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Washington Township announces online classes only

zeke4ahs

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Indefinitely. First domino to fall. I predict others will follow suit. This is an absolute tragedy and this generation of kids, especially those at risk, are going to be scarred. I don’t know the solution, and I’m so glad I’m not in charge of making the decisions.
 
I do not envy anyone making this choice, this is the classic lose-lose choice. I saw a post supposedly from the state of Utah telling school districts what they required to be open. A couple of the things were letter templates to families of students killed by COVID and teachers killed by COVID.

But there is a cost to keeping kids home. It isn't as visible but it is there.

Indiana's R rate is 1.15, that is where FL was in the last week of May. So if we don't do something now, in a month when schools are opening up our infections may be sky high. The people that most want schools open have a vested interest in socially distancing, wearing masks, and washing their hands.
 
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Indefinitely. First domino to fall. I predict others will follow suit. This is an absolute tragedy and this generation of kids, especially those at risk, are going to be scarred. I don’t know the solution, and I’m so glad I’m not in charge of making the decisions.
It’s tragic No doubt. People will overcome. We’ve got to get this virus behind us, so we can do that.
I predict, if we can get this virus to a manageable level, our citizens (teachers too) are going to be energized to do some of their best work. It’s about this time every year that I start getting pumped up to get back in there and get after it. But, strength and enthusiasm offer no help during this time. We need to keep people safe.
The Governor responsible for putting our children in the way of harm will not recover politically, IMO. And, if they have a heart, I don’t see how they will ever get over it emotionally. It’s not safe.
The President’s talking heads point to Germany getting back to school.
Is there anyone who doesn’t think Germany should be getting back to school right now? Obviously, they should be. They’ve done what needed done to get to this step. They should be safely getting back to normal. And, make future decisions based upon what the results are.
Here the US is, again, in a place to watch how another country handles the next step. Let’s see if we use what knowledge we gain this time instead of ignoring it.
 
Indefinitely. First domino to fall. I predict others will follow suit. This is an absolute tragedy and this generation of kids, especially those at risk, are going to be scarred. I don’t know the solution, and I’m so glad I’m not in charge of making the decisions.
I've got no dog in this hunt, but it seems to me that from an educational standpoint trying to go ahead with school online or even in person with all the restrictions and rules and procedures that are being floated is just silly. Just cancel school until the second semester, or even the whole year. At least by then we'll have a much better idea of where we stand. If that means kids aren't going to graduate high school as scheduled, so be it.

And yes, I know the fallout from that would be enormous. But weighed against the bullshit fake education that the kids would be getting and the public health risks, I'm not sure it would be worse overall.
 
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I've got no dog in this hunt, but it seems to me that from an educational standpoint trying to go ahead with school online or even in person with all the restrictions and rules and procedures that are being floated is just silly. Just cancel school until the second semester, or even the whole year. At least by then we'll have a much better idea of where we stand. If that means kids aren't going to graduate high school as scheduled, so be it.

And yes, I know the fallout from that would be enormous. But weighed against the bullshit fake education that the kids would be getting and the public health risks, I'm not sure it would be worse overall.
That’s not an option. You can move back the opening and continue to teach next summer, I guess. We’re probably going to be doing that anyhow.
I’m not going to pretend that online learning is a proper replacement. But, at least you give the students a responsibility to do something productive instead of idle time with an opportunity to make poor decisions. And teachers are going to be working their tails off.
I was impressed with my students during the lockdown. It’s not fair. No doubt.
 
I do not envy anyone making this choice, this is the classic lose-lose choice. I saw a post supposedly from the state of Utah telling school districts what they required to be open. A couple of the things were letter templates to families of students killed by COVID and teachers killed by COVID.

But there is a cost to keeping kids home. It isn't as visible but it is there.

Indiana's R rate is 1.15, that is where FL was in the last week of May. So if we don't do something now, in a month when schools are opening up our infections may be sky high. The people that most want schools open have a vested interest in socially distancing, wearing masks, and washing their hands.
The story you described about Utah is eye opening and awful.
 
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That’s not an option. You can move back the opening and continue to teach next summer, I guess. We’re probably going to be doing that anyhow.
I’m not going to pretend that online learning is a proper replacement. But, at least you give the students a responsibility to do something productive instead of idle time with an opportunity to make poor decisions. And teachers are going to be working their tails off.
I was impressed with my students during the lockdown. It’s not fair. No doubt.

The gigantic loss for the kids (and to a lesser degree for the parents) is the structure of in-person learning. The kids thrive on the predictability and goal-setting it provides. I feel like driven kids (and that's only a subset of them) can learn the educational requirements fairly well in an online setting, but one of the huge challenges I see is how to get kids to see and believe in the future. When every day feels like the other with fewer and fewer things to look forward to doing tomorrow, I see a lot of kids checking out. We've all been in this extraordinarily difficult waiting period while we try to figure this thing out. And I think the kids are really suffering in this purgatory kind of environment.
 
The gigantic loss for the kids (and to a lesser degree for the parents) is the structure of in-person learning. The kids thrive on the predictability and goal-setting it provides. I feel like driven kids (and that's only a subset of them) can learn the educational requirements fairly well in an online setting, but one of the huge challenges I see is how to get kids to see and believe in the future. When every day feels like the other with fewer and fewer things to look forward to doing tomorrow, I see a lot of kids checking out. We've all been in this extraordinarily difficult waiting period while we try to figure this thing out. And I think the kids are really suffering in this purgatory kind of environment.
Do you think anyone disagrees with you?
 
Do you think anyone disagrees with you?
Our district is talking about in person school every other day. I don’t understand the point, other than some in-person mandate to secure funding. Maybe to have a day to clean the rooms. I don’t know. Apparently kids MAY not spread it much. I’m not a teacher but why can’t kids go and we limit the number of teachers? Let them be on zoom or a projector or whatever while the students are in person?
 
There will be an increase in suicides, sexual abuse and physical abuse to children forced to stay home. Not to mention the long term mental health issues that will plague many children as this is taking place during the formative years of brain development. But corona so it’s cool
 
Our district is talking about in person school every other day. I don’t understand the point, other than some in-person mandate to secure funding. Maybe to have a day to clean the rooms. I don’t know. Apparently kids MAY not spread it much. I’m not a teacher but why can’t kids go and we limit the number of teachers? Let them be on zoom or a projector or whatever while the students are in person?

Are they talking about all kids every other day, or half the kids on day one and the other half on day 2?

That second choice is becoming popular furor allowing 6 feet between students.
 
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Are they talking about all kids every other day, or half the kids on day one and the other half on day 2?

That second choice is becoming popular furor allowing 6 feet between students.
Oh. Yeah maybe that’s why. The notice I got just said alternating days.
 
Our district is talking about in person school every other day. I don’t understand the point, other than some in-person mandate to secure funding. Maybe to have a day to clean the rooms. I don’t know. Apparently kids MAY not spread it much. I’m not a teacher but why can’t kids go and we limit the number of teachers? Let them be on zoom or a projector or whatever while the students are in person?
Most of the ones I’ve heard doing that have two groups to make the classes smaller. Group A goes M and T clean on Wed and Group B goes Th and Fr clean on Saturday. I see no point in all the kids going every other day.
 
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Most of the ones I’ve heard doing that have two groups to make the classes smaller. Group A goes M and T clean on Wed and Group B goes Th and Fr clean on Saturday. I see no point in all the kids going every other day.
Brutal where both parents work and rely on after care at school etc.
 
Most of the ones I’ve heard doing that have two groups to make the classes smaller. Group A goes M and T clean on Wed and Group B goes Th and Fr clean on Saturday. I see no point in all the kids going every other day.
Does anyone think that is really going to mitigate the public health risk? Really? Seems to me more like going through the motions so they can say "Well, at least we tried."
 
There will be an increase in suicides, sexual abuse and physical abuse to children forced to stay home. Not to mention the long term mental health issues that will plague many children as this is taking place during the formative years of brain development. But corona so it’s cool
The things you mention are real and decidedly uncool.
 
I already know several families who have young children who are acting out, missing their friends, missing their routines. Day cares and child care places are now going to be swamped. And not safe. But parents have to work.
 
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Does anyone think that is really going to mitigate the public health risk? Really? Seems to me more like going through the motions so they can say "Well, at least we tried."
I think some places have to do a certain amount of in school for funding
 
I already know several families who have young children who are acting out, missing their friends, missing their routines. Day cares and child care places are now going to be swamped. And not safe. But parents have to work.

If schools are closed for “safety” reasons, shouldn’t those places be closed as well?
 
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Brutal where both parents work and rely on after care at school etc.
It’s all brutal. We can get through this time. Spreading this virus further would be a terrible mistake. I’m telling you. If they make the mistake of overlooking this problem and plowing through it, we’re going to be talking about what a horrible decision it was. We’ve seen over the last two weeks what getting in confined spaces does. Now add in viral load; not just for staff, but for families. They say that the second person in the family to get it is going to be more sick due to viral load. That’s what we’re just now starting to see in Florida. The kids are taking a huge viral load back to their houses.
 
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Our district is talking about in person school every other day. I don’t understand the point, other than some in-person mandate to secure funding. Maybe to have a day to clean the rooms. I don’t know. Apparently kids MAY not spread it much. I’m not a teacher but why can’t kids go and we limit the number of teachers? Let them be on zoom or a projector or whatever while the students are in person?

A teacher in my area recommended that high school students stay home for online classes since parents don't necessarily need to watch them, then use that space to create smaller classrooms for K-8. This would require more teachers and more funding so that would be a challenge.
 
But kindercare etc doesn’t have a powerful union to ensure they get paid while doing little to no work....so they can’t stop it
I hate to tell you, but teaching online is MUCH more difficult than teaching in person and requires more work , not less.
 
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There will be an increase in suicides, sexual abuse and physical abuse to children forced to stay home. Not to mention the long term mental health issues that will plague many children as this is taking place during the formative years of brain development. But corona so it’s cool

SK, your post reminds of a true story told to me by a pediatrician.

A 14 year old girl was asked by the pediatrician how she got pregnant. The girl replied, "I missed the school bus".
 
But kindercare etc doesn’t have a powerful union to ensure they get paid while doing little to no work....so they can’t stop it
Are you against unions? If so, you need more information. All the student has to do is make up a story about me. Then I have to get a lawyer to litigate it. The union affords me the opportunity. To be a teacher and not a part of the union would be a tragic mistake on their part. And I see it all the time. Because they can’t afford to pay union dues.
 
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Does anyone think that is really going to mitigate the public health risk? Really? Seems to me more like going through the motions so they can say "Well, at least we tried."

So it sounds to me like you're in the "online only" camp. If that's the case, I could go along with that, but I'm of the opinion that people need to know this would be just a half-assed, stopgap measure. It also doesn't address any of the non-instructional aspects of traditional schooling: day care, socialization, nutrition, physical fitness, etc.

Bottom line to me is that it would be, for all intents and purposes, an attempt to do something, whether or not that something actually provides any benefit.
 
Are you against unions? If so, you need more information. All the student has to do is make up a story about me. Then I have to get a lawyer to litigate it. The union affords me the opportunity. To be a teacher and not a part of the union would be a tragic mistake on their part. And I see it all the time. Because they can’t afford to pay union dues.

Im constantly amazed by how many teachers are not in the union. And then they complain about the pay. And they keep voting for Republicans who consistently cut education funding. It’s maddening.
 
Always. Tell me what you're thinking and let's discuss it.
I’m speaking entirely about the post I responded to. I agree with it one million percent.
I see the issue of returning kids to school to be a Hobson’s choice.
Putting those kids in there is wrong.
 
Our district is talking about in person school every other day. I don’t understand the point, other than some in-person mandate to secure funding. Maybe to have a day to clean the rooms. I don’t know. Apparently kids MAY not spread it much. I’m not a teacher but why can’t kids go and we limit the number of teachers? Let them be on zoom or a projector or whatever while the students are in person?

That's an interesting idea. Not sure how it works from a supervision standpoint, but I like that people are trying to get creative. The thing I keep seeing is that they are talking about rotating groups of students between in-person and remote to provide more chance for distancing, balance the learning styles, and provide structure. For example, group A is M/W/F week 1 and group B is T/TH week 1 and then they flip days in subsequent weeks. A challenge to implement with limited resources for sure. There are positives and negatives to all of the scenarios and I'm just grateful for everybody who is trying to get creative and help these kids out.
 
I’m speaking entirely about the post I responded to. I agree with it one million percent.
I see the issue of returning kids to school to be a Hobson’s choice.
Putting those kids in there is wrong.

Got it. It definitely is a choice between two bad alternatives. I'm not sure how they pull it off safely, but I appreciate the people who are trying (and am frustrated with the people who just say "you must go back to in-person school regardless of the safety concerns.)
 
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A teacher in my area recommended that high school students stay home for online classes since parents don't necessarily need to watch them, then use that space to create smaller classrooms for K-8. This would require more teachers and more funding so that would be a challenge.
It would but it’s one of the better ideas I have heard.
 
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