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

[Monykalyn]

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.

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.

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

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]

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]

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]

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

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

common sense at SOME point has to prevail right??

I haven't seen any evidence supporting that statement.

Kurt

 

[Monykalyn]

I haven't seen any evidence supporting that statement.

Kurt

 

[Cornell]

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]

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]

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.



View attachment 25813

So now the public park belongs to the public school?

 

[Cornell]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

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

 

[am1]

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.