Schools reopening or not

[Cornell]

#309?

#318

 

[Cornell]

At this point I'm encouraging my daughter to:

1) Drop out; and/or
2) Get her GED

 

[bbodb1]

At this point I'm encouraging my daughter to:

1) Drop out; and/or
2) Get her GED

You know what @Cornell...let's run with this for a moment.....

Now IF (and yes, this is a BIG if) your daughter is ready to be done with HS, why not go ahead and get her GED IF she is going to head on to college anyway?

I'll be back in a bit to expand on this idea.....have to step away for a bit...

 

[Cornell]

You know what @Cornell...let's run with this for a moment.....

Now IF (and yes, this is a BIG if) your daughter is ready to be done with HS, why not go ahead and get her GED IF she is going to head on to college anyway?

I'll be back in a bit to expand on this idea.....have to step away for a bit...

You're an educator - help me with this. Doesn't GED just scream "I was a drop out"?

And she's not ready to be done with high school -- she is being FORCED to be done with high school.

 

[Luanne]

You're an educator - help me with this. Doesn't GED just scream "I was a drop out"?

And she's not ready to be done with high school -- she is being FORCED to be done with high school.

I have a friend in Canada. One of her dds dropped out of high school (so yes she was a drop out). At some point she went back and got her GED (or whatever the equivalent is in Canada). Last I heard she was working on, or had just gotten her PhD. Of course her case is different than you dd. She wasn't motivated to stick it through to graduation. But she's certainly done well.

 

[geekette]

You're an educator - help me with this. Doesn't GED just scream "I was a drop out"?

Actually, I think a 2020 GED would scream "I dispensed with high school and moved on". Her college degree would be quicker, too, so nobody would much care how she finished high school.

These are funky times. Since we don't actually know how long we're going to be in the throws of this crap, if it's even a thought to finish HS right now, freaking do it, why drag it on? Move to next chapter.

If it turns out to be an issue, well, that's what cover letters are for. She will have completed high school so I can't imagine why anyone would care.

 

[bbodb1]

And she's not ready to be done with high school -- she is being FORCED to be done with high school.

I understand this - albeit from a different experience. Allow me a moment for a story.
After I completed my sophomore year of high school, my family moved over 1,000 miles to a new state due to a job change. At the time, my mindset was pretty much this: Whether or not I had much input in that decision, I never really knew but the fact was that I had invested 10 years with a set of friends that I was being asked/forced to leave. The sense of loss with the move was bad enough (i.e. losing connection with those friends) - the sense of loss with respect to what might have been beyond that was even worse. We had some pretty decent teams in a few sports. What might we have won, how would we have done - questions like that were bad enough, but losing contact with those friends was even worse. Some relationships that might have been....who knows?

So we move, and the first year starts going by. Late in the 1st semester, I realized I had an option I had not considered. The academic requirements at my new school were much lower than the school I came from and if I took the proper classes in the back half of what was my junior year, I could graduate early. I did this. Because I really hadn't formed that many meaningful relationships in such a short time frame, I did not (and do not to this day) regret that decision.

I'm sharing this story because I can empathize with the position your daughter now finds herself in - feeling as if something she has been building toward her whole life is suddenly being unfairly ripped away from her. While the source of the problem for her is different today than mine was all those years ago (a move versus a pandemic), the end result is similar there will be a lack of closure, a sense of something started was not seen through to the end that will be a part of her forever. I wish I could offer her some words that would assuage these feeling but the two score years since this happened to me, I still find myself thinking about what might have been more often than I would thought I would all these years later.

Something I did NOT realize in my youth was the fragility of relationships as we leave places. We always have the best of intentions to keep in touch, to stay close but human nature is the longer we are apart from each other, the value of the relationship lessens over time (in most cases). Might the two years I missed have made a difference? Might I still be close to some of the friends in my youth I valued? No one can know. But I wish I had been given the opportunity to decide for myself whether to stay or move.

With that in mind, let's address the other part now:

You're an educator - help me with this. Doesn't GED just scream "I was a drop out"?

My best answer to this question is as follows - getting a GED puts more weight on what you do next. High school diplomas really do not matter anymore.
And in this case, I think your daughter has a rare opportunity here if she wants to pursue the following path.

Does your daughter know what she wants to do after high school?
If going to college is what she wants to do and she (and you) are convinced this year will be a waste (from the standpoint of not having any meaningful senior year experiences), why not suggest to your daughter to get her GED and start college in the fall? If most of the learning is going to be remote this year anyway, why not go ahead and start earning college credit for that work? If she does this, and graduates the college degree becomes the important piece of paper (and it matters not whether she has a HS diploma or a GED).

At the same time - there might be some very good reasons NOT to pursue this idea. For example, if there is a class (or two) she was really looking forward to this year OR she needs some additional high school course work to solidify her knowledge in a critical area these would be reasons NOT to pursue this idea. Also, given her educational experiences from last year, she may feel this year might be a last chance to hang out with her HS friends (certainly another reason to consider NOT doing this). And finally, are there any courses she was going to take this year that would allow her a look at a career she might want to pursue?

I'm putting all of this out there because in this very bad time we are currently in, anything that would allow me to feel more in control of my future would be appreciated. Your daughter may feel the same way...

I'll pause there.

 

[pedro47]

IMHO air filters at home, nursing homes, on cruise ships, at your work place and schools should be change regularly once per months to reduce prolonged inhalation of germs.. This recommendation came from a friend; who was an EPA Specialist some 25 years ago; after a EPA study on the transmission on germs in the workplace. Was this study ever release to the public, I do not know the answer..

I do know that they found asbestos particles in schools ducts & air filters, classroom, cafeteria areas, auditoriums, on aboard naval ships, and in old office buildings.
.

 

[Cornell]

@bbodb1 Thank you so much for your kind and thought-provoking words. My daughter is in such a weird spot b/c it's looking like she will be graduating from a high school without spending the last two years actually there . It's just surreal.

You make some great points about the GED. She's so mentally exhausted , I don't know if she has it in her right now to "switch gears" and delve into college this fall. I may discuss with her this weekend. Something has happened with her in the past few weeks where I cannot really discuss school with her. It's become an "off limits" topic and she just shuts down.

 

[geekette]

@bbodb1 Thank you so much for your kind and thought-provoking words. My daughter is in such a weird spot b/c it's looking like she will be graduating from a high school without spending the last two years actually there . It's just surreal.

You make some great points about the GED. She's so mentally exhausted , I don't know if she has it in her right now to "switch gears" and delve into college this fall. I may discuss with her this weekend. Something has happened with her in the past few weeks where I cannot really discuss school with her. It's become an "off limits" topic and she just shuts down.

Don't shoot for fall college start (that's coming too fast!), go for midterm. Knock off the GED, call HS done. Go take your months' long trip, both of you decompress Somewhere Else.

If she could have some time totally Free, the hs monkey off her back, I think that could be beneficial in immediate mental health, but also in taking a lot of time to determine next step. I am one of those that can take a long time to make a big decision. It can annoy other people. However, once I make a decision, it is solid, I am no waffler. It is easier to process items involved in a decision when my brain isn't cluttered with all that other stuff of life, like deadlines and work I don't want to do. When things are simple, my gears turn better and faster.

The one thing I would ask if I were taking this leap with her, is find something productive to do. Sure, loaf for 2 solid weeks. Then, whatever it is, get started. Begin a hobby. Get certified to teach Pilates. Study history of the area you're visiting. Volunteer at a nonprofit. Something. Anything. Her choice. Switch it up as desired. She could even audit college classes if she wanted to (I could do that free, not sure that is the case everywhere/any more? I only mention that in case she thinks she isn't yet ready for college - she may find out, oh, this isn't rocket science! Confidence boosts are always good when in a weird space of life).

This could also be something she could use to jump into college with GED. Yes, I dropped out to graduate early, and immerse myself in .... because it always interested me, and now I want to parlay that intense self-study into .... at your school's department of ..... I would of course use words like self development, personal growth, blah blah blah. I don't honestly think the GED will be an issue, definitely not for a young lady that clearly has a lot going for her and did it strategically vs stupidity of youth that led to stereotypical dropout story.

Mostly, I'm sorry to hear she is feeling out of sorts. It's understandable, but I'm sure it's rough to see and not be able to instantly fix any of it.

 

[GregT]

@Cornell,

I’m so sorry that your daughter is going through this - that all of our children are going through this. I wish you well and hope that she finds the right path. You have a very creative idea and I don’t think anyone will consider this class to be a drop-out. Caroline definitely feels the lack of closure mentioned above.

Frustratingly, our government seems to favor the advice of epidemiologists and discounts (or ignores) the psychologists and counselors. Tough stuff for these kids - please let us know how it works out.

Best,

Greg

 

[Ken555]

Alcoa Middle School reports positive coronavirus test after three days of classes

https://www.thedailytimes.com/news/alcoa-middle-school-reports-positive-coronavirus-test-after-three-days-of-classes/article_445fc610-5a93-5bd9-9f90-b85113d9c7c8.html

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Cornell]

Alcoa Middle School reports positive coronavirus test after three days of classes

https://www.thedailytimes.com/news/alcoa-middle-school-reports-positive-coronavirus-test-after-three-days-of-classes/article_445fc610-5a93-5bd9-9f90-b85113d9c7c8.html

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

....and?

 

[Ken555]

Alcoa thought they were prepared, too.

—-

Alcoa City Schools reopen on rotating schedule to limit class sizes

Alcoa City Schools reopen on rotating schedule to limit class sizes

ALCOA, Tenn. (WATE) — The Alcoa City Schools District was among the first districts in the country to welcome students back Wednesday. For students with last names beginning with letters from…

www.wate.com

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Ken555]

....and?

Really? I need to spell it out for you?

Reopening schools at this time is inevitably going to lead to community spread of the disease.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Cornell]

Don't shoot for fall college start (that's coming too fast!), go for midterm. Knock off the GED, call HS done. Go take your months' long trip, both of you decompress Somewhere Else.

If she could have some time totally Free, the hs monkey off her back, I think that could be beneficial in immediate mental health, but also in taking a lot of time to determine next step. I am one of those that can take a long time to make a big decision. It can annoy other people. However, once I make a decision, it is solid, I am no waffler. It is easier to process items involved in a decision when my brain isn't cluttered with all that other stuff of life, like deadlines and work I don't want to do. When things are simple, my gears turn better and faster.

The one thing I would ask if I were taking this leap with her, is find something productive to do. Sure, loaf for 2 solid weeks. Then, whatever it is, get started. Begin a hobby. Get certified to teach Pilates. Study history of the area you're visiting. Volunteer at a nonprofit. Something. Anything. Her choice. Switch it up as desired. She could even audit college classes if she wanted to (I could do that free, not sure that is the case everywhere/any more? I only mention that in case she thinks she isn't yet ready for college - she may find out, oh, this isn't rocket science! Confidence boosts are always good when in a weird space of life).

This could also be something she could use to jump into college with GED. Yes, I dropped out to graduate early, and immerse myself in .... because it always interested me, and now I want to parlay that intense self-study into .... at your school's department of ..... I would of course use words like self development, personal growth, blah blah blah. I don't honestly think the GED will be an issue, definitely not for a young lady that clearly has a lot going for her and did it strategically vs stupidity of youth that led to stereotypical dropout story.

Mostly, I'm sorry to hear she is feeling out of sorts. It's understandable, but I'm sure it's rough to see and not be able to instantly fix any of it.

Thank you @geekette - great thoughts & ideas. Unfortunately I cannot take a month to travel - I have a day job. This single mom has to pay the bills.

I am going to float some ideas to her this weekend and see what she has to say.

 

[bbodb1]

Alcoa Middle School reports positive coronavirus test after three days of classes

https://www.thedailytimes.com/news/alcoa-middle-school-reports-positive-coronavirus-test-after-three-days-of-classes/article_445fc610-5a93-5bd9-9f90-b85113d9c7c8.html

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Interestingly enough, this occurred while the school was in the midst of a staggered start with only 20% of the students present. But from the article:

... ACS policy requires children to quarantine for 14 days after exposure to someone with COVID-19, unless they provide a doctor's note or negative test result saying they may return earlier. Staff members may continue working in the schools after potential exposure to someone with the coronavirus if the employee has no symptoms, wears a face mask and follows other health protocol...

That makes zero sense, and pretty much ensures the district is going to have more cases.

Edit: and puts the at-risk staff members in even more danger...

 

[Ken555]

Interestingly enough, this occurred while the school was in the midst of a staggered start with only 20% of the students present. But from the article:



That makes zero sense, and pretty much ensures the district is going to have more cases.

Edit: and puts the at-risk staff members in even more danger...

Yup. And this is what happens when the scientists aren’t in charge of medical matters. Expect more of this to occur in the near future.

It’s just sad.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[elaine]

Cornell, if your Community college requires a HS diploma, and she can whip out GED requirements for the fall, then I'd do that and start the next semester with CC. Or if she's in advanced classes now, you might have her get a GED book and study the areas she needs to and do a GED practice test ASAP. She might be able to pass the GED test and start CC in the fall. That is what I'd have done for DD.

Maybe also contact the HS and see if you can work out a deal to go to CC online and get regular HS diploma. Or if they'll set up Dual Enrollment credit for a few basic Cc online classes, and parents pay the CC tuition.
I don't think any employer/college/grad school will care about GED for those during Covid who continue to college and do well. And a simple explanatory sentence that HS during Covid was sabpar online should suffice.

 

[Cornell]

Cornell, does your Community college require a HS diploma? And, how close is she to getting a GED? If you need HS diploma, and she can whip out GED requirements for the fall, then I'd do that and start the next semester with CC.
Maybe also contact the HS and see if you can work out a deal to go to CC online and get regular HS diploma. Or if they'll set up Dual Enrollment credit for a few basic Cc online classes, and parents pay the CC tuition.
I don't think any employer/college/grad school will care about GED for those during Covid who continue to college and do well. And a simple explanatory sentence that HS during Covid was sabpar online should suffice.

Thank you thank you -- great ideas that I may start looking into.

She has also started filling out the Common & Coalition apps for college and has noticed that they have a place at the beginning where you can indicate any hardships / special circumstances that you have faced b/c of Covid. She will be utilizing this section of the application.

She is behind the 8-ball, so to speak, credit wise. She was an exchange student her junior year . Should have been in Switzerland until June. Returned mid-march b/c of Covid. However -- her local high school here in the US won't give her credit for 2nd semester classes b/c she left Switzerland early. Yet all of her peers got full 2nd semester credit for doing basically nothing either. She's really gotten a raw deal.

 

[elaine]

In that case, do the GED and get CC credit. I don't know that GED requires "credits" vs. passing the test. I'd find a practice test online or order a practice book ASAP to find out if just a week or two of studying might suffice for pass the test.
Be aware that some colleges count anyone with more than X credits as a transfer student, not new freshman applicant. I also don't know if classes currently taking when applying "count." I think 9 credits is usually "safe" to still be a freshman. But, check with each the college. It's usually listed online in the admission area.

 

[Cornell]

I don't know that GED requires "credits" vs. passing the test. I'd find a practice test online or order a practice book ASAP to find out if just a week or two of studying might suffice for pass the test.

Awesome - I'm on it.

Last comment: I'm going to a family function today. My brother-in-law is the president of his teacher's union. I adore him. We just texted each other & said "let's not talk about schools today".

 

[elaine]

for CC, 2 semesters of freshman English is good to bang out at CC. For many colleges, it's essentially online, self-taught anyway (from our CC and also major university). Economics is not bad online either. Pick generic classes that will transfer to most colleges. Look on college website for "transfer equivalency" grid.
feel free to pm me about best classes, how to use the grid, check professors, etc., if you decide to go that route. elaine

 

[Cornell]

@elaine i can’t thank you enough . You really have me thinking ...

We live very close to an excellent comm college

 

[geekette]

Thank you @geekette - great thoughts & ideas. Unfortunately I cannot take a month to travel - I have a day job. This single mom has to pay the bills.

I am going to float some ideas to her this weekend and see what she has to say.

ohhhhh, I thought you were going to remote work from a different place for a while. sorry about that!