If schools have to continue online, shouldn’t teachers worry about their jobs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parent here. I think this time should be spent to fine tune online instruction, August is a long way but if the need be then online instruction can continue. However, at that point instead of 1 hr, at least 5 hr should be the norm. This is a serious situation and you can’t expect teachers and rest of the school staff to risk their lives.

At that point nobody will be sympathetic to the fact that teachers have their own kids at home to take care of, that’s the case for all is us. I am sure most reasonable teachers will try to do whatever they can to make online instruction work in August.

Do you think it is reasonable appropriate to have young kids sit in front of their computers for 5 hours per day?

Please, please, please let's just open the schools back up. If parents are not comfortable sending their kids, then they can use Virtual Virginia or instructional videos and assignments posted on a Google Classroom site.

Sure. Especially if they don’t do it for 5 hours straight.

So something like this?

8-9am: Computer lesson
9-9:20am: Break
9:20-10:20am: Computer lesson
10:20-10:40am: Break
10:40-11:40am: Computer lesson
11:40-12:20pm: Lunch break
12:20-1:20pm: Computer lesson
1:20-1:40pm: Break
1:40-2:40pm: Computer lesson

If by "young kids" you mean in grades K-2, this schedule is so developmentally wrong I can't believe anyone would think it'd be okay. Maybe for college kids??? For kids in grades K-2, this *might* work for some:
8-8:30 whole group lesson online
8:30-9 independent work of some kind
9-9:30--play
Then small group work for 15-30 minutes between 9:30-10
10-10:30 independent work
10:30-12 break and lunch
12-12:30 whole group lesson online
then independent work for 15-20 minutes.

For distance learning, this is enough for young kids. More than enough. And that's assuming there's a parent at home to help ensure that a) the kid sits and listens to the teacher teaching and b) the kid has help with independent work. Given that most kids do not have this, even the above schedule is very ambitious.

But that doesn't give the 5 hours of online instruction that the PP was wanting for her kids. Your schedule requires way more parental involvement. I don't think the "5 hours" PP cares whether the schedule is developmentally appropriate

(Personally, I just really, really want FCPS to open schools as normal in the fall with liberal attendance policies. Parents can make their own decisions in terms of sending their kids to school or keeping them home to access online instruction. I say this as a high school teacher with middle and high school kids.)

[Anonymous]

Um, one teacher per grade? What are you even talking about? A successful online class is not that different from a live one. Ever taken an online college course? I host a Meet, I post questions, we have discussion boards, they write and get feedback, they get graded work back, etc. Effective online instruction would not involve a giant worksheet dump, graded robotically once per week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools should resume in the fall. period. If teachers can't handle it, then FCPS has all summer to find people that can handle it.

Nope

yup

Nope

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parent here. I think this time should be spent to fine tune online instruction, August is a long way but if the need be then online instruction can continue. However, at that point instead of 1 hr, at least 5 hr should be the norm. This is a serious situation and you can’t expect teachers and rest of the school staff to risk their lives.

At that point nobody will be sympathetic to the fact that teachers have their own kids at home to take care of, that’s the case for all is us. I am sure most reasonable teachers will try to do whatever they can to make online instruction work in August.

Do you think it is reasonable appropriate to have young kids sit in front of their computers for 5 hours per day?

Please, please, please let's just open the schools back up. If parents are not comfortable sending their kids, then they can use Virtual Virginia or instructional videos and assignments posted on a Google Classroom site.

Sure. Especially if they don’t do it for 5 hours straight.

So something like this?

8-9am: Computer lesson
9-9:20am: Break
9:20-10:20am: Computer lesson
10:20-10:40am: Break
10:40-11:40am: Computer lesson
11:40-12:20pm: Lunch break
12:20-1:20pm: Computer lesson
1:20-1:40pm: Break
1:40-2:40pm: Computer lesson

If by "young kids" you mean in grades K-2, this schedule is so developmentally wrong I can't believe anyone would think it'd be okay. Maybe for college kids??? For kids in grades K-2, this *might* work for some:
8-8:30 whole group lesson online
8:30-9 independent work of some kind
9-9:30--play
Then small group work for 15-30 minutes between 9:30-10
10-10:30 independent work
10:30-12 break and lunch
12-12:30 whole group lesson online
then independent work for 15-20 minutes.

For distance learning, this is enough for young kids. More than enough. And that's assuming there's a parent at home to help ensure that a) the kid sits and listens to the teacher teaching and b) the kid has help with independent work. Given that most kids do not have this, even the above schedule is very ambitious.

But that doesn't give the 5 hours of online instruction that the PP was wanting for her kids. Your schedule requires way more parental involvement. I don't think the "5 hours" PP cares whether the schedule is developmentally appropriate

(Personally, I just really, really want FCPS to open schools as normal in the fall with liberal attendance policies. Parents can make their own decisions in terms of sending their kids to school or keeping them home to access online instruction. I say this as a high school teacher with middle and high school kids.)

Parents can want things, but that doesn't mean they are going to get those things. Little children need a ton of supervision. No school district can or should have kids online for 5 hours, even with breaks. That's crazy talk. I, too, want schools to open....as long as cases are stable or declining. I don't think schools are going to provide both brick and mortar AND online work though, unless it's a hybrid schedule. It isn't like parents are going to just be able to choose from a menu of options. I suspect it'll be ONE option from the districts, take it or leave it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools should resume in the fall. period. If teachers can't handle it, then FCPS has all summer to find people that can handle it.

Nope

yup

Nope

Yup.

The most obvious solution is for school to open for this who need or want it. Families who have concerns can watch live feed of their classrooms and learn that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools should resume in the fall. period. If teachers can't handle it, then FCPS has all summer to find people that can handle it.

Nope

yup

Nope

Yup.

The most obvious solution is for school to open for this who need or want it. Families who have concerns can watch live feed of their classrooms and learn that way.

If you watched a live stream of my 90 minute high school class you would spend the majority of the time watching students working in pairs, doing activities, or moving around the classroom. I don't know how watching that would help a student alone at home learn. I don't lecture all class, I don't just give worksheets. That is part of why distance learning is so hard. But I really don't see how a student would learn watching from home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools should resume in the fall. period. If teachers can't handle it, then FCPS has all summer to find people that can handle it.

Nope

yup

Nope

Yup.

The most obvious solution is for school to open for this who need or want it. Families who have concerns can watch live feed of their classrooms and learn that way.

If you watched a live stream of my 90 minute high school class you would spend the majority of the time watching students working in pairs, doing activities, or moving around the classroom. I don't know how watching that would help a student alone at home learn. I don't lecture all class, I don't just give worksheets. That is part of why distance learning is so hard. But I really don't see how a student would learn watching from home.

This is the problem even in elementary schools. I don’t lecture for a whole period. Even if I wanted to, it isn’t developmentally appropriate. I’d get an ineffective on an observation for doing that. You can’t just “watch” learning take place and glean the same. This is the problem with parents who want 5 hours of live instruction a day. I don’t just present for five hours a day. Even adults have a hard time sitting still through a long lecture. Live in reality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes I’m worried. I’m a private school teacher. Worried I’ll be gig teaching on lots of platforms in a couple of years for peanuts. Another middle class job destroyed to serve the interests of billionaires.

Our private school layed off all the teachers until school is able to resume.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes I’m worried. I’m a private school teacher. Worried I’ll be gig teaching on lots of platforms in a couple of years for peanuts. Another middle class job destroyed to serve the interests of billionaires.

Our private school layed off all the teachers until school is able to resume.

That’s one good reason not to work at a private school. Don’t count on those teachers returning, and I’d be surprised if they’re able to attract any good candidates knowing that if schools have to shut down again in the fall/winter that they’ll lose their job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes I’m worried. I’m a private school teacher. Worried I’ll be gig teaching on lots of platforms in a couple of years for peanuts. Another middle class job destroyed to serve the interests of billionaires.

Our private school layed off all the teachers until school is able to resume.

That’s one good reason not to work at a private school. Don’t count on those teachers returning, and I’d be surprised if they’re able to attract any good candidates knowing that if schools have to shut down again in the fall/winter that they’ll lose their job.

This is going to happen in charter schools too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools should resume in the fall. period. If teachers can't handle it, then FCPS has all summer to find people that can handle it.

Nope

yup

Nope

Yup.

The most obvious solution is for school to open for this who need or want it. Families who have concerns can watch live feed of their classrooms and learn that way.

If you watched a live stream of my 90 minute high school class you would spend the majority of the time watching students working in pairs, doing activities, or moving around the classroom. I don't know how watching that would help a student alone at home learn. I don't lecture all class, I don't just give worksheets. That is part of why distance learning is so hard. But I really don't see how a student would learn watching from home.

I have been doing the same thing for 90-120 minute classes on Zoom. We use Breakout Rooms for partners to analyze documents, small groups to discuss issues, etc. How is that different from having everyone in person? Just pair up people who are at home. The only thing that is a pain is just getting all of the documents out in advance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools should resume in the fall. period. If teachers can't handle it, then FCPS has all summer to find people that can handle it.

Nope

yup

Nope

Yup.

The most obvious solution is for school to open for this who need or want it. Families who have concerns can watch live feed of their classrooms and learn that way.

If you watched a live stream of my 90 minute high school class you would spend the majority of the time watching students working in pairs, doing activities, or moving around the classroom. I don't know how watching that would help a student alone at home learn. I don't lecture all class, I don't just give worksheets. That is part of why distance learning is so hard. But I really don't see how a student would learn watching from home.

I have been doing the same thing for 90-120 minute classes on Zoom. We use Breakout Rooms for partners to analyze documents, small groups to discuss issues, etc. How is that different from having everyone in person? Just pair up people who are at home. The only thing that is a pain is just getting all of the documents out in advance.

How would I answer their questions while helping kids in the classroom at the same time? How do I send out documents that need to be cut or can't be translated to worksheets? It's very different given that I try to use the whole classroom and have students moving a lot to complete the work. And to try to convert that to kids at home would take a lot of time and wouldn't be as effective.

[Anonymous]

Also I have been doing breakout rooms on Zoom. If several groups have questions at the same time they have to wait awhile for me to join them. And it takes forever for them to explain the issue and me to show them the work. In the classroom I can walk around and notice a common issue and make an announcement, students can look at their groupmate's work for help when stuck and ask other groups if needed. Zoom has been fine but much less effective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes I’m worried. I’m a private school teacher. Worried I’ll be gig teaching on lots of platforms in a couple of years for peanuts. Another middle class job destroyed to serve the interests of billionaires.

Our private school layed off all the teachers until school is able to resume.

That’s one good reason not to work at a private school. Don’t count on those teachers returning, and I’d be surprised if they’re able to attract any good candidates knowing that if schools have to shut down again in the fall/winter that they’ll lose their job.

This is going to happen in charter schools too.

Why do you think that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes I’m worried. I’m a private school teacher. Worried I’ll be gig teaching on lots of platforms in a couple of years for peanuts. Another middle class job destroyed to serve the interests of billionaires.

Our private school layed off all the teachers until school is able to resume.

That’s one good reason not to work at a private school. Don’t count on those teachers returning, and I’d be surprised if they’re able to attract any good candidates knowing that if schools have to shut down again in the fall/winter that they’ll lose their job.

This is going to happen in charter schools too.

Why do you think that?

Because my friends in charter schools across the state are reporting layoffs. A lot of layoffs.