I still don't understand what classroom monitors are for

[Anonymous]

I looked at the board docs for the upcoming SB meeting and noticed the need for classroom monitors. I understand that these are people who would do a relatively long-term job of being in the physical classroom with students while a teacher teaches remotely but I don't understand the situation where this would be necessary. All schools will still be offering virtual teaching, so for instance, at our elementary school every grade level has (most have 3 or 4 classes per grade), 2 classes are in person with the teacher there and 1 or 2 are virtual. I'm assuming they'd assign teachers who are at higher risk for COVID to the virtual students. So what are the classroom monitors for? If a teacher gets covid, the whole class would be quarantined and they wouldn't need a classroom monitor. Plus there are still sub positions - I have friends who sub who got the vaccine as FCPS employees.

Can anyone explain this?

[Anonymous]

Some virtual teachers will teach students who are in school.

[Anonymous]

Teachers who have an ADA accommodation to teach from home but have students in person.

[Anonymous]

I thought classroom monitors were for classes with no teacher. So kids will be in school, a classroom monitor will be in school with them, and the teacher is home, teaching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought classroom monitors were for classes with no teacher. So kids will be in school, a classroom monitor will be in school with them, and the teacher is home, teaching.

^^^ This! It's just an adult in the room to make sure the kids don't turn into lord of the flies because the teacher is not physically present.

[Anonymous]

Yes, classroom monitors will monitor a room full of students who have a virtual teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought classroom monitors were for classes with no teacher. So kids will be in school, a classroom monitor will be in school with them, and the teacher is home, teaching.

I guess, then, because I only know my elementary school's situation, this must be a bigger problem at other schools. We've already been notified of how the classrooms will be organized and this isn't happening at all at our elementary. The few teachers at our school that can't be in the building for medical reasons were simply assigned to teach the classes of kids who are remaining virtual.

[Anonymous]

The entire idea for ES is stupid. If a teacher can’t teach in person, she gets to teach the virtual kids. I don’t give care at all about switching teachers mid year and nor should you. If you want to be virtual, you get the virtual teacher. Done. If you’re in person, you avoid the monitor thing. What a dumb dumb idea!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teachers who have an ADA accommodation to teach from home but have students in person.

ADA is for reasonable accommodations. How is it reasonable to make some kids sit in front of a computer all day in school compared to having an in person teacher. If my child is with a teacher who is at home and has a classroom monitor I am going to rethink sending them
At all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers who have an ADA accommodation to teach from home but have students in person.

ADA is for reasonable accommodations. How is it reasonable to make some kids sit in front of a computer all day in school compared to having an in person teacher. If my child is with a teacher who is at home and has a classroom monitor I am going to rethink sending them
At all.

I agree but think it will be mostly used for secondary. So a kid would likely only have this for a subject or two.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers who have an ADA accommodation to teach from home but have students in person.

ADA is for reasonable accommodations. How is it reasonable to make some kids sit in front of a computer all day in school compared to having an in person teacher. If my child is with a teacher who is at home and has a classroom monitor I am going to rethink sending them
At all.

That’s the point

[Anonymous]

There are lots of reasons why a teacher might be unavailable.

First, there will be situations where teachers are exposed when students aren't. I teach in person. We had a situation where a teacher and her husband spent time with someone, who was diagnosed the day after she saw him. Since the time period between the teacher seeing the person, and seeing students, was so short, the Health Department found there was no risk. So, the teacher was ordered to quarantine but not the class. Then during the teacher's two week quarantine her husband got the virus so the two weeks started again. Then their kid got it, so the two weeks started again. The teacher never got it but she was teaching from home 5 weeks I think?

There are also situations where teachers aren't interchangeable. At my school, there's on teacher who can teach the AP and post AP calc classes. They can't just switch her with one of the Algebra 1 teachers. There's one teacher who can teach a couple of the languages. Or there will be situations where things are uneven. So, there's 3 third grade teachers and they all have ADA protection, and none of the 2nd grade teachers do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, classroom monitors will monitor a room full of students who have a virtual teacher

This is my understanding (right or wrong), which is partly why we are sticking with DL. What’s likely / possible is a critical number of classes will be DL in a classroom where kids will have a modicum of interaction IRL with people outside their homes, masked and eating in classrooms. This will be OK for families who have little kids and / or cannot work from home during school hours. Our kids prefer to be at home with fewer restrictions. For one kid at least, the thought of teachers having to deal with enforcing (or worse, not enforcing) masking and distancing rules will be a big issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers who have an ADA accommodation to teach from home but have students in person.

ADA is for reasonable accommodations. How is it reasonable to make some kids sit in front of a computer all day in school compared to having an in person teacher. If my child is with a teacher who is at home and has a classroom monitor I am going to rethink sending them
At all.

School will be concurrent. All kids will have computers in front of them all day. The teacher will be showing things on the screen so the kids at home can see them too. I taught concurrent until the pause in December, and it’s unfortunately a lot like virtual but in a classroom with some support plus lunch and recess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers who have an ADA accommodation to teach from home but have students in person.

ADA is for reasonable accommodations. How is it reasonable to make some kids sit in front of a computer all day in school compared to having an in person teacher. If my child is with a teacher who is at home and has a classroom monitor I am going to rethink sending them
At all.

The choices aren't between a teacher in the classroom, and a teacher at home. The choice is between a teacher at home, and a teacher who is forced to quit or into a requirement, and that monitor acting as a sub. Trust me, I'd rather have my kid in Chinese class with a skilled Chinese teacher on video, than a Chinese class with a sub who only speaks English and gives them worksheets.