What the Fall may look like -- the hybrid model

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When considering the hybrid model are schools analyzing efficacy of the learning for the kids. I am concerned that it might be much harder on students of all ages and teachers to switch between school in an entirely new way some days and home DL other days and could be pretty stressful or at least cause many distractions. Intuitively the idea is going back to school in the fall with a hybrid models seems like it would be really hard and much more productive to keep Distance Learning until they can go back for real. I just hope that “group think” round the idea of it being great to go back and that is what other are doing (those countries that went back first) over what is really going to work academically because going back to school in some distance hybrid new way doesn’t seem like it would help the kids socially which would be part of why you do hybrid presumably, or social emotionally, and could be a net loss and more loss for kids. Admittedly I haven’t thought about it a lot and would love to learn why and how it could be a good thing.

+1. I hope there is serious thought given to what will be most productive for student learning.

+10000

Far prefer to do distance learning only than go some of the time in a weird schedule. Younger children need routine.

[Anonymous]

As for the social piece sending them in a mask every day and expecting them to stay away from each other is not going to last more than 10 minutes. Adding the discipline factor in to keep them in line with social distancing would be a nightmare for teachers. No thanks. Please just keep it distant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. No hybrid model. No thanks.

Things would have to be substantially worse in the hospitals or with the death rates than currently to do that in September.

You do realize that the alternative is 100% distance learning? September 2020 is not going to be the same as January 2020. Nor is January 2021 and probably not June 2021.

Is that a politician talking or a school??

Neither. But I keep up with the news and I've read the reopening plans. School won't return to the way it was until there is a cure or a vaccine. They're saying that right now. It's not up to the individual school, the Health department is setting rules they all have to follow. Unless a school has the staff and facilities to make every class nine or fewer students they're going to have to do some sort of staggering. Plus they have to be prepared to switch to distance learning if there is a second wave.

OP had it right, the only thing missing was how little choice the schools have and how much will be determined by the health officials.

A cure or vaccine? Neither of those is certain. We could never have either one. Neither of those is certain. Might as well just go back to regular school in the fall.

If there is no cure and no vaccine, we will have to do a real lockdown and get it under control like other countries. Having school where teachers die every few months will not be tenable

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The social development piece that is missing cannot be recaptured in a hybrid, socially distant environment for the vast majority of kids. It just can’t happen. On so many levels it just wishful thinking. If kids go back to their school in a completely new way, expecting to invest a ton of energy in just learning and adjusting to this new normal it will not move the needle and it took a lot for everyone to adjust to DL and I think hybrid might just really make it so much for palpable as to what they have lost. I think it could make the kids really sad and demoralized. We may wish going to school hybrids will make things better but it might make things worse, emotionally and socially and be a distraction from for kids and potoential efforts to refine DL

If hybrid doesn’t work for your kid, he/she can almost assuredly do everything online. The hybrid provides optionality. My kid would do better with the hybrid, that I know for certain. You’ll have choices.

In Israel, the hybrid model was flat-out rejected as unsatisfactory for student learning and for parents.

What did they do instead?

They opened 5 days a week for those willing to come, as they have also done in a number of countries. The USA is bombing this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It really will vary based on the size and physical structure of the schools. Micro schools probably won't have to change much at all, for example.

Some schools are small enough and have enough space such that a few of those ideas are not needed, like splitting classes, staggering days, and having lunch in the classroom.

In a small grade where everyone takes the same classes, I could actually see combining some classes and using auditoriums for them to free up other classrooms for smaller sections of upper school classes. I can think of five areas in our school large enough to hold an appropriately distanced whole grade with the teachers rotating into the space. All of those spaces have direct exits to the outdoors too, so they wouldn't have to mingle in the hallways at all and could easily get outdoor free time. This frees up all the classroom for the grades where the students all have different classes and schedules (high school).

Also, keeping kids out of the halls and moving teachers around as much as possible would help a lot. Where changing classrooms is necessary (labs and specials come to mind), the hallway schedule idea is a good one, and you'd only have to alter the schedules by a few minutes.

Hopefully, weather will allow outdoor classrooms to be used more too.

OP here. Yes, the idea of all-purpose rooms being repurposed to mega-classrooms was also something discussed. At our kids school the facilities are simply too small to have the normal number of kids in a social-distanced environment, but an older gym could become a mega-classroom that could fit an entire grade or two (boy that would be noisy and distracting though). I suspect a number of schools are looking at some bigger rooms that could be repurposed as classrooms relatively easily.

Mega classrooms of students would t following the groups of 10 Or 15 or 20 rule some states may not lift.
Plus that makes contact tracing difficult, thus lean toward total shutdown of school if you’re intermingling large groups.

In middle and high school you have to intermingle the groups. They don't take all the exact same classes.

+1

I could see how this could work in elementary school, but it isn't feasible in MS or HS.

Yes it is with creative use of technology, staff, and space. Some of the teaching would still be online but they would be in peer groups with an adult supervisor if not a teacher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The social development piece that is missing cannot be recaptured in a hybrid, socially distant environment for the vast majority of kids. It just can’t happen. On so many levels it just wishful thinking. If kids go back to their school in a completely new way, expecting to invest a ton of energy in just learning and adjusting to this new normal it will not move the needle and it took a lot for everyone to adjust to DL and I think hybrid might just really make it so much for palpable as to what they have lost. I think it could make the kids really sad and demoralized. We may wish going to school hybrids will make things better but it might make things worse, emotionally and socially and be a distraction from for kids and potoential efforts to refine DL

If hybrid doesn’t work for your kid, he/she can almost assuredly do everything online. The hybrid provides optionality. My kid would do better with the hybrid, that I know for certain. You’ll have choices.

In Israel, the hybrid model was flat-out rejected as unsatisfactory for student learning and for parents.

Because they tried it for so long? Ran studies? Did comparative analyses?

You either/or people kill me. I Don’t know if you’re in the total lockdown camp or the open everything camp, but both camps are clueless about both disease and economics.

What are you talking about? In Israel and many other countries, the schools have opened. Read about it. All of this is experimental BTW--lockdown too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It really will vary based on the size and physical structure of the schools. Micro schools probably won't have to change much at all, for example.

Some schools are small enough and have enough space such that a few of those ideas are not needed, like splitting classes, staggering days, and having lunch in the classroom.

In a small grade where everyone takes the same classes, I could actually see combining some classes and using auditoriums for them to free up other classrooms for smaller sections of upper school classes. I can think of five areas in our school large enough to hold an appropriately distanced whole grade with the teachers rotating into the space. All of those spaces have direct exits to the outdoors too, so they wouldn't have to mingle in the hallways at all and could easily get outdoor free time. This frees up all the classroom for the grades where the students all have different classes and schedules (high school).

Also, keeping kids out of the halls and moving teachers around as much as possible would help a lot. Where changing classrooms is necessary (labs and specials come to mind), the hallway schedule idea is a good one, and you'd only have to alter the schedules by a few minutes.

Hopefully, weather will allow outdoor classrooms to be used more too.

OP here. Yes, the idea of all-purpose rooms being repurposed to mega-classrooms was also something discussed. At our kids school the facilities are simply too small to have the normal number of kids in a social-distanced environment, but an older gym could become a mega-classroom that could fit an entire grade or two (boy that would be noisy and distracting though). I suspect a number of schools are looking at some bigger rooms that could be repurposed as classrooms relatively easily.

Mega classrooms of students would t following the groups of 10 Or 15 or 20 rule some states may not lift.
Plus that makes contact tracing difficult, thus lean toward total shutdown of school if you’re intermingling large groups.

In middle and high school you have to intermingle the groups. They don't take all the exact same classes.

+1

I could see how this could work in elementary school, but it isn't feasible in MS or HS.

Yes it is with creative use of technology, staff, and space. Some of the teaching would still be online but they would be in peer groups with an adult supervisor if not a teacher.

I would much rather have my teenager working in a peer group with an adult than at home alone on a screen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It really will vary based on the size and physical structure of the schools. Micro schools probably won't have to change much at all, for example.

Some schools are small enough and have enough space such that a few of those ideas are not needed, like splitting classes, staggering days, and having lunch in the classroom.

In a small grade where everyone takes the same classes, I could actually see combining some classes and using auditoriums for them to free up other classrooms for smaller sections of upper school classes. I can think of five areas in our school large enough to hold an appropriately distanced whole grade with the teachers rotating into the space. All of those spaces have direct exits to the outdoors too, so they wouldn't have to mingle in the hallways at all and could easily get outdoor free time. This frees up all the classroom for the grades where the students all have different classes and schedules (high school).

Also, keeping kids out of the halls and moving teachers around as much as possible would help a lot. Where changing classrooms is necessary (labs and specials come to mind), the hallway schedule idea is a good one, and you'd only have to alter the schedules by a few minutes.

Hopefully, weather will allow outdoor classrooms to be used more too.

OP here. Yes, the idea of all-purpose rooms being repurposed to mega-classrooms was also something discussed. At our kids school the facilities are simply too small to have the normal number of kids in a social-distanced environment, but an older gym could become a mega-classroom that could fit an entire grade or two (boy that would be noisy and distracting though). I suspect a number of schools are looking at some bigger rooms that could be repurposed as classrooms relatively easily.

Mega classrooms of students would t following the groups of 10 Or 15 or 20 rule some states may not lift.
Plus that makes contact tracing difficult, thus lean toward total shutdown of school if you’re intermingling large groups.

In middle and high school you have to intermingle the groups. They don't take all the exact same classes.

+1

I could see how this could work in elementary school, but it isn't feasible in MS or HS.

Yes it is with creative use of technology, staff, and space. Some of the teaching would still be online but they would be in peer groups with an adult supervisor if not a teacher.

I would much rather have my teenager working in a peer group with an adult than at home alone on a screen.

Kids need to get off the damn screens. This little place is making it happen. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/forest-school-open-coronavirus/2020/05/26/c2561e2a-9cfc-11ea-ad09-8da7ec214672_story.html

[Anonymous]

Will do homeschooling, not public or private school. There is no efficacy or retention with online learning for k-8 and likely 9-12 as well. Certainly not going to pay 40k per kid for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The social development piece that is missing cannot be recaptured in a hybrid, socially distant environment for the vast majority of kids. It just can’t happen. On so many levels it just wishful thinking. If kids go back to their school in a completely new way, expecting to invest a ton of energy in just learning and adjusting to this new normal it will not move the needle and it took a lot for everyone to adjust to DL and I think hybrid might just really make it so much for palpable as to what they have lost. I think it could make the kids really sad and demoralized. We may wish going to school hybrids will make things better but it might make things worse, emotionally and socially and be a distraction from for kids and potoential efforts to refine DL

If hybrid doesn’t work for your kid, he/she can almost assuredly do everything online. The hybrid provides optionality. My kid would do better with the hybrid, that I know for certain. You’ll have choices.

In Israel, the hybrid model was flat-out rejected as unsatisfactory for student learning and for parents.

What did they do instead?

They opened 5 days a week for those willing to come, as they have also done in a number of countries. The USA is bombing this.

+1000. However the extremist mentality that a couple people have here where they think the global society should stay isolate forever for each and every health issue until there is a cure or vaccine is not prevalent outside of the DMV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. No hybrid model. No thanks.

Things would have to be substantially worse in the hospitals or with the death rates than currently to do that in September.

You do realize that the alternative is 100% distance learning? September 2020 is not going to be the same as January 2020. Nor is January 2021 and probably not June 2021.

Is that a politician talking or a school??

Neither. But I keep up with the news and I've read the reopening plans. School won't return to the way it was until there is a cure or a vaccine. They're saying that right now. It's not up to the individual school, the Health department is setting rules they all have to follow. Unless a school has the staff and facilities to make every class nine or fewer students they're going to have to do some sort of staggering. Plus they have to be prepared to switch to distance learning if there is a second wave.

OP had it right, the only thing missing was how little choice the schools have and how much will be determined by the health officials.

A cure or vaccine? Neither of those is certain. We could never have either one. Neither of those is certain. Might as well just go back to regular school in the fall.

If there is no cure and no vaccine, we will have to do a real lockdown and get it under control like other countries. Having school where teachers die every few months will not be tenable

If our private schools has teachers pushing for distance learning and staying home, I want to know that right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The social development piece that is missing cannot be recaptured in a hybrid, socially distant environment for the vast majority of kids. It just can’t happen. On so many levels it just wishful thinking. If kids go back to their school in a completely new way, expecting to invest a ton of energy in just learning and adjusting to this new normal it will not move the needle and it took a lot for everyone to adjust to DL and I think hybrid might just really make it so much for palpable as to what they have lost. I think it could make the kids really sad and demoralized. We may wish going to school hybrids will make things better but it might make things worse, emotionally and socially and be a distraction from for kids and potoential efforts to refine DL

If hybrid doesn’t work for your kid, he/she can almost assuredly do everything online. The hybrid provides optionality. My kid would do better with the hybrid, that I know for certain. You’ll have choices.

In Israel, the hybrid model was flat-out rejected as unsatisfactory for student learning and for parents.

What did they do instead?

They opened 5 days a week for those willing to come, as they have also done in a number of countries. The USA is bombing this.

+1000. However the extremist mentality that a couple people have here where they think the global society should stay isolate forever for each and every health issue until there is a cure or vaccine is not prevalent outside of the DMV.

I would be all for Israel's model if we had reacted and contained the virus the way they did, if our citizens were following instructions they way theirs are, if we were as small and controllable as they are, and if our government had done what theirs did from the get go and was preparing for winter the way they are. Right now, talking about Isreal v. U.S. is like comparing grad school to preK.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The social development piece that is missing cannot be recaptured in a hybrid, socially distant environment for the vast majority of kids. It just can’t happen. On so many levels it just wishful thinking. If kids go back to their school in a completely new way, expecting to invest a ton of energy in just learning and adjusting to this new normal it will not move the needle and it took a lot for everyone to adjust to DL and I think hybrid might just really make it so much for palpable as to what they have lost. I think it could make the kids really sad and demoralized. We may wish going to school hybrids will make things better but it might make things worse, emotionally and socially and be a distraction from for kids and potoential efforts to refine DL

If hybrid doesn’t work for your kid, he/she can almost assuredly do everything online. The hybrid provides optionality. My kid would do better with the hybrid, that I know for certain. You’ll have choices.

In Israel, the hybrid model was flat-out rejected as unsatisfactory for student learning and for parents.

What did they do instead?

They opened 5 days a week for those willing to come, as they have also done in a number of countries. The USA is bombing this.

+1000. However the extremist mentality that a couple people have here where they think the global society should stay isolate forever for each and every health issue until there is a cure or vaccine is not prevalent outside of the DMV.

I would be all for Israel's model if we had reacted and contained the virus the way they did, if our citizens were following instructions they way theirs are, if we were as small and controllable as they are, and if our government had done what theirs did from the get go and was preparing for winter the way they are. Right now, talking about Isreal v. U.S. is like comparing grad school to preK.

I don't fully understand this, as we are not talking about the fall not now, and we are talking about DC, which has been locked down for the same amount of time as Israel was. We have more time to distance as we are not even considering anything until September.

[Anonymous]

I would almost prefer a delayed opening. Families can hire babysitters, make co-ops, find home school prgrams, travel to remote places, work on projects without school hanging over them. Start when it's safe and reimburse tuition for portion of year off. Time to dip into endowments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would almost prefer a delayed opening. Families can hire babysitters, make co-ops, find home school prgrams, travel to remote places, work on projects without school hanging over them. Start when it's safe and reimburse tuition for portion of year off. Time to dip into endowments.

This would be acceptable. Stay shut until you can offer your actual product. Families and students can get educated elsewhere while DC private schools figure out what they want to be. And price it accordingly.