1st grade is a bad as we suspected

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is so unforgiving of parents and families who were going through sheer hell before vaccines were widely available. DC's kindergarten teacher went to certain students homes several times a week to ensure they had food and learning materials and tutored them outside on the playground. And even with that amount of effort (which is absolutely above and beyond what a teacher needed to do) students still could not keep up. It is not parents' fault that they work several in-person jobs. And the relative who is watching several kids during the day cannot be expected to help with online school. If I were that relative, I would absolutely be relying on tablet-care.

Young kids are very resilient and I hope this shakes out okay for them in the coming years.

It absolutely is the parents responsibility to provide suitable care for their child, either themselves or someone capable of more than “tablet-care.” It’s called being a parent.

Well, when childcare in the form of school is suddenly no longer available, what then, genius?

Plenty of parents RELIED on public schools to care for their children, which is completely reasonable. When that was no longer an option here, parents did what they had to do. And for many, it came down to providing the basics of care (shelter, food) over being a full-time paraeducator for Zoom "school." So, yeah, this year is hard for many young kids. That's what happens when you have communities that place children at the bottom of the priority list.

It’s not the communities job to care for these children. It’s their parents job. I get that school served at childcare, but if that’s unavailable, parents need to step up.

Yawn. Plenty of parents stepped up by keeping their jobs so their kids could eat.

I know it’s hard to comprehend, but after you give birth to them, you have to provide them food AND care. It’s not a either/or thing. Or someone else’s responsibility.

Don't you guys understand? When the rent is due, you just tell your landlord, "Um, I'm a parent!" Boom - roof over your kids' heads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is so unforgiving of parents and families who were going through sheer hell before vaccines were widely available. DC's kindergarten teacher went to certain students homes several times a week to ensure they had food and learning materials and tutored them outside on the playground. And even with that amount of effort (which is absolutely above and beyond what a teacher needed to do) students still could not keep up. It is not parents' fault that they work several in-person jobs. And the relative who is watching several kids during the day cannot be expected to help with online school. If I were that relative, I would absolutely be relying on tablet-care.

Young kids are very resilient and I hope this shakes out okay for them in the coming years.

It absolutely is the parents responsibility to provide suitable care for their child, either themselves or someone capable of more than “tablet-care.” It’s called being a parent.

And what happens when the demand for child-care highly exceeds the supply for child-care due to a global pandemic? Prices of existing child-care go up and people who work jobs have to figure something out. And the way they parent is to find a way to make it work for that temporary situation of unforeseen circumstances. Some of you, really truly, need to step outside of yourselves and imagine that people were forced to make very difficult choices given their handful of crappy options during this time.

Don’t bother. These posters are screaming at projections of themselves to resolve their own anger and hostility about being a parent. Has nothing to do with reality.

[Anonymous]

Actual first grade teacher here - yes, we have a lot of kids who are A's and Pre A's (don't know all their letters and letter sounds yet) than normal, but I don't think it will take "years" to catch them up. We're already seeing progress at my school. The biggest issues we are having are 1) WAY more bathroom accidents than we normally have (think a few a day vs a few a month). Also, kids are being more physical with each other and don't have great problem solving skills. But we're working on that as well. I don't buy this 'the sky is falling' story line.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is so unforgiving of parents and families who were going through sheer hell before vaccines were widely available. DC's kindergarten teacher went to certain students homes several times a week to ensure they had food and learning materials and tutored them outside on the playground. And even with that amount of effort (which is absolutely above and beyond what a teacher needed to do) students still could not keep up. It is not parents' fault that they work several in-person jobs. And the relative who is watching several kids during the day cannot be expected to help with online school. If I were that relative, I would absolutely be relying on tablet-care.

Young kids are very resilient and I hope this shakes out okay for them in the coming years.

It absolutely is the parents responsibility to provide suitable care for their child, either themselves or someone capable of more than “tablet-care.” It’s called being a parent.

Well, when childcare in the form of school is suddenly no longer available, what then, genius?

Plenty of parents RELIED on public schools to care for their children, which is completely reasonable. When that was no longer an option here, parents did what they had to do. And for many, it came down to providing the basics of care (shelter, food) over being a full-time paraeducator for Zoom "school." So, yeah, this year is hard for many young kids. That's what happens when you have communities that place children at the bottom of the priority list.

It’s not the communities job to care for these children. It’s their parents job. I get that school served at childcare, but if that’s unavailable, parents need to step up.

Yawn. Plenty of parents stepped up by keeping their jobs so their kids could eat.

I know it’s hard to comprehend, but after you give birth to them, you have to provide them food AND care. It’s not a either/or thing. Or someone else’s responsibility.

Don't you guys understand? When the rent is due, you just tell your landlord, "Um, I'm a parent!" Boom - roof over your kids' heads.

Oh, go roll yourself. The whole freaking point is that parents had to choose things like shelter and food (you know, care) ahead of jumping through hoops to make sure their six year olds attend to the farce that was remote education. Are you that incapable of empathizing with parents who struggled during a once in a generation pandemic? That's far more concerning than first graders who need help catching up in school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is so unforgiving of parents and families who were going through sheer hell before vaccines were widely available. DC's kindergarten teacher went to certain students homes several times a week to ensure they had food and learning materials and tutored them outside on the playground. And even with that amount of effort (which is absolutely above and beyond what a teacher needed to do) students still could not keep up. It is not parents' fault that they work several in-person jobs. And the relative who is watching several kids during the day cannot be expected to help with online school. If I were that relative, I would absolutely be relying on tablet-care.

Young kids are very resilient and I hope this shakes out okay for them in the coming years.

It absolutely is the parents responsibility to provide suitable care for their child, either themselves or someone capable of more than “tablet-care.” It’s called being a parent.

Well, when childcare in the form of school is suddenly no longer available, what then, genius?

Plenty of parents RELIED on public schools to care for their children, which is completely reasonable. When that was no longer an option here, parents did what they had to do. And for many, it came down to providing the basics of care (shelter, food) over being a full-time paraeducator for Zoom "school." So, yeah, this year is hard for many young kids. That's what happens when you have communities that place children at the bottom of the priority list.

It’s not the communities job to care for these children. It’s their parents job. I get that school served at childcare, but if that’s unavailable, parents need to step up.

Yawn. Plenty of parents stepped up by keeping their jobs so their kids could eat.

I know it’s hard to comprehend, but after you give birth to them, you have to provide them food AND care. It’s not a either/or thing. Or someone else’s responsibility.

Don't you guys understand? When the rent is due, you just tell your landlord, "Um, I'm a parent!" Boom - roof over your kids' heads.

Oh, go roll yourself. The whole freaking point is that parents had to choose things like shelter and food (you know, care) ahead of jumping through hoops to make sure their six year olds attend to the farce that was remote education. Are you that incapable of empathizing with parents who struggled during a once in a generation pandemic? That's far more concerning than first graders who need help catching up in school.

Umm... I think you and roll-y eyes are in heated agreement (NP). Though I'm hoping to use the "I'm a parent" BOOM trick to get myself out of some logistical jams this week. I'll report back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is so unforgiving of parents and families who were going through sheer hell before vaccines were widely available. DC's kindergarten teacher went to certain students homes several times a week to ensure they had food and learning materials and tutored them outside on the playground. And even with that amount of effort (which is absolutely above and beyond what a teacher needed to do) students still could not keep up. It is not parents' fault that they work several in-person jobs. And the relative who is watching several kids during the day cannot be expected to help with online school. If I were that relative, I would absolutely be relying on tablet-care.

Young kids are very resilient and I hope this shakes out okay for them in the coming years.

It absolutely is the parents responsibility to provide suitable care for their child, either themselves or someone capable of more than “tablet-care.” It’s called being a parent.

Well, when childcare in the form of school is suddenly no longer available, what then, genius?

Plenty of parents RELIED on public schools to care for their children, which is completely reasonable. When that was no longer an option here, parents did what they had to do. And for many, it came down to providing the basics of care (shelter, food) over being a full-time paraeducator for Zoom "school." So, yeah, this year is hard for many young kids. That's what happens when you have communities that place children at the bottom of the priority list.

It’s not the communities job to care for these children. It’s their parents job. I get that school served at childcare, but if that’s unavailable, parents need to step up.

Yawn. Plenty of parents stepped up by keeping their jobs so their kids could eat.

I know it’s hard to comprehend, but after you give birth to them, you have to provide them food AND care. It’s not a either/or thing. Or someone else’s responsibility.

Don't you guys understand? When the rent is due, you just tell your landlord, "Um, I'm a parent!" Boom - roof over your kids' heads.

Oh, go roll yourself. The whole freaking point is that parents had to choose things like shelter and food (you know, care) ahead of jumping through hoops to make sure their six year olds attend to the farce that was remote education. Are you that incapable of empathizing with parents who struggled during a once in a generation pandemic? That's far more concerning than first graders who need help catching up in school.

Umm... I think you and roll-y eyes are in heated agreement (NP). Though I'm hoping to use the "I'm a parent" BOOM trick to get myself out of some logistical jams this week. I'll report back.

"I'm a parent" PP and totally agree. Very excited for you to report back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is so unforgiving of parents and families who were going through sheer hell before vaccines were widely available. DC's kindergarten teacher went to certain students homes several times a week to ensure they had food and learning materials and tutored them outside on the playground. And even with that amount of effort (which is absolutely above and beyond what a teacher needed to do) students still could not keep up. It is not parents' fault that they work several in-person jobs. And the relative who is watching several kids during the day cannot be expected to help with online school. If I were that relative, I would absolutely be relying on tablet-care.

Young kids are very resilient and I hope this shakes out okay for them in the coming years.

It absolutely is the parents responsibility to provide suitable care for their child, either themselves or someone capable of more than “tablet-care.” It’s called being a parent.

Well, when childcare in the form of school is suddenly no longer available, what then, genius?

Plenty of parents RELIED on public schools to care for their children, which is completely reasonable. When that was no longer an option here, parents did what they had to do. And for many, it came down to providing the basics of care (shelter, food) over being a full-time paraeducator for Zoom "school." So, yeah, this year is hard for many young kids. That's what happens when you have communities that place children at the bottom of the priority list.

It’s not the communities job to care for these children. It’s their parents job. I get that school served at childcare, but if that’s unavailable, parents need to step up.

Umm, yes communities do have certain obligations to their constituencies that are (or at least should be) part of social contract which was broken in 2020. As parents for many of us the school system is a huge part of our calculus as we decide which community to join, contribute to and pay taxes to and the receipt of free in person schooling in return has long been a mainstay benefit provided to parents that enables many of us to be productive members of said community. If the government suddenly announced that they were ceasing all social security payments for 18 months, but for some reason parents are expected to just take it on the chin and pay $20,000-$30,000 + in unanticipated childcare costs because that social contract was broken.

[Anonymous]

Schools back though (and has been since last spring in most places) and parents are STILL complaining.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Actual first grade teacher here - yes, we have a lot of kids who are A's and Pre A's (don't know all their letters and letter sounds yet) than normal, but I don't think it will take "years" to catch them up. We're already seeing progress at my school. The biggest issues we are having are 1) WAY more bathroom accidents than we normally have (think a few a day vs a few a month). Also, kids are being more physical with each other and don't have great problem solving skills. But we're working on that as well. I don't buy this 'the sky is falling' story line.

What school do you work at? That makes a big difference in perspectives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Schools back though (and has been since last spring in most places) and parents are STILL complaining.

This thread was started by a substitute teacher. It was an observation, not a complaint. You're on the attack, but why?

[Anonymous]

Yikes. Definitely some very butt-hurt parents here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is so unforgiving of parents and families who were going through sheer hell before vaccines were widely available. DC's kindergarten teacher went to certain students homes several times a week to ensure they had food and learning materials and tutored them outside on the playground. And even with that amount of effort (which is absolutely above and beyond what a teacher needed to do) students still could not keep up. It is not parents' fault that they work several in-person jobs. And the relative who is watching several kids during the day cannot be expected to help with online school. If I were that relative, I would absolutely be relying on tablet-care.

Young kids are very resilient and I hope this shakes out okay for them in the coming years.

It absolutely is the parents responsibility to provide suitable care for their child, either themselves or someone capable of more than “tablet-care.” It’s called being a parent.

Well, when childcare in the form of school is suddenly no longer available, what then, genius?

Plenty of parents RELIED on public schools to care for their children, which is completely reasonable. When that was no longer an option here, parents did what they had to do. And for many, it came down to providing the basics of care (shelter, food) over being a full-time paraeducator for Zoom "school." So, yeah, this year is hard for many young kids. That's what happens when you have communities that place children at the bottom of the priority list.

It’s not the communities job to care for these children. It’s their parents job. I get that school served at childcare, but if that’s unavailable, parents need to step up.

Umm, yes communities do have certain obligations to their constituencies that are (or at least should be) part of social contract which was broken in 2020. As parents for many of us the school system is a huge part of our calculus as we decide which community to join, contribute to and pay taxes to and the receipt of free in person schooling in return has long been a mainstay benefit provided to parents that enables many of us to be productive members of said community. If the government suddenly announced that they were ceasing all social security payments for 18 months, but for some reason parents are expected to just take it on the chin and pay $20,000-$30,000 + in unanticipated childcare costs because that social contract was broken.

Yessssss. We lived in our neighborhood for 11 years in anticipation of wanting to have a child attend good schools, paying much higher property taxes. Then when it came time for us to actually take advantage of that, public school was like “nah, go F yourself” and we paid 5 figures for private kindergarten. I’ll never stop being mad about it. How could private school be open but not public? It’ll never make sense to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Actual first grade teacher here - yes, we have a lot of kids who are A's and Pre A's (don't know all their letters and letter sounds yet) than normal, but I don't think it will take "years" to catch them up. We're already seeing progress at my school. The biggest issues we are having are 1) WAY more bathroom accidents than we normally have (think a few a day vs a few a month). Also, kids are being more physical with each other and don't have great problem solving skills. But we're working on that as well. I don't buy this 'the sky is falling' story line.

Thank you for this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is so unforgiving of parents and families who were going through sheer hell before vaccines were widely available. DC's kindergarten teacher went to certain students homes several times a week to ensure they had food and learning materials and tutored them outside on the playground. And even with that amount of effort (which is absolutely above and beyond what a teacher needed to do) students still could not keep up. It is not parents' fault that they work several in-person jobs. And the relative who is watching several kids during the day cannot be expected to help with online school. If I were that relative, I would absolutely be relying on tablet-care.

Young kids are very resilient and I hope this shakes out okay for them in the coming years.

It absolutely is the parents responsibility to provide suitable care for their child, either themselves or someone capable of more than “tablet-care.” It’s called being a parent.

Well, when childcare in the form of school is suddenly no longer available, what then, genius?

Plenty of parents RELIED on public schools to care for their children, which is completely reasonable. When that was no longer an option here, parents did what they had to do. And for many, it came down to providing the basics of care (shelter, food) over being a full-time paraeducator for Zoom "school." So, yeah, this year is hard for many young kids. That's what happens when you have communities that place children at the bottom of the priority list.

It’s not the communities job to care for these children. It’s their parents job. I get that school served at childcare, but if that’s unavailable, parents need to step up.

Yawn. Plenty of parents stepped up by keeping their jobs so their kids could eat.

I know it’s hard to comprehend, but after you give birth to them, you have to provide them food AND care. It’s not a either/or thing. Or someone else’s responsibility.

Did you forget that many day cares closed for months? That people were counseled to avoid interacting outside the family unit? That people lost their jobs? How the f are these families supposed to come up with non-family unit skilled care that doesn’t cost more than their income and that the caregiver - who is also supposed to be avoiding non-family contact - would accept? Of course people turned to grandma and tablets. What choice did they have if they didn’t have well-paid jobs they could do from home on a flexible schedule.

[Anonymous]

The first graders are going to be fine. Yes, last year sucked but catching up K and 1st grade work isn’t going to be a big problem. I’m thankful I didn’t have an older child that was missing more advanced classes.

-parent of a 1st grader