Either find a way to open schools, or send me a stimulus check so I can pay for childcare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Still not sure why OP things people should send them a check.

Probably because they are doing two full-time jobs for the price of one?

Oh wait. People keep telling me that "childcare" and "education" are totally separate and have nothing to do with each other.

Scratch that. THREE full time jobs for the price of one.

Your kids, your responsibility. Teachers are handling the education.

Haha- are you actually trying to suggest that a kindergarten/first grade child’s educational needs can be adequately handled via zoom? I guarantee you that for the very early elementary students either parents are the ones actually covering 75% + of the educational content or the kids are just being left behind.

That's pretty typical during in person learning. Kids whose parents support and work with them at home do far better.

So you’re okay with the disparity now being multiplied 10-fold?

I see what you did there. What a rhetorical genius you are!!! You know damn well that is not what the PPP said. The argument being advanced here is that somehow the disparate outcomes from DL are new. They are not. Were you OK with the previously disparate outcomes before they impacted you? Seems like the person being inconsistent here is you, not them.

No, I have never been okay with the disparate outcomes in learning and throughout my adult life have donated money and time volunteering to try to help those children who are disadvantaged, which is why I don’t think the people who glibly tout distance learning as an effective substitute understand how much irreparable harm is being done. I grew up truly poor, with my single mom and I bouncing around between living in trailers and couch surfing with relatives. For me school was a refuge and an opportunity to build a different future, and honestly I don’t know how I would have coped if that had been suddenly taken away from me, or where I would have even gone to try to complete my school work under the distance learning construct. Fast forward 20 years and as a result of the education I received I have a stable white collar job and family so yes, my kids will be fine and for us the virtual learning fiasco is a relatively minor hiccup. However I think people are underestimating how many children’s futures will be irreparably derailed.

Well said, PP. There are kids in my children's elementary school cohorts at a DCPS EotP who've hardly tuned in since March. I can't see how these kids will get back on track under the circumstances. My upper grades children tell me that the their classmates who seldom tune in were "way behind" the highest-achieving students in their classes pre Covid. What are these kids now? Lost causes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Still not sure why OP things people should send them a check.

Probably because they are doing two full-time jobs for the price of one?

Oh wait. People keep telling me that "childcare" and "education" are totally separate and have nothing to do with each other.

Scratch that. THREE full time jobs for the price of one.

Your kids, your responsibility. Teachers are handling the education.

Haha- are you actually trying to suggest that a kindergarten/first grade child’s educational needs can be adequately handled via zoom? I guarantee you that for the very early elementary students either parents are the ones actually covering 75% + of the educational content or the kids are just being left behind.

This. The damage being done to the most vulnerable kids is heartbreaking.

That's pretty typical during in person learning. Kids whose parents support and work with them at home do far better.

So you’re okay with the disparity now being multiplied 10-fold?

I see what you did there. What a rhetorical genius you are!!! You know damn well that is not what the PPP said. The argument being advanced here is that somehow the disparate outcomes from DL are new. They are not. Were you OK with the previously disparate outcomes before they impacted you? Seems like the person being inconsistent here is you, not them.

No, I have never been okay with the disparate outcomes in learning and throughout my adult life have donated money and time volunteering to try to help those children who are disadvantaged, which is why I don’t think the people who glibly tout distance learning as an effective substitute understand how much irreparable harm is being done. I grew up truly poor, with my single mom and I bouncing around between living in trailers and couch surfing with relatives. For me school was a refuge and an opportunity to build a different future, and honestly I don’t know how I would have coped if that had been suddenly taken away from me, or where I would have even gone to try to complete my school work under the distance learning construct. Fast forward 20 years and as a result of the education I received I have a stable white collar job and family so yes, my kids will be fine and for us the virtual learning fiasco is a relatively minor hiccup. However I think people are underestimating how many children’s futures will be irreparably derailed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That’s it. That’s the tweet.

Oh, and just to head this off: I’m extremely sorry that I am not rich enough to be able to pay for full time care for my school age child. Really! I feel terrible about it. But I can’t change that right this second, so I’m gonna need some alternatives. Otherwise, you’re just going to be paying for my healthcare when I finally completely lose it and have to be admitted to a mental hospital and my child becomes a ward of the state. Sorry for being middle class I guess?

Give me a refund on the share of my tax dollars that pay for public schools. I will use that to send my kids to private school, where they might actually learn something this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That’s it. That’s the tweet.

Oh, and just to head this off: I’m extremely sorry that I am not rich enough to be able to pay for full time care for my school age child. Really! I feel terrible about it. But I can’t change that right this second, so I’m gonna need some alternatives. Otherwise, you’re just going to be paying for my healthcare when I finally completely lose it and have to be admitted to a mental hospital and my child becomes a ward of the state. Sorry for being middle class I guess?

Give me a refund on the share of my tax dollars that pay for public schools. I will use that to send my kids to private school, where they might actually learn something this year.

Sure, just as soon as you pay back the taxes of all the childless people in DC who have been funding your kids' educations until 2020, since they aren't getting anything for their money. Also, I've never needed a fire truck so I want my money back for that too. .. Guess what, public education is considered to be a public good, we all pay taxes for things we don't necessarily use ourselves, because they are necessary for the collective good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That’s it. That’s the tweet.

Oh, and just to head this off: I’m extremely sorry that I am not rich enough to be able to pay for full time care for my school age child. Really! I feel terrible about it. But I can’t change that right this second, so I’m gonna need some alternatives. Otherwise, you’re just going to be paying for my healthcare when I finally completely lose it and have to be admitted to a mental hospital and my child becomes a ward of the state. Sorry for being middle class I guess?

Give me a refund on the share of my tax dollars that pay for public schools. I will use that to send my kids to private school, where they might actually learn something this year.

Sure, just as soon as you pay back the taxes of all the childless people in DC who have been funding your kids' educations until 2020, since they aren't getting anything for their money. Also, I've never needed a fire truck so I want my money back for that too. .. Guess what, public education is considered to be a public good, we all pay taxes for things we don't necessarily use ourselves, because they are necessary for the collective good.

Right? So clueless and angry. I get being upset but we all pay for things that don’t directly benefit us.

[Anonymous]

So this poster (below) is correct but this omits an important detail: that the school where your child attends gets a certain amount of money allocated for each student who attends. So, yes, we all pay taxes and our taxes support the public schools. But your child's seat at a school is how the revenue is divvied up.

>>Sure, just as soon as you pay back the taxes of all the childless people in DC who have been funding your kids' educations until 2020, since they aren't getting anything for their money. Also, I've never needed a fire truck so I want my money back for that too. .. Guess what, public education is considered to be a public good, we all pay taxes for things we don't necessarily use ourselves, because they are necessary for the collective good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That’s it. That’s the tweet.

Oh, and just to head this off: I’m extremely sorry that I am not rich enough to be able to pay for full time care for my school age child. Really! I feel terrible about it. But I can’t change that right this second, so I’m gonna need some alternatives. Otherwise, you’re just going to be paying for my healthcare when I finally completely lose it and have to be admitted to a mental hospital and my child becomes a ward of the state. Sorry for being middle class I guess?

Give me a refund on the share of my tax dollars that pay for public schools. I will use that to send my kids to private school, where they might actually learn something this year.

Sure, just as soon as you pay back the taxes of all the childless people in DC who have been funding your kids' educations until 2020, since they aren't getting anything for their money. Also, I've never needed a fire truck so I want my money back for that too. .. Guess what, public education is considered to be a public good, we all pay taxes for things we don't necessarily use ourselves, because they are necessary for the collective good.

i dont think your analogy quite works. it would be more like if you paid taxes to fund the fire department, and then you had a house fire, and the fire department refused to help you -- except over a zoom call.

the situation with public schools is more similar to people paying $60,000 to send their child to college, and then the college canceling everything except for professors' zoom calls, and parents wanting at least some of their $60,000 refunded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That’s it. That’s the tweet.

Oh, and just to head this off: I’m extremely sorry that I am not rich enough to be able to pay for full time care for my school age child. Really! I feel terrible about it. But I can’t change that right this second, so I’m gonna need some alternatives. Otherwise, you’re just going to be paying for my healthcare when I finally completely lose it and have to be admitted to a mental hospital and my child becomes a ward of the state. Sorry for being middle class I guess?

Give me a refund on the share of my tax dollars that pay for public schools. I will use that to send my kids to private school, where they might actually learn something this year.

Sure, just as soon as you pay back the taxes of all the childless people in DC who have been funding your kids' educations until 2020, since they aren't getting anything for their money. Also, I've never needed a fire truck so I want my money back for that too. .. Guess what, public education is considered to be a public good, we all pay taxes for things we don't necessarily use ourselves, because they are necessary for the collective good.

i dont think your analogy quite works. it would be more like if you paid taxes to fund the fire department, and then you had a house fire, and the fire department refused to help you -- except over a zoom call.

the situation with public schools is more similar to people paying $60,000 to send their child to college, and then the college canceling everything except for professors' zoom calls, and parents wanting at least some of their $60,000 refunded.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That’s it. That’s the tweet.

Oh, and just to head this off: I’m extremely sorry that I am not rich enough to be able to pay for full time care for my school age child. Really! I feel terrible about it. But I can’t change that right this second, so I’m gonna need some alternatives. Otherwise, you’re just going to be paying for my healthcare when I finally completely lose it and have to be admitted to a mental hospital and my child becomes a ward of the state. Sorry for being middle class I guess?

Give me a refund on the share of my tax dollars that pay for public schools. I will use that to send my kids to private school, where they might actually learn something this year.

Sure, just as soon as you pay back the taxes of all the childless people in DC who have been funding your kids' educations until 2020, since they aren't getting anything for their money. Also, I've never needed a fire truck so I want my money back for that too. .. Guess what, public education is considered to be a public good, we all pay taxes for things we don't necessarily use ourselves, because they are necessary for the collective good.

i dont think your analogy quite works. it would be more like if you paid taxes to fund the fire department, and then you had a house fire, and the fire department refused to help you -- except over a zoom call.

the situation with public schools is more similar to people paying $60,000 to send their child to college, and then the college canceling everything except for professors' zoom calls, and parents wanting at least some of their $60,000 refunded.

+1

+2. Bam!! Perfectly stated. NP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That’s it. That’s the tweet.

Oh, and just to head this off: I’m extremely sorry that I am not rich enough to be able to pay for full time care for my school age child. Really! I feel terrible about it. But I can’t change that right this second, so I’m gonna need some alternatives. Otherwise, you’re just going to be paying for my healthcare when I finally completely lose it and have to be admitted to a mental hospital and my child becomes a ward of the state. Sorry for being middle class I guess?

Give me a refund on the share of my tax dollars that pay for public schools. I will use that to send my kids to private school, where they might actually learn something this year.

Sure, just as soon as you pay back the taxes of all the childless people in DC who have been funding your kids' educations until 2020, since they aren't getting anything for their money. Also, I've never needed a fire truck so I want my money back for that too. .. Guess what, public education is considered to be a public good, we all pay taxes for things we don't necessarily use ourselves, because they are necessary for the collective good.

i dont think your analogy quite works. it would be more like if you paid taxes to fund the fire department, and then you had a house fire, and the fire department refused to help you -- except over a zoom call.

the situation with public schools is more similar to people paying $60,000 to send their child to college, and then the college canceling everything except for professors' zoom calls, and parents wanting at least some of their $60,000 refunded.

Um, that is precisely what a whole lot of Ivy League colleges are doing? And how exactly are you paying $60000 in DC taxes for schools? We live comfortably and pay about $10,000 to DC per year (plus federal taxes) and obviously not all of that goes to school. And forget the analogy, what about all the people in DC whose kids are older, don't go to public schools, or don't have kids? Do they get to stop paying taxes because some of them might be going to things that they don't derive a personal benefit from? Schools, police, highways, etc. are all considered public goods - that means we pay for them, regardless of whether we use them, because it is beneficial to the community at large to have those things. Forget the fire department, should everyone who is carless in DC demand a portion of their tax money back for things like road repaving because they don't personally use those roads? It's a ridiculous argument.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That’s it. That’s the tweet.

Oh, and just to head this off: I’m extremely sorry that I am not rich enough to be able to pay for full time care for my school age child. Really! I feel terrible about it. But I can’t change that right this second, so I’m gonna need some alternatives. Otherwise, you’re just going to be paying for my healthcare when I finally completely lose it and have to be admitted to a mental hospital and my child becomes a ward of the state. Sorry for being middle class I guess?

Give me a refund on the share of my tax dollars that pay for public schools. I will use that to send my kids to private school, where they might actually learn something this year.

Sure, just as soon as you pay back the taxes of all the childless people in DC who have been funding your kids' educations until 2020, since they aren't getting anything for their money. Also, I've never needed a fire truck so I want my money back for that too. .. Guess what, public education is considered to be a public good, we all pay taxes for things we don't necessarily use ourselves, because they are necessary for the collective good.

i dont think your analogy quite works. it would be more like if you paid taxes to fund the fire department, and then you had a house fire, and the fire department refused to help you -- except over a zoom call.

the situation with public schools is more similar to people paying $60,000 to send their child to college, and then the college canceling everything except for professors' zoom calls, and parents wanting at least some of their $60,000 refunded.

Um, that is precisely what a whole lot of Ivy League colleges are doing? And how exactly are you paying $60000 in DC taxes for schools? We live comfortably and pay about $10,000 to DC per year (plus federal taxes) and obviously not all of that goes to school. And forget the analogy, what about all the people in DC whose kids are older, don't go to public schools, or don't have kids? Do they get to stop paying taxes because some of them might be going to things that they don't derive a personal benefit from? Schools, police, highways, etc. are all considered public goods - that means we pay for them, regardless of whether we use them, because it is beneficial to the community at large to have those things. Forget the fire department, should everyone who is carless in DC demand a portion of their tax money back for things like road repaving because they don't personally use those roads? It's a ridiculous argument.

If schools are a public good, and we don't have them anymore, then maybe we should all get our school tax dollars back. Like in the form of a... check... like OP is asking for.

I think if suddenly the roads just disappeared, we'd all want our money back on that one too.

[Anonymous]

I think a stimulus program targeting workers with children makes so much sense. I know I would turn mine around to someone who was unemployed or underemployed to help her with online learning and language lessons. I'm part of the precarious lower-middle. I'm not going to spend money out of my regular budget on those services because I want to build up my savings in this time of uncertainty, but if I got a check or a voucher that's where it would go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think a stimulus program targeting workers with children makes so much sense. I know I would turn mine around to someone who was unemployed or underemployed to help her with online learning and language lessons. I'm part of the precarious lower-middle. I'm not going to spend money out of my regular budget on those services because I want to build up my savings in this time of uncertainty, but if I got a check or a voucher that's where it would go.

+1

If I got a stimulus check today, it would go straight into a childcare worker's pocket, and from there probably straight to a landlord, bank, grocery store, or retailer. It's a win-win-win.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

If schools are a public good, and we don't have them anymore, then maybe we should all get our school tax dollars back. Like in the form of a... check... like OP is asking for.

I think if suddenly the roads just disappeared, we'd all want our money back on that one too.

WE HAVE SCHOOLS! Our children are being taught. My kid is in middle school and believe me, they are learning a lot, and furthermore, in some ways, it's beneficial to my kid NOT to have the disruptions that inevitably took place in in-person learning. Now whether you LIKE the way they're being taught, whether you feel your children are learning as well as they would in school (which I can see might not be the case for elementary school), and whether you are entitled enough to believe that everyone else should be forced to put themselves and their families at risk because your child needs more support is a different thing, but it does not negate that schools are open and they haven't "disappeared."

It's almost as though you think there's no global pandemic going on and schools were closed on some whim of the teachers' union. (By the way, Massachusetts and other states with rising caseloads have started closing the schools they opened, and that is another state with a strong teachers' union.)

[Anonymous]

Public funds for children's education; not public funds for locally-operated distance learning & perpetual local government employment.