Seriously -What happens if we don’t participate in Zoom?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is not going to be grading. How can there be grading? Half of the kids in Spring never turned in one assignment once in person school ended. Not every kid has a home, a parent who can stay home with them, a stable home life, or safety to be able to succeed with DL. People inside this bubble are really tone deaf.

That’s why students never turned in assignments because there was no grading. Ask your BOE why this is.

That's not why. Why is because parents checked out, don't care if it gets done and aren't supervising. Even if you are working/not home you still need to monitor your child's education. You cannot blame the school for your lack of parenting.

And parents didn’t care because no grade

I didn’t care because the videos/worksheets didn’t teach home anything so the semester was a waste whatever we did. And I also had a job I was supposed to be doing, along with younger kids to watch. Pointless worksheets just didn’t make our list of worries.

We have hired a tutor for the fall, and we will miss any zooms that take place while she is here. Other than that, we will aim for one a day to help the school’s numbers and that’s it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is not going to be grading. How can there be grading? Half of the kids in Spring never turned in one assignment once in person school ended. Not every kid has a home, a parent who can stay home with them, a stable home life, or safety to be able to succeed with DL. People inside this bubble are really tone deaf.

That’s why students never turned in assignments because there was no grading. Ask your BOE why this is.

That's not why. Why is because parents checked out, don't care if it gets done and aren't supervising. Even if you are working/not home you still need to monitor your child's education. You cannot blame the school for your lack of parenting.

And parents didn’t care because no grade

I didn’t care because the videos/worksheets didn’t teach home anything so the semester was a waste whatever we did. And I also had a job I was supposed to be doing, along with younger kids to watch. Pointless worksheets just didn’t make our list of worries.

We have hired a tutor for the fall, and we will miss any zooms that take place while she is here. Other than that, we will aim for one a day to help the school’s numbers and that’s it.

Right worksheets don’t teach kids parents do. My job is not greater than my kid’s learning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The district is too big. Nothing will satisfy all. Time to tear down MCPS into smaller districts. Or give principals more power to act independently.

Also, the moon is not bright enough. Time to make the moon brighter. Brighter moon now!

You’re not very bright are you?

The fact that MCPS is too large is something that can be fixed. It is possible to break MCPS up into smaller, more manageable districts.

It is not possible to brighten the moon.

See the difference?

Just because you don’t want MCPS to break up and be more efficient, doesn’t mean it can’t be done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We skipped the Zoom session last Spring. Not worth the time and hassle. (And we got flamed for it on here, repeatedly.)

As long as you do the assignments and check in with your teacher, it is fine.

It is unlikely MCPS will assign grades in the Fall - so it’s not really an issue anyway.

This is just plain wrong. MCPS is using the regular grading in the Fall. It was stated both during the BOE meeting AND during the virtual town hall yesterday. Don't post unless you are actually paying attention to what the county is posting and saying. You are just a source of misinformation.

No, nobody really knows. It might be what they hope to do, but we’ll see. It doesn’t really sound like MCPS even has a solid plan in place yet.

How are they going to enforce kids’ participating and completing assignments? It is virtually impossible.

How do you administer tests for grades and ensure people aren’t cheating? How do you ensure fair grading, especially with regards to ‘Equity’ considerations?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The district is too big. Nothing will satisfy all. Time to tear down MCPS into smaller districts. Or give principals more power to act independently.

Also, the moon is not bright enough. Time to make the moon brighter. Brighter moon now!

You’re not very bright are you?

The fact that MCPS is too large is something that can be fixed. It is possible to break MCPS up into smaller, more manageable districts.

It is not possible to brighten the moon.

See the difference?

Just because you don’t want MCPS to break up and be more efficient, doesn’t mean it can’t be done.

Please lay out the necessary steps for us, with specific references to the applicable laws.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The district is too big. Nothing will satisfy all. Time to tear down MCPS into smaller districts. Or give principals more power to act independently.

Also, the moon is not bright enough. Time to make the moon brighter. Brighter moon now!

You’re not very bright are you?

The fact that MCPS is too large is something that can be fixed. It is possible to break MCPS up into smaller, more manageable districts.

It is not possible to brighten the moon.

See the difference?

Just because you don’t want MCPS to break up and be more efficient, doesn’t mean it can’t be done.

Please lay out the necessary steps for us, with specific references to the applicable laws.

DP. I don’t know the specific answers to your question. But do you really believe that there would be no mechanism to do this?

[Anonymous]

Jail time

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The district is too big. Nothing will satisfy all. Time to tear down MCPS into smaller districts. Or give principals more power to act independently.

Also, the moon is not bright enough. Time to make the moon brighter. Brighter moon now!

You’re not very bright are you?

The fact that MCPS is too large is something that can be fixed. It is possible to break MCPS up into smaller, more manageable districts.

It is not possible to brighten the moon.

See the difference?

Just because you don’t want MCPS to break up and be more efficient, doesn’t mean it can’t be done.

Please lay out the necessary steps for us, with specific references to the applicable laws.

DP. I don’t know the specific answers to your question. But do you really believe that there would be no mechanism to do this?

That would be a good thing to find out, before saying that it's possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The district is too big. Nothing will satisfy all. Time to tear down MCPS into smaller districts. Or give principals more power to act independently.

Also, the moon is not bright enough. Time to make the moon brighter. Brighter moon now!

You’re not very bright are you?

The fact that MCPS is too large is something that can be fixed. It is possible to break MCPS up into smaller, more manageable districts.

It is not possible to brighten the moon.

See the difference?

Just because you don’t want MCPS to break up and be more efficient, doesn’t mean it can’t be done.

Please lay out the necessary steps for us, with specific references to the applicable laws.

DP. I don’t know the specific answers to your question. But do you really believe that there would be no mechanism to do this?

That would be a good thing to find out, before saying that it's possible.

No, I don't. First, I didn't say it was possible. But, I do believe it would be.

How about you explain why you believe that the current district boundaries are set in stone and could never be changed?

It is possible it would require some state action. It almost certainly would require county action. But it is almost inconceivable that there wouldn't be some way to change boundaries, at least in theory. To have boundaries be forever immutable would make no sense. And even if that were the current law, that law could be amended. Even if it were based on the state constitution, the constitution could be amended.

Montgomery County may have the power to decide that, within the county, it makes more sense to operate two separate school districts. If school district's have to be based on the county, there presumably would be a mechanism that enable a county to split in two.

None of this will actually happen. But there is almost certainly a mechanism by which it could.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Elementary school mom here. The sample schedule shows kids online for over 5 hours a day. What parent wants their kid online for that long?

I have 4 kids. My ES kid is my oldest. Now I’m expected to keep everyone home and indoors all day to facilitate Zoom meetings for 1/4 of my kids? Feels really unfair to my family. I also work PT but my hours are flexible. I do most of my work in the early morning hours. My husband is an essential worker and out of the house daily from 8 - 6.

I don’t want to homeschool. Seriously, what is going to happen if we simply say, we’re happy to do the work but unable to be online. My kids need movement and fresh air. They also need an engaged parent who is available and attentive to all their needs. Not just playing personal assistant to the needs of the ES kid.

How much fresh air do the younger children need -- an hour, two? Sounds doable in your circumstances. I am fine with my kid being "online" for 5 hours. What does that even mean? It's not like they are watching videos or playing games. It is school. They sit around at actual schools a lot too.

You don't think there is any difference in actual human interactions with people in real school, versus talking to them online, on a screen. Wow. What a sheltered, narrow world you live in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

No, I don't. First, I didn't say it was possible. But, I do believe it would be.

How about you explain why you believe that the current district boundaries are set in stone and could never be changed?

It is possible it would require some state action. It almost certainly would require county action. But it is almost inconceivable that there wouldn't be some way to change boundaries, at least in theory. To have boundaries be forever immutable would make no sense. And even if that were the current law, that law could be amended. Even if it were based on the state constitution, the constitution could be amended.

Montgomery County may have the power to decide that, within the county, it makes more sense to operate two separate school districts. If school district's have to be based on the county, there presumably would be a mechanism that enable a county to split in two.

None of this will actually happen. But there is almost certainly a mechanism by which it could.

Terrific. So, tell us what the mechanism is.

[Anonymous]

With 4 kids, OP, you knew you'd have to juggle and compromise A LOT during their childhood, in one way or the other.

You come across as entitled and demanding. What on earth did you expect???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Elementary school mom here. The sample schedule shows kids online for over 5 hours a day. What parent wants their kid online for that long?

I have 4 kids. My ES kid is my oldest. Now I’m expected to keep everyone home and indoors all day to facilitate Zoom meetings for 1/4 of my kids? Feels really unfair to my family. I also work PT but my hours are flexible. I do most of my work in the early morning hours. My husband is an essential worker and out of the house daily from 8 - 6.

I don’t want to homeschool. Seriously, what is going to happen if we simply say, we’re happy to do the work but unable to be online. My kids need movement and fresh air. They also need an engaged parent who is available and attentive to all their needs. Not just playing personal assistant to the needs of the ES kid.

Can't you work this out with the teacher? My kid is currently in a summer school class, and we are able to attend half the class per day, with the agreement that I will teach the second half and make sure assignments are turned in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
With 4 kids, OP, you knew you'd have to juggle and compromise A LOT during their childhood, in one way or the other.

You come across as entitled and demanding. What on earth did you expect???

I sometimes think that people with that many kids really didn't think many things through.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Elementary school mom here. The sample schedule shows kids online for over 5 hours a day. What parent wants their kid online for that long?

I have 4 kids. My ES kid is my oldest. Now I’m expected to keep everyone home and indoors all day to facilitate Zoom meetings for 1/4 of my kids? Feels really unfair to my family. I also work PT but my hours are flexible. I do most of my work in the early morning hours. My husband is an essential worker and out of the house daily from 8 - 6.

I don’t want to homeschool. Seriously, what is going to happen if we simply say, we’re happy to do the work but unable to be online. My kids need movement and fresh air. They also need an engaged parent who is available and attentive to all their needs. Not just playing personal assistant to the needs of the ES kid.

How much fresh air do the younger children need -- an hour, two? Sounds doable in your circumstances. I am fine with my kid being "online" for 5 hours. What does that even mean? It's not like they are watching videos or playing games. It is school. They sit around at actual schools a lot too.

You don't think there is any difference in actual human interactions with people in real school, versus talking to them online, on a screen. Wow. What a sheltered, narrow world you live in.

Of course there is a difference. But people in this thread talk about Zoom in the “old” terminology of screen time (examples of which I gave above). Interactions over video were “exempt” from screen time by pediatricians even before the pandemic.

And yes, I am devastated by your incisive assessment of the world I live in. Just reading it flattened me to 2D and I am now inhabiting the screen of my computer with which I have formed a neural link.