APS Middle School DL -- Worth returning

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I known if this concurrent thing is going to be a hot mess, at least it can be a hot mess at home where you are not exposed to seven classes worth of kids and a lot of sitting around watching screens. This is just a silly exercise, in my opinion. When they outright admit in the video they have no info on instructional plans you know that hybrid is not ready for prime time. I feel bad for the teachers and administrators who are being distracted to make logistical plans without any instructional guidance. They should be focusing on current instruction. Plenty to work on there.

This plus a million. I wish they would stick with DL for MS for the year, let the teachers focus on instruction, and have the administrators and leadership make a plan to open schools fully and safely next fall. They have wasted so much time trying to open incrementally and appease everyone. They need forward thinking to get us out of this mess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I known if this concurrent thing is going to be a hot mess, at least it can be a hot mess at home where you are not exposed to seven classes worth of kids and a lot of sitting around watching screens. This is just a silly exercise, in my opinion. When they outright admit in the video they have no info on instructional plans you know that hybrid is not ready for prime time. I feel bad for the teachers and administrators who are being distracted to make logistical plans without any instructional guidance. They should be focusing on current instruction. Plenty to work on there.

This plus a million. I wish they would stick with DL for MS for the year, let the teachers focus on instruction, and have the administrators and leadership make a plan to open schools fully and safely next fall. They have wasted so much time trying to open incrementally and appease everyone. They need forward thinking to get us out of this mess.

They won't do this because the Open Schools Now contingent is loud on the other side of this issue.

[Anonymous]

Yes. But have you seen the other thread on The NY Times article about student safety? There is very weak evidence on student and teacher safety in schools with kids 11 and up. Between the epidemiological advice and the the crazy mixing of student groups that is their concurrent plan, I don’t understand why APS thinks this is safe for their kids and their teachers. It is just giving in to parent complaints and testimonials about their kids’ personal situations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The work is there. Teachers can’t make your kid do it, though.

But they are grading it and holding them accountable? DS hates getting bad scores so that would be enough to keep in line

Of course. The spring was an anomaly. They are following the curriculum, have grades and grading periods the same as before, and take attendance. All of this was detailed and outlined before the school year started.

[Anonymous]

Does someone have a link to the video?

I never saw it. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does someone have a link to the video?

I never saw it. Thanks!

https://player.vimeo.com/video/483148520

[Anonymous]

I have a 4th grader and a 6th grader. The problem with middle school is that none of the kids turn their camera on, and there seems to be almost no interaction from the kids. I overhear my kid's middle school teachers and it is like listening to Ben Stein's character in Ferris Bueller--- the teachers ask a question and try to spark conversation, but none of the kids respond. I compare that to overhearing my 4th grader's class where the kids are chattering all the time with their videos on and fighting to get called on. DL in middle school just seems incredibly lonely. I don't know whether hybrid will be better or not, but from an interaction perspective, it surely can't be worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a 4th grader and a 6th grader. The problem with middle school is that none of the kids turn their camera on, and there seems to be almost no interaction from the kids. I overhear my kid's middle school teachers and it is like listening to Ben Stein's character in Ferris Bueller--- the teachers ask a question and try to spark conversation, but none of the kids respond. I compare that to overhearing my 4th grader's class where the kids are chattering all the time with their videos on and fighting to get called on. DL in middle school just seems incredibly lonely. I don't know whether hybrid will be better or not, but from an interaction perspective, it surely can't be worse.

I can understand Ms kids not turning on cameras, but can’t they still foster discussions? I definitely had lively telecoms!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does someone have a link to the video?

I never saw it. Thanks!

https://player.vimeo.com/video/483148520

So kids will spend 1/3 or 1/2 of the instruction block waiting while teachers instruct their DL/hybrid counterparts

[Anonymous]

Yep. I imagine it will be like group instruction. Kids will be in 3 groups, the in person kids, the hybrid at home kids and the DL kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a 4th grader and a 6th grader. The problem with middle school is that none of the kids turn their camera on, and there seems to be almost no interaction from the kids. I overhear my kid's middle school teachers and it is like listening to Ben Stein's character in Ferris Bueller--- the teachers ask a question and try to spark conversation, but none of the kids respond. I compare that to overhearing my 4th grader's class where the kids are chattering all the time with their videos on and fighting to get called on. DL in middle school just seems incredibly lonely. I don't know whether hybrid will be better or not, but from an interaction perspective, it surely can't be worse.

That may just depend on the teacher/class. The teachers for my MS kid are now asking them to turn on their cameras more frequently. And some are more engaging than others.

Overall, it seems WAY more engaging than my ES kid. The teacher asks a question, no one responds, she calls on someone and then has to repeat the question. For every single question. I can't listen to it.

[Anonymous]

After watching that video, I selected full time distance learning. If I thought that my spouse and I would be vaccinated in January or February, I might choose hybrid, but we're not health care workers or elderly in a care home, so I don't think we'll even get our first shots until later in the spring, if that. And that video made it look miserable and still not at all safe.

[Anonymous]

My 8th grader is engaged to the extent that he is very motivated by grades. He is gettiing grades and has 3 high school classes, those grades count. I think the classes that have been the most difficult in DL is Spanish because the speaking component is so much less.
I’ve been pleased but I have a motivated kid. I’m not sure what you should do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a 4th grader and a 6th grader. The problem with middle school is that none of the kids turn their camera on, and there seems to be almost no interaction from the kids. I overhear my kid's middle school teachers and it is like listening to Ben Stein's character in Ferris Bueller--- the teachers ask a question and try to spark conversation, but none of the kids respond. I compare that to overhearing my 4th grader's class where the kids are chattering all the time with their videos on and fighting to get called on. DL in middle school just seems incredibly lonely. I don't know whether hybrid will be better or not, but from an interaction perspective, it surely can't be worse.

That may just depend on the teacher/class. The teachers for my MS kid are now asking them to turn on their cameras more frequently. And some are more engaging than others.

Overall, it seems WAY more engaging than my ES kid. The teacher asks a question, no one responds, she calls on someone and then has to repeat the question. For every single question. I can't listen to it.

This is an interesting response. My kid is at Swanson and multiple teachers have said they can't require students to turn on their camera. Nobody has their cameras on in any class.

[Anonymous]

Our teachers at Williamsburg are encouraging it without requiring it. It seems to be slowly gathering momentum. More kids are doing it this quarter than last, or so my kids say.