What are schools/teachers doing this summer to make DL actually work?

[Anonymous]

Obviously DL didn't work this spring, which makes sense, since schools were caught off guard and teachers had to make it up as they went along. Everyone seems to be accepting that we are going to be DL at least part time this fall. What is happening now to make sure our kids are actually able to learn and meet benchmarks?

[Anonymous]

I don't know about schools, but as a teacher I have gotten no information so I'm not able to plan very much. I am going to make some instructional videos for things I plan to work on in September (and hope that isn't a waste of time) but they haven't even told us if the same teachers will be doing DL and in school learning, or what the platform would be. They also don't tell us what our curriculum will be (we don't have a boxed or scripted curriculum, just themes for each month that I then have to create a unit/lessons/materials for) and won't until the day before school starts.

[Anonymous]

They are spending too much time wringing their hands about whether there can be some f2f instruction, instead of doubling down on distance learning for the fall and preparing to make it substantially better than it was in the spring.

[Anonymous]

Complaining on DCUM about how much they don’t want to be back in person

[Anonymous]

Chunking my curriculum into weekly modules. Assembling lists of pre-recorded videos and other asynchronous materials that I can mix in with whatever synchronous time is scheduled. Thinking through my labs to see if I can strip them down to basic materials that can be found in homes or purchased for $20 per kid. Getting and practicing a new set up with a document camera.

I teach high school science in Maryland and have received no guidance from my school or MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Complaining on DCUM about how much they don’t want to be back in person

Please just stop with this. They apparently believe in science and we as a nation didn’t prioritize doing the the things that needed doing to put everyone back in schools safely. I’d rather have them double down on making DL work than continuing the wishful thinking model that is needed for f2f.

My advice is keep it simple. We did better with more discrete tasks, like math worksheets with problems. Stop with marking up PDFs and just make an easily editable word or google doc. As uninspiring as book reports are, do them and actually grade them and comment on them. We had luck with creative writing projects. My kid has ADHD and just zoned out on the khan academy videos. Links to appropriate documentaries are good. There were a few competitive real time quizzes that worked. Don’t presume a parent can supervise real time during business hours. And please no more stupid science projects that go through my pantry supplies and take up fridge space. This is the year to teach to the test.

[Anonymous]

I don't understand this.

Those of us in the professional world are managing ourselves via zoom or goto meetings.

To the PP who hasn't done anything because there hasn't been any direction: why on earth would you wait until the last minute to figure out how YOU are going to handle this? Why aren't you working out some options for teaching the content that you, presumably, teach every year?

I get that kids are different animals than adults - sure they are. But DL does NOT need to be that hard.

Frankly, if these kids can play those effing first person shooter games and the like for HOURS on end, it's time for the excuses that DL can't work to STOP. They are MORE than happy to be on their computers for five hours a day. Maybe, just maybe, it's time to acknowledge that this portion of this generation - and their teachers - are going to have to ADAPT.

Create a syllabus, create expectations (Larla must be present and paying attention on the zoom, just as she would be expected to in class, or there are consequences), and deliver the education you are being paid to deliver.

Is it optimal? Perhaps not. Will some kids struggle? Undoubtedly. Might some kids have to be left back, because of x, y, or z, reason? Possibly. But it's time for teachers to stop whining about what they CAN'T do, and figure out the alternative options they CAN offer.

FFS.

You would think that our educators would have a wealth of both creative and critical thinking skills. Figure it out, people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know about schools, but as a teacher I have gotten no information so I'm not able to plan very much.

That's how I feel too. If I knew the plan, I would definitely start thinking about how to make it work well, but at the moment I don't know the schedule or what my role will be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand this.

Those of us in the professional world are managing ourselves via zoom or goto meetings.

To the PP who hasn't done anything because there hasn't been any direction: why on earth would you wait until the last minute to figure out how YOU are going to handle this? Why aren't you working out some options for teaching the content that you, presumably, teach every year?

I get that kids are different animals than adults - sure they are. But DL does NOT need to be that hard.

Frankly, if these kids can play those effing first person shooter games and the like for HOURS on end, it's time for the excuses that DL can't work to STOP. They are MORE than happy to be on their computers for five hours a day. Maybe, just maybe, it's time to acknowledge that this portion of this generation - and their teachers - are going to have to ADAPT.

Create a syllabus, create expectations (Larla must be present and paying attention on the zoom, just as she would be expected to in class, or there are consequences), and deliver the education you are being paid to deliver.

Is it optimal? Perhaps not. Will some kids struggle? Undoubtedly. Might some kids have to be left back, because of x, y, or z, reason? Possibly. But it's time for teachers to stop whining about what they CAN'T do, and figure out the alternative options they CAN offer.

FFS.

You would think that our educators would have a wealth of both creative and critical thinking skills. Figure it out, people.

I'm OP and no, my 7 year old does not spend 5 hours a day playing first person shooter games. If the plan is for my kid to spend 5 hours a day straight staring at her iPad, that's going to be a big problem (and not help her continue to improve her reading or math or writing).

Honestly, this comment, for the first time, is making me think I need to take a sabbatical or something.

[Anonymous]

I would think teachers are doing nothing right now. Most are not contracted for all year. You all bitch about how teachers have a summer vacation and their pay is amazing if you consider their contracted days. They should not do anything until they are required to be back per their contract which is usually sometime in August. I’m not a teacher BTW.

[Anonymous]

As a teacher, I signed up for three paid training webinars offered by my county on how to use some of the distance learning platforms more effectively. I did this the last week of June.

My district is reimbursing me for a 3 credit course I am taking online on web based learning -- this was my choice, not offered by my county.


I know that our 11 month teacher coaches have been working on developing online speaking and listening tasks for our ESOL curriculum. Whether we are in person or distance teaching, these can be used as part of the new curriculum.

Not my district, but my sister teachers in a different state, and she is part of a committee of teachers who have been tasked with creating essential activities and assessments that can be administered online.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know about schools, but as a teacher I have gotten no information so I'm not able to plan very much. I am going to make some instructional videos for things I plan to work on in September (and hope that isn't a waste of time) but they haven't even told us if the same teachers will be doing DL and in school learning, or what the platform would be. They also don't tell us what our curriculum will be (we don't have a boxed or scripted curriculum, just themes for each month that I then have to create a unit/lessons/materials for) and won't until the day before school starts.

This.

I also have to teach a summer course that my school decided to offer, but I’m the only person w/o young kids who can teach it.

Plus, I have to do my recertification coursework this summer. No time during the school year next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would think teachers are doing nothing right now. Most are not contracted for all year. You all bitch about how teachers have a summer vacation and their pay is amazing if you consider their contracted days. They should not do anything until they are required to be back per their contract which is usually sometime in August. I’m not a teacher BTW.

Teachers have continuing education requirements for their licenses. I would have thought the profession would aggressively pursue continuing education programs to improve the efficacy of DL. Horrified that it doesn't seem to be happening and the summer is half over.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand this.

Those of us in the professional world are managing ourselves via zoom or goto meetings.

To the PP who hasn't done anything because there hasn't been any direction: why on earth would you wait until the last minute to figure out how YOU are going to handle this? Why aren't you working out some options for teaching the content that you, presumably, teach every year?

I get that kids are different animals than adults - sure they are. But DL does NOT need to be that hard.

Frankly, if these kids can play those effing first person shooter games and the like for HOURS on end, it's time for the excuses that DL can't work to STOP. They are MORE than happy to be on their computers for five hours a day. Maybe, just maybe, it's time to acknowledge that this portion of this generation - and their teachers - are going to have to ADAPT.

Create a syllabus, create expectations (Larla must be present and paying attention on the zoom, just as she would be expected to in class, or there are consequences), and deliver the education you are being paid to deliver.

Is it optimal? Perhaps not. Will some kids struggle? Undoubtedly. Might some kids have to be left back, because of x, y, or z, reason? Possibly. But it's time for teachers to stop whining about what they CAN'T do, and figure out the alternative options they CAN offer.

FFS.

You would think that our educators would have a wealth of both creative and critical thinking skills. Figure it out, people.

I'm OP and no, my 7 year old does not spend 5 hours a day playing first person shooter games. If the plan is for my kid to spend 5 hours a day straight staring at her iPad, that's going to be a big problem (and not help her continue to improve her reading or math or writing).

Honestly, this comment, for the first time, is making me think I need to take a sabbatical or something.

PP here.

Well, if DL is going to be a thing - what else do you expect?

I still don't understand. It's not like this is going to last forever, and, even if it did, we would adapt, as humans do.

Good god - a formal education is a fairly recent luxury. What do you think happened in the past when kids couldn't get to the one room schoolhouse for whatever reason?

They adapted.

Our world is not normal right now. Optimal is not an option in the present moment. Creativity and resiliency is required. You, as a parent, need to teach that to your child - an ipad is a tool, right now - and you can choose to let your DC learn to use that tool, or not. And, if DL is going to be a thing out of necessity, then teachers need need to figure out how to improve math, reading, science, etc. skills virtually.

Stop allowing the box society has created to hem you in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand this.

Those of us in the professional world are managing ourselves via zoom or goto meetings.

To the PP who hasn't done anything because there hasn't been any direction: why on earth would you wait until the last minute to figure out how YOU are going to handle this? Why aren't you working out some options for teaching the content that you, presumably, teach every year?

I get that kids are different animals than adults - sure they are. But DL does NOT need to be that hard.

Frankly, if these kids can play those effing first person shooter games and the like for HOURS on end, it's time for the excuses that DL can't work to STOP. They are MORE than happy to be on their computers for five hours a day. Maybe, just maybe, it's time to acknowledge that this portion of this generation - and their teachers - are going to have to ADAPT.

Create a syllabus, create expectations (Larla must be present and paying attention on the zoom, just as she would be expected to in class, or there are consequences), and deliver the education you are being paid to deliver.

Is it optimal? Perhaps not. Will some kids struggle? Undoubtedly. Might some kids have to be left back, because of x, y, or z, reason? Possibly. But it's time for teachers to stop whining about what they CAN'T do, and figure out the alternative options they CAN offer.

FFS.

You would think that our educators would have a wealth of both creative and critical thinking skills. Figure it out, people.

You're making a lot of assumptions here. I teach elementary self-contained special education. Why would I create a syllabus? That's totally developmentally inappropriate. I also have no ability to set expectations. That's up to the district and my administration. I can't just demand that all students do x without the directive coming from above. If my administration says that students can just log in and write "I hate school!" on google classroom and that counts as their daily attendance, then that's the policy. You have no idea what I did with my class in the spring, so telling me that it was poorly done and inadequate is meaningless. You don't have any evidence either way. Likewise, I could say that you were inept and unwilling to support your child's learning throughout DL, but I don't have any information to back that up. That's why I would never make a baseless claim like that about another person's work ethic.

You're also wrong to suggest that I should be working throughout the summer to better meet your expectations in the fall. You have no idea what I did with my class in the spring. We are ten month employees, and we do not get paid for the two months that school is not in attendance. Anything that I do over the summer is on my time and is absolutely voluntary. I don't owe parents, students, or administrators a single minute of my summer. Districts that want teachers to participate in specific trainings have the option of offering them paid on a per session basis, and they do so. We have not been offered that. For people who think that teachers should just "love students" so much that money is not important, please stop arguing that you need to go back to work in the fall. Do you not "love" your own children so much that your salary is of no consequence at all? One would expect parents would have a higher bar for love of children than teachers, and they should be able to just cast aside their own material needs. No? Then pay me for MY work.

If you allow your child to play shooting games for hours each day that then you should really take a look in the mirror-that's really abysmal parenting.