2 days a week school in the fall?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also, distance learning is not working at all for my kids (all under age 7). They aren't learning anything despite our attempts. So while I guess something is better than nothing, I am not sure how long we can just ignore kids really not learning anything (and I realize my kids have a lot of advantages that many other kids do not).

Then you need to talk to your teacher & school. Find out how you could better impalement the lesson more effectively. As well as all the ways your child can learn through intentional play. If that doesn't work then you could find a program, apps, video lessons designed for distance learning. There are a BUNCH out there. The Prk- Elementary can learn a lot from PBS, Khan Kids, Smithsonian lesson, Dollar store work books.

[Anonymous]

How about:

Provide homeschooling materials for families that want their kids to use complete DL. Not the thrown together system of completely classes in progress the was done this year, an actual option to complete the content on a home school basis.

2 day a week of in school learning for middle and high school with homework (not virtual classes) for the remaining portion of the week to cover complete content. Roughly 10 students in a classroom at a time, depending on room size.


Divide elementary schools into morning and afternoon groups, 9-noon and 1 to 4, four days a week. facilitate alternative locations with childcare, technology and homework help for kids that need it staffed with paraprofessionals for the times they are not in school. accommodate social distancing.

Once there is a vaccine or execution of other elimination plan (isolation and tracing) go back to normal.

[Anonymous]

All I have to say is, if they do DL, I REALLY hope the expectations are realistic for elementary school kids that are not self-sufficient. Otherwise, I'm going to have to go part-time at work in order to oversee DL.

If they do bring the kids back, I lean towards more frequent, shorter days, because I think routine works better for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, distance learning is not working at all for my kids (all under age 7). They aren't learning anything despite our attempts. So while I guess something is better than nothing, I am not sure how long we can just ignore kids really not learning anything (and I realize my kids have a lot of advantages that many other kids do not).

Then you need to talk to your teacher & school. Find out how you could better impalement the lesson more effectively. As well as all the ways your child can learn through intentional play. If that doesn't work then you could find a program, apps, video lessons designed for distance learning. There are a BUNCH out there. The Prk- Elementary can learn a lot from PBS, Khan Kids, Smithsonian lesson, Dollar store work books.

Of course there are ways to homeschool effectively. But maybe PP has a full-time job and can't spend hours a day overseeing it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:i think the ralith is that many parents are going to have to sacrifice to pay for childcare for school aged kids during this time. Stop retirement savings if needed for the year, stop college savings. That or we leave our kids home alone. Most jobs will be back in person by fall but kids won't.

I think this is right. I just hope there are enough good nannies/babysitters out there that we can all find someone to hire to provide childcare. Since group care doesn't seem likely to be a smart choice.

Employees could make a Union? Even informally join together and demand flexible and work from home schedules. A lot of employers are realizing people can work from home all of most of the time just fine and they can save a ton of money in office space rentals. Those that have to go to work nurses, grocery store workers, teachers should be given priority at government subsidized small class sized childcare centers.
On the other end we as a culture could also start to value multiple generation homes, and having a stay at home parent. To the point of creating government subsidized based on zip ocde cost of living for stay at home parents & care givers. There are so, so, so many countries that have family programs that work. If the feds wanted they wouldn't have look very far to find plans that work & could be started here. They wouldn't even have to do all the research to get it going.

This is not a battle about schools being in or childcare it is about not valuing parenting in all its forms (single, lgbt+,foster/adoption, working/at home, families, grandparents, extended). It is about loving people more than companies & money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, distance learning is not working at all for my kids (all under age 7). They aren't learning anything despite our attempts. So while I guess something is better than nothing, I am not sure how long we can just ignore kids really not learning anything (and I realize my kids have a lot of advantages that many other kids do not).

Then you need to talk to your teacher & school. Find out how you could better impalement the lesson more effectively. As well as all the ways your child can learn through intentional play. If that doesn't work then you could find a program, apps, video lessons designed for distance learning. There are a BUNCH out there. The Prk- Elementary can learn a lot from PBS, Khan Kids, Smithsonian lesson, Dollar store work books.

Of course there are ways to homeschool effectively. But maybe PP has a full-time job and can't spend hours a day overseeing it.

This. My spouse ad I would put together an awesome curriculum if we had the time. There just isn't time w/working FT.

[Anonymous]

I don't think that two days a week is insane for older elementary and up. That's basically how college classes work. You could have a mix of video lessons on a topic, problems/assignment that the kids can work on (either solo or in breakout groups on videoconference), and in-class instruction. At least at our school, there are separate math and ELA teachers, which would make it easier, I think. The issues would be ensuring that all kids have access to the necessary resources, and child care.

For younger kids, a few days a week is what a lot of preschools are, so the structure isn't the problem per se, it's childcare and the lesser ability of younger students to work independently at home.

But ultimately, whatever happens, not everyone will be happy, some people will have easier times, etc. In all cases, some parents will have the time and ability to effectively support and even supplement DL, and others will not. There isn't a perfect answer, and in any case, no plan survives contact with the enemy. I hope both that the school district is thoughtful, listens to experts, and flexible, and that parents who have the means to adapt are patient, flexible, and constructive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At my school before we left, we had a huge bullying issue that surrounded Asian children. Kids wouldn’t go near them, they would call them
Names and insist they had the virus. This also included kids who showed up and were coughing. The schools and parents are going to have to do some serious work surrounding this to make all children feel safe when they are back in the building.

Holy shit. What school was this?

I'm in a different area and when Trump was elected, we had a lot of kids in our 1st and 2nd grade classrooms chasing our Latino kids around the playground saying "build a wall!" I'm dead serious. I don't think our kids totally understood, but we had to implement a LOT of social emotional lessons on how to treat others. Some parents spew their awful hate at home and it leaks into even the youngest minds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Proposal for elementary school: Eliminate PreK3 and PreK4 until Jan except for children who qualify for FARM or an IEP/504. Use the opened up classroom space, classrooms and teachers to reduce K class size. Give all K students the option of "redshirting". If a parent selects this option, the student will be eligible to start in the PreK4 class in January.

Grades 1 - 5. All students have the option of 100% distance learning for Aug - Dec (and possibly for the entire school year depending on how things unfold). For families that select this option, there will be a dedicated cohort of teachers who will focus on being experts on delivering distance learning to this targeted age group. There will be a "parent / school" commitment to learning which outlines expectations for online learning engagement.
[Level of home learning technology available, home learning environment and learning support]

For the remaining 1-5 students, create a programing alternating weeks of instruction. Week 1 - in school instruction. Week 2 - distance specials + using learning technology apps to reinforce learning. This is a short term design and not intended to be a "redesigned learning". It is purely a proposal to situation we are all currently facing.

The fact that your entire plan is premised on returning to school in January -- the month in DC where hospital bed usage tends to be the highest pre-COVID (Children's often runs at 95% of capacity as a result of RSV and flu, e.g.) -- suggests that you haven't really gamed out the public health aspects of this. We need to get back to school in August precisely because there will be rolling shutdowns in Dec-Feb irrespective of what we do now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I get no one likes these plans, but what is your solution? They are trying to get kids back in school the best way they can. They can’t just open up schools with 500 kids and act like nothing happened. I don’t know what the right answer is but most people here won’t be happy with any solution

It's really not that hard to come up with ideas. If you're trying to minimize the number of kids present in school, we should be investing heavily in some full year virtual education options--like guided home schooling. In the other thread, I suggested reallocating principals and teachers with health concerns to a new 'virtual school'. Maybe stand up and Elementary, Middle, and High. If 10-20% of families opt into this, it opens up more possibilities for bringing kids back closer to full time at in-person schools.

Additionally, I'd like to see the city planning in lockdown periods to coincide for both school and elsewhere. We know the virus is likely to come back strong in the fall. Why not plan for a citywide cycle of something like 6 weeks on and 3 weeks off to contain the spread before it gets out of control. Right now, we're assuming there will be some unspecified trigger condition. But that's still going to come up on us more quickly than we would like. If we're proactive and go ahead and have occasional strict social distancing periods, we can keep everything from getting bad and hopefully better deal with the lockdown periods.

I like this. The problem is it can't just be the schools - everything woudl have to shut down for 3 weeks. What gets me is that it is JUST our children that are paying the price. THEY will be DL or in a school 2 days a week but the bars and coffee shops and restaurants and spas and dog groomers and acupuncturists and churches will be oopen 7 days a week.

When’s the last time you went to a restaurant/bar/coffee shop/salon/groomer/church and a sick person sneezed on you, coughed all over your table, picked their nose and wiped it on your table, sucked their thumb and then handed you something, chewed a marker and then gave it to you...kids are gross. That’s the difference between a business and a school.

Yes, there is. The biggest difference is that worldwide there is far more evidence of transmission in business settings than school settings. Taiwan went back to school planning to shut schools down again if necessary and there have only been ~9 cases at schools... unlike the rest of Taiwan, which they had to shut down again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I get no one likes these plans, but what is your solution? They are trying to get kids back in school the best way they can. They can’t just open up schools with 500 kids and act like nothing happened. I don’t know what the right answer is but most people here won’t be happy with any solution

It's really not that hard to come up with ideas. If you're trying to minimize the number of kids present in school, we should be investing heavily in some full year virtual education options--like guided home schooling. In the other thread, I suggested reallocating principals and teachers with health concerns to a new 'virtual school'. Maybe stand up and Elementary, Middle, and High. If 10-20% of families opt into this, it opens up more possibilities for bringing kids back closer to full time at in-person schools.

Additionally, I'd like to see the city planning in lockdown periods to coincide for both school and elsewhere. We know the virus is likely to come back strong in the fall. Why not plan for a citywide cycle of something like 6 weeks on and 3 weeks off to contain the spread before it gets out of control. Right now, we're assuming there will be some unspecified trigger condition. But that's still going to come up on us more quickly than we would like. If we're proactive and go ahead and have occasional strict social distancing periods, we can keep everything from getting bad and hopefully better deal with the lockdown periods.

You can’t compare the U.S. to Taiwan. Taiwan has been a leader in how to handle this pandemic, and they actually follow proper social distancing protocols. We can’t even get people to wear masks in public here.
I like this. The problem is it can't just be the schools - everything woudl have to shut down for 3 weeks. What gets me is that it is JUST our children that are paying the price. THEY will be DL or in a school 2 days a week but the bars and coffee shops and restaurants and spas and dog groomers and acupuncturists and churches will be oopen 7 days a week.

When’s the last time you went to a restaurant/bar/coffee shop/salon/groomer/church and a sick person sneezed on you, coughed all over your table, picked their nose and wiped it on your table, sucked their thumb and then handed you something, chewed a marker and then gave it to you...kids are gross. That’s the difference between a business and a school.

Yes, there is. The biggest difference is that worldwide there is far more evidence of transmission in business settings than school settings. Taiwan went back to school planning to shut schools down again if necessary and there have only been ~9 cases at schools... unlike the rest of Taiwan, which they had to shut down again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Proposal for elementary school: Eliminate PreK3 and PreK4 until Jan except for children who qualify for FARM or an IEP/504. Use the opened up classroom space, classrooms and teachers to reduce K class size. Give all K students the option of "redshirting". If a parent selects this option, the student will be eligible to start in the PreK4 class in January.

Grades 1 - 5. All students have the option of 100% distance learning for Aug - Dec (and possibly for the entire school year depending on how things unfold). For families that select this option, there will be a dedicated cohort of teachers who will focus on being experts on delivering distance learning to this targeted age group. There will be a "parent / school" commitment to learning which outlines expectations for online learning engagement.
[Level of home learning technology available, home learning environment and learning support]

For the remaining 1-5 students, create a programing alternating weeks of instruction. Week 1 - in school instruction. Week 2 - distance specials + using learning technology apps to reinforce learning. This is a short term design and not intended to be a "redesigned learning". It is purely a proposal to situation we are all currently facing.

The fact that your entire plan is premised on returning to school in January -- the month in DC where hospital bed usage tends to be the highest pre-COVID (Children's often runs at 95% of capacity as a result of RSV and flu, e.g.) -- suggests that you haven't really gamed out the public health aspects of this. We need to get back to school in August precisely because there will be rolling shutdowns in Dec-Feb irrespective of what we do now.

I kind of agree. Also, it's much easier to switch to DL when the teachers already know the students in person, even if it's not 5 days a week every week. Starting an elementary class from scratch online would be so hard, for both practical and emotional reasons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I get no one likes these plans, but what is your solution? They are trying to get kids back in school the best way they can. They can’t just open up schools with 500 kids and act like nothing happened. I don’t know what the right answer is but most people here won’t be happy with any solution

It's really not that hard to come up with ideas. If you're trying to minimize the number of kids present in school, we should be investing heavily in some full year virtual education options--like guided home schooling. In the other thread, I suggested reallocating principals and teachers with health concerns to a new 'virtual school'. Maybe stand up and Elementary, Middle, and High. If 10-20% of families opt into this, it opens up more possibilities for bringing kids back closer to full time at in-person schools.

Additionally, I'd like to see the city planning in lockdown periods to coincide for both school and elsewhere. We know the virus is likely to come back strong in the fall. Why not plan for a citywide cycle of something like 6 weeks on and 3 weeks off to contain the spread before it gets out of control. Right now, we're assuming there will be some unspecified trigger condition. But that's still going to come up on us more quickly than we would like. If we're proactive and go ahead and have occasional strict social distancing periods, we can keep everything from getting bad and hopefully better deal with the lockdown periods.

You can’t compare the U.S. to Taiwan. Taiwan has been a leader in how to handle this pandemic, and they actually follow proper social distancing protocols. We can’t even get people to wear masks in public here.
I like this. The problem is it can't just be the schools - everything woudl have to shut down for 3 weeks. What gets me is that it is JUST our children that are paying the price. THEY will be DL or in a school 2 days a week but the bars and coffee shops and restaurants and spas and dog groomers and acupuncturists and churches will be oopen 7 days a week.

When’s the last time you went to a restaurant/bar/coffee shop/salon/groomer/church and a sick person sneezed on you, coughed all over your table, picked their nose and wiped it on your table, sucked their thumb and then handed you something, chewed a marker and then gave it to you...kids are gross. That’s the difference between a business and a school.

Yes, there is. The biggest difference is that worldwide there is far more evidence of transmission in business settings than school settings. Taiwan went back to school planning to shut schools down again if necessary and there have only been ~9 cases at schools... unlike the rest of Taiwan, which they had to shut down again.

Formatting issue above...


You can’t compare the U.S. to Taiwan. Taiwan has been a leader in how to handle this pandemic, and they actually follow proper social distancing protocols. We can’t even get people to wear masks in public here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also, it's much easier to switch to DL when the teachers already know the students in person, even if it's not 5 days a week every week. Starting an elementary class from scratch online would be so hard, for both practical and emotional reasons.

I think this is definitely true. I'm already thinking about the work I'll need to do to get to know my students if we end up starting the year with DL.

At the same time, though, it seems like a lot of exposure risk for a lot of people (families, students, teachers, staff, etc.) for what may be a very short time we can actually be in school. If everyone is going to be regularly tested and we're going to switch to distance learning as soon as someone in the class tests positive, I don't think we would actually be in school more than a couple of weeks before switching to DL.

[Anonymous]

My special needs DS is supposed to start Deal in the fall. This is going to kill us both. I understand why and don't disagree that we need to continue social distancing, but this is going to be hell on me.