Will DCPS really choose hybrid when all surrounding districts are virtual only?

[Anonymous]

I’m an elementary teacher and would be more open to doing a schedule like 9-12 in person each day with ten kids... just teaching math and ELA. Anything extra could be virtual. With safety measures in place/ PPE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m an elementary teacher and would be more open to doing a schedule like 9-12 in person each day with ten kids... just teaching math and ELA. Anything extra could be virtual. With safety measures in place/ PPE.

If you can do 3 hours in person, why not 6?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m an elementary teacher and would be more open to doing a schedule like 9-12 in person each day with ten kids... just teaching math and ELA. Anything extra could be virtual. With safety measures in place/ PPE.

If you can do 3 hours in person, why not 6?

Oh come on. We finally have a teacher on DCUM willing to go back and you are giving her a hard time. We are beggers not choosers right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/07/23/racist-effects-school-reopening-during-pandemic-by-teacher/

Think again about the wisdom of sending kids back to school

This op-Ed is not remotely convincing for me. She’s looking at it through the lens of high school teacher. I have no issue with high schools doing all DL in the fall. That doesn’t pose the same kind of childcare issues and is more likely to be effective educationally than ESers. Teens also get and spread the virus more.

Childcare shouldn’t be part of the conversation. If you want childcare hire a babysitter.
It’s interesting that as a result of the school day ‘child care’ is technically provided. But the primary function IS to teach your child. Educators are not required to get a childcare license or any training on child care as they would in a daycare.

It’s unfortunate that people are losing out on this function but we have to remember it’s a bonus and NOT the primary function.

The author also is looking at the number of black and brown deaths compared to white ones, it mirrors similar results in DC. Does anyone have an explanation for this?

DC spends a lot on ‘per pupil’ funding but where is it all really going? My school doesn’t post LSAT open discussion and when I tried to get the budget from the business manager at my school he brushed me off all 20x.
Why are our schools continuing to be so overcrowded if we spend so much money?

The in person argument is really moot until we reduce overcrowding and invest in infrastructures and safety.

It’s time for you to let go our your idealistic view that you’ve been paid only for education and not also childcare the whole time. Our society invests what it does in schools and your salary because the investment provides both and allows parents (including many teachers) to work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see a lot of posts and comments discussing a possible hybrid scenario. I am just curious if I’m getting my hopes up for no reason. Is it realistic that Bowser will go a completely different direction than basically everyone else?

I am praying so. My child with an IEP is hopeless with distance learning. Bowser and the chancellor are heroes for seriously trying to make it work and for not being driven by partisan politics.

If it makes you feel better, our kids without IEP found distance learning hopeless do a principal with terrible priorities. Lots of families in our school plan to be vocal about DL requirements this fall. If not, our family is going to find a school that does it better. We are lucky we can say that. We wish we didn’t have to. School was a great experience for our three until this happened.

[Anonymous]

You people are all crazy and wasting your time arguing for hybrid and thinking it’s gonna happen. VA and MD is 100% DL. Many, many charters in the city are 100% DL.

Are people on here so desperate to cling to in person school that they don’t see the writing on the wall? You actually believe that DCPS is not going to be 100% DL? What, have hybrid and then just shut down when the kids or teacher gets COVID?

Spend your time preparing for DL than being in denial on here. This is especially true if you did not have a good experience with DL at your school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m an elementary teacher and would be more open to doing a schedule like 9-12 in person each day with ten kids... just teaching math and ELA. Anything extra could be virtual. With safety measures in place/ PPE.

If you can do 3 hours in person, why not 6?

I get it... but I’m just saying- we go in to teach the most critical things (i.e math and reading) and go home. No teacher meetings in person. All the other things (lunch, specials, etc..) get cut to DL so we don’t have to consider all those transitions. Keep it simple but get the critical institution done in person. I’d be open to it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/07/23/racist-effects-school-reopening-during-pandemic-by-teacher/

Think again about the wisdom of sending kids back to school

This op-Ed is not remotely convincing for me. She’s looking at it through the lens of high school teacher. I have no issue with high schools doing all DL in the fall. That doesn’t pose the same kind of childcare issues and is more likely to be effective educationally than ESers. Teens also get and spread the virus more.

Childcare shouldn’t be part of the conversation. If you want childcare hire a babysitter.
It’s interesting that as a result of the school day ‘child care’ is technically provided. But the primary function IS to teach your child. Educators are not required to get a childcare license or any training on child care as they would in a daycare.

It’s unfortunate that people are losing out on this function but we have to remember it’s a bonus and NOT the primary function.

The author also is looking at the number of black and brown deaths compared to white ones, it mirrors similar results in DC. Does anyone have an explanation for this?

DC spends a lot on ‘per pupil’ funding but where is it all really going? My school doesn’t post LSAT open discussion and when I tried to get the budget from the business manager at my school he brushed me off all 20x.
Why are our schools continuing to be so overcrowded if we spend so much money?

The in person argument is really moot until we reduce overcrowding and invest in infrastructures and safety.

It’s time for you to let go our your idealistic view that you’ve been paid only for education and not also childcare the whole time. Our society invests what it does in schools and your salary because the investment provides both and allows parents (including many teachers) to work.

Try reading the post again.
Investment? Teachers are not paid enough, to be both a childcare provider and an educator. Among all the other things we are made to do.

You’ve got to be kidding me. Our society does not invest in schools, we see that time and time again. And go ahead and try and ‘clap back’ with the whine ‘teachers in DC get paid more’ let me remind you how much it costs to live in DC, how many live OUTSIDE the district because of this?
This doesn’t address teachers in other parts of the US who are paid even less.

If you think my view is idealistic yours is surely naive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You people are all crazy and wasting your time arguing for hybrid and thinking it’s gonna happen. VA and MD is 100% DL. Many, many charters in the city are 100% DL.

Are people on here so desperate to cling to in person school that they don’t see the writing on the wall? You actually believe that DCPS is not going to be 100% DL? What, have hybrid and then just shut down when the kids or teacher gets COVID?

Spend your time preparing for DL than being in denial on here. This is especially true if you did not have a good experience with DL at your school.

True, they are clinging hard. But they are worried, not everyone here has a pod or perhaps their school was very bad at DL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m an elementary teacher and would be more open to doing a schedule like 9-12 in person each day with ten kids... just teaching math and ELA. Anything extra could be virtual. With safety measures in place/ PPE.

If you can do 3 hours in person, why not 6?

I get it... but I’m just saying- we go in to teach the most critical things (i.e math and reading) and go home. No teacher meetings in person. All the other things (lunch, specials, etc..) get cut to DL so we don’t have to consider all those transitions. Keep it simple but get the critical institution done in person. I’d be open to it.

Actually, that schedule makes sense. Skipping lunch and transitions could help minimize exposure. Having a shorter school day would make it easier to stagger pickup and drop off by grade. And there would be more time for deep cleaning each day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m an elementary teacher and would be more open to doing a schedule like 9-12 in person each day with ten kids... just teaching math and ELA. Anything extra could be virtual. With safety measures in place/ PPE.

If you can do 3 hours in person, why not 6?

I get it... but I’m just saying- we go in to teach the most critical things (i.e math and reading) and go home. No teacher meetings in person. All the other things (lunch, specials, etc..) get cut to DL so we don’t have to consider all those transitions. Keep it simple but get the critical institution done in person. I’d be open to it.

Actually, that schedule makes sense. Skipping lunch and transitions could help minimize exposure. Having a shorter school day would make it easier to stagger pickup and drop off by grade. And there would be more time for deep cleaning each day.

For those parents who have to work, I wish they could allow supervised DL in the afternoon. But not sure where they’d find the staff if not teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/07/23/racist-effects-school-reopening-during-pandemic-by-teacher/

Think again about the wisdom of sending kids back to school

This op-Ed is not remotely convincing for me. She’s looking at it through the lens of high school teacher. I have no issue with high schools doing all DL in the fall. That doesn’t pose the same kind of childcare issues and is more likely to be effective educationally than ESers. Teens also get and spread the virus more.

Childcare shouldn’t be part of the conversation. If you want childcare hire a babysitter.
It’s interesting that as a result of the school day ‘child care’ is technically provided. But the primary function IS to teach your child. Educators are not required to get a childcare license or any training on child care as they would in a daycare.

It’s unfortunate that people are losing out on this function but we have to remember it’s a bonus and NOT the primary function.

The author also is looking at the number of black and brown deaths compared to white ones, it mirrors similar results in DC. Does anyone have an explanation for this?

DC spends a lot on ‘per pupil’ funding but where is it all really going? My school doesn’t post LSAT open discussion and when I tried to get the budget from the business manager at my school he brushed me off all 20x.
Why are our schools continuing to be so overcrowded if we spend so much money?

The in person argument is really moot until we reduce overcrowding and invest in infrastructures and safety.

Good. Now stop saying we need to be DL in DC because teachers who live in MD can't teach because their schools are DL.

I’m a teacher in DC and if I’m paying $150/day for safe in- home childcare, my take home pay after childcare would be $100/ week. Yes it can be done, but it’s just not worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m an elementary teacher and would be more open to doing a schedule like 9-12 in person each day with ten kids... just teaching math and ELA. Anything extra could be virtual. With safety measures in place/ PPE.

If you can do 3 hours in person, why not 6?

I get it... but I’m just saying- we go in to teach the most critical things (i.e math and reading) and go home. No teacher meetings in person. All the other things (lunch, specials, etc..) get cut to DL so we don’t have to consider all those transitions. Keep it simple but get the critical institution done in person. I’d be open to it.

Actually, that schedule makes sense. Skipping lunch and transitions could help minimize exposure. Having a shorter school day would make it easier to stagger pickup and drop off by grade. And there would be more time for deep cleaning each day.

Plus viral load — eg, duration of exposure — impacts whether someone gets sick and how sick.

This is the biggest benefit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is your plan for social-emotional development?

Why is all of this on the classroom teacher? What about the music, pe, art, and library teachers who sat home since March doing basically nothing while collecting the same salary. Ask them how they’re addressing social-emotional development.

The way classroom teachers are constantly attacked by parents here and expected to do EVERYTHING under the sun is incredibly frustrating. We are not the only parts of your child’s educational experience.

So you’re going to turn around and attack specials teachers when you already know what that lack of respect for your hard work feels like? That’s not kind or Fair. I am a special teacher who worked twice as hard during DL and I scrambled constantly to do an excellent job pre-Covid. I’ll remind you that I have hundreds of students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is your plan for social-emotional development?

Why is all of this on the classroom teacher? What about the music, pe, art, and library teachers who sat home since March doing basically nothing while collecting the same salary. Ask them how they’re addressing social-emotional development.

The way classroom teachers are constantly attacked by parents here and expected to do EVERYTHING under the sun is incredibly frustrating. We are not the only parts of your child’s educational experience.

So you’re going to turn around and attack specials teachers when you already know what that lack of respect for your hard work feels like? That’s not kind or Fair. I am a special teacher who worked twice as hard during DL and I scrambled constantly to do an excellent job pre-Covid. I’ll remind you that I have hundreds of students.

There is one classroom teacher on here who projects all her Covid frustrations onto specials teachers and how “unfair” it is that they are not in the exact situation s/he is, as though there are not a zillion different situations out here. You’d think specials teachers plotted with the coronavirus.