Why is GDS unable to lead on Covid??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you don't want to be dismissed as a Trumper, then don't try to dismiss my posts by calling me "teacher." The point stands that many of us recognize it's still not safe to gather in enclosed spaces for hours every day. I get it, you want to rush back to school to keep up with your friends' private schools. But your social competition puts my family at risk. As everyone's parent told us: If all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you do it too? Apparently you would.

Here's the dirty little secret that you also fail to acknowledge: Your. Kids. Can. Stay. Home. Indefinitely, for all we care. Why are you so hell-bent on controlling all of the other students' lives? Is it because you know that DL is a failure compared to being in person, and you hate that your kids might miss out on something? Or, even worse, because your kids know how awful it is, know that their friends would be back, and would blame you for keeping them home for no valid reason?

You can't have it both ways.

My kids are attending in person, but I've been surprised (and honestly, somewhat relieved) by the number of HS kids who are not, based on their reports. It doesn't seem that there is a clear majority for any plan, so maybe we can stop berating people who disagree with us as if they represented a fringe element.

This is why, at a well-managed, well-run school, there is leadership to make hard decisions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you don't want to be dismissed as a Trumper, then don't try to dismiss my posts by calling me "teacher." The point stands that many of us recognize it's still not safe to gather in enclosed spaces for hours every day. I get it, you want to rush back to school to keep up with your friends' private schools. But your social competition puts my family at risk. As everyone's parent told us: If all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you do it too? Apparently you would.

Here's the dirty little secret that you also fail to acknowledge: Your. Kids. Can. Stay. Home. Indefinitely, for all we care. Why are you so hell-bent on controlling all of the other students' lives? Is it because you know that DL is a failure compared to being in person, and you hate that your kids might miss out on something? Or, even worse, because your kids know how awful it is, know that their friends would be back, and would blame you for keeping them home for no valid reason?

You can't have it both ways.

My kids are attending in person, but I've been surprised (and honestly, somewhat relieved) by the number of HS kids who are not, based on their reports. It doesn't seem that there is a clear majority for any plan, so maybe we can stop berating people who disagree with us as if they represented a fringe element.

As long as the majority of instruction is still by zoom, why should they bother to come in? That's not an argument to stay virtual, that's an argument for more robust in person teaching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you don't want to be dismissed as a Trumper, then don't try to dismiss my posts by calling me "teacher." The point stands that many of us recognize it's still not safe to gather in enclosed spaces for hours every day. I get it, you want to rush back to school to keep up with your friends' private schools. But your social competition puts my family at risk. As everyone's parent told us: If all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you do it too? Apparently you would.

Here's the dirty little secret that you also fail to acknowledge: Your. Kids. Can. Stay. Home. Indefinitely, for all we care. Why are you so hell-bent on controlling all of the other students' lives? Is it because you know that DL is a failure compared to being in person, and you hate that your kids might miss out on something? Or, even worse, because your kids know how awful it is, know that their friends would be back, and would blame you for keeping them home for no valid reason?

You can't have it both ways.

My kids are attending in person, but I've been surprised (and honestly, somewhat relieved) by the number of HS kids who are not, based on their reports. It doesn't seem that there is a clear majority for any plan, so maybe we can stop berating people who disagree with us as if they represented a fringe element.

As long as the majority of instruction is still by zoom, why should they bother to come in? That's not an argument to stay virtual, that's an argument for more robust in person teaching.

Almost all of my kids' teachers have been teaching in person since November; at this point it's all but one. I was on the fence about sending them, but they have benefited from the direct interaction with teachers and peers. If people want in person teaching, they should vote with their feet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids are attending in person, but I've been surprised (and honestly, somewhat relieved) by the number of HS kids who are not, based on their reports. It doesn't seem that there is a clear majority for any plan, so maybe we can stop berating people who disagree with us as if they represented a fringe element.

This is why, at a well-managed, well-run school, there is leadership to make hard decisions.

The leadership has made a decision. Many parents disagree with it. Under the circumstances, that seems unavoidable.

[Anonymous]

Wednesdays are a joke. They were initially free bc that was supposed to be the day when the school was closed for cleaning. When we went all virtual, suddenly Wednesdays were free bc students needed a break from screens. If the school did a survey about what kids actually did in Wednesdays the school would find out that most kids, like mine, are on screens socializing with their friends. If Wednesdays are a problem, then minimize homework. Do a survey GDS, and find out instead of just relying on self-serving anecdotes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wednesdays are a joke. They were initially free bc that was supposed to be the day when the school was closed for cleaning. When we went all virtual, suddenly Wednesdays were free bc students needed a break from screens. If the school did a survey about what kids actually did in Wednesdays the school would find out that most kids, like mine, are on screens socializing with their friends. If Wednesdays are a problem, then minimize homework. Do a survey GDS, and find out instead of just relying on self-serving anecdotes.

If you did a survey in my house, you’d find that my high schooler are using wednesdays to do homework and long term projects to keep up with the workload. Maybe the real problem is in your house PP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dumb question, but what are asynchronous Wednesdays?

Signed, future GDS parent

In the MS (and maybe the HS, I'm not sure), there are no classes, in person or virtual. Instead, students get assignments from 3 of their classes, each designed to take an hour. Kids do them by themselves, with no help or interaction. The rest of the day is totally free.

Wait, and you're paying how much for this?

Wow. Has GDS always had these or are they due to the pandemic??

Due to pandemic.
I’m laughing though at the outrage here. It’s not the only school to do asynchronous Wednesdays you know.

+1 There's a whole thread about Sidwell's Wednesdays.

NCS has a similar schedule on Wednesdays and no one is in person. There are some scheduled activities but no academic classes, at least in HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wednesdays are a joke. They were initially free bc that was supposed to be the day when the school was closed for cleaning. When we went all virtual, suddenly Wednesdays were free bc students needed a break from screens. If the school did a survey about what kids actually did in Wednesdays the school would find out that most kids, like mine, are on screens socializing with their friends. If Wednesdays are a problem, then minimize homework. Do a survey GDS, and find out instead of just relying on self-serving anecdotes.

If you did a survey in my house, you’d find that my high schooler are using wednesdays to do homework and long term projects to keep up with the workload. Maybe the real problem is in your house PP.

Maybe that's appropriate for high school students, but that's not an appropriate model for 5th graders. They shouldn't have so much work that they need a full day to catch up and they shouldn't be expected to have the executive function skills to work independently for a full day. 5th graders are 10 years old!

[Anonymous]

Need FIVE full days for lower school.
Fridays are a joke now.

No valid reason not to. Days off for calling 9-10 sets of parents for 20 minutes isn’t cool either. My other kids school does 2 calls a day for a week during specials or recess.

[Anonymous]

Everyone fill out your Academic Survey that came out in the weekend email.

Hope your kids aren’t as behind in their skills as ours are. The 9 hours of computer work a day are a nice academic touch.

[Anonymous]

We’re expecting a big announcement soon about the new schedule for after virtual week— more hours and days, bussing. Just like the other schools already did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am so tired of my kid’s school. We are always the LAST one to do anything differently. Russell did not go to a hybrid model until every other school did the same. He seems paralyzed. And now again. All the other schools are opening 5 days in the next couple weeks. But Russell can’t do it. Again. I know I should not bother with DCuM. But no one gives a crap what I want ... and many many of us have tried. I need to vent. And I least that a GDS admin person reads DCUM and HEARS the frustration! Why can’t we just open properly already??

Write your principal and Russell more like everyone else has been.

And no, no decision makers read DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We’re expecting a big announcement soon about the new schedule for after virtual week— more hours and days, bussing. Just like the other schools already did.

What makes you think that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've given up on this year. I hate the asychronous Wednesdays and that even when my kid is physically on campus he's still on his Chromebook and as likely to be zooming with his teacher than having live instruction. But that's not going to change this year.

But I will be furious if there is not full time in person school next year. It is true that kids won't be vaccinated, but the adults will be. The email they sent yesterday outlining the limitations of vaccination makes me worried.

Teens are loving driving all around on Wednesday! Check out who’s on the roads, teens teens teens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP all I can tell you is that the parents have to push on this. You have to get patents together- across grades and throughout the school- and demand (at this point, that is the right word) action. Go to every board member with a petition signed by hundreds of patents. Ask for a meeting with the board chairman and your HOS. You have to organize yourselves and keep at it. We’re not in the DC area but at a school in a nearby city that was the same way- the last to reopen and move on thiis issue. It took a parent uprising, including threats of media coverage, to finally see results

Correct. Speak up.