Should DCPS follow suit with MCPS starting year 100% Virtual?

[Anonymous]

Teacher with three year old and nine month old and taking such good care of your DL students you are amazing! 👋👋👋 What tough times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BTW, I think anyone saying they support this just wants full distance learning all year. So, just say that you don't value in person instruction for this year.

We live in such a sad sad society that this no plan is seen as a plan. DC closed school 3 weeks early last year in the name of planning and clearly neither MoCo nor DCPS used the time to thinks thing through.

We are essentially a 3rd world nation when it comes to healthcare policy and education ... can't stop the virus, can't teach our kids.

Yup, shamefully this is true

DC is one of wealthiest small cities in America, we only have about 700,000 people and in over 160 days we have only covid tested 50,000 people

Iceland had tested its entire country of 600,000 by April and they are much larger and more spread out

testing, and contact tracing is way out of this NOT twisting ourselves and our kids into some crazy hybrid teaching plan

denying kids their education for a year while we fall furher behind Europe and SE asia is science and math

ALL because we couldn't test and trace

pathetic and, yes, 3rd world

that you people are applauding that is testimony to how low your standards and aspirations are

[Anonymous]

Anyone who wants to be tested in DC can be right now. They are begging people to come - no appointments and it is free.

Our infection rate is below 1.

For now - it could change - but we are doing pretty well. That doesn’t mean opening schools is a good idea. It isn’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Curious if any teachers, particularly of young students, like K-2, would be able to divulge how effective DL was with their students.

What percentage dialed in on a regular basis?
Of those who dialed in, what percentage was actually engaged?
Of those engaged, what percentage was actually learning to standard?

I'm a K-2 self contained teacher.

70% of my class attended morning meeting everyday (30 minutes) - 80-100% engagement

90-100% attended their 1 to 1 lessons everyday. (45 minutes) -70%-90% engagement

30% completed asynchronous lessons (teacher created and iready) everyday. (2 hours)

70% completed teacher created packets. (30 minutes)


I think what made DL successful ( well as it can possibly be) is making morning meetings really fun and 1 on 1 lessons fun but also having a 'treat at the end' like watching a very short song. I'd work with parents to make sure chosen songs weren't showed or played at home to actually make it a treat they wanted. Or we'd play a virtual game if the student wouldn't work hard enough for a song. Or the parent would set something up like 'when you complete ALL your work, you will earn X' -could be anything the kids really love.

The problem is, this is so teacher dependent. My older elementary child had one thirty minute class zoom per week. Her teacher has kids under 5 at home. She got no live instruction nor any ore recorded instruction. It was solely zearn, I ready, canned science videos, and epic. Total failure.

As a teacher I am so sorry to hear this. It also makes me upset because one thirty minute class zoom per week is totally unacceptable. Every child should have a daily live check in with their homeroom teacher. In addition they should have small group sessions and other classes. No live instruction was a district mandate. I think this is why 100% DL can and will be better in the fall if given a chance. Hopefully the teacher will be better, the prinicpal will be on top of the instruction, and you as a parent will be wiser and expect more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It would be too chaotic to have in person learning. What don't folks get? The logistics is just too much and I hated DL for my 2nd and 4th grader.

These are unforeseen times and we just have to deal with it and not get all up in arms when we are lucky to be alive!

Oh, this is where I completely disagree. These were not unforeseen times. Europe saw these times, Australia and New Zealand saw these times. Our federal and state leaders didn't act and aren't acting now. If kids were put first, bars would be closed, Disney would be closed, church would be closed and we'd be safely opening schools with PPE, tests, and enough space for safe learning. This wasn't some inevitable consequence and because of this, I can't say "bravo" to this kind of "plan".

+1,000

and while everything is closed why weren't we testing everyone who was shut in at home

4 months wasted !

some counties started pre-emptive testing segments of their population Feb 1st

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes! Start with DL and slowly go through phases 1-3. It makes so much sense to gradually allow students to come in, just like how the states reopened, in phases.

and these teachers who are doing DL so that everyone is SAFE, will they also forgo getting nails done, hair done, eating out and going to bars because we know those are DANGEROUS places for them
and they must be kept SAFE

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Curious if any teachers, particularly of young students, like K-2, would be able to divulge how effective DL was with their students.

What percentage dialed in on a regular basis?
Of those who dialed in, what percentage was actually engaged?
Of those engaged, what percentage was actually learning to standard?

I'm a K-2 self contained teacher.

70% of my class attended morning meeting everyday (30 minutes) - 80-100% engagement

90-100% attended their 1 to 1 lessons everyday. (45 minutes) -70%-90% engagement

30% completed asynchronous lessons (teacher created and iready) everyday. (2 hours)

70% completed teacher created packets. (30 minutes)


I think what made DL successful ( well as it can possibly be) is making morning meetings really fun and 1 on 1 lessons fun but also having a 'treat at the end' like watching a very short song. I'd work with parents to make sure chosen songs weren't showed or played at home to actually make it a treat they wanted. Or we'd play a virtual game if the student wouldn't work hard enough for a song. Or the parent would set something up like 'when you complete ALL your work, you will earn X' -could be anything the kids really love.

The problem is, this is so teacher dependent. My older elementary child had one thirty minute class zoom per week. Her teacher has kids under 5 at home. She got no live instruction nor any ore recorded instruction. It was solely zearn, I ready, canned science videos, and epic. Total failure.

As a teacher I am so sorry to hear this. It also makes me upset because one thirty minute class zoom per week is totally unacceptable. Every child should have a daily live check in with their homeroom teacher. In addition they should have small group sessions and other classes. No live instruction was a district mandate. I think this is why 100% DL can and will be better in the fall if given a chance. Hopefully the teacher will be better, the prinicpal will be on top of the instruction, and you as a parent will be wiser and expect more.

No live instruction was not a District mandate, all they said was no Zoom then took it back.

My admin actually decided to make live a requirement for us to be paid. Not all schools did this but 'no live' was certainly NOT mandated.

[Anonymous]

DP responding to above ^^. at our particular school, it was "no new material will be presented live." So the live sessions were mainly social.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes! Start with DL and slowly go through phases 1-3. It makes so much sense to gradually allow students to come in, just like how the states reopened, in phases.

and these teachers who are doing DL so that everyone is SAFE, will they also forgo getting nails done, hair done, eating out and going to bars because we know those are DANGEROUS places for them
and they must be kept SAFE

I haven’t gone anywhere except the grocery store since March 13th. How about you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DP responding to above ^^. at our particular school, it was "no new material will be presented live." So the live sessions were mainly social.

Whaaaat? That's crazy! No wonder so many parents are making us out to be villains. What are we supposed to do when the 'higher ups' suck?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes! Start with DL and slowly go through phases 1-3. It makes so much sense to gradually allow students to come in, just like how the states reopened, in phases.

and these teachers who are doing DL so that everyone is SAFE, will they also forgo getting nails done, hair done, eating out and going to bars because we know those are DANGEROUS places for them
and they must be kept SAFE

Uh oh, my sister is an attorney who is still working from home because her firm doesn’t think it is SAFE for everyone to come in. Last week she got her nails done. What if it wasn’t SAFE? What if it was a DANGEROUS place? Oh no!!!!! We must keep her SAFE! Away from the DANGEROUS places!!!!! Ahhh that was fun. Yes, that’s how ridiculous you sounded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes! Start with DL and slowly go through phases 1-3. It makes so much sense to gradually allow students to come in, just like how the states reopened, in phases.

and these teachers who are doing DL so that everyone is SAFE, will they also forgo getting nails done, hair done, eating out and going to bars because we know those are DANGEROUS places for them
and they must be kept SAFE

Uh oh, my sister is an attorney who is still working from home because her firm doesn’t think it is SAFE for everyone to come in. Last week she got her nails done. What if it wasn’t SAFE? What if it was a DANGEROUS place? Oh no!!!!! We must keep her SAFE! Away from the DANGEROUS places!!!!! Ahhh that was fun. Yes, that’s how ridiculous you sounded.

You also sound just as crazy as the last person. One is extreme and the other is really lax.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes! Start with DL and slowly go through phases 1-3. It makes so much sense to gradually allow students to come in, just like how the states reopened, in phases.

and these teachers who are doing DL so that everyone is SAFE, will they also forgo getting nails done, hair done, eating out and going to bars because we know those are DANGEROUS places for them
and they must be kept SAFE

Yep! Something seriously wrong with our priorities when we can open for shopping, dining, grooming, and even boozing, but we can’t open schools to educate our children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes! Start with DL and slowly go through phases 1-3. It makes so much sense to gradually allow students to come in, just like how the states reopened, in phases.

and these teachers who are doing DL so that everyone is SAFE, will they also forgo getting nails done, hair done, eating out and going to bars because we know those are DANGEROUS places for them
and they must be kept SAFE

Yep! Something seriously wrong with our priorities when we can open for shopping, dining, grooming, and even boozing, but we can’t open schools to educate our children.

When society starts placing 300 - 1500 people in restaurant, salon, barber shop, liquor store for 6 - 8 hours a day, five days a week, then you have a decent comparison. Otherwise, something seriously wrong when you think children can't get sick and spread respitory viruses, especially during/after PE and recess. However, since you don't know how many children, in a given school, have asthma treatment plans or compromised immune systems, because it's none of your damn business, you would foolishly think that schools need to be open. Open 'em up. That way, when children start losing classmates to COVID, your dumb ass can complain about the lack of grief counseling available in public schools. Be the solution, not the problem.

[Anonymous]

My insight- Mayor is full steam ahead with opening schools. She wants people back to work. And she is worried about the increase in crime. Everyone is advising her against opening but she currently hasn’t been persuaded.