I am a SAHM. I have a rising 2nd and 5th grader. I am considering homeschooling my rising 2nd grader if we go virtual. DL was a disaster for her last spring. I guess I am worried about her missing out though. Should I be?

Anonymous wrote:In the same boat. Sounds weird but my kid is more willing to do workbooks/worksheets than sit on Zoom. I asked my kid's school for more written work as his writing is illegible and he got very little practice writing in the spring. They haven't responded. I understand the need for live teaching but long zoom sessions don't seem developmentally appropriate for 7-year-olds. But hey, who am I to complain? I have a full-time job so can't manage a homeschooling curriculum on top of that. Will do our best...

Yes, worksheets and workbooks are so much better. Just because the internet is available doesn't mean it's the best tool for all elementary school students. Sure, it's there but who says schools have to use it?

The radio became the prime delivery method for lessons when schools were shut down during polio outbreaks in some states.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/04/03/chicago-schools-closed-during-1937-polio-epidemic-kids-learned-home-over-radio/

I'm sure many of those same students went on to become productive citizens. No iPad required.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Between trying to figure out how to help my small children with reading, writing and math, struggling with tech issues and working full-time, I’m starting to think full-time DL this fall will be a massive waste of time. Lots of stress without much accomplished. And this is coming from someone with some teaching experience. Why can’t schools just totally cancel everything until Oct 1? Parents are not certified teachers. True homeschooling families don’t function this way. Pay the teachers, let the virus numbers die down and start with hybrid. Extend the school year thru July. It’s a national emergency and it needs to be treated that way. All this comes down to is taking attendance. My kids would be better off watching ed programs on TV and doing paper worksheets.

There are a few Facebook groups dedicated to the topic. It is hard as hell, but people find creative ways to make it work.

Experienced teachers will always say children need structure-- 8 am class meeting. 9 am reading, 9:30 snack, 10 math lesson, 10:30 writers workshop, etc.

A structured day is not possible if both parents are working full-time jobs. I'd prefer to rely on Sesame Street to teach my preschooler basic phonics rather than screwing it up myself between work assignments and phone calls.

Anonymous wrote:Between trying to figure out how to help my small children with reading, writing and math, struggling with tech issues and working full-time, I’m starting to think full-time DL this fall will be a massive waste of time. Lots of stress without much accomplished. And this is coming from someone with some teaching experience. Why can’t schools just totally cancel everything until Oct 1? Parents are not certified teachers. True homeschooling families don’t function this way. Pay the teachers, let the virus numbers die down and start with hybrid. Extend the school year thru July. It’s a national emergency and it needs to be treated that way. All this comes down to is taking attendance. My kids would be better off watching ed programs on TV and doing paper worksheets.

There are a few Facebook groups dedicated to the topic. It is hard as hell, but people find creative ways to make it work.

In the same boat. Sounds weird but my kid is more willing to do workbooks/worksheets than sit on Zoom. I asked my kid's school for more written work as his writing is illegible and he got very little practice writing in the spring. They haven't responded. I understand the need for live teaching but long zoom sessions don't seem developmentally appropriate for 7-year-olds. But hey, who am I to complain? I have a full-time job so can't manage a homeschooling curriculum on top of that. Will do our best...

I am tired of the complaints. Yes, DL sucked in the spring but guess what, it was a national emergency! It sucked for students, parents, teachers, etc. Let us move on and move forward. DL is not ideal this up coming school year but at the end of the day what matters the most are people’s health. Lots of people are still dying or becoming severely ill. What matters is that we protect our children’s health and that means distance learning. It will not be beautiful, pleasant or meet everyone’s needs but it’s the best thing we have right now. DL did not even start and the complaints are rolling in. Enough!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If my kids were still in elementary school, I'd be home schooling.

Good for you. Some of us work.

Your children should be your first priority and ifvtherecarectwo incomes then one of you takes a leave of absence. Alternatively, you hire VA teacher to teach and ONLY teach not to be your maid/nanny.

I am dreading DL for my rising first grader. I thought about withdrawing him and homeschooling, but I work so I don’t know if I will have time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If my kids were still in elementary school, I'd be home schooling.

Good for you. Some of us work.

The pp was just agreeing that distance learning doesn’t work for those ages.

Anonymous wrote:If my kids were still in elementary school, I'd be home schooling.

Good for you. Some of us work.

Why do you think October 1 will be any better than August 1? People aren't paying attention to the cautions they should be taking and this nonsense will just continue. I'm not saying distance learning is effective (I have rising first grade twins), I'm just saying I hold out no hope that idiots will be less idiotic in three and a half months instead of two weeks from now. We bumbled this whole thing from the beginning thanks to our incredibly incompetent administration.

Schools that are using Zoom to deliver DL to young students are wasting everyone's time. My kid didn't sit still for storytime in his classroom, let alone at his house, in front of a screen. That's just not happening.

But, after watching my very young kids closely over the past six months, I firmly believe that educational TV is the way to go for now. Is it ideal? No. But given the circumstances, educational TV is educational enough that kids keep learning and entertaining enough that parents get a break to work or clean (or God forbid, sleep). And 98% of US homes have TVs. It won't be a hundred percent reach, but it's a heck of a lot better than what you get with computers.

Educational TV is a reasonable compromise under the circumstances. There's TONS of good programming out there too. It needs to be front-and-center in any educational plans for fall, particularly with young children.

Anonymous wrote:Noooo! Extend the summer break? Please don’t push this idea. Our kids have been home since March 13. Spring DL was a joke. My kids are bored. They are looking forward to school “returning” — they need routine, purpose, work, learning - even if it’s is lousy DL.

But shorten next years break. End school later, start on time.

Work or teach? Both at once is not possible. Who said anything about an extended break? a homeschool curriculum and start on time.

DL is garbage for elementary.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Between trying to figure out how to help my small children with reading, writing and math, struggling with tech issues and working full-time, I’m starting to think full-time DL this fall will be a massive waste of time. Lots of stress without much accomplished. And this is coming from someone with some teaching experience. Why can’t schools just totally cancel everything until Oct 1? Parents are not certified teachers. True homeschooling families don’t function this way. Pay the teachers, let the virus numbers die down and start with hybrid. Extend the school year thru July. It’s a national emergency and it needs to be treated that way. All this comes down to is taking attendance. My kids would be better off watching ed programs on TV and doing paper worksheets.

You're right, ignorance is bliss! Your snowflakes are far too dictate to be inconvenienced. A school should open just to teach them as the only pupils.

So what you’re saying is working and attempting to teach full time is totally possible? And teach a kindergartner to READ while writing reports and taking conference calls. And teach just like a licensed pro?