EmpowerEd DC Petition - Explore outdoor learning this fall

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting concept, and it looks like it's been done in Denmark. What say you, DCUM? Would you feel more comfortable with your kids returning to in-person learning if classes were held outside?





https://www.change.org/p/dcps-educate-every-child-at-school-with-outdoor-learning-this-fall

Rediculous allergies for students and teachers, different people have different tolerances for weather and heat!!! Clothing issues, wind and rain environmental issues!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our kids missed recess for most of a semester due to mosquitos.

OMG and this, once worked at Deal and remember how painful it was for back to school days sitting outside in hot sun getting bitten up and sunburn every year! Who is going to get the shady side away from the bushes and standing pools of water?

[Anonymous]

I see the word equitable being thrown out a lot, but this screams NW to me. Not all of our children go to school in safe neighborhoods. Also as a working parent, what if it rains one day? Do I suddenly have to call out of work because my kid can’t go to school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I see the word equitable being thrown out a lot, but this screams NW to me. Not all of our children go to school in safe neighborhoods. Also as a working parent, what if it rains one day? Do I suddenly have to call out of work because my kid can’t go to school?

It's a ridiculous proposal and clearly they didn't ask many teachers or families at all.

[Anonymous]

From the petition: "Each child can go to school every day by extending classroom square footage utilizing outdoor space. We can minimize COVID-19 exposure risk, maintain adequate social distance, and educate all of our city’s children fully every weekday if we plan well. Teachers believe this should be contingent on safety precautions, equitable access across the city, secure areas, cleaning, weather considerations, sound and health- but that city leaders should explore this idea NOW."

Each child can go to school everyday? Really? Student groups are supposed to be 10 or 12 students in school classrooms. Am I supposed to manage my full class of 24 students if I'm outside? Or will there suddenly be twice as many teachers when school is outside so that we have smaller groups? My school has one tiny playground out front. Do we walk to the park blocks away or use the parking lot or just set up at the curb? If we have to go to the park, am I expected to have my group of 24 (or 10 or 12) out there all day? Do we walk back to the school for bathroom breaks or do I give my kids a pass and hope they make it there to the school and back to the park on their own?

Also, what teachers believe this makes sense? No one asked me or my colleagues. We know our school and our students and no one asked about this proposal at all. We've already been planning for how we teach all of our kids and the idea that anyone would entertain this last minute proposal and not even ask us is so frustrating.

[Anonymous]

I’m a teacher. Someone emailed me this info. It just doesn’t seem practical for many reasons. Weather, bugs, outside noise, safety.....

We were trying to figure out last week how to do straight up recess in a safe way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How would this work once the weather turns cold?

Or hot? Or windy? Or raining? Or when there’s another shooting in front of the school? Or when there isn’t enough outdoor space?

Americans are such wimps as a group. No wonder tiny Norway generally wins more winter Olympic medals that we do. Suck it up and get the kids back before teachers - if this has to happen outside, so be it. Set up some fans and pop-up shade tents like they do at DC flea markets. As my grandmother in Vermont used to say, there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes/gear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How would this work once the weather turns cold?

Or hot? Or windy? Or raining? Or when there’s another shooting in front of the school? Or when there isn’t enough outdoor space?

Americans are such wimps as a group. No wonder tiny Norway generally wins more winter Olympic medals that we do. Suck it up and get the kids back before teachers - if this has to happen outside, so be it. Set up some fans and pop-up shade tents like they do at DC flea markets. As my grandmother in Vermont used to say, there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes/gear.

sorry, I'm all for my kids having more outdoor time but perusing stalls at a flea market is pretty different than asking teachers to keep kids focused for hours on end in an outdoor atmosphere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How would this work once the weather turns cold?

Or hot? Or windy? Or raining? Or when there’s another shooting in front of the school? Or when there isn’t enough outdoor space?

Americans are such wimps as a group. No wonder tiny Norway generally wins more winter Olympic medals that we do. Suck it up and get the kids back before teachers - if this has to happen outside, so be it. Set up some fans and pop-up shade tents like they do at DC flea markets. As my grandmother in Vermont used to say, there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes/gear.

I agree with this in principle, but do you realize something like 80% of DCPS students are economically disadvantaged and don't have proper winter gear? Norway and DC are apples and oranges. I can see this working better for private schools in the area since their students are less likely to lack winter gear, but we still have a different climate than Norway that's not as conducive for outdoor learning given hot weather, rain, bugs, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How would this work once the weather turns cold?

Or hot? Or windy? Or raining? Or when there’s another shooting in front of the school? Or when there isn’t enough outdoor space?

Americans are such wimps as a group. No wonder tiny Norway generally wins more winter Olympic medals that we do. Suck it up and get the kids back before teachers - if this has to happen outside, so be it. Set up some fans and pop-up shade tents like they do at DC flea markets. As my grandmother in Vermont used to say, there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes/gear.

I think Norway probably had fewer shootings in the whole country last year than in the few blocks surrounding my school did in a year.

[Anonymous]

You guys act likes its deathly cold in October. Kids play outside in cold climates you know. This would work through Dec.

[Anonymous]

Unless you have a link to a WTU position on this, "teachers believe" doesn't hold much water for me ...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You guys act likes its deathly cold in October. Kids play outside in cold climates you know. This would work through Dec.

Yeah, it's fine to play outside if you're moving around--sitting still in 40 degrees might mean that many kids will be uncomfortably cold unless really bundled up, and that could interfere with learning. What do you tell parents who can't afford appropriate winter gear, or perhaps their kid loses gloves, hats, coat, etc. and they can't afford to buy more?

[Anonymous]

I'm a teacher in a school with 400 students. Do all 450 (including teachers) of us head outside at the same time? We have

I'm a specials teacher and I will take my students (no more than 10) outside if weather permits. It can not be an expectation.

DCPS has so many more important logistics to worry about.

[Anonymous]

DCPS has enough on its plate than to spend time becoming a pretzel to make this happen. It's a lovely idea, but totally silly.

- what to do when its too hot, cold, windy, raining
- how to you manage kids who have health conditions that mean they can't be outside
- How to manage kids with SN that would make learning outside inequitable (hearing issues, behavior issues, etc.)
- How to change teacher contracts to make them do it
- How to deal with furniture and equipment for outside use (do you take tables and chairs out every day? Then run them back in if it looks like rain?)
- How to deal with kids whose parents don't want them outside
-How to manage applying sunscreen (which as we all know teachers cannot do for kids)


The list is endless. DCPS doesn't have time to play with this.