Grade your school's distance learning approach

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Basis - 7th - A+

This is my kid’s rating. She loves it, and I only see her for her to tell me about things she is excited about learning. But it is a LONG day! With few breaks. I have her teams on my phone, so I see all her work and messages with her teachers, and there have been some hiccups but none that she even bothered to mention to me. When a problem comes up, she tells the teacher (after running language past a friend as they learned better results if complaints are edited) they discuss, it is fixed. So I stay out of it. I really couldn’t be happier about what she is learning, and she is giddy and motivated, so even if it wouldn’t be my cup of tea, I’m giving it an A+ for my kid.

Great to hear. I hope we get there someday.
-dispirited 5th grade parent

Sorry to hear you are having a rough go of it, dispirited 5th grade parent. Starting a new school via DL is SO hard - and such a bummer! My kid is in 6th at Basis and things are going fairly well (I give it an A-). I think the key is to keep on top of the daily class assignments and just get them turned in on time/early. Otherwise, they start to pile up and it is is impossible (for me) to find them in the various different locations on Teams. I have my kid go through each class towards the end of the day under the "assignments" tab to make sure nothing falls through the cracks - try that? Seems to be the best way to see what is due most immediately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Basis - 7th - A+

This is my kid’s rating. She loves it, and I only see her for her to tell me about things she is excited about learning. But it is a LONG day! With few breaks. I have her teams on my phone, so I see all her work and messages with her teachers, and there have been some hiccups but none that she even bothered to mention to me. When a problem comes up, she tells the teacher (after running language past a friend as they learned better results if complaints are edited) they discuss, it is fixed. So I stay out of it. I really couldn’t be happier about what she is learning, and she is giddy and motivated, so even if it wouldn’t be my cup of tea, I’m giving it an A+ for my kid.

Great to hear. I hope we get there someday.
-dispirited 5th grade parent

Sorry to hear you are having a rough go of it, dispirited 5th grade parent. Starting a new school via DL is SO hard - and such a bummer! My kid is in 6th at Basis and things are going fairly well (I give it an A-). I think the key is to keep on top of the daily class assignments and just get them turned in on time/early. Otherwise, they start to pile up and it is is impossible (for me) to find them in the various different locations on Teams. I have my kid go through each class towards the end of the day under the "assignments" tab to make sure nothing falls through the cracks - try that? Seems to be the best way to see what is due most immediately.

Thanks for this. I am seeing this to be the case for sure. I think the school has abdicated a lot of responsibility from themselves to parents- but it doesn't want to admit this. How on earth are working class or poor families with limited time supposed to be spending hours checking their kids assignments every day and making sure their kid is able to find the teacher, assignment etc. Honestly, Basis needs to either tell parents that is part of their job OR teach the kids to do so. But they can't have it both ways.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Basis - 7th - A+

This is my kid’s rating. She loves it, and I only see her for her to tell me about things she is excited about learning. But it is a LONG day! With few breaks. I have her teams on my phone, so I see all her work and messages with her teachers, and there have been some hiccups but none that she even bothered to mention to me. When a problem comes up, she tells the teacher (after running language past a friend as they learned better results if complaints are edited) they discuss, it is fixed. So I stay out of it. I really couldn’t be happier about what she is learning, and she is giddy and motivated, so even if it wouldn’t be my cup of tea, I’m giving it an A+ for my kid.

Great to hear. I hope we get there someday.
-dispirited 5th grade parent

Sorry to hear you are having a rough go of it, dispirited 5th grade parent. Starting a new school via DL is SO hard - and such a bummer! My kid is in 6th at Basis and things are going fairly well (I give it an A-). I think the key is to keep on top of the daily class assignments and just get them turned in on time/early. Otherwise, they start to pile up and it is is impossible (for me) to find them in the various different locations on Teams. I have my kid go through each class towards the end of the day under the "assignments" tab to make sure nothing falls through the cracks - try that? Seems to be the best way to see what is due most immediately.

Thanks for this. I am seeing this to be the case for sure. I think the school has abdicated a lot of responsibility from themselves to parents- but it doesn't want to admit this. How on earth are working class or poor families with limited time supposed to be spending hours checking their kids assignments every day and making sure their kid is able to find the teacher, assignment etc. Honestly, Basis needs to either tell parents that is part of their job OR teach the kids to do so. But they can't have it both ways.

I have kids at a BASIS charter that started school in early August, meaning we've already finished about 7 weeks of school. My 7th grader was able to handle the schedule, assignments, etc. about 1 week into the school year. It took my 5th grader about 4 weeks, and I still have to check the Teams assignment tabs in the evening to make sure all of the work is being done. It will take a bit more time for your 5th grader to figure things out, but eventually it will happen. Hang in there!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lee Montessori Prek/k class A+

A+ for virtual pre-k? Please share the amazing secret that has your 3 year old learning just as well as they would in person from a screen!

Especially Montessori. Sorry but I doubt it’s A+.

[Anonymous]

Bancroft 3rd and 5th grade A+

I'll give Class Notebook a D as it's not so user friendly for my 8 year old.

[Anonymous]

Ballou/11th Grade/A+

[Anonymous]

Seaton/1st/B

some classes are really useless, but they have started doing more small groups (math) and 1:1 tutoring (reading), both twice a week. Those are incredibly worthile.

I was losing all hope early on, but now I feel like he will actually make progress this year.

Can we skip the useless classes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seaton/1st/B

some classes are really useless, but they have started doing more small groups (math) and 1:1 tutoring (reading), both twice a week. Those are incredibly worthile.

I was losing all hope early on, but now I feel like he will actually make progress this year.

Can we skip the useless classes?

I have the same question, but I dare not ask it of the teachers or their supervisors, I don't want a repeated absence or disengagement from a pointless class to be held against my DC. So, ask for permission or forgiveness? Also, importantly, without express permission and an agreed upon alternative, I don't want to teach my (elementary age) child that it's up to anyone but the teacher to decide whether attending a class is worth it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lee Montessori Prek/k class A+

A+ for virtual pre-k? Please share the amazing secret that has your 3 year old learning just as well as they would in person from a screen!

The school provided lots of supplies and are NOT requiring my DC to be on the screen for little more than 30 minutes a day. When they are on, teacher is so sweet and engaging.

They’re in PK, they learn by playing. And that’s what they would essentially be doing in person and so that’s what we do at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Basis - 7th - A+

This is my kid’s rating. She loves it, and I only see her for her to tell me about things she is excited about learning. But it is a LONG day! With few breaks. I have her teams on my phone, so I see all her work and messages with her teachers, and there have been some hiccups but none that she even bothered to mention to me. When a problem comes up, she tells the teacher (after running language past a friend as they learned better results if complaints are edited) they discuss, it is fixed. So I stay out of it. I really couldn’t be happier about what she is learning, and she is giddy and motivated, so even if it wouldn’t be my cup of tea, I’m giving it an A+ for my kid.

Great to hear. I hope we get there someday.
-dispirited 5th grade parent

Sorry to hear you are having a rough go of it, dispirited 5th grade parent. Starting a new school via DL is SO hard - and such a bummer! My kid is in 6th at Basis and things are going fairly well (I give it an A-). I think the key is to keep on top of the daily class assignments and just get them turned in on time/early. Otherwise, they start to pile up and it is is impossible (for me) to find them in the various different locations on Teams. I have my kid go through each class towards the end of the day under the "assignments" tab to make sure nothing falls through the cracks - try that? Seems to be the best way to see what is due most immediately.

Thanks for this. I am seeing this to be the case for sure. I think the school has abdicated a lot of responsibility from themselves to parents- but it doesn't want to admit this. How on earth are working class or poor families with limited time supposed to be spending hours checking their kids assignments every day and making sure their kid is able to find the teacher, assignment etc. Honestly, Basis needs to either tell parents that is part of their job OR teach the kids to do so. But they can't have it both ways.

I disagree. They make it very clear that it is the students' responsibility to keep up, not the parents. I agree it is a steep learning curve, but kids either get it within a few weeks or the school probably isn't the best fit for them. I have never once had to find my child's teacher or assignment. I do random spot checks on returned items, and I read the messages she receives back from teachers as they go to my phone, but it seems the teachers are very available to help when asked. I would make sure that you aren't taking this teaching away. Maybe don't do it for your kid, but have them do it for themselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Basis - 7th - A+

This is my kid’s rating. She loves it, and I only see her for her to tell me about things she is excited about learning. But it is a LONG day! With few breaks. I have her teams on my phone, so I see all her work and messages with her teachers, and there have been some hiccups but none that she even bothered to mention to me. When a problem comes up, she tells the teacher (after running language past a friend as they learned better results if complaints are edited) they discuss, it is fixed. So I stay out of it. I really couldn’t be happier about what she is learning, and she is giddy and motivated, so even if it wouldn’t be my cup of tea, I’m giving it an A+ for my kid.

Great to hear. I hope we get there someday.
-dispirited 5th grade parent

Sorry to hear you are having a rough go of it, dispirited 5th grade parent. Starting a new school via DL is SO hard - and such a bummer! My kid is in 6th at Basis and things are going fairly well (I give it an A-). I think the key is to keep on top of the daily class assignments and just get them turned in on time/early. Otherwise, they start to pile up and it is is impossible (for me) to find them in the various different locations on Teams. I have my kid go through each class towards the end of the day under the "assignments" tab to make sure nothing falls through the cracks - try that? Seems to be the best way to see what is due most immediately.

Thanks for this. I am seeing this to be the case for sure. I think the school has abdicated a lot of responsibility from themselves to parents- but it doesn't want to admit this. How on earth are working class or poor families with limited time supposed to be spending hours checking their kids assignments every day and making sure their kid is able to find the teacher, assignment etc. Honestly, Basis needs to either tell parents that is part of their job OR teach the kids to do so. But they can't have it both ways.

I disagree. They make it very clear that it is the students' responsibility to keep up, not the parents. I agree it is a steep learning curve, but kids either get it within a few weeks or the school probably isn't the best fit for them. I have never once had to find my child's teacher or assignment. I do random spot checks on returned items, and I read the messages she receives back from teachers as they go to my phone, but it seems the teachers are very available to help when asked. I would make sure that you aren't taking this teaching away. Maybe don't do it for your kid, but have them do it for themselves.

If you think a 5th grader should within two weeks have mastered teams, know how to find workarounds for files and links that don't work, learn how to send a chat to a teacher who DOES NOT KNOW THEIR NAME and who then doesn't respond and continue to follow up, react to chats alerts they can't see, wade through endless messages on chat to find one that is at all relevant to them, master the art of taking images of their work and uploading it, learn to advocate for themselves in a class of 45 students who they can't see and have never met, double check all their assignments but ignoring the ones that aren't assigned to them but show up in their queue anyhow, oh, and also complete all the actual work without parental help, you are insane.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lee Montessori Prek/k class A+

A+ for virtual pre-k? Please share the amazing secret that has your 3 year old learning just as well as they would in person from a screen!

The school provided lots of supplies and are NOT requiring my DC to be on the screen for little more than 30 minutes a day. When they are on, teacher is so sweet and engaging.

They’re in PK, they learn by playing. And that’s what they would essentially be doing in person and so that’s what we do at home.

Methinks you don't understand Montessori. It is not a play-based curriculum. If want you want is 30 minutes of a sweet engaging teacher and then for your kid to play at home all day, that is 100% developmentally appropriate, but it's not Montessori preschool. You can't do Montessori preschool online.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lee Montessori Prek/k class A+

A+ for virtual pre-k? Please share the amazing secret that has your 3 year old learning just as well as they would in person from a screen!

The school provided lots of supplies and are NOT requiring my DC to be on the screen for little more than 30 minutes a day. When they are on, teacher is so sweet and engaging.

They’re in PK, they learn by playing. And that’s what they would essentially be doing in person and so that’s what we do at home.

Methinks you don't understand Montessori. It is not a play-based curriculum. If want you want is 30 minutes of a sweet engaging teacher and then for your kid to play at home all day, that is 100% developmentally appropriate, but it's not Montessori preschool. You can't do Montessori preschool online.

+1. My child is in Upper Elementary at LAMB. They are doing a hybrid of Montessori, but it is far from a Montessori teaching method. You need too many tactile teaching devices, particularly for math. I don't know how you could do Montessori over a computer screen. I hope someone can figure it for all Montessori schools, but it is unlikely to happen when my child is still at LAMB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lee Montessori Prek/k class A+

A+ for virtual pre-k? Please share the amazing secret that has your 3 year old learning just as well as they would in person from a screen!

The school provided lots of supplies and are NOT requiring my DC to be on the screen for little more than 30 minutes a day. When they are on, teacher is so sweet and engaging.

They’re in PK, they learn by playing. And that’s what they would essentially be doing in person and so that’s what we do at home.

Methinks you don't understand Montessori. It is not a play-based curriculum. If want you want is 30 minutes of a sweet engaging teacher and then for your kid to play at home all day, that is 100% developmentally appropriate, but it's not Montessori preschool. You can't do Montessori preschool online.

+1. My child is in Upper Elementary at LAMB. They are doing a hybrid of Montessori, but it is far from a Montessori teaching method. You need too many tactile teaching devices, particularly for math. I don't know how you could do Montessori over a computer screen. I hope someone can figure it for all Montessori schools, but it is unlikely to happen when my child is still at LAMB.

I am concerned about Montessori for distance learning. In primary it's a morning social meeting and 30 minutes of class per week outside of the meet and greets. There IS an expectation that kids know letters and numbers in K, and I can't see how this will get them there. There seems to be an assumption that parents are going to take care of this and so school is just for staying connected. Montessori isn't focusing on core knowledge enough in my opinion. I get DL isn't the model, but now is the time to get it done even if it's not high fidelity adherance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lee Montessori Prek/k class A+

A+ for virtual pre-k? Please share the amazing secret that has your 3 year old learning just as well as they would in person from a screen!

The school provided lots of supplies and are NOT requiring my DC to be on the screen for little more than 30 minutes a day. When they are on, teacher is so sweet and engaging.

They’re in PK, they learn by playing. And that’s what they would essentially be doing in person and so that’s what we do at home.

Methinks you don't understand Montessori. It is not a play-based curriculum. If want you want is 30 minutes of a sweet engaging teacher and then for your kid to play at home all day, that is 100% developmentally appropriate, but it's not Montessori preschool. You can't do Montessori preschool online.

+1. My child is in Upper Elementary at LAMB. They are doing a hybrid of Montessori, but it is far from a Montessori teaching method. You need too many tactile teaching devices, particularly for math. I don't know how you could do Montessori over a computer screen. I hope someone can figure it for all Montessori schools, but it is unlikely to happen when my child is still at LAMB.

I am concerned about Montessori for distance learning. In primary it's a morning social meeting and 30 minutes of class per week outside of the meet and greets. There IS an expectation that kids know letters and numbers in K, and I can't see how this will get them there. There seems to be an assumption that parents are going to take care of this and so school is just for staying connected. Montessori isn't focusing on core knowledge enough in my opinion. I get DL isn't the model, but now is the time to get it done even if it's not high fidelity adherance.

That is all your primary kid is getting is 30 minutes per week? Why are parents not advocating for more instruction? That is crazy little. I wound highly recommend you supplement at home then - letters and their sounds, numbers, shapes, colors, etc....

My DC just started 1st and about 1/2 the kids are reading already.