What the Fall may look like -- the hybrid model

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My question about a hybrid model is about staffing. Do schools hire twice as many teachers or are they expecting teachers to expose themselves to the same
Number of children pre-pandemic? These ideas about teachers floating in to a static student group still scare me as a parent. Whose to say one teacher doesn’t pick up something from one student group and pass it to another?

If that is how you feel, you will likely need/want to keep your child home, which will likely be an option. Honestly, I think your fears are pretty unfounded given the regulations that will have to be followed and how rare it is for children to get seriously ill from the virus, even if they get it. I think our biggest enemy is fear, to be honest. Google to see what they are doing in Denmark. It is going very well, and they are not even wearing masks.

The teachers are the ones far more at risk here, and they will be asked to expose themselves to everyone and be there 5 days a week.

And no--no school will be able to double its workforce! And I certainly will NOT be paying for them to do it either!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When considering the hybrid model are schools analyzing efficacy of the learning for the kids. I am concerned that it might be much harder on students of all ages and teachers to switch between school in an entirely new way some days and home DL other days and could be pretty stressful or at least cause many distractions. Intuitively the idea is going back to school in the fall with a hybrid models seems like it would be really hard and much more productive to keep Distance Learning until they can go back for real. I just hope that “group think” round the idea of it being great to go back and that is what other are doing (those countries that went back first) over what is really going to work academically because going back to school in some distance hybrid new way doesn’t seem like it would help the kids socially which would be part of why you do hybrid presumably, or social emotionally, and could be a net loss and more loss for kids. Admittedly I haven’t thought about it a lot and would love to learn why and how it could be a good thing.

+1. I hope there is serious thought given to what will be most productive for student learning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When considering the hybrid model are schools analyzing efficacy of the learning for the kids. I am concerned that it might be much harder on students of all ages and teachers to switch between school in an entirely new way some days and home DL other days and could be pretty stressful or at least cause many distractions. Intuitively the idea is going back to school in the fall with a hybrid models seems like it would be really hard and much more productive to keep Distance Learning until they can go back for real. I just hope that “group think” round the idea of it being great to go back and that is what other are doing (those countries that went back first) over what is really going to work academically because going back to school in some distance hybrid new way doesn’t seem like it would help the kids socially which would be part of why you do hybrid presumably, or social emotionally, and could be a net loss and more loss for kids. Admittedly I haven’t thought about it a lot and would love to learn why and how it could be a good thing.

+1. I hope there is serious thought given to what will be most productive for student learning.

Nothing is optimal. Of course the Schools are thinking about this. One thing that’s already been clear in all this, though, is that for social development kids need to see each other at least a little. That would be one of the biggest reasons to do the hybrid model, especially in lower grades.

[Anonymous]

I think in some part the schools want the kids physically on-site as the pressure for refunds will be very high if next year is all Youtube.

[Anonymous]

The social development piece that is missing cannot be recaptured in a hybrid, socially distant environment for the vast majority of kids. It just can’t happen. On so many levels it just wishful thinking. If kids go back to their school in a completely new way, expecting to invest a ton of energy in just learning and adjusting to this new normal it will not move the needle and it took a lot for everyone to adjust to DL and I think hybrid might just really make it so much for palpable as to what they have lost. I think it could make the kids really sad and demoralized. We may wish going to school hybrids will make things better but it might make things worse, emotionally and socially and be a distraction from for kids and potoential efforts to refine DL

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The social development piece that is missing cannot be recaptured in a hybrid, socially distant environment for the vast majority of kids. It just can’t happen. On so many levels it just wishful thinking. If kids go back to their school in a completely new way, expecting to invest a ton of energy in just learning and adjusting to this new normal it will not move the needle and it took a lot for everyone to adjust to DL and I think hybrid might just really make it so much for palpable as to what they have lost. I think it could make the kids really sad and demoralized. We may wish going to school hybrids will make things better but it might make things worse, emotionally and socially and be a distraction from for kids and potoential efforts to refine DL

This is definitely a fair thought.
I've been assuming that the hybrid model will be used to really focus-in on the things that are harder to do online, like science labs and real differentiation

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The social development piece that is missing cannot be recaptured in a hybrid, socially distant environment for the vast majority of kids. It just can’t happen. On so many levels it just wishful thinking. If kids go back to their school in a completely new way, expecting to invest a ton of energy in just learning and adjusting to this new normal it will not move the needle and it took a lot for everyone to adjust to DL and I think hybrid might just really make it so much for palpable as to what they have lost. I think it could make the kids really sad and demoralized. We may wish going to school hybrids will make things better but it might make things worse, emotionally and socially and be a distraction from for kids and potoential efforts to refine DL

If hybrid doesn’t work for your kid, he/she can almost assuredly do everything online. The hybrid provides optionality. My kid would do better with the hybrid, that I know for certain. You’ll have choices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The social development piece that is missing cannot be recaptured in a hybrid, socially distant environment for the vast majority of kids. It just can’t happen. On so many levels it just wishful thinking. If kids go back to their school in a completely new way, expecting to invest a ton of energy in just learning and adjusting to this new normal it will not move the needle and it took a lot for everyone to adjust to DL and I think hybrid might just really make it so much for palpable as to what they have lost. I think it could make the kids really sad and demoralized. We may wish going to school hybrids will make things better but it might make things worse, emotionally and socially and be a distraction from for kids and potoential efforts to refine DL

If hybrid doesn’t work for your kid, he/she can almost assuredly do everything online. The hybrid provides optionality. My kid would do better with the hybrid, that I know for certain. You’ll have choices.

In Israel, the hybrid model was flat-out rejected as unsatisfactory for student learning and for parents.

[Anonymous]

One thing that might be more workable was one week on, one week at home. That would make it a bit more predictable for child care and also, should there be an outbreak, would prevent it from being spread across the entire student body in a one day on, one day off model.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The social development piece that is missing cannot be recaptured in a hybrid, socially distant environment for the vast majority of kids. It just can’t happen. On so many levels it just wishful thinking. If kids go back to their school in a completely new way, expecting to invest a ton of energy in just learning and adjusting to this new normal it will not move the needle and it took a lot for everyone to adjust to DL and I think hybrid might just really make it so much for palpable as to what they have lost. I think it could make the kids really sad and demoralized. We may wish going to school hybrids will make things better but it might make things worse, emotionally and socially and be a distraction from for kids and potoential efforts to refine DL

If hybrid doesn’t work for your kid, he/she can almost assuredly do everything online. The hybrid provides optionality. My kid would do better with the hybrid, that I know for certain. You’ll have choices.

In Israel, the hybrid model was flat-out rejected as unsatisfactory for student learning and for parents.

What did they do instead?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. No hybrid model. No thanks.

Things would have to be substantially worse in the hospitals or with the death rates than currently to do that in September.

You do realize that the alternative is 100% distance learning? September 2020 is not going to be the same as January 2020. Nor is January 2021 and probably not June 2021.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It really will vary based on the size and physical structure of the schools. Micro schools probably won't have to change much at all, for example.

Some schools are small enough and have enough space such that a few of those ideas are not needed, like splitting classes, staggering days, and having lunch in the classroom.

In a small grade where everyone takes the same classes, I could actually see combining some classes and using auditoriums for them to free up other classrooms for smaller sections of upper school classes. I can think of five areas in our school large enough to hold an appropriately distanced whole grade with the teachers rotating into the space. All of those spaces have direct exits to the outdoors too, so they wouldn't have to mingle in the hallways at all and could easily get outdoor free time. This frees up all the classroom for the grades where the students all have different classes and schedules (high school).

Also, keeping kids out of the halls and moving teachers around as much as possible would help a lot. Where changing classrooms is necessary (labs and specials come to mind), the hallway schedule idea is a good one, and you'd only have to alter the schedules by a few minutes.

Hopefully, weather will allow outdoor classrooms to be used more too.

I've read the DC reopening plan, the Department of Health is going to limit schools to ten people in a room at a time, regardless of the size of the room. That's nine students and a teacher. Unless a school already has classes that size or smaller they're going to have to either do some sort of hybrid model or hire a lot more staff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It really will vary based on the size and physical structure of the schools. Micro schools probably won't have to change much at all, for example.

Some schools are small enough and have enough space such that a few of those ideas are not needed, like splitting classes, staggering days, and having lunch in the classroom.

In a small grade where everyone takes the same classes, I could actually see combining some classes and using auditoriums for them to free up other classrooms for smaller sections of upper school classes. I can think of five areas in our school large enough to hold an appropriately distanced whole grade with the teachers rotating into the space. All of those spaces have direct exits to the outdoors too, so they wouldn't have to mingle in the hallways at all and could easily get outdoor free time. This frees up all the classroom for the grades where the students all have different classes and schedules (high school).

Also, keeping kids out of the halls and moving teachers around as much as possible would help a lot. Where changing classrooms is necessary (labs and specials come to mind), the hallway schedule idea is a good one, and you'd only have to alter the schedules by a few minutes.

Hopefully, weather will allow outdoor classrooms to be used more too.

OP here. Yes, the idea of all-purpose rooms being repurposed to mega-classrooms was also something discussed. At our kids school the facilities are simply too small to have the normal number of kids in a social-distanced environment, but an older gym could become a mega-classroom that could fit an entire grade or two (boy that would be noisy and distracting though). I suspect a number of schools are looking at some bigger rooms that could be repurposed as classrooms relatively easily.

Mega classrooms of students would t following the groups of 10 Or 15 or 20 rule some states may not lift.
Plus that makes contact tracing difficult, thus lean toward total shutdown of school if you’re intermingling large groups.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think in some part the schools want the kids physically on-site as the pressure for refunds will be very high if next year is all Youtube.

When is the school survey coming out on risk tolerances? They should want to avoid the tail end squeaky wheel extremists if they don’t want to lose their base.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One thing that might be more workable was one week on, one week at home. That would make it a bit more predictable for child care and also, should there be an outbreak, would prevent it from being spread across the entire student body in a one day on, one day off model.

That’s ridiculous for everyone involved - young kids, employers, parents, childcare (you’d have to pay a retainer the off week anyway).

If DC area admin, teachers, or over politicized parent base wants to be Prima Donna of the World on this we will absolutely be calling up the school to defer for a year, and send our kids to live with out of state relatives and attend an in person school.