My kid's MCPS elementary school all got glasses and went out to the playground for half an hour for the event. And my son's middle school handed out glasses to everyone to use upon dismissal, which was before the peak.

Westland MS did.

Kids took turns with eclipse glasses (in a safe manner) and made pinhole viewing papers. DD was very happy with her sortie and her pinhole set-up! The science teacher went over all the details the week before, and sent a message over the weekend. DD's last period was history, but the history teacher told them how to make the pinhole paper and managed the viewing outside.

It was great!

College kid, on the other hand, wasn't interested, didn't get glasses and stayed indoors to work on a paper. Sigh.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I disagree. Some parents do t want their kids viewing the eclipse without supervision. They can’t necessarily take off work to pull their kids. School should be business as usual and if you want to take your kid to the eclipse, do it.

I’d be fine with them watching it on tv like a moon landing. But that doesn’t require mcps to dictate anything.

Ok, MCPS administrator. Explain why watching an eclipse with correct eyewear is an issue for parents. You don’t want them to physically experience a once in a lifetime event happening in the sky because watching it on the tv is what - safer? Better? I think you have lost the plot about the purpose of education. If we don’t inspire kids by taking advantage of things like this, what’s the point at all?

I’m not an administrator and I don’t personally care. I’m just explaining the obvious. Parents and teachers should just ask their teacher or principal about this kind of stuff and not expect a centralized authority to cater to your eclipse preferences. If you don’t like the answer, pull your kid for a half day.

So much breath is wasted on things that have minimal impact on the kids’ educational outcomes.

Op here. As a former teacher, we have a responsibility to inspire kids, foster a love of learning, and provoke their curiosity. I guess you can’t put a price tag on that, but it’s a far more important educational outcome than a test score. You’ve lost the plot about the purpose of educating our kids. Test scores mean nothing if kids don’t become lifelong learners who are interested in the world around them and curious about it.

You’re making a lot of assumptions. Educational outcomes does not = test scores so don’t draw that line and don’t put those words in my mouth. You’re acting like this one event is pivotal to inspiring kids and it’s just not. Stop stretching the truth and instead think about what your point really is. As a teacher you should understand that a lifelong learner is not created in a one hour eclipse viewing.

City of Gaithersburg gave out glasses to all schools. A our school they gave out extras they had to the parents too.

I wanted this memory with my kids so I took them out early, so obviously I agree this was a worthy spectacle.

I do think you’re being too harsh on this matter. Although it would have been nice, Mcps is not required to do that for the kids. Certified glasses were not the easiest to procure, and someone would have had to organize making pinhole viewers and whatnot. Some schools/PTAs did not have the will or resources to put together something together.

You are absolutely right, OP. And the kids who could most use the inspiration were likeliest to be deprived of it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You know if MCPS gave all the kids eclipse glasses and had a mass viewing, parents would be on here complaining about that today.

Sounds like there's no need to consider parent feedback or suggestions, because MCPS parents will complain no matter what you do. Got it. As an ex-teacher and MCPS parent, this is the attitude I encounter from my kids' schools, and I find it infuriating.

I find it infuriating that parents will complain no matter what they do. That should be clear to anyone who follows this site.

Maybe don’t visit dcum anymore then.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You know if MCPS gave all the kids eclipse glasses and had a mass viewing, parents would be on here complaining about that today.

Sounds like there's no need to consider parent feedback or suggestions, because MCPS parents will complain no matter what you do. Got it. As an ex-teacher and MCPS parent, this is the attitude I encounter from my kids' schools, and I find it infuriating.

I find it infuriating that parents will complain no matter what they do. That should be clear to anyone who follows this site.

This is exactly right. I'm a frequent critic of MCPS but criticizing them for deciding to leave this up to individual schools is ridiculous. FWIW, our school's PTA bought glasses for everyone and kids were brought outside to watch the eclipse. A friend I talked to in another part of the county said their ES did the same. For you complainers, what efforts did you make to help bring about a different result?
Did you work with your school's PTA to ask the principal to consider a school-wide event? Did you organize a parent fundraiser to ensure that every student had a pair of eclipse glasses? Or did you just whine about it after the fact?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You know if MCPS gave all the kids eclipse glasses and had a mass viewing, parents would be on here complaining about that today.

Sounds like there's no need to consider parent feedback or suggestions, because MCPS parents will complain no matter what you do. Got it. As an ex-teacher and MCPS parent, this is the attitude I encounter from my kids' schools, and I find it infuriating.

I find it infuriating that parents will complain no matter what they do. That should be clear to anyone who follows this site.

Anonymous wrote:You know if MCPS gave all the kids eclipse glasses and had a mass viewing, parents would be on here complaining about that today.

Sounds like there's no need to consider parent feedback or suggestions, because MCPS parents will complain no matter what you do. Got it. As an ex-teacher and MCPS parent, this is the attitude I encounter from my kids' schools, and I find it infuriating.

Anonymous wrote:If MCPS had had every kid out there and one kid had a vision issue after another kid pulled off his glasses, we would have 80 pages filled here already about how terrible MCPS was to have put the children in harms way.

+1 If this issue was so important to you, you should have kept your child at home to see the eclipse. But if you didn't, don't worry, they will likely be alive the next time an eclipse passes over the US.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I disagree. Some parents do t want their kids viewing the eclipse without supervision. They can’t necessarily take off work to pull their kids. School should be business as usual and if you want to take your kid to the eclipse, do it.

I’d be fine with them watching it on tv like a moon landing. But that doesn’t require mcps to dictate anything.

Ok, MCPS administrator. Explain why watching an eclipse with correct eyewear is an issue for parents. You don’t want them to physically experience a once in a lifetime event happening in the sky because watching it on the tv is what - safer? Better? I think you have lost the plot about the purpose of education. If we don’t inspire kids by taking advantage of things like this, what’s the point at all?

I’m not an administrator and I don’t personally care. I’m just explaining the obvious. Parents and teachers should just ask their teacher or principal about this kind of stuff and not expect a centralized authority to cater to your eclipse preferences. If you don’t like the answer, pull your kid for a half day.

So much breath is wasted on things that have minimal impact on the kids’ educational outcomes.

Op here. As a former teacher, we have a responsibility to inspire kids, foster a love of learning, and provoke their curiosity. I guess you can’t put a price tag on that, but it’s a far more important educational outcome than a test score. You’ve lost the plot about the purpose of educating our kids. Test scores mean nothing if kids don’t become lifelong learners who are interested in the world around them and curious about it.

As a former teacher, I wish you understood the budget emergency that this school district is currently experiencing. There is a budget freeze. Perhaps you would be so good as to leave money in your estate to the school district for the next eclipse. At 15 cents per pair of glasses (today's price) at ~ 180,000 students = $27,000. Your community thanks you.

If MCPS had had every kid out there and one kid had a vision issue after another kid pulled off his glasses, we would have 80 pages filled here already about how terrible MCPS was to have put the children in harms way.

Anonymous wrote:The eclipse was 2-4pm. Nobody missed it because of school.

Stop crying. Be a parent.

Uhhh....so during the exact times the kids are in school? (Some elementary schools go until 3:50) So, are you really this stupid or what?

The cost of ordering and buying the glasses was probably the issue. I agree with OPs point but not sure what mcps can do about that as a whole.