How is first day going for DCPS kids?

[Anonymous]

OMG, helping my two young elementary schoolers navigate their new school days (different something every 20-30 mins, on-off-on-off) is a full-time job! But their dad and I already have full-time jobs! I’m on the verge of a nervous breakdown over here. Really hoping this gets easier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OMG, helping my two young elementary schoolers navigate their new school days (different something every 20-30 mins, on-off-on-off) is a full-time job! But their dad and I already have full-time jobs! I’m on the verge of a nervous breakdown over here. Really hoping this gets easier.

Me too. Plus the expectation that I can be involved through each call for early elementary? Log in, providing supplies, muting on/off, and directing my child who is overwhelmed by the confusion and noises? So far, my school seems to expect a full time proctor. I'm exhausted and only surviving due to low expectations for everything right now, including my job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We had a rocky start, but I’m optimistic. My kid’s K class has 27 kids, which surprised me. I thought it would be lower, but this is our first foray into DCPS.

That’s too large. What school? Has to be WOTP.

EOTP, don’t really feel comfortable sharing the school, but glad to know it’s not the norm

Is it a single class per grade school? Not much they can do if so, because a 13-14 person class isn't financially sustainable for a school. If there are 2+ classes, this is outrageous. They can absolutely break 54 kids into 3 classes (my kid's EOTP K only has 18). More classes than that and it gets easier and easier to make class sizes manageable.

TL;DR: Complain, loudly if it's 1+ classes; 1 class, not the school's class, so DCPS' funding metric would be the only appropriate target of your ire.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We had a rocky start, but I’m optimistic. My kid’s K class has 27 kids, which surprised me. I thought it would be lower, but this is our first foray into DCPS.

That’s too large. What school? Has to be WOTP.

EOTP, don’t really feel comfortable sharing the school, but glad to know it’s not the norm

Is it a single class per grade school? Not much they can do if so, because a 13-14 person class isn't financially sustainable for a school. If there are 2+ classes, this is outrageous. They can absolutely break 54 kids into 3 classes (my kid's EOTP K only has 18). More classes than that and it gets easier and easier to make class sizes manageable.

TL;DR: Complain, loudly if it's 1+ classes; 1 class, not the school's class, so DCPS' funding metric would be the only appropriate target of your ire.

There are 2 k classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We had a rocky start, but I’m optimistic. My kid’s K class has 27 kids, which surprised me. I thought it would be lower, but this is our first foray into DCPS.

That’s too large. What school? Has to be WOTP.

EOTP, don’t really feel comfortable sharing the school, but glad to know it’s not the norm

Is it a single class per grade school? Not much they can do if so, because a 13-14 person class isn't financially sustainable for a school. If there are 2+ classes, this is outrageous. They can absolutely break 54 kids into 3 classes (my kid's EOTP K only has 18). More classes than that and it gets easier and easier to make class sizes manageable.

TL;DR: Complain, loudly if it's 1+ classes; 1 class, not the school's class, so DCPS' funding metric would be the only appropriate target of your ire.

My kid is in an East of the Park Title 1 school, 2nd grade and they went from 4 2nd grade classes to 6- she only has 8 kids in her class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Awful. My 3rd grader cannot and will not sit still in front of a screen. Refuses to stay focused. Too many distractions - chat windows, etc.

I’m about ready to cry. Sigh.

WADR, your kid is in 3rd grade. Your expectations for acceptable behavior, engagement and attention are below grade level. Maybe time to look in the mirror just a bit?

Signed,
Parent of 3rd grader who would NOT suffer that behavoir

[Anonymous]

I am thinking about un enrolling and home school- home school is about 2-3 hours a day, I can do it around my schedule, an hour in the am, one mid after noon and one after I get off of work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Awful. My 3rd grader cannot and will not sit still in front of a screen. Refuses to stay focused. Too many distractions - chat windows, etc.

I’m about ready to cry. Sigh.

WADR, your kid is in 3rd grade. Your expectations for acceptable behavior, engagement and attention are below grade level. Maybe time to look in the mirror just a bit?

Signed,
Parent of 3rd grader who would NOT suffer that behavoir

PP,
Your behavior is that off an asshole. Maybe it's time to reflect on why you need to be so nasty?

Signed,
New poster who knows how to spell behavior.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Awful. My 3rd grader cannot and will not sit still in front of a screen. Refuses to stay focused. Too many distractions - chat windows, etc.

I’m about ready to cry. Sigh.

WADR, your kid is in 3rd grade. Your expectations for acceptable behavior, engagement and attention are below grade level. Maybe time to look in the mirror just a bit?

Signed,
Parent of 3rd grader who would NOT suffer that behavoir

dp: Haha! You have expectations for compliant behavior for a 9 year-old in an online meeting?!

There is nothing developmentally appropriate about what we are asking kids to do. My kid struggles with him, but I curse all the adults who left us in this ridiculous situation. I don’t blame my hyperactive child for not being better at it.

[Anonymous]

It definitely stings when my kid sees her friends chillin' online together. Damn. Don't know how she'll get used to the fact that others get to have friends but not her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Awful. My 3rd grader cannot and will not sit still in front of a screen. Refuses to stay focused. Too many distractions - chat windows, etc.

I’m about ready to cry. Sigh.

WADR, your kid is in 3rd grade. Your expectations for acceptable behavior, engagement and attention are below grade level. Maybe time to look in the mirror just a bit?

Signed,
Parent of 3rd grader who would NOT suffer that behavoir

dp: Haha! You have expectations for compliant behavior for a 9 year-old in an online meeting?!

There is nothing developmentally appropriate about what we are asking kids to do. My kid struggles with him, but I curse all the adults who left us in this ridiculous situation. I don’t blame my hyperactive child for not being better at it.

"Hyperactivity" is used to describe all manner of beasts, from kids diagnosed with and medicated for ADHD all the way through kids whose parents have no control over them and want to be their friends. An entitled kid who has never been expected to behave and listen to their parents isn't "hyperactive" he's poorly behaved with parents who need to learn better skills. Every parent can name at least 2 or 3 other parents in their kid's class who falls into this category. (Spoiler alert: if you can't identify those parents, you probably are those parents!)

If your 9 year old can't sit calmly and participate in an online meeting for 40-60 minutes then you are not describing developmentally appropriate behavior.

The "adults" didn't leave us in this situation, COVID-19 did. Respectfully, maybe the same instinct that has you mistakenly blaming people instead of a virus is the same instinct that causes you to fail to take ownership of your kid's behavior? Something to chew on.

And before the ECE 20 and 30 somethings chime in, I am NOT talking about 3 or 4 or 5 year olds. I do not envy any of you; you have been dealt a truly challenging hand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Awful. My 3rd grader cannot and will not sit still in front of a screen. Refuses to stay focused. Too many distractions - chat windows, etc.

I’m about ready to cry. Sigh.

WADR, your kid is in 3rd grade. Your expectations for acceptable behavior, engagement and attention are below grade level. Maybe time to look in the mirror just a bit?

Signed,
Parent of 3rd grader who would NOT suffer that behavoir

PP,
Your behavior is that off an asshole. Maybe it's time to reflect on why you need to be so nasty?

Signed,
New poster who knows how to spell behavior.

But not the difference between "off" and "of, apparently?

Be careful up there on your high horse, the fall is nasty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Awful. My 3rd grader cannot and will not sit still in front of a screen. Refuses to stay focused. Too many distractions - chat windows, etc.

I’m about ready to cry. Sigh.

WADR, your kid is in 3rd grade. Your expectations for acceptable behavior, engagement and attention are below grade level. Maybe time to look in the mirror just a bit?

Signed,
Parent of 3rd grader who would NOT suffer that behavoir

PP,
Your behavior is that off an asshole. Maybe it's time to reflect on why you need to be so nasty?

Signed,
New poster who knows how to spell behavior.

But not the difference between "off" and "of, apparently?

Be careful up there on your high horse, the fall is nasty.

Ouch.

[Anonymous]

Ours is going horribly. My child still does not have classes in Canvas. The school has been extremely unhelpful. I'm about to switch her school. She is in 6th grade. Crying today because she can't attend classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Missed the first 15 minutes of the day because no one told us (or a lot of others in my kid's class) that you had to re-sign in to Teams to join a meeting. They just said to click on the link out of Canvas and you're in, so we sat there waiting to get let in to the meeting until another parent figured it out.

The teacher also didn't turn off the chat function so half the class (4th grade, WOTP school) clearly was tuning her out and just chatting amongst themselves.

Teachers can't turn off the chat, unfortunately, but supposedly DCPS is going to disable it for all students next week.

The chat can be turned off in Teams.

It can be turned off in the Teams, but it cannot be turned off during the live meetings. Or at least none of the teachers at my DCPS school know how to turn it off, and I have talked to colleagues at other schools who can't turn it off, and when I google it says it can only be turned off by admin. But I would truly love to be wrong about this, so if you have a way to turn off the chat during meetings please post it here!