"Learning cottages" aka Trailers -- what are they like for elementary kids?

[Anonymous]

First world problems. Jesus, help us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is fcps. There weren 't any trailers at this school last year, so there is no history or precedent on policies and procedures other than other ES in fcps that have trailers. For those pp's who referenced groupings of trailers....was there a trailer that has bathrooms and fountains? For those who say it's no big deal....you may be right or not....but it sounds like your kids are not in trailers so you really have no factual basis for your conclusion. I prefer to gather facts before I make my conclusions. We have a choice on sending our child to this school or another school that does not have a certain program, but has much better logistics and facilities. All data matters in weighing our options.

I am the poster whose child was in a trailer for 3rd in APS. It was basically as someone else described - one big trailer with a hallway down the middle and two classrooms on each side. The bathroom, which I believe was a single, was on one end in the same trailer. The water fountain was right next to the bathroom.

I teach in FCPS, but in high school, and we also had trailers while under renovation. Those also had 4 classrooms, but no common hallway. They each had doors that opened to the outside. No bathrooms either - that was not fun for the teachers - students didn't seem to mind because a trip to the bathroom got them out of class for at least 10 minutes while they went back to the main building!

[Anonymous]

My kids have been schooled mostly in trailers. They are fine for a temporary thing, but when they become permanent, it's not so great.

I'm sure there's some schools that pay more for quality and some that don't.

Reasons why parents don't like them: Safety. There's just something safer feeling when there's a brick wall between your kid and the crazy world we live in. If each trailer is on its own, yes, the door may lock, but there are times your kids are vulnerable. That and going out in the pouring rain to eat lunch, go to the gym for PE, etc. is no fun either. They also don't look new for long and quickly start looking run down if you don't keep up with maintenance. Teacher complaints of not being able to hang things in their rooms for fear of holes in the wall, etc, were some reasons teachers don't like them. Plus, if there's no bathroom there, it does mean the student goes out of your view/control for longer than normal periods of time.

Reasons my kids hated them: When it poured rain, the noise was deafening, and it interrupted class because the teacher couldn't talk over the kids easily. My middle schooler didn't feel as safe because her classroom doors didn't lock from the inside. Some that are split (two classrooms) didn't always have adjoining doors so you had to go outside to switch class. The bathroom in that one was cramped and was partially used for storage (ew). Another one, more like ones that others mentioned that were multiple rooms with a hallway in between had serious issues with zoned heating and cooling. My kid wore a hoodie to school and wore it more for warmth than as a fashion accessory. To my knowledge, they have never been able to fix it completely. Some classrooms were pretty cramped, too. Especially for younger kids who often moved their desks around and had designated areas for activities (circle time, reading on the rugs, computer stations, etc.)

Go take a look and imagine it full of kids, book bags, coats, etc. to appreciate the space that will be used when everyone and their belongings is there. Ask if the doors lock, what their emergency plans are in case of an incident, etc.

[Anonymous]

My DD was in a modular in FCPS for 5th and 6th grades. All of those grades were in the modular. It was very large, with a large central hallway, several classrooms and full bathrooms. I was a bit put off at first, but it seemed as comfortable as any regular classroom to me. Other than having to walk outside to get to the main building (there was a covered walkway for when it rained) it seemed fine to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:During high winds, the "trailer kids" have to come inside the real school.

I've worked in FCPS for over 15 years, always in a school with trailers. It's happened twice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD was in a modular in FCPS for 5th and 6th grades. All of those grades were in the modular. It was very large, with a large central hallway, several classrooms and full bathrooms. I was a bit put off at first, but it seemed as comfortable as any regular classroom to me. Other than having to walk outside to get to the main building (there was a covered walkway for when it rained) it seemed fine to me.

Op here...the modular ones don't sound too bad, and since this will be for several years (during construction) hopefully that's the kind they are using. I won't be able to see them until open house at the end of next week. Obviously, we'll have to make due....it's public school, so you get what you get.

[Anonymous]

The trailers themselves are fine. It's the overall crowded nature of the school -- affecting the cafeteria, assemblies, bathroom capacities, noise/crowds in halls, etc. -- that's more of an issue, IMO.

--teacher

[Anonymous]

DC was in a trailer last year and didn't like it very much. When we had the cold snaps, the trailer was really cold and they had a hard time regulating the temperature. It was also a small trailer and the teacher rearranged multiple times trying to deal with how crowded it felt. No bathrooms because each trailer was separate and too small to accommodate a bathroom, so there was a long walk from the trailer to the closest bathroom, water fountain, or specials. I think another issue was that no matter how cold it was or if it was pouring outside, the teacher didn't allow them to use their coats or rain coats because she thought it was disruptive. I think if the trailers are bigger with bathrooms, they should be fine. I think DC's experience was tainted by the cramped quarters of the trailer, the rare cold snaps and a very rigid teacher. DC could be in a trailer again this year, but despite the negative experience last year, I'm more concerned about the quality of the teacher than whether DC is in a trailer again.

[Anonymous]

One of my children was in a trailer for 3rd grade. Like others have posted, this unit held several classrooms, had a bathroom and water fountain, and had plenty of windows. The classrooms were as roomy as those inside the building. In both 4th and 5th grades, my child was inside the school building but in interior classrooms with no windows, so they were certainly not an improvement over the "learning cottage." I found nothing to dislike about the trailers, and my child never complained.

My teen's high school also has trailers, and he had a class in one last year and will again this year. He has never mentioned it. I was in it last year on back to school night--I remember it being quite roomy but I can't remember if it had windows or a bathroom.

I actually think trailers are a great solution to crowding, as long as the cafeteria, gym, etc can handle the extra load. The problem I had with my 3rd grader in a trailer had nothing to do with the trailer and everything to do with the fact that the school was crowded enough that some kids ate lunch at 10:45. Class sizes remain good, but eating lunch that early is not ideal.

[Anonymous]

I taught in a trailer. Some of the trailers are unsafe, and the older ones can have mold and other problems (but the same is true of old classrooms). They are a fire hazard, of course, and also very dangerous in the unlikely event of a tornado. The real negative was the kids having to walk so far to use the bathroom. We had a rule that kids had to walk in pairs, since the trailers were outside with no security, but often the rules were ignored by teachers who sent kids to and from places alone because there wasn't always another student around to walk with them. Ultimately, the teacher is more important than the classroom, though. Trailers are a problem for the whole county, and there isn't anything schools can do to eliminate them. I wouldn't be thrilled if my kid were in a trailer, but I'm not sure what you can do about it.

[Anonymous]

OP here reporting back after seeing the trailers for myself. They look kind of shabby (i.e. rusted) from the outside, and the interior panelling is kind of dated, but on the whole I think it looks do-able. The teacher has been in a trailer before, so she understands the logistics. I'm thinking it will be o.k. There is light and a decent amount of space (although it is long and narrow.) It'll do....let's see,....what can I worry about now?????

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid was in a "learning cottage" last year. I can't answer any of your questions though, my only response to all of them would be "who cares?". You need a hobby.

So does the person who calls a trailer a "learning cottage". please.

[Anonymous]

What I don't get is why some schools put regular classes in trailers yet leave specials in the building. Why not put the specials in the trailers so the regular classrooms (where the kids spend most of their time) are in the building? (I get that you may run out of specials to put in the trailers and need them for regular classes but shouldn't specials go there first?)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What I don't get is why some schools put regular classes in trailers yet leave specials in the building. Why not put the specials in the trailers so the regular classrooms (where the kids spend most of their time) are in the building? (I get that you may run out of specials to put in the trailers and need them for regular classes but shouldn't specials go there first?)

Specials are PE, Art and Music.

So are you proposing that students set up classrooms in the gym and kids have PE in the trailer?
As for art, access to water is key. If there's no sink, it's not going to happen. I have worked in a school that put the art teacher on a cart, and she came into the classroom. The art room was turned into a gen ed classroom. As for music, that is certainly an option and is one that I have seen. In the end, though, remember that you're not going to get that much space back.

[Anonymous]

Not sure hold you'd fit a library in a trailer. Plus it's probably easier to purchase a trailer than retrofit the library to become classrooms.

At one overcrowded school the music classes are in trailers along with lots of classroom trailers.