No, I’ve got a resistant kid with issues and we’re doing great getting thru academic work. He doesn’t want to do specials and I’m not forcing it. He’s listening to music and I require walks most days.

Yes, kids are doing it but it’s a joke. The teachers seem half hearted.

Our kindergartner (at Somerset) is LOVING the art and music assignments.

My children (8 and 10) are not doing the specials, but I think the teachers at my kids' school are doing a good job. I would require them to do the specials if they didn't do activities outside of the assignments. They both are continuing musical instruction, hiking and outdoor play, various art at home and through outschool.com.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well when my 5th grader excitedly checked in the first week to see what to do for PE, they were given Baby Shark and two other preschool videos to dance and sing to.

So no

The county should have pushed out content for all grades each week not alternating between k to 2 and 3 to 5

That week the K-2 and 3-5 lessons were exactly the same. I’m not sure if now they’re different or not.

My principal specifically told me as a specials teacher than I cannot host live meetings. My understanding is that they want to focus on math and reading only. These decisions often come from the top.

That is so interesting that different schools within MCPS are doing different things. So far I was under the impression this content was centralized and the SPecials teachers were just following MCPS policy.

The specials teachers at our ES school are doing quite and bit and assigning a lot of work. The PE teacher holds zoom weekly, music provides thoughtful comments and zoom times. Media, STEM, and ART are all of them are available for zoom assigning and providing feedback on submitted work.
SOmetimes for my 'must do all assigned work' child it seems overwhelming. Even the band teacher has a non-trivial assignment up, which can take 15 minutes to finish.

At our private, my 6th grader has specials one time a week, including art and PE. She also has Religion one time per week. All of these classes have been more of a centering activity for the kids to express feelings about the situation in addition to the specials activity. My daughter looks forward to the specials. It is almost a social hour for them...which they desperately need. I like the way her school is handling the distance learning. She is busy every day until 4 pm with classes/work. I worry more about the lack of structure in our home once school ends.

Anonymous wrote:Well when my 5th grader excitedly checked in the first week to see what to do for PE, they were given Baby Shark and two other preschool videos to dance and sing to.

So no

The county should have pushed out content for all grades each week not alternating between k to 2 and 3 to 5

Yes, once a week music, PE and art for one hour. Lessons are a combination of reviewing the online lessons, direct teaching, questions and answers as well as sharing snd socializing the last 15 minutes if students want to hang out or ask specific questions. Music teacher stayed overtime to a 1 on 1 guitar lesson with D even though it’s general music.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are most people doing specials (Art, Music, PE)?

Of course. Why would you give your child the impression that the arts or physical activity is not important?

Art and physical activity is important, but doing it via online isn’t. My kid is doing plenty of physical activity and arts/crafts.

So weird that people are actively discouraging their children from participating in online learning and then turning around and saying online learning doesn't work.

My kids are learning on a much more indepth level now because we are aware of their curriculum and are actively engaging with them. Children in public schools get very little (if any) personalized feedback. Here's your chance to be involved. Stop whining and take it.

Agree! And saying doing it online isn't important? Would you say "Math is important, but doing math online isn't." Either the arts are important or they aren't

When the special's teachers actually put time into teaching online, then my kid will take the time. Posting a few videos is total BS.

There is no reason the PE teacher can not do zoom classes per grade and do it weekly.

No reason the art teachers can not do drawing classes or similar.

Well when my 5th grader excitedly checked in the first week to see what to do for PE, they were given Baby Shark and two other preschool videos to dance and sing to.

So no

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are most people doing specials (Art, Music, PE)?

Of course. Why would you give your child the impression that the arts or physical activity is not important?

Art and physical activity is important, but doing it via online isn’t. My kid is doing plenty of physical activity and arts/crafts.

So weird that people are actively discouraging their children from participating in online learning and then turning around and saying online learning doesn't work.

My kids are learning on a much more indepth level now because we are aware of their curriculum and are actively engaging with them. Children in public schools get very little (if any) personalized feedback. Here's your chance to be involved. Stop whining and take it.

Agree! And saying doing it online isn't important? Would you say "Math is important, but doing math online isn't." Either the arts are important or they aren't

Anonymous wrote:^ of, and there was a library assignment she did as well. I'm not sure if that's a special?

Depends on the school, some schools have library as a designated special and others have a flexible schedule so students can visit the library as needed or when their teacher schedules their class to attend.


At my school the principal has all the specials teachers (art/music/PE/Library) pushing out lessons weekly either whatever the county is telling us to do or we make up our own. We also do zoom sessions with each grade level weekly. (We only have three grades in our school). Some weeks I get a lot more participation than others I'm just trying to remember that for families who are feeling overwhelmed they might want to prioritize core subjects first.

^ of, and there was a library assignment she did as well. I'm not sure if that's a special?