really touched that the teachers gave each child a "polaroid" type photo of them sitting at their desk on the first day of class (along with two cloth facemasks).  This will be really meaningful to all of those parents of grade one students who will be missing the right of passage for that first day of school as they could not go into the school.

Am I nervous?  A little, but I'm much more comfortable now than I was a few days ago.  I'm also certain that there will be some school outbreaks in the district at some point during the year just based on statistical probability (actually 1/222 class cohorts will have at least one case if my probability calculations are correct and assuming a random distribution).  For us, the educational value of in-person outweighs the slim chance that they will get sick, and an even smaller chance they will die (no person under age 20 has died in our province, and only five under age 60 have - all with comorbidities).  

We're looking forward to next Tuesday...but for now - a long weekend!


----------



## rapmarks (Sep 4, 2020)

My grandkids started this week, two days and two days next week, then full time. They each received a chrome book, even the five year old.  No bus service though. The fifth grader said there were 7 in his class.  All three need in person school and I hope it works. They do wear masks


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## TravelTime (Sep 4, 2020)

jabberwocky said:


> I realize we have a lot of covid/education-related threads, so mods feel free to put this in the "online education thread" if you feel it is close enough of a topic.  I thought I would share some of our experiences in sending our kids back to school in-person.
> 
> Short background:
> - we have four kids (Grades 2,3, 7 and 9) who normally attend a public school.
> ...



This sounds great! I am so glad your kids can get a good education during Covid. I do not have kids but I would think like you do if I had kids. (Just a disclaimer: I am in the process of mentoring a child and also considering adopting. I have worked with kids in my business for the past 14 years.) To me, the educational value of an in person education would outweigh the small risk that a child could get sick or transmit the virus. And I agree there is an even smaller chance someone will die as a result of a child getting sick. Of course, it could happen and that would be terrible. But you could get killed walking across the street or getting the flu this season or from being obese and having a co-morbid condition.


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## Monykalyn (Sep 5, 2020)

TravelTime said:


> Love or hate them, pandemic learning pods are here to stay — and could disrupt American education


That headline should add: And drastically increase the gap between wealthy and working class students, leading to a huge and increasing income gap over their lifetime.

I also have issues with if small groups make a 24 year old feel “safe” why couldn’t the district have figured something out? Oh yeah- because business lobbyists pushed for the “pods” to make money! Always follow the money behind these things


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## bogey21 (Sep 5, 2020)

My Daughter's 3 kids (something like 14, 11 and 8) started in person school about 3 weeks ago.  The environment and protocols are very similar to those described in the Original Post.  So far only one student has been infected with the virus and is now quarantined at home where he picked it up from his Brother who is a college student...

George


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## bogey21 (Sep 5, 2020)

Monykalyn said:


> That headline should add: And drastically increase the gap between wealthy and working class students, leading to a huge and increasing income gap over their lifetime.



This is a sad truth but it is what it is...

George


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## WVBaker (Sep 5, 2020)

Monykalyn said:


> That headline should add: And drastically increase the gap between wealthy and working class students, leading to a huge and increasing income gap over their lifetime.


As George has noted, that "gap" has always been there and will always be there regardless. And yes, it is what it is.


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## TravelTime (Sep 5, 2020)

Monykalyn said:


> That headline should add: And drastically increase the gap between wealthy and working class students, leading to a huge and increasing income gap over their lifetime.
> 
> I also have issues with if small groups make a 24 year old feel “safe” why couldn’t the district have figured something out? Oh yeah- because business lobbyists pushed for the “pods” to make money! Always follow the money behind these things



Agree with the change in headline. The rich get smarter (or was that richer?)...  

I have not heard that business lobbyists are pushing for pods. I did not know there were any learning pod lobbies. As far as I know, there is not yet a learning pod industry. It is very unorganized, to my knowledge. Have you heard differently?

I have heard the reason people are doing pods is because the public schools are closed from in person learning. I have heard the unions are lobbying to keep schools closed to keep teachers safe. It seems to me that if a learning pod industry emerges, the unions can be blamed. There efforts to help teachers may backfire.


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## PigsDad (Sep 5, 2020)

Seems like an appropriate article to post given the current conversation in this thread:

*Denver school board: Learning pods will make segregation and inequality worse*









						Denver school board: Learning pods will make segregation and inequality worse
					

The Denver school board issued a statement Thursday that urged parents to keep their children enrolled in public schools and think carefully before forming learning pods and micro-schools.




					www.coloradopolitics.com
				




Kurt


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## bogey21 (Sep 5, 2020)

TravelTime said:


> It seems to me that if a learning pod industry emerges, the unions can be blamed. There efforts to help teachers may backfire.



Sometimes new industries are born out of necessity.  It is not out of the realm of possibility that parents may decide they prefer learning pods to underachieving schools and stick with them even after we are over the COVID-19 threat.  If this happens, kids attending Public School Systems will be the ones that bear the brunt...

George


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## TravelTime (Sep 5, 2020)

PigsDad said:


> Seems like an appropriate article to post given the current conversation in this thread:
> 
> *Denver school board: Learning pods will make segregation and inequality worse*
> 
> ...



I agree that pods are increasing inequality but I do not agree with any of the recommendations in this article. Parents have to do what is best for their kids. If the public schools are not offering adequate education, then I encourage parents to find alternatives. I do not have kids but have been thinking about adopting. If I had a kid, I would either register them in a private school that is open or hire a tutor or join a learning pod during the pandemic. If I started at a private school, unless the private school turned out to be bad, I would probably end up staying there after the pandemic. I was never an advocate of school vouchers but after I read this article, I think it makes sense to give the funding that the school would have received to the parent if they withdraw from the public schools.


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## Cornell (Sep 5, 2020)

Reporting from suburban Chicago:  We are now several weeks into virtual school and parents are getting increasingly fed up and angry. 
I have formed a group for my school district on social media with the goal of putting pressure on our SD to open up.  Within 24 hours I had 500+ members.  We got a petition with over 700 signatures in 48 hours.  

Various groups like this have rapidly sprung up in the past 2 weeks - representing each district.  We have developed a consortium of sorts. And have a rally planned this upcoming week that has already attracted media attention.  I will be curious to see how many people will actually attend.


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## PigsDad (Sep 5, 2020)

TravelTime said:


> I agree that pods are increasing inequality but I do not agree with any of the recommendations in this article. Parents have to do what is best for their kids. If the public schools are not offering adequate education, then I encourage parents to find alternatives. I do not have kids but have been thinking about adopting. If I had a kid, I would either register them in a private school that is open or hire a tutor or join a learning pod during the pandemic. If I started at a private school, unless the private school turned out to be bad, I would probably end up staying there after the pandemic. I was never an advocate of school vouchers but after I read this article, I think it makes sense to give the funding that the school would have received to the parent if they withdraw from the public schools.


I agree, and that is partly why I posted the article.  Basically, the SB was asking parents not to do what would be best for their kids.  It is a strange world these days.

Kurt


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## Cornell (Sep 5, 2020)

PigsDad said:


> I agree, and that is partly why I posted the article.  Basically, the SB was asking parents not to do what would be best for their kids.  It is a strange world these days.
> 
> Kurt


The statement from the Denver school district is not unique to Denver.  Many districts that have remote-only have put out statements shaming parents who are seeking supplemental education or alternatives for their kids.


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## bogey21 (Sep 5, 2020)

TravelTime said:


> I was never an advocate of school vouchers but after I read this article, I think it makes sense to give the funding that the school would have received to the parent if they withdraw from the public schools.



This is a tough issue.  My wife and I paid between $12 and $14 thousand a year to send our kids to a Christian School.  We also paid a lot in property taxes much of which went  to support the Public School System in our Community.  Many times the thought went through my mind that this was unfair.  But the more I thought about it I always came to the conclusion that if the tax money were rebated to those of us paying Private School tuition, it would have a significant impact on the  quality of our Public Schools which would have a negative effect on property values in our Community...

George


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## TravelTime (Sep 5, 2020)

bogey21 said:


> This is a tough issue.  My wife and I paid between $12 and $14 thousand a year to send our kids to a Christian School.  We also paid a lot in property taxes much of which went  to support the Public School System in our Community.  Many times the thought went through my mind that this was unfair.  But the more I thought about it I always came to the conclusion that if the tax money were rebated to those of us paying Private School tuition, it would have a significant negative effect on property values in our Community...
> 
> George



I agree. We do not have kids and we moved into a high priced home in a good school district. I liked that the school district kept our home price high. So I did not mind paying the property taxes on that home. We sold it for $2.4M. Probably could get more this year.


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## geist1223 (Sep 5, 2020)

Who ever said life was fair? If I had school age children and could afford a POD or Private Teacher I would. My Dad finished High School. My Mom dropped out at 15. Think Grapes of Wrath for my Mom's family. 3 out of 4 of their kids are college Graduates. 2 out of 4 have post graduate degrees. Of the 9 grandkids 8 out of nine are college graduates.


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## TravelTime (Sep 5, 2020)

geist1223 said:


> Who ever said life was fair? If I had school age children and could afford a POD or Private Teacher I would. My Dad finished High School. My Mom dropped out at 15. Think Grapes of Wrath for my Mom's family. 3 out of 4 of their kids are college Graduates. 2 out of 4 have post graduate degrees. Of the 9 grandkids 8 out of nine are college graduates.



I am like you. I was the first to graduate from college. I have 2 master’s degrees now. If I had kids, I would do whatever I could to give them educational advantages. I have always been pro-education bc I see it as a way out of poverty for me.


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## Monykalyn (Sep 5, 2020)

bogey21 said:


> This is a tough issue.  My wife and I paid between $12 and $14 thousand a year to send our kids to a Christian School.  We also paid a lot in property taxes much of which went  to support the Public School System in our Community.  Many times the thought went through my mind that this was unfair.  But the more I thought about it I always came to the conclusion that if the tax money were rebated to those of us paying Private School tuition, it would have a significant impact on the  quality of our Public Schools which would have a negative effect on property values in our Community...
> 
> George


And there in lies the conflict- how long until these pod parents start defending a rebate or lesser taxes as they aren’t using the public schools?

funny how ‘we are all in this together’ until the ones with more means are able “to do better for their kids”.  We really ARE NOT into this together, just when it’s socially convenient. If you truly believe in the betterment of society for ALL all of the time those with the means will work to actually MAKE it that way- not pull their toys and go elsewhere.  And those same people will shame others for being “selfish” for not wearing a mask. Kinda like “stay the eff home” when your home is 6000SQ compound with personal pool and zoo and the frontline worker is sharing a one bedroom with 3 kids.


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## bogey21 (Sep 6, 2020)

Monykalyn said:


> And there in lies the conflict- how long until these pod parents start defending a rebate or lesser taxes as they aren’t using the public schools?



Read carefully.  In my post that you quoted I said although I sent my kids to Private School I was OK with  paying taxes benefiting Public Schools my kids were not attending...

George


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## VegasBella (Sep 6, 2020)

We started homeschooling last year for various reasons, partially because the private school we were using was no longer going to meet our needs (different programs for different ages). Things were challenging but we started to find a groove that worked pretty well. My son attended a group class with other homeschoolers for Language Arts once a week and did small group tutoring for math. I handled all the other subjects with a few extra lessons here and there from Dad. Then COVID hit and it really changed our routine. The group class moved online and my son completely lost interest and we just couldn't get him to keep up. The math tutoring closed temporarily. And I had a hard time motivating my son to do science, geography, social studies... We could do some reading, philosophy, and art but that was it. Without friends or activities he became very difficult. We opted to just focus on maintaining strong relationships and emotional well being, letting any difficult subjects go. As a result my son hasn't done any formal math or writing for months. Some things have opened back up but my family is high risk (I have asthma and my son has CKD - his disease is one reason we chose to homeschool last year) so we aren't supposed to participate in any phase 1 or 2 re-openings. We are encouraged to wait til the re-openings are deemed fully safe for everyone. This is extremely challenging. One thing that keeps me feeling OK about it all is knowing we aren't alone. We know there are other families struggling and that there will be a number of kids who may essentially be a grade behind because of COVID. So at least we have company.


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## VegasBella (Sep 6, 2020)

Monykalyn said:


> And those same people will shame others for being “selfish” for not wearing a mask.



ADA is being exploited for non-mask wearers. The concept is 'reasonable accommodation' for disabilities. It's not reasonable to put other people in danger. If your disability requires UNreasonable accommodation such as risking spreading a deadly disease to other people who have different disabilities, then the accommodation you 'require' is not protected by the ADA, it's just your personal demand.


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## Monykalyn (Sep 6, 2020)

bogey21 said:


> Read carefully.  In my post that you quoted I said although I sent my kids to Private School I was OK with  paying taxes benefiting Public Schools my kids were not attending...
> 
> George


I sorry - wasn’t talking about you specifically! Most people I know don’t mind the taxes as they know it helps overall with the community.  But I do expect many who have means to use the new pod learning and pay extra- and since these people have the money you can bet they will try to influence legislature eventually for a “tax rebate” for the public school they aren’t using.


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## Monykalyn (Sep 6, 2020)

VegasBella said:


> ADA is being exploited for non-mask wearers. The concept is 'reasonable accommodation' for disabilities. It's not reasonable to put other people in danger. If your disability requires UNreasonable accommodation such as risking spreading a deadly disease to other people who have different disabilities, then the accommodation you 'require' is not protected by the ADA, it's just your personal demand.


So this truly who can’t wear masks should also now just lock themselves away?


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## am1 (Sep 6, 2020)

Monykalyn said:


> So this truly who can’t wear masks should also now just lock themselves away?


Yes.  One non mask wearer can infect a lot of people wearing masks.  I prefer people do not get infected.


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## VegasBella (Sep 6, 2020)

Monykalyn said:


> So this truly who can’t wear masks should also now just lock themselves away?


No, they can go places where masks are not required, like many outdoor places.
Otherwise, they will need to refrain from entering enclosed public spaces. There are alternatives available such as delivery, curbside pickup, drive through, etc. Locally, and keeping this post on topic about school, our school lunch program operates as a curbside pickup for families in need. Most necessities are available to people who do not or cannot enter enclosed public spaces safely. Most of us in the high risk groups are also avoiding enclosed public spaces, FYI.

The ADA guarantees reasonable accommodation. What is reasonable varies. I remember moving to New York for a year about 11 years ago and being astonished that many public buildings did not have ramps or easy access for wheelchairs. I learned that in New York providing such accommodation was a much bigger burden than it was in the west where I grew up and thus these buildings were allowed to delay these types of improvements. The burden of the accommodation must be REASONABLE. That's the way the law works. Similarly, many deaf people can tell you how hard it is to get Closed Captions or ASL interpreters for TV, movies, sporting events, concerts, etc. Under many circumstances it's deemed too large of a burden and thus unreasonable to provide such accommodations. This is NOT saying that people with disabilities for whom accommodations are currently deemed unreasonable should 'lock themselves away.' 

Now a thought experiment: Say that a building doesn't have a ramp and has a lot of stairs to the entrance. The entire building is totally inaccessible to someone in a wheelchair. Perhaps it should have a ramp. Now let's say that numerous architects and engineers have examined this building and determined that the only way to add a ramp would interfere with the road/walkway and cause an enormous safety hazard for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians using the road and walkway. There's really no way to safely add a ramp to this articular building unless they demolish it and rebuild. Say that's way too expensive and/or the building has historical value, perhaps THE reason to visit it is because of it's historical value. Would it be unfair to say 'no ramp.' Yeah, might be unfair. But it would be reasonable. It would be the right thing to do in this situation because providing the people in wheelchairs the accommodation they need would be too hazardous to the rest of the public. 

Accommodations for disabilities does NOT include endangering the rest of the public.


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## TravelTime (Sep 6, 2020)

Monykalyn said:


> I sorry - wasn’t talking about you specifically! Most people I know don’t mind the taxes as they know it helps overall with the community.  But I do expect many who have means to use the new pod learning and pay extra- and since these people have the money you can bet they will try to influence legislature eventually for a “tax rebate” for the public school they aren’t using.



I do not have children and I have never minded paying taxes for education. I have just not liked that our taxes overall are too high esp in Northern California.


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## TravelTime (Sep 6, 2020)

VegasBella said:


> No, they can go places where masks are not required, like many outdoor places.
> Otherwise, they will need to refrain from entering enclosed public spaces. There are alternatives available such as delivery, curbside pickup, drive through, etc. Locally, and keeping this post on topic about school, our school lunch program operates as a curbside pickup for families in need. Most necessities are available to people who do not or cannot enter enclosed public spaces safely. Most of us in the high risk groups are also avoiding enclosed public spaces, FYI.
> 
> The ADA guarantees reasonable accommodation. What is reasonable varies. I remember moving to New York for a year about 11 years ago and being astonished that many public buildings did not have ramps or easy access for wheelchairs. I learned that in New York providing such accommodation was a much bigger burden than it was in the west where I grew up and thus these buildings were allowed to delay these types of improvements. The burden of the accommodation must be REASONABLE. That's the way the law works. Similarly, many deaf people can tell you how hard it is to get Closed Captions or ASL interpreters for TV, movies, sporting events, concerts, etc. Under many circumstances it's deemed too large of a burden and thus unreasonable to provide such accommodations. This is NOT saying that people with disabilities for whom accommodations are currently deemed unreasonable should 'lock themselves away.'
> ...



I tend to agree with this. I think public health should override not being able to wear a mask for any reason, not just ADA. Many of our basic liberties have been curtailed now and everyone should chip in. And this is coming from someone (me) who has been wearing a mask against her will.


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## geist1223 (Sep 6, 2020)

Monykalyn said:


> So this truly who can’t wear masks should also now just lock themselves away?



Yes.


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## DrQ (Sep 7, 2020)

12-year-old suspended after teacher spots toy gun during virtual class
					

A 12-year-old boy in Colorado got a five-day suspension for flashing a toy gun across his computer screen during an online art class, according to a report.




					www.foxnews.com
				




"The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office said although the teacher thought it was a toy gun authorities still did a welfare check on Isaiah Elliott without parental notification."​
So they called in the police first before talking to the parents?

I guess the big question is: "Can the school treat your private property as an extension of its campus for ALL policies?"

There is no question that some punishment is in order, but the school also needs to concede that this is a home and not all contraband items are going to be removed from the home during the school year.


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## TravelTime (Sep 27, 2020)

We were approved to adopt an 8 year old girl. So now this discussion of school is real to me. I am evaluating all the local private schools and the public school. Some of the local private schools are already full for third grade. The local public charter school says we can apply for next year because we need to enter the lottery. Based on what is available for a mid year transfer, my finalists are the public elementary, the Catholic school and the Waldorf school. I am including the public charter school because we will enter the lottery just in case we do not like the school we pick this year. There are pros and cons to each.

Catholic School (15 min drive)
Pros: We are Catholic. Small class sizes. All in person learning. Goes through 8th grade. One spot left for 3rd grade. She is currently in a Greek Orthodox school and likes the structures and does well in school. (Greek Orthodox is similar to Catholicism.)
Cons: The Catholic high school she would go to is about 45 minutes away (but that is a future problem).

Waldorf School (10 min drive)
Pros: Really small class size - just 8 students in 3rd grade. Focus on nature and creativity. Holistic approach. Beautiful 40 acre campus in the foothills.
Cons: No electronics or computers even at home. Mixed stories on how rigorous Waldorf schools are. The Waldorf high school is 45 min away (future issue).
Pro or Con: Same teacher through 8th grade (depends on if we like the teacher). Unique curriculum and approach to learning that could be great if it meshed with her learning style or it could be a disaster if it is not a fit.

Public Elementary (5 min drive)
Pros: Free. Would not contribute to the economic divide by supporting the public school. Closest school to us. Public middle school and high school are about a 15 minute drive.
Cons: Hybrid school (Starting Oct 5th, 3 hours on Mon/Tues, remote on other days). Only goes through 3rd grade. Larger class sizes.

Public Charter School (10 min drive)
Pros: Free. Would not contribute to economic divide. Highest rated K-8 school in our area. Public high school nearby (same high school she would go to if she went the public elementary route).
Cons: No opening this school year. Would need to enter the lottery for a spot in 4th grade. Larger class sizes. Hybrid learning this year.

All in all, I am leaning toward the Catholic school. They only have one spot left for 3rd grade. We are touring the schools this week. If we decide on the Catholic school, I will register her and put down a deposit asap to save her spot.

This is so exciting! We have been trying to adopt for fours years. In 2018, we even went to Taiwan to pick up two siblings we were approved to adopt but at the last minute, the crooked dinosaur judge decided we were “too successful and accomplished to understand the special needs of children in an orphanage.” This was after meeting monthly with the kids through Skype and spending three full days with them in Taiwan. I think this was child abuse.

Below is a story about biased dinosaur judges. It is a tragedy. At the time we were there, the kids were 7 and 10. It took us a year and a half to get through the process (and $40K) just to get rejected. I doubt the kids were adopted by another family as it is hard to find families willing to adopt older kids, esp siblings. Plus even if someone else were interested, it takes a long time to get approved so these kids would be close to 9 and 12 if they were adopted. They have lived in an orphanage for their entire lives and I suspect they are still there. I get all worked up over this. So unfair and unjust to the children.









						Biased judges with bad attitudes are dinosaurs, head of reform group says - Taipei Times
					

Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan




					www.taipeitimes.com


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## Luanne (Sep 27, 2020)

@TravelTime  Congratulations on the adoption.


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## Cornell (Sep 27, 2020)

OMG @TravelTime This is possibly one of the best posts I've ever seen on TUG.  Congratulations to you & your new daughter.  I have so many thoughts that I can't even articulate them into words but they all center around love and beauty.   

I have experience in with Catholic schools and public.  My experiences with Catholic schools were very positive.  So much of it has to do with the specific school.

Good luck making your educational choice.  It's not easy during this time of Covid.


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## Monykalyn (Sep 27, 2020)

TravelTime said:


> We were approved to adopt an 8 year old girl.


How Exciting!!! Congratulations!!!


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## WVBaker (Sep 27, 2020)

TravelTime said:


> We were approved to adopt an 8 year old girl. So now this discussion of school is real to me. I am evaluating all the local private schools and the public school. Some of the local private schools are already full for third grade. The local public charter school says we can apply for next year because we need to enter the lottery. Based on what is available for a mid year transfer, my finalists are the public elementary, the Catholic school and the Waldorf school. I am including the public charter school because we will enter the lottery just in case we do not like the school we pick this year. There are pros and cons to each.
> 
> Catholic School (15 min drive)
> Pros: We are Catholic. Small class sizes. All in person learning. Goes through 8th grade. One spot left for 3rd grade. She is currently in a Greek Orthodox school and likes the structures and does well in school. (Greek Orthodox is similar to Catholicism.)
> ...



TravelTime,

Having made that journey 28 years ago, you'll find that adopting is not only opening your home, but also your heart, to a life you've never known. Nothing is as richly rewarding. Yes, the process of adoption can be exhausting, painful and make you want to scream however, as Mothers will tell you, so does childbirth.

Oh yea, a Catholic school would be my first choice.


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## pedro47 (Sep 27, 2020)

Can I give a shout out to all the home bound students and teacher's  for 2020. LOL.


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## Chrispee (Sep 27, 2020)

As someone who was adopted 42 years ago, my heart is warmed by your decision and tenacity to follow through with your adoption despite the frustrating challenges.  

It sounds like you've done a lot of research into your education options and will make an informed decision for your circumstances.  One thing I'd like to suggest is that you strongly consider the purpose of education in the past, and what will likely be the best educational platform to serve your child a decade from now when she graduates. Regardless, she will flourish wherever you choose to enrol her given the thoughtful care and support it's clear you are ready and able to provide!


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## amycurl (Sep 27, 2020)

Congratulations and good luck going forward! It will be a tough transition for all involved, but love will make the difference.


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## PigsDad (Sep 27, 2020)

@TravelTime, no advice on the schools, but just wanted to offer congratulations on the upcoming adoption!  That is such wonderful news!

Kurt


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## mpizza (Sep 27, 2020)

@TravelTime Congratulations!


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## Karen G (Sep 27, 2020)

Congratulations on your adoption @TravelTime.  Two of our three children were adopted at birth and it has been a wonderful experience.


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## bogey21 (Sep 27, 2020)

TravelTime said:


> Catholic School (15 min drive)
> Pros: We are Catholic. Small class sizes. All in person learning. Goes through 8th grade. One spot left for 3rd grade. She is currently in a Greek Orthodox school and likes the structures and does well in school. (Greek Orthodox is similar to Catholicism.)
> Cons: The Catholic high school she would go to is about 45 minutes away (but that is a future problem).



I grew up in a suburb of Philadelphia where about half the kids in town attended the Catholic Elementary School and half of us (I'm not Catholic) attended the Public School.  When the kids attending Catholic School finished 8th Grade they chose one of the Catholic High Schools in Philadelphia and commuted to it via train.  Those of us in the Public School moved on the the Public High School.  My recollection is that none of the Catholic kids opted for the Public High School.  All of us kids knew each other from either the playground or the local drug store where we often hung out.   As my 8th Grade Girl Friend attended the Catholic School I would often go to Mass with her.   Let me finish by saying that the kids attending the Catholic School were happy with their school and received an excellent education...

George


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## Brett (Sep 28, 2020)

TravelTime said:


> We were approved to adopt an 8 year old girl. So now this discussion of school is real to me. I am evaluating all the local private schools and the public school. Some of the local private schools are already full for third grade. The local public charter school says we can apply for next year because we need to enter the lottery. Based on what is available for a mid year transfer, my finalists are the public elementary, the Catholic school and the Waldorf school. I am including the public charter school because we will enter the lottery just in case we do not like the school we pick this year. There are pros and cons to each.
> 
> Catholic School (15 min drive)
> Pros: We are Catholic. Small class sizes. All in person learning. Goes through 8th grade. One spot left for 3rd grade. She is currently in a Greek Orthodox school and likes the structures and does well in school. (Greek Orthodox is similar to Catholicism.)
> ...



congratz!
some of my relatives were adopted.
I've always been a proponent of public schools but it's a choice dependent on many factors


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## mentalbreak (Sep 28, 2020)

@bogey21 makes a good point about high school choices.

I attended Catholic school grades 1-8 (K wasn’t offered).  75% of us went on to public for 9-12.  Mostly because of the commutes to the nearest Catholic high schools.

When it came time to evaluate public vs. Catholic school in kindergarten for our children, it was a surprise to me to learn that we were likely choosing a high school at the same time.  In our current area, 97% of the 8th grade class goes on to a Catholic high school.  And attrition from grade school is pretty low. I’d say 85% of the kids that start in K remain through 8th grade.  Most leave because of a physical move.


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## Cornell (Sep 28, 2020)

My add'l thoughts about education:

I sent my daughter to Catholic schools K-8.  I physically moved my home to get into a public HS district that is, in theory, excellent.  She has gone to public HS.  After watching the schools' reactions to Covid in my area, I would re-think everything & would have kept her in private school.  Where I live (the teachers unions running the show), it's obvious that the public school boards are taking their directives from the teachers unions.  Private high schools are taking their directives from the families they serve ($).


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## TravelTime (Sep 30, 2020)

We visited the schools this week. We loved the Waldorf campus. It is on 40 acres in the hills. It seemed like a wonderful school and we were tempted by it. Today we went to the Catholic school. Within a few minutes of sitting down with the Principal, I knew this was it. I was so impressed by the focus on teaching values and the sense of community. It felt more like an extended family than a school. They only have 180 students total. She showed us the parent portal and it was amazing. She sends a weekly newsletter to parents. They have so many fun events for the entire community like a golf tournament, a crab feed, jog-a-thon and more. Each of the classes (one class per grade) surrounds a grassy quad where the entire school gathers each morning to say the pledge of allegiance, prayers and recognize birthdays by name. The athletic field was large and there were at least three playgrounds. The classes do not exceed 15 students. There was only one spot left in 3rd grade. The Principal said they had three inquiries for 3rd grade sitting on her desk and, as we were sitting there, another inquiry came in for 3rd grade. We decided to pay the year’s tuition and hold the spot for our daughter. Once the class is full, that’s it. You can’t get in this year and possibly in future years unless someone leaves. This is a feeder school to the top ranked all girls Catholic high school in the region. Now I am a Catholic school mom waiting for a child.


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## Cornell (Oct 1, 2020)

TravelTime said:


> We visited the schools this week. We loved the Waldorf campus. It is on 40 acres in the hills. It seemed like a wonderful school and we were tempted by it. Today we went to the Catholic school. Within a few minutes of sitting down with the Principal, I knew this was it. I was so impressed by the focus on teaching values and the sense of community. It felt more like an extended family than a school. They only have 180 students total. She showed us the parent portal and it was amazing. She sends a weekly newsletter to parents. They have so many fun events for the entire community like a golf tournament, a crab feed, jog-a-thon and more. Each of the classes (one class per grade) surrounds a grassy quad where the entire school gathers each morning to say the pledge of allegiance, prayers and recognize birthdays by name. The athletic field was large and there were at least three playgrounds. The classes do not exceed 15 students. There was only one spot left in 3rd grade. The Principal said they had three inquiries for 3rd grade sitting on her desk and, as we were sitting there, another inquiry came in for 3rd grade. We decided to pay the year’s tuition and hold the spot for our daughter. Once the class is full, that’s it. You can’t get in this year and possibly in future years unless someone leaves. This is a feeder school to the top ranked all girls Catholic high school in the region. Now I am a Catholic school mom waiting for a child.


Love this!  When my daughter was at her Catholic elem school, the school community was like an extended family with events like you describe.  ENJOY!!!  So excited and happy for you and your daughter.


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## bogey21 (Oct 1, 2020)

TravelTime said:


> *We decided to pay the year’s tuition and hold the spot for our daughter.* Once the class is full, that’s it. You can’t get in this year and possibly in future years unless someone leaves. This is a feeder school to the top ranked all girls Catholic high school in the region. Now I am a Catholic school mom waiting for a child.



Good move.  I love decisiveness...

George


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## mentalbreak (Oct 1, 2020)

TravelTime said:


> Today we went to the Catholic school. Within a few minutes of sitting down with the Principal, I knew this was it. I was so impressed by the focus on teaching values and the sense of community. It felt more like an extended family than a school.
> ...
> Now I am a Catholic school mom waiting for a child.


congrats on finding that fit!
I’m so excited for your family.  I hope your daughter gets to stay with you full-time very soon. Congratulations and prayers for the road ahead!


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## SteelerGal (Oct 2, 2020)

@TravelTime As an adoptive parent, don’t worry about schooling the first year.  Focus on relationships.  As long as you and your Dh provide a supportive environment, it will all come together.  
If you never need to talk, I’m always available.


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## pedro47 (Oct 4, 2020)

TravelTime, relax you will provide everything for your daughter to excell in her home school experience.  IMHO.


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## TravelTime (Oct 4, 2020)

pedro47 said:


> TravelTime, relax you will provide everything for your daughter to excell in her home school experience.  IMHO.



Relax is not part of my MO, LOL. I already have all of our vacations planned through 2021 and 2022. LOL


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## Cornell (Oct 4, 2020)

Well, speaking of schools.  We are about 1/4 of the way through the school year in the state of IL.  Moving my daughter to Indiana University HS (all online) was one of the better parental decisions I've made.  She's not LOVING it, but it's way better than these nightmare Zoom classes going on here given that our schools are still not open AT ALL. It's a really bleak situation here.


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## bogey21 (Oct 4, 2020)

Cornell said:


> Well, speaking of schools.  We are about 1/4 of the way through the school year in the state of IL.  Moving my daughter to Indiana University HS (all online) was one of the better parental decisions I've made.



I applaud your and Travel Time's decisiveness.  So many people just complain and procrastinate.  You both moved with a sense of urgency to the benefit of your kids.  My Daughter in conjunction with the other parents at the K through 12 Christian School her 3 kids attend also acted decisively.  At her school the parents, teachers and administration got together and  worked out a plan to open the school for traditional classroom instruction.  I think school started in mid August and last I heard they have had no problems...

George


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## Cornell (Oct 5, 2020)

@bogey21 Awe - thank you for your kind words.  This is certainly not the senior year that my daughter was envisioning but what she is going with her curriculum and the delivery of it is so much better than what her peers are experiencing at their public school.  

I mentioned earlier that I have started a "reopen" group for our public school district parents .  We have 1200 people in it.  I get stories every day sent to me personally from parents telling me their child's experiences and they are really heart-wrenching.  The stories cover it all :  mental concerns; constant tech frustrations; grades not where they should be; material not being effectively taught. 

What also shocks me is the apathy that I see from many community parents in my group. Lots of keyboard warriors venting and complaining online but VERY few that will take concrete actions to advance our cause.  It's dispiriting.


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## Sugarcubesea (Oct 9, 2020)

TravelTime said:


> We were approved to adopt an 8 year old girl. So now this discussion of school is real to me. I am evaluating all the local private schools and the public school. Some of the local private schools are already full for third grade. The local public charter school says we can apply for next year because we need to enter the lottery. Based on what is available for a mid year transfer, my finalists are the public elementary, the Catholic school and the Waldorf school. I am including the public charter school because we will enter the lottery just in case we do not like the school we pick this year. There are pros and cons to each.
> 
> Catholic School (15 min drive)
> Pros: We are Catholic. Small class sizes. All in person learning. Goes through 8th grade. One spot left for 3rd grade. She is currently in a Greek Orthodox school and likes the structures and does well in school. (Greek Orthodox is similar to Catholicism.)
> ...




@TravelTime,  I had to search back once I saw that you were adopting a daughter. I'm so happy for you... I have 3 kids and they all went to Catholic School.  It was a sacrifice as my hubby and I were just starting our careers but it was worth every penny we spent...My parents sent me to Catholic School and since I was an only child, they helped us out the years that it was really tight.  Its the one thing in my life I have never regretted doing....


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## pedro47 (Oct 10, 2020)

How is it really going for students, parents, teachers and school administration with this new method of online instruction ?


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## mentalbreak (Oct 10, 2020)

School districts in our area came out with an official policy today that there will be no more snow days - any closure for inclement weather will instead be a virtual learning day.
I am actually quite sad for the kids (and teachers).
Growing up in MN, we did not have them very often, but there was something about snow days: listening to the list of closures on the radio, the excitement when your district made the list, spending the day with all the neighbor kids sledding and building snow forts, and thawing out with hot cocoa and a fire in the fireplace.
If I ever have grandkids, I WILL teach them about (and show them) a REAL snow day.


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## b2bailey (Oct 10, 2020)

pedro47 said:


> How is it really going for students, parents, teachers and school administration with this new method of online instruction ?


I've had some recent experience helping my grand sons, age 8 and 9. The younger boy had been working on a writing assignment. He had a composition book where he had followed instructions and completed the assignment. The next step was to enter it on the computer and turn it in. He was overwhelmed with that prospect, so I decided to help by typing it for him. Next day, I was told by "mom" that I was not to help. Ridiculous. What exactly is this boy supposed to be learning -- composition or 'hunt and peck' typing? He told me he hates school now.


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## b2bailey (Oct 10, 2020)

pedro47 said:


> How is it really going for students, parents, teachers and school administration with this new method of online instruction ?


Two more stories -

- daughter of my best friend started her first teaching assignment -- first grade, online from home. She set up a classroom and is doing well. However, her daughter is 5, starting online kindergarten from home. How can a 5 year old be expected to pay attention to a small computer screen for 3 hours without adult supervision?
- my niece, a later in life first year Jr high  art teacher, has been able to do her online class from home. Her 12 year old son has ADHD. This week, her son's school principal told her she needs to "sit with" her son during his online classes. What can she do?

Just two situations where I have "second hand" stress for each of these moms.


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## Glynda (Oct 10, 2020)

A week and a half after going hybrid, and having to be in the classroom for five classes a day three days a week, my college professor tested positive for COVID and passed it on to her family. She's cleared to return to the classroom Monday. The frustrating thing for her is that of the ten students assigned one day a week to be in the classroom only one or two show up. The rest attend on Zoom rather than the classroom even though they are on campus and have not been approved to do so.  The quality of the in-classroom and Zoom combination  is not equal to the full Zoom experience. So why even have in-class?


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## bogey21 (Oct 10, 2020)

pedro47 said:


> How is it really going for students, parents, teachers and school administration with this new method of online instruction ?



Shouldn't be as issue here.  OP has signed her Daughter up in a Catholic School.  Most Parochial and Private Schools are operating the old fashioned way with kids in classrooms.  My Daughter's 3 kids (Christian School) have been going to school since August 11th with no problems....

George


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## PigsDad (Oct 10, 2020)

bogey21 said:


> Shouldn't be as issue here.  OP has signed her Daughter up in a Catholic School.  Most Parochial and Private Schools are operating the old fashioned way with kids in classrooms.  My Daughter's 3 kids (Christian School) have been going to school since August 11th *with no problems*....


So we can conclude that Covid doesn't spread in private schools, right?     What frustrates me the most is the different rules for public schools vs. most any other public space.  If those rules were universal, no grocery store, Walmart, hair salon, mall, etc. would be allowed to be open.  Just crazy.

Kurt


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## Theiggy (Oct 10, 2020)

mentalbreak said:


> School districts in our area came out with an official policy today that there will be no more snow days - any closure for inclement weather will instead be a virtual learning day.
> I am actually quite sad for the kids (and teachers).
> Growing up in MN, we did not have them very often, but there was something about snow days: listening to the list of closures on the radio, the excitement when your district made the list, spending the day with all the neighbor kids sledding and building snow forts, and thawing out with hot cocoa and a fire in the fireplace.
> If I ever have grandkids, I WILL teach them about (and show them) a REAL snow day.



There was nothing like a snow day. We did such a snow dance the night before... and when usually it took screaming to get us out of bed- we were up bright and early to get our snow gear on and go sledding or build a snowman. And then have hot chocolate with marshmallows of course.i have such fond memories of snow days. My kids have experienced only one or two snow days so far. I hope they are not obsolete. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Theiggy (Oct 10, 2020)

pedro47 said:


> How is it really going for students, parents, teachers and school administration with this new method of online instruction ?



Well I can only give you my experience both as a parent and a teacher. 

My kids (in 10th and 8th grades) are fully remote (our choice) while I am at work all day. Thankfully they are pretty responsible with their work. The teachers are teaching live for each class except gym, so they go through their schedule the same as the other students who are present every other day for the hybrid program. They don’t complain at all but about 2 weeks in my daughter wanted to go back as her group of friends were in many of her classes including lunch. Our school district has said we can’t switch back in until the semester is over - so the end of January. She is okay with it. My son who is almost 13, eats chips, cereal and waffles for lunch everyday and I’ve decided there are only so many things I can control. He would normally buy lunch in school. He won’t eat sandwiches so not much I can make him ahead of time. He’s perfectly capable of heating something but again, I’m choosing my battles right now.

The Covid cases started popping up in schools around here and we hear about them every week. Some of the schools close for a day for cleaning. Some don’t. My daughter’s high school has had 2-3 cases already. The most recent case they didn’t close schools. Our elementary schools have had 1-2 cases each as well.

My own experience teaching is frustrating and feels like a juggling act, but I feel the kids are getting as much as they can. It should be noted that Long Island schools have many resources. Every student has their own school-issued chrome book, Wi-Fi issues were worked out in the spring, and as teachers we receive frequent training on the programs and technology we use. We also teach live while managing in person students. It’s not easy at all! So many bugs to work out constantly and there are classes or days where you feel you have accomplished nothing but work through tech issues. But overall I feel the teachers here are doing their best and working harder than ever. I spend so much more time preparing than I ever did. It doesn’t help that I’m in a position that’s new for me! We just keep going! Some days I want to cry.

We had our first Covid case in the elementary school (I’m in the middle school but travel to the elementary school part time- long story). I was surprised to learn that the criteria from our dept of health as far as quarantine was that you had to be within 6 feet of the person, for 15 minutes, with no mask. We are all required to wear masks and the kids sit 6 feet apart. However we do get within 6 feet of the kids to help them. It’s sometime unavoidable! 

Just one more thing to add. I grew up in NYC and my friends who still live there are in hell! NYC schools only started any in-person learning in October. The remote learning portion is completely unorganized, not enough teachers to provide it, and kids are not online the entire day or even structured the entire day. My best friend is working from home while trying to help her 8th, 6th, and 1st grader stay engaged and learning. It’s such a nightmare. I feel awful for them. Like many others, they are now considering a move. My friend and her husband disagree on private school and I think it’s too late to find spots at this point. But the private schools are attending in person full time. It’s crazy that they live 35-40 minutes from us and their experience is so different. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## bogey21 (Oct 10, 2020)

PigsDad said:


> So we can conclude that Covid doesn't spread in private schools, right?



Not exactly.  I think there are a couple reasons that Private and Parochial Schools are able to be open.  One is that they are smaller.  Because they are smaller there is better coordination  between Parents, Teachers and Administration.  In addition they are not being buffeted around between Governors, County Administrators, Health Departments and School Boards...

A good example is how things were handled in the relatively small K through 12 Christian School my Daughter's kids have attended without incident since August 11th.  In short, Parents, Teachers and Administration sat down together and jointly decided how they would go about opening school safely.  They have a lot of interesting rules but it seems like everyone follows them.  One example - no masks in classrooms except the classrooms of two at risk teachers where kids are required to wear masks...

George


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## TravelTime (Oct 10, 2020)

My daughter is registered for 3rd grade in our local Catholic school but has not yet started school because she is still in GA. In GA, she is on a 2 week quarantine because a child there has contracted Covid. She is clear on 10/20 and will will pick her up on 10/23. In our local Catholic School in Placer County, no one has contracted Covid.


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## SteelerGal (Oct 10, 2020)

6wks in hybrid mode and we have only had 2 cases so far.  All levels, Elementary, MS, and HS are open.  Our SD also created a Covid Database so all parents are informed. We were hoping to go back FT however w/ the upcoming flu season, we realize that hybrid will continue until 2021.  Thankful because the majority of the schools in our area are fully VL.


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## DannyTS (Oct 10, 2020)

oh, so schools are not in fact super-spreaders, what a shock !









						Schools Aren’t Super-Spreaders
					

Fears from the summer appear to have been overblown.




					www.theatlantic.com


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## PigsDad (Oct 10, 2020)

bogey21 said:


> Not exactly.  I think there are a couple reasons that Private and Parochial Schools are able to be open.  One is that they are smaller.  Because they are smaller there is better coordination  between Parents, Teachers and Administration.  In addition they are not being buffeted around between Governors, County Administrators, Health Departments and School Boards...
> 
> A good example is how things were handled in the relatively small K through 12 Christian School my Daughter's kids have attended without incident since August 11th.  In short, Parents, Teachers and Administration sat down together and jointly decided how they would go about opening school safely.  They have a lot of interesting rules but it seems like everyone follows them.  One example - no masks in classrooms except the classrooms of two at risk teachers where kids are required to wear masks...


Hey George, good post, but I hope you know the line you quoted from my post was meant to be extremely sarcastic.    Just wanted to make sure there was no misunderstanding.  Cheers!

Kurt


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## PigsDad (Oct 10, 2020)

Theiggy said:


> We had our first Covid case in the elementary school (I’m in the middle school but travel to the elementary school part time- long story). I was surprised to learn that the criteria from our dept of health as far as quarantine was that you had to be within 6 feet of the person, for 15 minutes, with no mask.


You are lucky you are not here.  A friend of mine has a 5th grader and they had a single Covid case.  The whole class had to go home and quarantine for 14 days, AND all of the other 5th grade classes had to go to remote learning for two weeks, even though there is NO time where kids from the different classes in the same grade are together.  The reasoning was that the 5th grade teachers MAY have talked to each other (of course, they are all wearing masks at all times).  IMO, that is just nuts.

This was about a month ago and there have been no other Covid cases in that grade.

Kurt


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## SteelerGal (Oct 11, 2020)

PigsDad said:


> You are lucky you are not here.  A friend of mine has a 5th grader and they had a single Covid case.  The whole class had to go home and quarantine for 14 days, AND all of the other 5th grade classes had to go to remote learning for two weeks, even though there is NO time where kids from the different classes in the same grade are together.  The reasoning was that the 5th grade teachers MAY have talked to each other (of course, they are all wearing masks at all times).  IMO, that is just nuts.
> 
> This was about a month ago and there have been no other Covid cases in that grade.
> 
> Kurt


This is where I wish we had a national plan.  In our case, A MS student was found to have a fever and sent to a quarantine room immediately; all schools have a quarantine room.  We are hearing there were less than 4 students affected.


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## Sea Six (Oct 11, 2020)

My grand daughter lives in Orlando, and started 1st grade.  The plan was to go to the school 2 days a week, and work from home 3.  This seemed to be a good plan at first since her mom is working at home and can supervise what is going on.  Unfortunately, things are getting worse there, and the school is looking at 100% in-home.  It's a shame, but I think it's the right decision.  It's so confusing, since the Governor DeSantis opened up the restrictions,  yet ever since he did that,  more and more people are being laid off rather than re-hired.  Very upsetting.  The state is allowing more openness, but the businesses are closing back down.  Just when we thought Disney would be more open, they are laying off another 10,000 or so people.


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## Cornell (Oct 11, 2020)

PigsDad said:


> You are lucky you are not here.  A friend of mine has a 5th grader and they had a single Covid case.  The whole class had to go home and quarantine for 14 days, AND all of the other 5th grade classes had to go to remote learning for two weeks, even though there is NO time where kids from the different classes in the same grade are together.  The reasoning was that the 5th grade teachers MAY have talked to each other (of course, they are all wearing masks at all times).  IMO, that is just nuts.
> 
> This was about a month ago and there have been no other Covid cases in that grade.
> 
> Kurt


I hear this kind of crap all over the place.  Makes ZERO sense. 

Tick tock, tick tock.  Our high schoolers by me have yet to see the inside of a school since MARCH.  And our positivity rate is 3.2%.  I don't understand.


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## Cornell (Oct 12, 2020)

I have been very busy behind the scenes in my efforts to reopen our schools , focused on our high school district which has 6 schools serving 12K kids.


Our school board has 7 members.  All pro "keep the schools closed".  Every single member is older / retirement age , none of which has children young enough to be in the schools .  Board president is a career attorney whose job it is to represent railroad union workers.  And if you know the game in IL, if you do any work representing unions you are "all in".  This guy will NEVER go against the teacher union demands or he'll take a hit in his law firm.
This board has 4 members up for re-election this year.  We have recruited 4 people who will run as a slate to hopefully completely change the power balance.  But elections are in April -- unbelievable that this entire school year may go by before this happens.
Our last school board meeting was a doozie filled w/angry parents.  We learned at the meeting that Macy's donated 800 prom dresses worth thousands of dollars for "under-served" girls.  But the board mentioned that they will be auctioning them off because.....they never quite finished the thought but it was clear they already know there will be no prom in spring '21.
But the worst....my parent group has discovered that our superintendent has his own "side hustle".  No, not uber, but he's formed a LARGE successful business that is centered on software technology that is used for remote learning.  Our school district purchased this software and the whole thing smells. This guy has NO desire to return to school b/c keeping schools closed allows him to line his pockets.
This is NOT about safety any more.  Not by a long shot .


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## Brett (Oct 12, 2020)

Cornell said:


> I have been very busy behind the scenes in my efforts to reopen our schools , focused on our high school district which has 6 schools serving 12K kids.
> 
> 
> Our school board has 7 members.  All pro "keep the schools closed".  Every single member is older / retirement age , none of which has children young enough to be in the schools .  Board president is a career attorney whose job it is to represent railroad union workers.  And if you know the game in IL, if you do any work representing unions you are "all in".  This guy will NEVER go against the teacher union demands or he'll take a hit in his law firm.
> ...





A  Chicago school superintendent has a "side hustle" grifting money off the school system.

Sounds like a good story for the local news  (unless they're part of the scam)


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## Cornell (Oct 12, 2020)

Brett said:


> A  Chicago school superintendent has a "side hustle" grifting money off the school system.
> 
> Sounds like a good story for the local news  (unless they're part of the scam)
> 
> View attachment 27456


Thank you Brett! We have contacted all the govt watchdog groups and many reporters . Waiting to see if anyone bites. What the super is doing isn’t the illegal but is really smells.


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## TravelTime (Oct 12, 2020)

I registered my daughter for the private Catholic school and she starts in person school on Nov 30. She is already attending in person school at a private Greek Orthodox school in another state. I used to be pro public schools but I have lost faith in the public school system due to the poor handling of Covid.


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## easyrider (Oct 12, 2020)

Our county has ever made it out of stage 1 protective measures and none of the public schools are open. My niece is the newest ASB President at her high school and she told me that she knows five kids that are, or were, hospital type sick with Covid 19. I would think we are in for a second round of Covid but we haven't made it past round 1 yet.

Bill


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## jabberwocky (Oct 12, 2020)

We’re now approaching the 1.5 month mark of having our kids back in-person, and I’m so glad we did given what some of my colleagues are going through with online schooling.

Masks are mandatory for those in grades 4 and up, but there is no required distancing. Teachers in grades 1-3 are not encouraging the use of masks due to potential impacts on learning and speech. Each class is treated as a cohort and doesn’t interact with other classes, even on the playground during recess.

So far there have been no cases of covid at our school, even though we have similar rates of community transmission in our local area as Southern California does. Only around 3% of schools in Canada have had a confirmed case, and in our district of 120,000 students there has been only one confirmed case of transmission occurring student-to-student in class. All remaining ones appear to be linked to community transmission.

As our chief health officials have stated, schools do not seem to be a source of transmission and she herself has sent her own kids back in-person due to the negative impacts that online school has on learning and social development.


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## mentalbreak (Oct 12, 2020)

Our experience after 7 weeks (or 10? - 7 weeks of classes plus 3 weeks of fall sports and activity practices before classes started) at high school of 1,500 students:

Choice of in-person or 100% virtual. (I do not know distribution, but my kids have at most 2/20 kids doing all virtual in their classes).

In-person classes were 100% first week, then went to 50% hybrid model with half of the class attending in person every other day, the other half attending the class from their laptops.  Virtual students attend the same class, just from home every day.

Masks required.

Schedule shifted from 8 courses per semester to 4 courses per quarter.  No specific cohorts, so each student is exposed to 4 classes of students.

Lunch extended from 3 sections to 5 for spacing, plexiglass barriers and physical spacing in place.

All staff are wearing masks, many are also using face shields.

4 positive cases from students. 0 staff.

2 much happier, healthier kids in my house.


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## CPNY (Oct 12, 2020)

Cornell said:


> I hear this kind of crap all over the place.  Makes ZERO sense.
> 
> Tick tock, tick tock.  Our high schoolers by me have yet to see the inside of a school since MARCH.  And our positivity rate is 3.2%.  I don't understand.


Teachers unions in many cities are fighting going back. Around here there isn’t even live learning. These kids are getting assignment after assignment and are self learning. Everyone passes and teachers are not obligated to be in front of a camera teaching.


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## pedro47 (Oct 13, 2020)

I am hearing that parents want their children back in school. Parents are complaining that they cannot work a full time job (40 hours per week) and come home and teach their children. Parents are also complaining that they do not have the college educational training to teach their children; nor do they have the computer skills.


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## Brett (Oct 13, 2020)

I'm seeing more school buses picking up and dropping off children.
more parents are choosing the in-person option


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## am1 (Oct 13, 2020)

We have been doing online with two 7 year olds since April.  It is not easy but we manage while working a lot more then 40 hours a week.  Not ideal but we play with the cards dealt to us.


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## TTSDavid (Oct 13, 2020)

Brett said:


> I'm seeing more school buses picking up and dropping off children.
> more parents are choosing the in-person option


It is true. For some parents, it has been difficult to study with their children at home


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## pedro47 (Oct 14, 2020)

Have anyone asked the students about learning from home oppose to going to school daily?


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## TravelTime (Oct 14, 2020)

pedro47 said:


> Have anyone asked the students about learning from home oppose to going to school daily?



I work with children and families. Most seem to prefer in person schooling even if they are not doing it. Kids especially miss the social aspects of school.


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## TravelTime (Oct 14, 2020)

This is a sad article. It is another example of why I have lost respect for the public school system and enrolled my daughter in a private school.









						Opinion | The Teachers Union’s Tiny New Enemy
					

The behemoth National Education Association seeks to squash popular pandemic microschools.




					www.wsj.com
				




Why is the elephant afraid of the mouse? Your child’s teacher may not know, but his union does. In September the National Education Association, America’s largest labor union, produced an internal “opposition report” on Prenda, a tiny Arizona-based “microschool” provider. I obtained a copy of the document, which picks apart Prenda’s vulnerabilities but also offers a warning: “The Opposition Report has documented widespread support for micro-schools.” Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is expected to receive a presentation about Prenda on Thursday at a charter school in Phoenix.

Midway between home schools and private schools, microschools bring together a small group of students, five to 10 a school at Prenda, usually at a private residence. Instruction is handled by an education-service provider like Prenda.

The company had been growing before the pandemic, but since February it has more than quadrupled the number of students it serves. After U.S. schools shut down or moved online, parents—one-third of them, according to a September EdChoice poll—joined with neighbors to form learning “pods.” A much smaller number withdrew from traditional school altogether. Today Prenda administers around 400 microschools educating more than 3,000 students, says chief executive Kelly Smith.

The NEA opposition report cites an expert who thinks microschools can “address some of the structural limitations of homeschooling,” such as parents’ work obligations, and—this is Prenda’s innovation—take advantage of school-choice programs to “alleviate some equity issues” posed by the cost of hiring your own teachers. The combination could make home education feasible for millions more families. (The NEA didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment.)....

.....It’s a strange pitch from the teachers union: Microschools are dangerous—they help their students learn more! This seems like a reason to broaden access, not restrict it. And that’s what Prenda has done by eliminating tuition: make microschools accessible to low-income families. The NEA report doesn’t address that point.

.....But the company says 92% of it, on average, goes to teachers, who earn 10% to 20% more than at their prior teaching positions.....


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## PigsDad (Oct 15, 2020)

This pandemic has certainly demonstrated that the teachers unions' goals are not focused on providing the best possible education for students.    

Kurt


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Oct 15, 2020)

PigsDad said:


> This pandemic has certainly demonstrated that the teachers unions' goals are not focused on providing the best possible education for students.
> 
> Kurt


As nearly as I can gather, a key argument against "microschools" and "pods" is that it will provide disparate learning opportunities for children, because it will be easier for wealthier families to provide these opportunities.  

When you unpack this argument, what it amounts to is that as a society we are better off having uniformly poor education than to have some students receiving a better education than other students.


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## TravelTime (Oct 15, 2020)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> As nearly as I can gather, a key argument against "microschools" and "pods" is that it will provide disparate learning opportunities for children, because it will be easier for wealthier families to provide these opportunities.
> 
> When you unpack this argument, what it amounts to is that as a society we are better off having uniformly poor education than to have some students receiving a better education than other students.



It makes no sense to me to keep the public schools shut down, then accuse others who are willing to expose themselves and their kids to the virus of having unfair educational opportunities.


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## pedro47 (Oct 15, 2020)

Is virtual learning achieving educational goals for students. Will Americans students behind in education; especially in mathematics and the sciences ?


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## bogey21 (Oct 15, 2020)

This whole situation is crazy on top of crazy...

George


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## Cornell (Oct 15, 2020)

Opinion | The Teachers Union’s Tiny New Enemy
					

The behemoth National Education Association seeks to squash popular pandemic microschools.




					www.wsj.com


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## PigsDad (Oct 17, 2020)

[NOPE]


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## TravelTime (Oct 19, 2020)

Surprising Results in Initial Virus Testing in N.Y.C. Schools (Published 2020)
					

The absence of outbreaks, if it holds, suggests that the city’s efforts to return children to classrooms could serve as an influential model for the nation.




					www.nytimes.com
				




For months, as New York City struggled to start part-time, in-person classes, fear grew that its 1,800 public schools would become vectors of coronavirus infection, a citywide archipelago of super-spreader sites.

But nearly three weeks into the in-person school year, early data from the city’s first effort at targeted testing has shown the opposite: a surprisingly small number of positive cases.

Out of 15,111 staff members and students tested randomly by the school system in the first week of its testing regimen, the city has gotten back results for 10,676. There were only 18 positives: 13 staff members and five students....


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## am1 (Oct 19, 2020)

TravelTime said:


> Surprising Results in Initial Virus Testing in N.Y.C. Schools (Published 2020)
> 
> 
> The absence of outbreaks, if it holds, suggests that the city’s efforts to return children to classrooms could serve as an influential model for the nation.
> ...


Good news until it hits the fan.  Not just the schools but getting the kids to school.


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## beejaybeeohio (Oct 22, 2020)

On the flip side of the case for opening the schools a Hudson Ohio parent is suing the district for having done so.








						Parent sues Hudson City School district for risking ‘health and safety’ of students with return to in-person education
					

A parent with children in the Hudson City School district is suing the district and superintendent over a decision to return to a full-time in-person class model.




					fox8.com


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## amycurl (Oct 22, 2020)

The choice the US ended up with was inequitable health outcomes vs inequitable educational outcomes. It didn't have to be this way, but it is. In a more  rural county in NC, a teacher here has died from in-person schooling. That, plus the third wave, has meant that some of the larger, local systems in my part of the state have decided to further delay in-person school openings.


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## Cornell (Oct 22, 2020)

amycurl said:


> The choice the US ended up with was inequitable health outcomes vs inequitable educational outcomes. It didn't have to be this way, but it is. In a more  rural county in NC, a teacher here has died from in-person schooling. That, plus the third wave, has meant that some of the larger, local systems in my part of the state have decided to further delay in-person school openings.


What do you mean “a teacher has died from in person schooling “?


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## TravelTime (Oct 22, 2020)

The Principal at our private Catholic school was critical of the public schools and teachers unions. She said the teachers at our school are asking why they have to teach in person when the teachers at the public schools are working from home in their pajamas for a few hours a day. The Principal said it’s because they love their students and teaching is a ministry for them.


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## pedro47 (Oct 22, 2020)

I just saw this small sign on a yellow school bus. One student per seat.


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## amycurl (Oct 22, 2020)

A teacher contracted COVID-19 and died, and, while of course not 100% certain, contact tracing points to her having contracted it through the school.


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## Cornell (Oct 22, 2020)

amycurl said:


> A teacher contracted COVID-19 and died, and, while of course not 100% certain, contact tracing points to her having contracted it through the school.


If this is who you are referring to it sounds like the thought is she did not contract at school 









						North Carolina elementary school teacher dies days after testing positive for Covid-19 | CNN
					

A third-grade teacher died in North Carolina days after testing positive for Covid-19 and while her students were quarantined as a result of the exposure.




					www.cnn.com


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## Glynda (Oct 23, 2020)

My poor Italian professor at the college has only, at most, had 4 students show up at a time in the classroom which is supposed to be on a rotation of 10 students in while the rest of the students attend on Zoom. Today she had none in the classroom which has been happening more frequently. The kids don't really want to go to the classroom. They're happy to roll out of bed and turn on the computer rather than get dressed and go out.


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## WVBaker (Oct 23, 2020)

Glynda said:


> My poor Italian professor at the college has only, at most, had 4 students show up at a time in the classroom which is supposed to be on a rotation of 10 students in while the rest of the students attend on Zoom. Today she had none in the classroom which has been happening more frequently. The kids don't really want to go to the classroom. They're happy to roll out of bed and turn on the computer rather than get dressed and go out.



I wonder why that doesn't surprise me.


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## pedro47 (Oct 23, 2020)

Glynda said:


> My poor Italian professor at the college has only, at most, had 4 students show up at a time in the classroom which is supposed to be on a rotation of 10 students in while the rest of the students attend on Zoom. Today she had none in the classroom which has been happening more frequently. The kids don't really want to go to the classroom. They're happy to roll out of bed and turn on the computer rather than get dressed and go out.


Students needs to learn self discipline.  IMHO.


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## WVBaker (Oct 23, 2020)

pedro47 said:


> Students needs to learn self discipline.  IMHO.



That my friend, is a great lead-in to a, "When I was your age" story.


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## SteelerGal (Oct 23, 2020)

Week 8 next week and we have had 2 children and 4 adults who have contracted Covid.  None so far was at school.  Our SD has opened up additional on campus time for SPED children.  Still no buses but just happy we are not seeing an outbreak.  Btw, almost 100% compliance for students  mask wearing which is huge in elementary.  Plexiglass around desk, In room air filters, lots of hand washing and hybrid schedule is working.  Hopefully we will go back FT in late January


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## amycurl (Oct 23, 2020)

Also, I think the kids are being *really cautious.* All of my daughter's peer group is taking this very seriously. They want to go back to school in person, and they know this is what it will take. I have not seen that same behavior from the college kids I interact with and teach.


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## MULTIZ321 (Oct 24, 2020)

4th grader walks to school in order to use WIFI to be taught online 










						4th grader walks to school in order to use WiFi to be taught online
					

Jonathon Endecott's family had no internet access so he would walk to school in order to use the building's wifi and participate in his school's online classes in Roswell, New Mexico.




					www.dailymail.co.uk
				



.


Richard


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## Glynda (Oct 24, 2020)

amycurl said:


> Also, I think the kids are being *really cautious.* All of my daughter's peer group is taking this very seriously. They want to go back to school in person, and they know this is what it will take. I have not seen that same behavior from the college kids I interact with and teach.



Our granddaughter was very cautious in the beginning when she was at home with her high risk parents. She told me that, though she was missing half of her senior year and all that entails, she wanted to do her part. Now that she is on campus at Clemson University (which is said to have the highest count, perhaps the country) it seems that peer pressure has taken over. I see photos of her on her own and other campuses attending ball games, staying in her friends dorms and apartments and hanging all over various friends while being photographed. No masks. She says most of her 4 roommates and two childhood friends have had COVID but she has not.  It's as if she wants to get it over with. She knows she can't come home right now yet the university has ordered students to go and stay home after Thanksgiving. Not sure what she or her parents will do.


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## Glynda (Oct 24, 2020)

pedro47 said:


> Students needs to learn self discipline.  IMHO.



They do. They are on campus, in the dorms, apartments, or homes in the area. Yet few get dressed, walk or drive the blocks or miles to go to a classroom on the day that they are assigned to be there. And the officials and professors don't seem to be enforcing it. This college's COVID numbers however are low. There are 9 active cases.  Whatever... seems to be working for them which is why I suspect they are not enforcing the in class attendance. They also have very strict rules in place that are enforced on social distancing and mask wearing, parties and very few events are being held in person.


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## Glynda (Oct 24, 2020)

WVBaker said:


> I wonder why that doesn't surprise me.



Given my age and own experiences as a student and teacher, what does surprise me is seeing a college student lying in bed in her pj's under the covers "attending class."  I'm surprised by the number of students who won't turn on their video setting to be seen in class but attend behind a black box with their name on it. The teacher complained yesterday that she was talking to an empty classroom when ten should have been in there and also looking at a computer screen with only three of eighteen students having their video on in order to be seen. When she did a few more turned on the setting and were seen but not the majority. I personally find it very disrespectful.


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## beejaybeeohio (Oct 24, 2020)

TravelTime said:


> The Principal at our private Catholic school was critical of the public schools and teachers unions. She said the teachers at our school are asking why they have to teach in person when the teachers at the public schools are working from home in their pajamas for a few hours a day. The Principal said it’s because they love their students and teaching is a ministry for them.



Gotta love generalizations....
As an educator who has spent my entire career in the public schools- district, charter, and separate facilities for S.E.D. students- I can tell you that the majority of public school teachers love their students too, and while teaching may not be a "ministry" for them, it is a passion!


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## MULTIZ321 (Oct 24, 2020)

MULTIZ321 said:


> 4th grader walks to school in order to use WIFI to be taught online
> 
> 
> 
> ...


NEW MEXICO FAMILY 
Gets Internet Paid For AFTER 4TH GRADER USES SCHOOL'S WIFI 










						Family Gets Free Internet After 4th Grader Uses Closed School for WiFi
					

Another example of closed schools leaving kids without resources.




					www.tmz.com
				





Richard


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