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

PigsDad

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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
 

Cornell

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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.
 

bogey21

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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
 

TravelTime

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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.
 

geist1223

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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.
 

TravelTime

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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.
 

Monykalyn

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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.
 

bogey21

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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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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.
 

VegasBella

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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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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.
 

Monykalyn

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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?
 

VegasBella

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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.
 

TravelTime

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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.
 

TravelTime

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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.

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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"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

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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.

 

Cornell

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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.
 

WVBaker

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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.


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.
 

Chrispee

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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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