"I support the teachers" people

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DL is not an acceptable alternative to in-person for children PK-2nd Grade. Even if you just focus on academics (reading, writing, math), the average child in these grades will not meet basic grade-level standards through DL only.

Children with disruptive home lives, mental health issues, IEPs, and other concerns will be at a particular disadvantage.

Also, in order to make DL even minimally effective for this age group, students need a parent to be with them 100% of the time. Maybe 1st and 2nd graders can do some of it on their own, but it works best with an adult nearby who can make sure they have what they need, troubleshoot tech issues, and reinforce concepts throughout the rest of the day. Children this age simply are not self-sufficient academically, and "education" cannot be reduced to a few hours of interaction with a teacher online. Even with parental supervision, individual children will struggle based on their particular learning needs, their parents' teaching skills, as well as behavioral and mental health factors.

So no, DCPS is not providing an education to these children. They are, at best, providing a curriculum+ -- here is what your child is supposed to be learning, and here are some strategies for teaching this content to your child. That's not education, it is not even close to what is guaranteed by public education. Maybe if you are a middle school math teacher, you are providing an education. But if you teach early grades, everyone involved knows that this is not working.

One of the PK teachers I know sent her own 4 year old to a private PK because that's how ineffective DL was for him. She teaches PK for a living, and she could not in good conscious let her child suffer through DL at that age. Think about that for a minute.

+1. And I think this is true through fourth grade at least.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DL is not an acceptable alternative to in-person for children PK-2nd Grade. Even if you just focus on academics (reading, writing, math), the average child in these grades will not meet basic grade-level standards through DL only.

Children with disruptive home lives, mental health issues, IEPs, and other concerns will be at a particular disadvantage.

Also, in order to make DL even minimally effective for this age group, students need a parent to be with them 100% of the time. Maybe 1st and 2nd graders can do some of it on their own, but it works best with an adult nearby who can make sure they have what they need, troubleshoot tech issues, and reinforce concepts throughout the rest of the day. Children this age simply are not self-sufficient academically, and "education" cannot be reduced to a few hours of interaction with a teacher online. Even with parental supervision, individual children will struggle based on their particular learning needs, their parents' teaching skills, as well as behavioral and mental health factors.

So no, DCPS is not providing an education to these children. They are, at best, providing a curriculum+ -- here is what your child is supposed to be learning, and here are some strategies for teaching this content to your child. That's not education, it is not even close to what is guaranteed by public education. Maybe if you are a middle school math teacher, you are providing an education. But if you teach early grades, everyone involved knows that this is not working.

One of the PK teachers I know sent her own 4 year old to a private PK because that's how ineffective DL was for him. She teaches PK for a living, and she could not in good conscious let her child suffer through DL at that age. Think about that for a minute.

+1. And I think this is true through fourth grade at least.

Completely agree. I think some of the problem stems from teachers arguing that because they are engaged in the act of teaching, that an education is occurring, and it is simply the fault of parents and students if they aren't able to learn through this medium. But education is a results-oriented profession. If children are not learning, education is not happening, and it really doesn't matter how hard (or not) the teachers are working.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DL is not an acceptable alternative to in-person for children PK-2nd Grade. Even if you just focus on academics (reading, writing, math), the average child in these grades will not meet basic grade-level standards through DL only.

Children with disruptive home lives, mental health issues, IEPs, and other concerns will be at a particular disadvantage.

Also, in order to make DL even minimally effective for this age group, students need a parent to be with them 100% of the time. Maybe 1st and 2nd graders can do some of it on their own, but it works best with an adult nearby who can make sure they have what they need, troubleshoot tech issues, and reinforce concepts throughout the rest of the day. Children this age simply are not self-sufficient academically, and "education" cannot be reduced to a few hours of interaction with a teacher online. Even with parental supervision, individual children will struggle based on their particular learning needs, their parents' teaching skills, as well as behavioral and mental health factors.

So no, DCPS is not providing an education to these children. They are, at best, providing a curriculum+ -- here is what your child is supposed to be learning, and here are some strategies for teaching this content to your child. That's not education, it is not even close to what is guaranteed by public education. Maybe if you are a middle school math teacher, you are providing an education. But if you teach early grades, everyone involved knows that this is not working.

One of the PK teachers I know sent her own 4 year old to a private PK because that's how ineffective DL was for him. She teaches PK for a living, and she could not in good conscious let her child suffer through DL at that age. Think about that for a minute.

+1. And I think this is true through fourth grade at least.

Completely agree. I think some of the problem stems from teachers arguing that because they are engaged in the act of teaching, that an education is occurring, and it is simply the fault of parents and students if they aren't able to learn through this medium. But education is a results-oriented profession. If children are not learning, education is not happening, and it really doesn't matter how hard (or not) the teachers are working.

Thank you. I've been struggling this week and you've put into words why I've been so frustrated with my 1st grader's teacher and her "education" this year.