The prospect of kids not going back to school until 2021

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
You miss the point. I am a teacher and I desperately want to get back with my students. I zoom with them daily for about an hour and have optional “check in” zooms every afternoon. I am working with some awesome parents who think of school as a partnership...and with some who are completely overwhelmed just trying to put food on the table...and some who have checked out because, despite access to technology and time, they have just given up because it is “too hard.” I want to go back...but I am very concerned that protocols and adequate funding for the myriad things we will need to stay safer (not completely safe) will not be followed or available. I don’t want to be put in the same position as the VERY brave hospital workers and others who had to improvise and scramble for basic protections. In regular times, schools are known to be vectors for spreading diseases. One HUGE unanswered question is whether kids can easily pass on the virus. There is not enough info yet to determine that. If they prove to be poor carriers, we can all breathe more easily. If they do turn out to be “good” carriers, not only are they endangering their classmates and school staff, they are endangering their own families. Those who advocate spreading the virus to foster herd immunity are simply saying a certain number of people will have to die in order to “beat” this. They have a point. But, the initial estimate, which the president likes to cite, predicted 2 million dead if we did NOTHING to halt the spread. We are approaching 100,000. How many are too many?

You lost me at the sarcastic quotation marks. Guess what? We're struggling because it is hard. I have technology and sometimes time. But Im stressed. Im going in covid + rooms at my job. I don't have a choice to say no like you all. My kids aren't learning at all. My 4 year old has forgotten how to write her numbers even though i work on them in evenings when we get home. She cries everyday if when the virus will go away. She's even forgotten what our local grocery store looks like. My 8 year old is buried in screens. They both cry that they're bored all day every day. My 8 year old watches that video for class and is completely confused. The distance learning is a joke. So try to be more empathetic if someone tells you its hard.

Former PP here. I have reread the PP teacher’s quotes. This one says they want to go back to work to teach but they really don’t. This one wants to stay home. Everything this person says is an excuse. Everything they say is all whine...It’s all me, me, me, my family while criticizing parents for wanting their kids to go back for extremely valid reasons. Listen, teacher, whomever you are. If you don’t like the job especially in it’s most challenging moments during a pandemic when kids need dedicated teachers more than ever, please do kids and families a favor and look for another line of work. You sound really young inexperienced and spoiled. You aren’t a good spokesperson, there are amazing dedicated teachers, so please just shut it so they can be better represented here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait until a single kid gets Kawasaki's disease related to COVID they contracted at school and there is a death. The outrage will be insane.

You might be right, if a kid dies. If a teacher dies? Oh well, that’s just part of your job. You chose the profession. Now, get your lazy ass back into the classroom and teach my child! If you die, MCPS can just get somebody else...and probably cheaper. It’s a win-win for me! My taxes won’t go up and my kid will be out of my hair.

Teachers...get...no...respect.

Do doctors get respect? What about grocery store workers? This argument is so tired. All the teachers I know want to get back in the classroom because they love their jobs. If you don’t want to teach, don’t. Stop bringing everyone down with you.

You miss the point. I am a teacher and I desperately want to get back with my students. I zoom with them daily for about an hour and have optional “check in” zooms every afternoon. I am working with some awesome parents who think of school as a partnership...and with some who are completely overwhelmed just trying to put food on the table...and some who have checked out because, despite access to technology and time, they have just given up because it is “too hard.” I want to go back...but I am very concerned that protocols and adequate funding for the myriad things we will need to stay safer (not completely safe) will not be followed or available. I don’t want to be put in the same position as the VERY brave hospital workers and others who had to improvise and scramble for basic protections. In regular times, schools are known to be vectors for spreading diseases. One HUGE unanswered question is whether kids can easily pass on the virus. There is not enough info yet to determine that. If they prove to be poor carriers, we can all breathe more easily. If they do turn out to be “good” carriers, not only are they endangering their classmates and school staff, they are endangering their own families. Those who advocate spreading the virus to foster herd immunity are simply saying a certain number of people will have to die in order to “beat” this. They have a point. But, the initial estimate, which the president likes to cite, predicted 2 million dead if we did NOTHING to halt the spread. We are approaching 100,000. How many are too many?

I think you need to stay home. Honestly. You sound like a great teacher and thank you for caring for the kids. But this virus is not killing kids (no Kawasaki is not corona, stop the hysteria) or younger/middle aged adults who make up the teacher pool. Kids need school, academic structure and socialization and parents with jobs like they need air. I have a 10 year who has developed extreme depression over being yanked from school and the social isolation. Friends tell me their kids are also becoming mentally and emotionally sick. Kids count too. I am sick of everyone’s focus on older adults. Unless you have pre existing conditions or are over age 65, your odds of surviving this virus are excellent. Time to start finding a way to put our future generations first and for the older generations to shelter in place until they are sick if it.

There will never be a vaccine. All of the current candidates are slowly failing one by one. Put the kids back in school. They are not sacrificial lambs.

You have no evidence to state that there will never be a vaccine. So far it looks like this virus will respond to vaccines and there are lots of candidates. That doesn't mean it's going to be available any time soon. It will probably be years.

[Anonymous]

Parents who want schools to reopen, do you want any special protections (masks, temp checks, no recess in elementary, widely spaced desks, no lunchroom) or do you prefer reopening that will accelerate the rate of herd immunity?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parents who want schools to reopen, do you want any special protections (masks, temp checks, no recess in elementary, widely spaced desks, no lunchroom) or do you prefer reopening that will accelerate the rate of herd immunity?

Speaking for myself, I want schools to open in the fall with reasonable protections that don't prevent schools from opening in the fall. Kids need school. I don't understand how this can even be up for debate.

Also there would be no good reason to not have recess in elementary school. Outside is better.

[Anonymous]

I don't have a strong opinion on the protections, but I want schools to reopen. We see in the news that people gather in large crowds anyway, I don't want schools to be the victim of social isolation while other parts of the society open up. If anything, schools should have the priority of opening. (Frankly, I don't see an end to this until we reach some level of herd immunity anyway. In the meantime, I believe the most vulnerable should limit exposure to outside society, but schools should definitely open in my opinion.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't have a strong opinion on the protections, but I want schools to reopen. We see in the news that people gather in large crowds anyway, I don't want schools to be the victim of social isolation while other parts of the society open up. If anything, schools should have the priority of opening. (Frankly, I don't see an end to this until we reach some level of herd immunity anyway. In the meantime, I believe the most vulnerable should limit exposure to outside society, but schools should definitely open in my opinion.)

Right? Restaurants have to re-open for eating in, because people work in the restaurant industry. Salons have to re-open because, because people work in the beauty industry/people want haircuts. Meat-packing plants have to keep running, because people want to be able to buy cheap meat at the grocery store. But schools? Shrug.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents who want schools to reopen, do you want any special protections (masks, temp checks, no recess in elementary, widely spaced desks, no lunchroom) or do you prefer reopening that will accelerate the rate of herd immunity?

Speaking for myself, I want schools to open in the fall with reasonable protections that don't prevent schools from opening in the fall. Kids need school. I don't understand how this can even be up for debate.

Also there would be no good reason to not have recess in elementary school. Outside is better.

Well said. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't have a strong opinion on the protections, but I want schools to reopen. We see in the news that people gather in large crowds anyway, I don't want schools to be the victim of social isolation while other parts of the society open up. If anything, schools should have the priority of opening. (Frankly, I don't see an end to this until we reach some level of herd immunity anyway. In the meantime, I believe the most vulnerable should limit exposure to outside society, but schools should definitely open in my opinion.)

Right? Restaurants have to re-open for eating in, because people work in the restaurant industry. Salons have to re-open because, because people work in the beauty industry/people want haircuts. Meat-packing plants have to keep running, because people want to be able to buy cheap meat at the grocery store. But schools? Shrug.

Yes, yes, yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't have a strong opinion on the protections, but I want schools to reopen. We see in the news that people gather in large crowds anyway, I don't want schools to be the victim of social isolation while other parts of the society open up. If anything, schools should have the priority of opening. (Frankly, I don't see an end to this until we reach some level of herd immunity anyway. In the meantime, I believe the most vulnerable should limit exposure to outside society, but schools should definitely open in my opinion.)

Right? Restaurants have to re-open for eating in, because people work in the restaurant industry. Salons have to re-open because, because people work in the beauty industry/people want haircuts. Meat-packing plants have to keep running, because people want to be able to buy cheap meat at the grocery store. But schools? Shrug.

Yes, yes, yes.

110%!!! How is this even up for debate?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't have a strong opinion on the protections, but I want schools to reopen. We see in the news that people gather in large crowds anyway, I don't want schools to be the victim of social isolation while other parts of the society open up. If anything, schools should have the priority of opening. (Frankly, I don't see an end to this until we reach some level of herd immunity anyway. In the meantime, I believe the most vulnerable should limit exposure to outside society, but schools should definitely open in my opinion.)

Right? Restaurants have to re-open for eating in, because people work in the restaurant industry. Salons have to re-open because, because people work in the beauty industry/people want haircuts. Meat-packing plants have to keep running, because people want to be able to buy cheap meat at the grocery store. But schools? Shrug.

Yes, yes, yes.

110%!!! How is this even up for debate?

But don't you know, MCPS is doing a wonderful job with online education, so it's just as good as going to school - right?

As others have said, it's actually not just about the kids. It's about parents being able to go back to work. And yes, school does provide a childcare function (not babysitting). Some employers are being flexible on extending work from home, but many are not, which even assumes that a particular job can be done from home.

MCPS is just going to have to find a way to open like every other area of the economy. It has 3 months to figure it out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

But don't you know, MCPS is doing a wonderful job with online education, so it's just as good as going to school - right?

As others have said, it's actually not just about the kids. It's about parents being able to go back to work. And yes, school does provide a childcare function (not babysitting). Some employers are being flexible on extending work from home, but many are not, which even assumes that a particular job can be done from home.

MCPS is just going to have to find a way to open like every other area of the economy. It has 3 months to figure it out.

MCPS is doing as well as it can with distance learning under the circumstances. That doesn't mean that kids shouldn't be back in school in the fall.

Also, the decision about opening in the fall IS NOT A MCPS DECISION.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parents who want schools to reopen, do you want any special protections (masks, temp checks, no recess in elementary, widely spaced desks, no lunchroom) or do you prefer reopening that will accelerate the rate of herd immunity?

Reasonable precautions, sure. Masks? No. No lunchroom? Maybe. Widely spaced desks? No.

Continuing evidence is showing that schools dont cause spread. I agree it's INSANE to allow other parts of society to reopen and not schools. There will be riots if that continues into the fall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents who want schools to reopen, do you want any special protections (masks, temp checks, no recess in elementary, widely spaced desks, no lunchroom) or do you prefer reopening that will accelerate the rate of herd immunity?

Speaking for myself, I want schools to open in the fall with reasonable protections that don't prevent schools from opening in the fall. Kids need school. I don't understand how this can even be up for debate.

Also there would be no good reason to not have recess in elementary school. Outside is better.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

But don't you know, MCPS is doing a wonderful job with online education, so it's just as good as going to school - right?

As others have said, it's actually not just about the kids. It's about parents being able to go back to work. And yes, school does provide a childcare function (not babysitting). Some employers are being flexible on extending work from home, but many are not, which even assumes that a particular job can be done from home.

MCPS is just going to have to find a way to open like every other area of the economy. It has 3 months to figure it out.

MCPS is doing as well as it can with distance learning under the circumstances. That doesn't mean that kids shouldn't be back in school in the fall.

Also, the decision about opening in the fall IS NOT A MCPS DECISION.

I agree with everything you said except distance learning. DL for my elementary school student is meh but at least there is online instruction. DL for middle schoolers is terrible. Beyond awful. They are self teaching busy work. Unacceptable

[Anonymous]

Distance learning in Frederick county is a joke. Tons of busy work pushed out on Google Classroom Monday morning with no live sessions and work due on Fridays. That's it. My kids haven't seen their teacher or classmates since March. While these live debrief sessions in MCPS are "meh" as others have pointed out, at least the kids get to see their teachers and classmates.