Teacher here, ready to throw in the towel...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Schools have been operating in person all around the country for quite some time now. My kids went back in person in FCPS elementary for 4th quarter last school year. They did not have a single case of covid. I think it's going to be fine. And I think they will roll with whatever happens. I know in FCPS, the health department is responsible for handling contact tracing and determining quarantine. Anecdotally, they seem to rarely to quarantining a whole classroom. I just don't think it's going to be that difficult to figure things out as they come.

That was before delta.

And quarantining an entire elementary school classroom is actually easier than just quarantining eight kids that were exposed that week. And then another six kids that are exposed in the next week. And then the teacher is exposed the following week… How our school districts planning on keeping all these kids up to speed, when a few of them are gone for 10 to 14 days at a time, multiple times all fall? Without virtual instruction?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Talking is overrated. All teachers need to shut up about how to deal with stuff, and actually DEAL with stuff!

But we teachers don’t operate as solo practitioners. We work for schools and districts and need to follow their plan for how to DEAL. I’m not seeing anything realistic and I’m tired of heading back to work just to have things fall apart last minute and WHOOPS PIVOT! Thank you in advance for your flexibility in these difficult times.

I’m particularly peeved about doing lunch duty. Indoors, unvaccinated kids unmasked for thirty minutes, sitting cheek to jowl, and me with my waning vaccination immunity for another month or so before I can get a booster. Meanwhile my school district is hosting a drive thru teacher employment fair so the central office workers don’t get exposed to COVID.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools have been operating in person all around the country for quite some time now. My kids went back in person in FCPS elementary for 4th quarter last school year. They did not have a single case of covid. I think it's going to be fine. And I think they will roll with whatever happens. I know in FCPS, the health department is responsible for handling contact tracing and determining quarantine. Anecdotally, they seem to rarely to quarantining a whole classroom. I just don't think it's going to be that difficult to figure things out as they come.

Was it a full class last year? Did they eat crammed into the cafeteria? Was community spread high then? Was Delta around then? Things have changed since the spring.

Yes, it was the same size class as this year 22 kids in one, 24 in the other. Actually, community number in fairfax right now are the same as they were in April. They did not eat crammed in the cafeteria and they are not eating crammed in the cafeteria this year either in our elementary. I'm sure there will be cases and exposures, but I'm still not worried about rampant spread. Plus, they've been through so many scenarios that they have a lot to fall back on. If an elementary school class has to go virtual for 2 weeks, then they will. They know how to do it.

I'm ready for anything and know this could go a lot of different ways, but I don't understand the panic. Almost 80% of adults in FFX are vaccinated and 77% of 12-18 year olds have had at least their first dose. That's a pretty hard stopping line for spread and also will keep the vast majority of people out of the hospitals in our area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools have been operating in person all around the country for quite some time now. My kids went back in person in FCPS elementary for 4th quarter last school year. They did not have a single case of covid. I think it's going to be fine. And I think they will roll with whatever happens. I know in FCPS, the health department is responsible for handling contact tracing and determining quarantine. Anecdotally, they seem to rarely to quarantining a whole classroom. I just don't think it's going to be that difficult to figure things out as they come.

Was it a full class last year? Did they eat crammed into the cafeteria? Was community spread high then? Was Delta around then? Things have changed since the spring.

Yes, it was the same size class as this year 22 kids in one, 24 in the other. Actually, community number in fairfax right now are the same as they were in April. They did not eat crammed in the cafeteria and they are not eating crammed in the cafeteria this year either in our elementary. I'm sure there will be cases and exposures, but I'm still not worried about rampant spread. Plus, they've been through so many scenarios that they have a lot to fall back on. If an elementary school class has to go virtual for 2 weeks, then they will. They know how to do it.

I'm ready for anything and know this could go a lot of different ways, but I don't understand the panic. Almost 80% of adults in FFX are vaccinated and 77% of 12-18 year olds have had at least their first dose. That's a pretty hard stopping line for spread and also will keep the vast majority of people out of the hospitals in our area.

So Fairfax County public schools did not do hybrid last spring? You all went back full time in person in your elementary?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Someone's experience is different from yours and they are a troll?

NP and we've made seating arrangements to facilitate contact tracing, but there has been no conversation about what will happen if/when students are out for a long time or classes get pushed virtual. We luckily have lots of mitigation strategies in place (mandated masking and distancing). But it feels like "well, let's see what happens with Delta because all this worked well last year."

Another NP. My school system is the same. I am not worrying about it.

I am putting everything (my Nearpods, homework with links, everything) on Canvas. If kids are out then they can get the link to my Nearpods from Canvas. They can go to Canvas for the homework. I am not making up a bunch of extra assignments. On every Nearpod on the end slide I am adding the links to Khan videos and the 24/7 online tutor service. This benefits the kids who are out as well as the kids who are in school.

My advice to everyone on my grade level team (and also to you OP) is to use Canvas to post everything that you're doing. Don't remake the wheel. Kids who are out can go to your Canvas, find the materials and complete the assignment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Talking is overrated. All teachers need to shut up about how to deal with stuff, and actually DEAL with stuff!

Ah, you sound lovely. No wonder your kids are desperate to get to school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Talking is overrated. All teachers need to shut up about how to deal with stuff, and actually DEAL with stuff!

Maybe we are tired of being the solution to all of society's problems. Maybe we want everyone to know how it really is in schools. We have dealt with our inept school districts for our entire careers. Now you get to see what we have to put up with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Talking is overrated. All teachers need to shut up about how to deal with stuff, and actually DEAL with stuff!

Ah, you sound lovely. No wonder your kids are desperate to get to school.

Who says they are? They are not, they are in college and certainly eager to get to in-person classes. And DS already had in-person classes last semester. I myself am in academia and we had outdoor parties to celebrate our graduates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Someone's experience is different from yours and they are a troll?

NP and we've made seating arrangements to facilitate contact tracing, but there has been no conversation about what will happen if/when students are out for a long time or classes get pushed virtual. We luckily have lots of mitigation strategies in place (mandated masking and distancing). But it feels like "well, let's see what happens with Delta because all this worked well last year."

+1

School districts vary so much both in resources and in their ability to pivot. I teach in a large aircraft carrier type district (slow to course correct). I also teach a course that is only taught to highly gifted learners at my school and one other magnet in the district. No one is giving us either premade asynchronous materials or time off to make them. I can’t just go online to download whatever worksheet that I can link to a video.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Schools have been operating in person all around the country for quite some time now. My kids went back in person in FCPS elementary for 4th quarter last school year. They did not have a single case of covid. I think it's going to be fine. And I think they will roll with whatever happens. I know in FCPS, the health department is responsible for handling contact tracing and determining quarantine. Anecdotally, they seem to rarely to quarantining a whole classroom. I just don't think it's going to be that difficult to figure things out as they come.

This! People here are acting like the DMV schools are sending the first person to Mars. Hundreds if not thousands of school districts were open last year, many all year and with very little disruption. Considering that MCPS, FCPS and DCPS were some of the LAST in nation to get students back into classrooms, we are by no measure inventing the wheel here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Talking is overrated. All teachers need to shut up about how to deal with stuff, and actually DEAL with stuff!

Maybe we are tired of being the solution to all of society's problems. Maybe we want everyone to know how it really is in schools. We have dealt with our inept school districts for our entire careers. Now you get to see what we have to put up with.

The solution to all of society's problems? Christ lady, get over yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools have been operating in person all around the country for quite some time now. My kids went back in person in FCPS elementary for 4th quarter last school year. They did not have a single case of covid. I think it's going to be fine. And I think they will roll with whatever happens. I know in FCPS, the health department is responsible for handling contact tracing and determining quarantine. Anecdotally, they seem to rarely to quarantining a whole classroom. I just don't think it's going to be that difficult to figure things out as they come.

Was it a full class last year? Did they eat crammed into the cafeteria? Was community spread high then? Was Delta around then? Things have changed since the spring.

Yes, yes, yes and no. And they did it without vaccines. Stop making excuses.

[Anonymous]

Didn't teachers have 2 months this summer to drum up a plan for kids home sick? Arguably, if a kid is sick, why should they do work? They are sick. Mark assignments as 100%, give missed math lesson sheets when they return so they can catch up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools have been operating in person all around the country for quite some time now. My kids went back in person in FCPS elementary for 4th quarter last school year. They did not have a single case of covid. I think it's going to be fine. And I think they will roll with whatever happens. I know in FCPS, the health department is responsible for handling contact tracing and determining quarantine. Anecdotally, they seem to rarely to quarantining a whole classroom. I just don't think it's going to be that difficult to figure things out as they come.

That was before delta.

And quarantining an entire elementary school classroom is actually easier than just quarantining eight kids that were exposed that week. And then another six kids that are exposed in the next week. And then the teacher is exposed the following week… How our school districts planning on keeping all these kids up to speed, when a few of them are gone for 10 to 14 days at a time, multiple times all fall? Without virtual instruction?

It was also before vaccines which negates everything else. We get it, you are looking to ways to teach from your jammies, but we are out of grace. Get to work

[Anonymous]

What was helpful to us last year was buying extra set of books from Abe books for home learning days. They have everything, and you can search by ISBN number. If teachers share ISBN numbers for all books and workbooks with parents, that can be very helpful