What makes you believe distant learning will be better in the fall?

[Anonymous]

In so many threads people make comments about how distant learning will be better in the upcoming school year than in the spring. They say spring was so bad because there was no time to prepare. What do you think MCPS is preparing now to ensure that it will be better next year? What concrete steps are being taken? Is the curriculum being modified to better fit DL, is the county preparing content and aids to help teachers in DL, are teachers receiving intensive training this summer? Or is the promise of more live zooms enough to convince you that it is going to better?

Do we have any real proof that it will be better, or is it just the same way of thinking as believing that the vaccine will be here in January?

[Anonymous]

I think as a parent, my spouse and I will be more prepared. My kids are more prepared in that they are used to the tech, and my middle schooler had a much deeper understanding by the end that she needed to schedule out her work over a week, and learn time management. That was painful at first but she adapted quickly.

I think the teachers will be more used to it. I agree that it won't be dramatically different but I am not dreading it. I'm sad this is how where our country is, but I can't control leadership or other states' decisions so I'm trying to control what I can control. We are leaning more and more toward full time DL because I think the numbers will go up.

[Anonymous]

I don't think it will be better, I just think they'll be more of it. People want to delude themselves into thinking it will suffice until that safe, 100% effective vaccine magically appears for everyone in January 2021.

[Anonymous]

There are two elementary schools with a year-round schedule, and they’ve already started on full-time DL. The plans for that included extensive synchronous learning with live teaching of new material. I don’t have the link handy, but it was all laid out in the slides from the June board meeting.

This isn’t a special summer-school session, this is their actual 2020-2021 school year. So I think it’s safe to assume that other elementary schools will be using the same plan starting in August.

[Anonymous]

It’s going to be the same. Stop living in denial. Glorified homework and self study. MCPS kids will fall a year behind.

[Anonymous]

For me, for it to be better, I want instruction in all subjects each day... I want introduction of new material... not just review. That's what I am expecting. There has been plenty of time to prepare to deliver something better.

[Anonymous]

I thought it was great in the Spring. Overall much better than f2f ever was.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For me, for it to be better, I want instruction in all subjects each day... I want introduction of new material... not just review. That's what I am expecting. There has been plenty of time to prepare to deliver something better.

I'd rather they focus on doing the basics well than making me oversee arts and crafts projects.

[Anonymous]

My elementary kids started a couple summer booster classes today and already I see a difference for the better. Both kids are engaged and seem to be enjoying them, even though they are longer than they were in the spring.

I think the school will do a better job of keeping up with the curriculum and they will be able to jump right in since people are familiar with the technology.

One thing I am realizing, at least for younger elementary, is that they probably don't actually do that much more in school. The times I was able to sit in on classes there were interruptions, they moved slowly, etc. Parents may not realize how classes actually are, and their expectations may be too high. Of course, this is probably different for older kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think it will be better, I just think they'll be more of it. People want to delude themselves into thinking it will suffice until that safe, 100% effective vaccine magically appears for everyone in January 2021.

It was great last Spring. My kids got a lot out of it and the pace seemed better too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think it will be better, I just think they'll be more of it. People want to delude themselves into thinking it will suffice until that safe, 100% effective vaccine magically appears for everyone in January 2021.

It was great last Spring. My kids got a lot out of it and the pace seemed better too.

There's a group of people whose hobby is to complain about MCPS incessantly. It doesn't really matter what the county does. They'll find fault with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think it will be better, I just think they'll be more of it. People want to delude themselves into thinking it will suffice until that safe, 100% effective vaccine magically appears for everyone in January 2021.

It was great last Spring. My kids got a lot out of it and the pace seemed better too.

Great! My then Kindergartner and Second grader got very little out of it. The former could barely tolerate 45 minutes of Zoom (unsurprising, since there were 30+ kids on his call each day) and the latter participated mostly to see her classmates. She learned nothing new. The prospect of six hours of it, daily, as outlined in the MCPS draft plan, is completely unacceptable and, yes, I plan to tell MCPS that.

[Anonymous]

Based on what our 2nd grader had in summer school distance learning that started today, I see little difference from the spring.

We have an incoming K. Her preschool tried Zoom classes but it's pretty difficult to get a 5 year old to keep that level of attention. We'll definitely go with the hybrid option this fall so she can be in school. She learns much better that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Based on what our 2nd grader had in summer school distance learning that started today, I see little difference from the spring.

We have an incoming K. Her preschool tried Zoom classes but it's pretty difficult to get a 5 year old to keep that level of attention. We'll definitely go with the hybrid option this fall so she can be in school. She learns much better that way.

It’s not going to be different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought it was great in the Spring. Overall much better than f2f ever was.

I kind of agree with this. It had a bit of a rocky start but my middle schooler and 5th grader eventually got into a groove and had their own routines.