I Think the nice weather made it hard this week. My K kind kept "sneaking" outside. But I also think they realize how much virtual school sucks. I mean he told me he goes to the playground (3, 4 or 5 times) at school. I don't have time to do that while working.

We have a kindergartner who has been full-time in-person since fall (we're in private). They've had to go virtual sometimse like for snow days, or for a few days after a break to make sure no one is positive due to holiday travel. It's tough -- I basically have to sit next to her the entire time virtual class is in session to keep her focused.

The issue isn't virtual per se, the issue is that your child is having problems with two different models of instruction and transitioning back and forth - Three days virtual and two days in school. The teacher may be seeing the same thing on the in person days, but is likely more equipped to handle it.

If your child does worse with this, you can always transition them back to full time virtual and have consistency day to day.

Anonymous wrote:I have another kindergartner in the same situation (but hasn’t met the academic benchmarks). If my son had met all of the standards already I’d just try to get him to do morning and closing meeting and some asynchronous activities in on virtual days.

+1
Not worth the battle if he is meeting the benchmarks for what is being covered. Want to hide under the table? Sure! It is so developmentally inappropriate for these 5 & 6 year olds to be doing distance “learning” on the computer for several hours each day.

Anonymous wrote:DS has reported he LOVES in-person school. Now these virtual days are even worse than before. I had hoped that he might be more engaged now that he is more familiar with the teacher and his classmates, but it's actually the opposite. Shy kid who has met the K academic benchmarks already. I'm at a loss as to how to make this better and am now counting down the days till we can put this virtual behind us. The teachers are doing their best, but boy does my kid need in-person to respond. Any suggestions? DS had a tantrum about participating today.

I sympathize with you and would be as frustrated as you are if our children were still in early elementary. (Not to diminish the year of lost learning but) perhaps one long term positive from this is the fact that most parents have realized that technology will never replace a real teacher in a real classroom when it comes to developmental education. Parents with elementary aged parents should wholeheartedly reject the pre-pandemic push by APS to hand every student an Ipad in the name of equity. The 12-month-and-counting experiment in virtual/distance/tech learning has proven to be neither equitable nor educational for the vast majority of students. If we want equity in performance, we need more qualified (sped/reading/writing) teachers and not more screens—we have not needed assistance from these wonderful specialists but know that they are spread way too thin for deserving kids to have enough time with them.

Side note: Here's a great documentary on 2 Wakefield HS seniors dealing with school life and college admissions during the pandemic with help from Wendy Maitland and Tim Cotman. (Spoiler alert: they did great!!) I don't know Mr. Cotman but Wendy Maitland is a fantastic RTG and URM advocate who might be a reason to attend Wakefield if you have a child who is falling through the cracks.

Anonymous wrote:We accept what we can get her to do. As long as iPad is on it counts. The tantrums are day long.

If I had a K kid this is what I would do.

I feel you OP. This was my first week back to school as a staff member and I don't want to go back to virtual either! I would let the teacher know what's up and just try your best.

I have another kindergartner in the same situation (but hasn’t met the academic benchmarks). If my son had met all of the standards already I’d just try to get him to do morning and closing meeting and some asynchronous activities in on virtual days.

Perfect situation to share with Duran and the SB (assuming APS). Another reason supporting the importance of in-person learning.

We accept what we can get her to do. As long as iPad is on it counts. The tantrums are day long.

It's just been a week, right? It's an adjustment period, and should be considered normal developmentally for them at this age.

Anonymous wrote:DS has reported he LOVES in-person school. Now these virtual days are even worse than before. I had hoped that he might be more engaged now that he is more familiar with the teacher and his classmates, but it's actually the opposite. Shy kid who has met the K academic benchmarks already. I'm at a loss as to how to make this better and am now counting down the days till we can put this virtual behind us. The teachers are doing their best, but boy does my kid need in-person to respond. Any suggestions? DS had a tantrum about participating today.

So sorry, same situation here. Wish I had some advice but this is awful.

DS has reported he LOVES in-person school. Now these virtual days are even worse than before. I had hoped that he might be more engaged now that he is more familiar with the teacher and his classmates, but it's actually the opposite. Shy kid who has met the K academic benchmarks already. I'm at a loss as to how to make this better and am now counting down the days till we can put this virtual behind us. The teachers are doing their best, but boy does my kid need in-person to respond. Any suggestions? DS had a tantrum about participating today.