APS grades 3-5 teachers

[Anonymous]

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Ha. I bet they are going to go concurrent. Like the godawful plan for 6-12.


Bingo. Verified by staff meeting



Can you summarize this? Is this where they sit in a classroom with a screen instead of a teacher? I didn’t pay attention to how it was described because I didn’t think it applied to my kids

They will either sit in a room with a DL teacher on a screen, or they will sit in a room with a masked teacher who is teaching DL and a live class at the same time. This means the teacher will not be able to move around the room to help any students, because the DL kids will need to be able to see what's happening. Meanwhile, students who are DL will not be able to see the teacher's face, because they will be wearing a mask.

It better not be this! That’s not fair to the DL kids AT ALL. Teacher should be remote for all of them and unmasked.

Our current pandemic situation sucks all around. Any decision made is going to appear unfair to someone. For instance, not allowing hybrid students to be in a room with a teacher because you don’t like the teacher being masked on camera would be unfair. Not to mention, SOMEONE would need to be in the room with the students.

Given what the teachers have said about protocols, they don’t need to be in the room. They can’t walk around the room, meet with individual students, and so on. At that point, you just need a warm body in the room to keep kids on task and in their seats. If the teacher is remote, both DL and Hybrid students get the instruction from their actual teacher, unmasked. There’s no advantage to Hybrid students for the person in the room to be the masked teacher, and it penalizes the DL kids at the same time.

Someone still needs to be in the room with hybrid students, so your suggestion would require twice as much staffing. How do you think that will be funded?

It doesn’t have to be the main teacher in the classroom. It would maybe make more sense for assistant teachers or co-teachers to be there? Like, the math coach or reading specialist or the SpEd teacher or the SPLC? Mixed with extended day staff, who are still being paid despite not having extended day. I don’t know. But the DL kids shouldn’t be shortchanged for a hybrid plan that has a teacher who can’t even engage with kids who are physically there.

Yep. That’s the deal. That’s how it is for middle and high too. Not great.

[Anonymous]

So if my child is DL as a 5th grader, should I expect her to be watching a teacher who is wearing a mask while instructing from a live classroom? I’m confused. Or will the hybrid in-person students be staring at their iPads while the teacher instructs all students from some other location without a mask? Maybe it’s the best option, but this all looks ... not much better than keeping things as is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So if my child is DL as a 5th grader, should I expect her to be watching a teacher who is wearing a mask while instructing from a live classroom? I’m confused. Or will the hybrid in-person students be staring at their iPads while the teacher instructs all students from some other location without a mask? Maybe it’s the best option, but this all looks ... not much better than keeping things as is.

Yes. Concurrent hybrid is not an improvement over DL for many kids. This is true. It’s been true. It’s just that elementary parent are now seeing what middle and high already saw. This model is more COVID risk for DL in school.

[Anonymous]

Teacher will be masked if she’s required to be in the classroom or unmasked if she’s allowed an exemption to stay home. She will teach DL and hybrid kids at once through the devices.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:FCCPS is using the concurrent model and it works better than I thought it would. But in general FCCPS is using a vastly superior hybrid model. There are no 'virtual' elementary teachers. All teachers teach in the classroom. They have outfitted classrooms with cameras and kids who are virtual follow along that way. It is definitely not 'distance learning from the classroom. It is vastly vastly better to be in person than virtual.

Fccps has 4 total schools in its system! There’s no way APS has outfitted every classroom 3-12 with the equipment needed to execute concurrent learning this way. It’s going to be the teacher, masked at their desk teaching to kids in the room/at home on their iPads/laptops.

APS said they couldn’t afford the investment in this equipment and that’s how they arrived at the current DL plan. I don’t think it’s fair to change the plan AFTER parents had to choose their preference.

But you have no qualms about doing that to hybrid kids? That seems just a tab hypocritical.

Uh, this IS a change for hybrid kids, too. Their teacher wasn’t going to be teaching DL kids at the same time. It’s a wholly different plan than what was previously announced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The entire class is taught by the same teacher. Kids at home and kids whose day it is to go to school and permanent DL kids. All has to be done over the device because lesson must be simultaneously delivered to the kids at home and kids in classroom. Very little face to face interaction in person. That’s how it was explained to middle school. And it pretty much how it HAS to be done to teach them all “concurrently.” You get all the risk of COVID with none of the benefit of in person instruction. Not cool.

Wow, if that happens, I think that will be the straw that tips me to pull my third grader and homeschool him. This just isn’t working for him as it is and I don’t need his teacher even more frazzled and stressed because she is trying to teach concurrent. I refuse to send him to school just to sit on his iPad some more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCCPS is using the concurrent model and it works better than I thought it would. But in general FCCPS is using a vastly superior hybrid model. There are no 'virtual' elementary teachers. All teachers teach in the classroom. They have outfitted classrooms with cameras and kids who are virtual follow along that way. It is definitely not 'distance learning from the classroom. It is vastly vastly better to be in person than virtual.

Fccps has 4 total schools in its system! There’s no way APS has outfitted every classroom 3-12 with the equipment needed to execute concurrent learning this way. It’s going to be the teacher, masked at their desk teaching to kids in the room/at home on their iPads/laptops.

APS said they couldn’t afford the investment in this equipment and that’s how they arrived at the current DL plan. I don’t think it’s fair to change the plan AFTER parents had to choose their preference.

But you have no qualms about doing that to hybrid kids? That seems just a tab hypocritical.

Uh, this IS a change for hybrid kids, too. Their teacher wasn’t going to be teaching DL kids at the same time. It’s a wholly different plan than what was previously announced.

Sure is. Why they can’t just wait a few weeks and return to old plan is beyond me. Just wait

[Anonymous]

This will totally screw DL kids. Have you ever been that person on video or phone when everyone else is in the same conference room for a meeting? Is this at all schools or just those where the numbers of teachers and kids don’t work?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This will totally screw DL kids. Have you ever been that person on video or phone when everyone else is in the same conference room for a meeting? Is this at all schools or just those where the numbers of teachers and kids don’t work?

Yes. And the majority of parents picked DL. So to placate the ones who just have to have their kids in, everyone gets a lesser quality form of instruction with a teacher now splitting their attention between two very different groups in different places at the same time while also exposing people. Imagine how frustrating it will be when your kid is in DL and the teacher has to interrupt instruction to constantly tell some in person kid to fix their mask, put it back on, get back to their seat so they don’t break 6 person protocol, etc.

Those of us in high schools have known how bad concurrent is but a lot of people really don’t seem to realize how truly bad it will be. It is literally a worse format of teaching and learning for all involved so some kids can go sit in a building and watch the DL meet on the main screen instead of their device at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This will totally screw DL kids. Have you ever been that person on video or phone when everyone else is in the same conference room for a meeting? Is this at all schools or just those where the numbers of teachers and kids don’t work?

Yes. And the majority of parents picked DL. So to placate the ones who just have to have their kids in, everyone gets a lesser quality form of instruction with a teacher now splitting their attention between two very different groups in different places at the same time while also exposing people. Imagine how frustrating it will be when your kid is in DL and the teacher has to interrupt instruction to constantly tell some in person kid to fix their mask, put it back on, get back to their seat so they don’t break 6 person protocol, etc.

Those of us in high schools have known how bad concurrent is but a lot of people really don’t seem to realize how truly bad it will be. It is literally a worse format of teaching and learning for all involved so some kids can go sit in a building and watch the DL meet on the main screen instead of their device at home.

Across APS as a whole, no, the majority did not choose DL. The majority will be in hybrid.

[Anonymous]

Looks like someone has confirmed that this is the plan on AEM as as well.

I hope that we will be given the chance to change our minds again. I know we can always reach out to the principal to ask but so much had already changed since we made our choice back in October and now this. It seems like they should present the plan and ask again.

[Anonymous]

I’m an APS teacher in grades 3-5 and have not yet heard about this but perhaps I will be told Monday. I did want to share that the vast majority of teachers who were authorized to remain virtual under thE CARES act are now being told they must return in-person or take a leave of absence. If you take an unpaid leave you must request it by Jan 26. Only a very very small number of teachers who themselves qualify for an ADA accommodation (not CDC categories) can be virtual.

Just to give you one story, my wife is undergoing cancer treatment (chemo) at this time on leave from her job. This treatment obviously affects her immune system and puts her at very high risk and I was given a virtual assignment under the CARES act. However having a family member at high risk is not part of ADA and so now I have been told I must return in person or take unpaid leave. Even if I get the vaccine (I want it) there is a thought that one can still possibly transmit the virus even if they are vaccinated and due to my wife’s treatment she will not be able to get the vaccine until the beginning of April after her treatment ends and her immune system comes back up to make the vaccine more effective. We cannot survive without my salary and our insurance is from APS as well.

I’m not the only teacher in this scenario.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m an APS teacher in grades 3-5 and have not yet heard about this but perhaps I will be told Monday. I did want to share that the vast majority of teachers who were authorized to remain virtual under thE CARES act are now being told they must return in-person or take a leave of absence. If you take an unpaid leave you must request it by Jan 26. Only a very very small number of teachers who themselves qualify for an ADA accommodation (not CDC categories) can be virtual.

Just to give you one story, my wife is undergoing cancer treatment (chemo) at this time on leave from her job. This treatment obviously affects her immune system and puts her at very high risk and I was given a virtual assignment under the CARES act. However having a family member at high risk is not part of ADA and so now I have been told I must return in person or take unpaid leave. Even if I get the vaccine (I want it) there is a thought that one can still possibly transmit the virus even if they are vaccinated and due to my wife’s treatment she will not be able to get the vaccine until the beginning of April after her treatment ends and her immune system comes back up to make the vaccine more effective. We cannot survive without my salary and our insurance is from APS as well.

I’m not the only teacher in this scenario.

Parent of ES kid here (K-2). I am truly sorry that you are facing this. See, this is where I would like to know what each teacher wants to do. Not what they're being requested to do. But what is their actual preference. I can imagine some ES teachers truly want to be back in the building. Some don't for various reasons. I wish it could be made apparent within each school which teachers WANT to be back in the building, and which don't. I am lucky enough to be in a situation where I can be flexible in my choice, but fully acknowledge that not every parent is and/or not every child is being affected the same way by DL. There might not be a way to satisfy everyone, and I realize it would be logistically very difficult to do, but nobody is even trying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m an APS teacher in grades 3-5 and have not yet heard about this but perhaps I will be told Monday. I did want to share that the vast majority of teachers who were authorized to remain virtual under thE CARES act are now being told they must return in-person or take a leave of absence. If you take an unpaid leave you must request it by Jan 26. Only a very very small number of teachers who themselves qualify for an ADA accommodation (not CDC categories) can be virtual.

Just to give you one story, my wife is undergoing cancer treatment (chemo) at this time on leave from her job. This treatment obviously affects her immune system and puts her at very high risk and I was given a virtual assignment under the CARES act. However having a family member at high risk is not part of ADA and so now I have been told I must return in person or take unpaid leave. Even if I get the vaccine (I want it) there is a thought that one can still possibly transmit the virus even if they are vaccinated and due to my wife’s treatment she will not be able to get the vaccine until the beginning of April after her treatment ends and her immune system comes back up to make the vaccine more effective. We cannot survive without my salary and our insurance is from APS as well.

I’m not the only teacher in this scenario.

Parent of ES kid here (K-2). I am truly sorry that you are facing this. See, this is where I would like to know what each teacher wants to do. Not what they're being requested to do. But what is their actual preference. I can imagine some ES teachers truly want to be back in the building. Some don't for various reasons. I wish it could be made apparent within each school which teachers WANT to be back in the building, and which don't. I am lucky enough to be in a situation where I can be flexible in my choice, but fully acknowledge that not every parent is and/or not every child is being affected the same way by DL. There might not be a way to satisfy everyone, and I realize it would be logistically very difficult to do, but nobody is even trying.

Yeah, I agree. Partially because I don’t want my kids in a classroom with a teacher who doesn’t want to be there. I can be flexible even to the point of being able to homeschool my kids if needs be. With the change to concurrent for 3-5, I’m considering pulling my 3rd grader as it is.

[Anonymous]

Everyone should be urging APS to hold off until teachers are vaccinated. How long can that possibly take???