Thinking about school in the fall is the one way to get my anxiety ramped up to the point where I start to hyperventilate. Our state has also recommended moving to a year round school model in order to accommodate unscheduled breaks. If we do this the school year would start August 1st and go through mid June. Texas also suggested adding on an additional 30 days next school year for elementary kids in order to make up for the massive COVID learning slide. In all of their charts and data it shows young kids missing this much school will put them almost an entire year behind. I believe it. Our district has actually been amazing through this and got online learning set up very fast but it's still no substitute and doesn't reach every kid. I have no idea what to expect for next year. At this point I don't think school has any chance of going back the way it was but at the same time these changes seem impossible. The idea of kids going to school but not being able to have recess or lunch in the cafeteria or even sit with a friend makes me want to cry. School for us ends next week. I guess we will have some notice of a preliminary plan by then but I don't know. You keep cutting and cutting and cutting from education and this is what happens. Impossible situation with impossible solutions.
Is there any actual evidence that opening elementary schools contributes to spread? I remember Dr. Osterholm said in a podcast at the beginning of all of this that closing schools wouldn’t help. Wondering what happened in the countries that didn’t close schools or at least elementary.
@ H is a high school teacher and one of his gripes is cell phones. The school doesn't have a policy that kids can't have them, so he has to teach around them i.e. he would spend his entire class taking away phones. Point being, who is going to enforce all these rules for the kids? Our district failed to pass a referendum this fall which was heartbreaking for me, so they are already up against a multi million dollar shortage and making cuts, like more kids in classes. I highly doubt ours is the only district dealing with the same issue before COVID.
Our school couldn't even get their act together to put anything even close to meaningful together for distance learning for elementary students. We just got workbooks this week. We were given access to a couple apps and they Zoomed with their teacher once a week up until this point. There is absolutely no way they can get even 5% of this organized for Fall.
I just don't think school systems are built to make these huge changes. In two weeks all of our teachers go off contract and won't be back until 5 days before school starts. Even if they are doing stuff over the summer, you would actually need to be working year round to make the changes. I have friends who are teachers in the district and they have heard absolutely no word about plans for the fall.
Edit: Also my issue is not with teachers. I know they would do more if they were given the opportunity. I know our teachers were told to NOT do more than the absolute bare ass minimum. Don't reach out the kids more, don't give more resources etc. In big school districts, I think they are almost crippled by decision making. I actually think smaller schools will have an easier time making decisions and implementing.
My kids attend the largest district in the state and we had the opposite experience. They were able to get chromebooks to every kid that needed one by week 2. Online was implemented as soon as the governor mandated and while it hasn’t been perfect, it has gone pretty smoothly. Parents and kids get an email check in weekly to see how it’s going/what they can change and they have been quick to implement recommended changes. Friends have mentioned not likely certain aspects and our principal has allowed for individual changes as needed. They now have material pick up down to a science. I’m quite proud of how they have done. They have 40,000 kids to educate and while it hasn’t been perfect the last survey said 78% of families are happy with how this is going.
I’m mentally planning for more virtual school next year in some form. I’m guessing we will do the American thing and rush kids back to school without a real plan and close down for extended periods as outbreaks happen which will force us back to virtual school so we don’t lose too much learning time. It will be a hot ass mess. I’m more than happy to be wrong.
So teachers are going to be expected to work year round, extended hours, AND implement both distance and in-classroom learning plans? Are they going to double their salaries?
In Ohio, the governor's first budget cuts related to the pandemic included a big cut to education. So we are being told to be creative in how we can have school in the fall, but also with less money (when everyone knows schools are already underfunded). In addition, our schools have to pass levies to fund the district - so many of them failed, probably in part because of our election scheduled for 3/17 was extended to the end of April with mail in ballots only.
I am a teacher and I have already had so many thoughts of "I can't do this. I don't want to do this." because of how the pandemic had affected education. My mental health has been suffering and it gets worse when I see all of these teachers being able to be innovative and go above and beyond.
So teachers are going to be expected to work year round, extended hours, AND implement both distance and in-classroom learning plans? Are they going to double their salaries?
In Ohio, the governor's first budget cuts related to the pandemic included a big cut to education. So we are being told to be creative in how we can have school in the fall, but also with less money (when everyone knows schools are already underfunded). In addition, our schools have to pass levies to fund the district - so many of them failed, probably in part because of our election scheduled for 3/17 was extended to the end of April with mail in ballots only.
I am a teacher and I have already had so many thoughts of "I can't do this. I don't want to do this." because of how the pandemic had affected education. My mental health has been suffering and it gets worse when I see all of these teachers being able to be innovative and go above and beyond.
Hugs. My husband has vented about the above, too. He's struggling to get his students to even show up and participate in Zoom learning, nevermind anything else.
We are in the midst of our back to school scenario planning. My boss keeps asking about one-way hallways. I keep asking, "Have you ever seen a middle schooler?" They move in weird clusters. Adding hallway monitors (faculty) would just increase faculty exposure.
Adults can't even manage this in the grocery stores here.
Is there any actual evidence that opening elementary schools contributes to spread? I remember Dr. Osterholm said in a podcast at the beginning of all of this that closing schools wouldn’t help. Wondering what happened in the countries that didn’t close schools or at least elementary.
Taiwan has had one of the most effective fights against the virus and didn’t close schools.
The temperature checks, while helpful to ensure kids sick with anything aren’t in school and infecting others, won’t catch all the cases though. If kids are overall less symptomatic if they have covid, that’s a big problem. My own mother never once spiked a fever when she had Covid, and that’s no longer considered unusual.
I’m hoping schools open pretty much the same with certain reasonable precautions (more hand washing, wipes, stay home if you’re sick campaigns, no assemblies). We took our kids out of school to slow the spread, not stop it. We can’t stop everything for years - kids need to go to school.
I could see high risk teachers staying home and doing online learning for families that aren’t comfortable sending their kids.
I don't even know where to start with my feelings on reopening schools. Since the administration has filed our country and we are going to be looking at re-opening schools without handle on the virus and we my see a bump in cases around that time because states are now relaxing social distancing guidelines.
The first thing that I have issues with is the 6 feet social distancing guideline. We don't actually know that 6 feet is the magic number but if kids are in the same room with each other day in and day out they are probably all exposed. So it is probably a good idea to limit the groups that kids have exposure to. Can we do something else like break off the building into different areas so that kids have a smaller circle they are interacting with.
You probably want everyone wearing some type of face covering. But masks seem like difficult challenge for kids to were all the time, so maybe face shields are reasonable alternative.
It also seems like you want to try and get the youngest kids in school the most, cause it isn't really feasible for kindergartners to do distance learning? All these plans also talk bout limiting playground interactions, but everything I have read says transmission seems to be worse indoors, so I would try and get the kids outside as much as possible even if it does mean kids aren't 6 feet apart.
My other concern is for teachers, middle school and high school teachers can have over 100 students. How do we reduce the number of students that teachers are coming into contact with and how would you even do this? My husband can teach multiple subjects, but not all teachers can.
I'm a teacher and I'm very concerned about school in the fall. Kids are not the only people in a school building. I do have concerns for my own health and well-being. I also have no idea how any best practices put out by state health departments are feasible in most schools.
I have 30+ kids in my high school classroom most periods. Desks are about a foot or so apart to squeeze that many desks in my small room. We are potentially laying off staff; no way in hell they could hire MORE teachers to make class sizes smaller. I just don't see social distancing being a realistic thing in my school. I also don't see students successfully/correctly wearing face coverings all day, and the school would for sure have to supply them because I can see many kids showing up to school without them.
I want us back in school. I want parents to be able to go back to work and students to get taught by their teachers and be back to normal. But I also care about the health and safety of myself, my fellow staff, and our students. I am very concerned about what the fall may look like.
Imagine kids being forced to remain at their desks all day? Or elementary children taking their coats off one at a time and keeping distance in the coat closet? How can they keep 6 feet of distance lining up? Schools just aren't big enough to allow for this, and they also aren't staffed to appropriately supervise lines of young children spaced that far apart.
Post by gretchenindisguise on May 12, 2020 8:42:10 GMT -5
I read this post last night before bed, and it sparked a dream that the district I went to in MO growing up decided to say f-it and just open up completely today. No restrictions 100% normal.
We were all aghast and I kept throwing reports around written by actual teachers, psychologists, and epidemiologists - while the school board held up a 5 page report from the evil finance guy. hahahah.
Frankly I think school needs to look like it did pre-COVID with lots more hand washing and cleaning. The other options just aren’t realistic or sustainable. That said, I would be all in favor of moving to a more year round model and I think attendance needs to be optional for both students and staff. How that works I’m not sure but that has to be more reasonable than enforcing masks, maintaining 6 feet (which is a made up number anyways), etc.
The only thing that kind of keeps me going is thinking that 8 weeks ago we all thought working at home while home schooling kids was impossible (and it is), but here we are doing it. I'm hopeful we can find a way to send kids back to school sooner than later. Obviously not all of these suggestions are feasible, but hopefully with a mix of some of them we can return to something that resembles something that's a little bit less of the clusterfuck we're all dealing with today without sacrificing the health of teachers, parents or kids.
Post by Velar Fricative on May 12, 2020 8:56:36 GMT -5
I feel like when buildings can reopen, they need to prioritize bringing back students with special needs first and foremost. They are presumably the kids suffering most right now without onsite instruction. BUT, even if you give them all the space they need, many also need close assistance. I don’t know how that can happen safely.
One thing I’ve seen tossed around is sending kids August-TG and eliminating fall break, being out Dec-Feb, returning in March-June. I’ve seen universities toss that out for fall semester and I suspect that’s what my alma mater will do in an effort to limit anyone bringing it to campus after a break at home.
I don’t know what the answer is but social distancing of any kind is impossible in my kids’ schools. My two main concerns are the mental and emotional fallout on my kids of some fucked up super regimented school experience and long term covid damage. We know kids don’t get sick as much, I guess. We also have zero knowledge of any long term effects from this on those recovered, or asymptomatic. This virus is fucking nuts and I’m not really willing to be the guinea pig or let my kids be the guinea pig.
Post by StrawberryBlondie on May 12, 2020 9:03:42 GMT -5
Honestly, of all the things out there that could re-open, schools are the things I am personally most comfortable with. Significantly more comfortable than with restaurants or retail or movies or offices or air travel.
I'm totally fine with them being closed, but if they were to open next week, I wouldn't have many reservations sending mine, even if nothing was different than in pre-covid times.
We are in the midst of our back to school scenario planning. My boss keeps asking about one-way hallways. I keep asking, "Have you ever seen a middle schooler?" They move in weird clusters. Adding hallway monitors (faculty) would just increase faculty exposure.
Adults can't even manage this in the grocery stores here.
That was exactly the example I gave!
Plus the one-way hallways would require kids to walk down a hallway, go up a long flight of stairs, walk another hallway, and come back down to get to a classroom that could have been 10 feet behind their last classroom. Short of cattle prods, I don't see that happening.
Also, can schools even access cleaning supplies? Until that happens I think everything about this is silly.
yes that is a good point. So ours cleared out all the leftover wipes and hand sanitizer and donated it all to local hospitals a couple of weeks after the crisis hit. Some parents were so pissed about this ::eyeroll::
Not sure how parents will be able to find that stuff to send this fall. Usually we have to send 1 three pack of the clorox wipes and a bottle of sanitizer.
Post by purplepenguin7 on May 12, 2020 9:13:54 GMT -5
I don't normally post here, but I just wanted to chime in and say North Carolina runs year-round schools and it seems to work out well. Teachers "break" with their kids so they don't work all year round. Kids and teachers are in school the same number of days as a traditional school calendar. Also, a few places I know of run year round camps for kids on schooling breaks which helps for working parents. I don't know that this is answer, but its not an impossible solution.
OK so some thoughts as I live in KC so this was all over the news yesterday. I'm on the KS side but friends on both sides of the state line were sharing it and wigging out and declaring they will pull their kids and homeschool so they won't be traumatized by all this.
It seems like a list of every single possible idea they could come up with, not necessarily suggested plans. It's not meant to be taken as an entirety but more a list of things schools COULD implement as part of their protocols. I'll be curious to see what KS says, so far our dept of ed hasn't released anything. They just canceled summer school and all camps that meet at the school buildings in June.
I'm also curious how much autonomy individual schools will be given vs. district wide changes. Our elementary schools really vary in size and layout. Ours is older and only has room for 3 kindergarten classes, vs newer schools that have 5 or 6 of them.
The only thing our district has done so far is pass their 1:1 technology plan for elementary school. Previously only middle and high school had them. They were going to pilot it next year but decided to fast track instead. So the ipads from middle school will go to elementary and the middle school students will get laptops. This will help close the gap on some of the equity issues we're having with distance learning, although internet access will be another hurdle. I'm glad they are being proactive.
Post by StrawberryBlondie on May 12, 2020 9:29:21 GMT -5
I do think the idea to treat elementary differently is a good one, and I don't think that's just selfishness since I have an elementary schooler. My friends and co-workers who have middle or high school kids are having a drastically different experience with distance learning than those of us with elementary. Everyone seems to agree it's not ideal, but those with older kids seem to all agree that their kids are learning. Those of us with younger kids are pretty sure our kids aren't.
Post by maudefindlay on May 12, 2020 9:29:35 GMT -5
Our 1st thru 12th graders all have Chromebooks. I really think we will be doing elearning again in the fall with maybe a return to classrooms in January. I don't see anything else working and I don't see where a couple months will give more clarity on the sutuation. Our schools need to make the announcement soon so we can all adjust and plan. I spoke to one of our school psychologists recently and they are looking at getting organized to test kids online, so I think higher ups already have an idea on the fall.
I think there’s a lot of privilege in assuming older kids are okay because they’ve been a given a laptop and internet access.
I don’t have a better solution but even in a best case scenario there’s a lot of inequity in education. This just serves to increase the gap.
I know they’re not okay. But from a childcare standpoint, if you’re going to prioritize one age group, it would be elementary. It’s far from a perfect solution to have HS kids or whatever be totally on their own at home though.
Also, can schools even access cleaning supplies? Until that happens I think everything about this is silly.
yes that is a good point. So ours cleared out all the leftover wipes and hand sanitizer and donated it all to local hospitals a couple of weeks after the crisis hit. Some parents were so pissed about this ::eyeroll::
Not sure how parents will be able to find that stuff to send this fall. Usually we have to send 1 three pack of the clorox wipes and a bottle of sanitizer.
I am a preschool teacher. This is something the staff is really worried about. If we go back in the fall there will be strict cleaning protocols in place. We have some supplies left in the building, but not enough. We can use a diluted bleach spray, but even bleach might become hard to find as more places open and follow the same measures. We are already required to wear gloves for serving food, helping in the bathroom, wiping noses etc. I am not sure we will be able to keep up with demand.
Social distancing will be impossible with toddlers and preschoolers. I cannot imagine how our school will function and serve children in an appropriate and meaningful manner.