School restarting in-person instruction 8/17...

[honyock]

Really not sure how I feel about this, they can't play college football, but our schools here in Southern AZ can start in-person instruction with our kindergarten daughter starting Monday 8/17 (we just started back online last Thursday 8/6).

[stacks]

my grandkids will be home schooling this year

[uwmcscott]

The district my 3 kids are in is starting Sep 1 with both in-person and virtual options. The face to face instruction varies from every day to 2/3 day weeks based on age categories. My wife is also a teacher in the same district, her courses will all be virtual but she will need to teach from the school for contract reasons.

I will give our district and school board credit for really thinkng it through and coming up with a well thought out plans. They of course reserve the right to go all virtual at any time if there is an outbreak. The teachers have been doing a tremendous amount of work preparing for every possibility too. All 3 of my kids ( 11, 14, 17 ) have chosen to attend in person.

I’ll be honest that I really don’t know what to think anymore about the whole situation. It’s very hard to find reliable/unbiased info about Covid.

[honyock]

The district my 3 kids are in is starting Sep 1 with both in-person and virtual options. The face to face instruction varies from every day to 2/3 day weeks based on age categories. My wife is also a teacher in the same district, her courses will all be virtual but she will need to teach from the school for contract reasons.

I will give our district and school board credit for really thinkng it through and coming up with a well thought out plans. They of course reserve the right to go all virtual at any time if there is an outbreak. The teachers have been doing a tremendous amount of work preparing for every possibility too. All 3 of my kids ( 11, 14, 17 ) have chosen to attend in person.

I’ll be honest that I really don’t know what to think anymore about the whole situation. It’s very hard to find reliable/unbiased info about Covid.

One of the nurses that took care of our little one in the NICU for the 5 months she was there was pretty surprised. Our school (a charter) seems to be one of the 1st opening despite our county not hitting all the required metrics according to her.

We had filled out a questionnaire before the spike in AZ and they are holding every one to that, amd we can't change our decision until after the 1st quarter ends in early October.

Up to last week, they said in person wouldn't start until at least after Labor Day. It just seems very sudden to me.

[honyock]

hmm...

[bleys21]

Out here in Cali, all the public schools are shut down and virtual only. I work IT in K12, and let me tell you, its a giant pain in the ass trying to reinvent education in a couple months. I'm pretty sure that these kids are going to end up being a year behind once all is said and done, but what other options do you have? California is exploding in cases, and we probably should have locked the state down again a month ago, but we didn't...

[uwmcscott]

Up to last week, they said in person wouldn't start until at least after Labor Day. It just seems very sudden to me.

Our district has been pretty methodical about keepign us in touch with what they are doing. In the metro area I live in there are 3 major districts and 2 of the 3 have a hybrid option, the largest one is starting out all-online.

Covid wise we are listed as "high" activity still, but to be honest many businesses and people around here have been operating like nothing ever happened since the beginning of this whole mess so it's hard say if opening schools will even have an effect. Bars and restaurants have been open here for many weeks, and many local businesses here never closed at all. So we've had people in large groups in and out of retail establishments for a long time. My scout troop is at camp this week and it's the 8th week they've been runnning camp - albeit on a much different schedule with no large groups, but the've been doing it for 8 weeks with no issues at all wiht several hundred kids there each week.

I don't think opening the school is going to cause a huge spike in cases, but i'll freely admit i'm a little scared about all my kids going back. My oldest son has been taking a Firefighter/EMT course all summer at our tech college and all the classes have been in - person and things seem to have gone fine, there are several adults in the course too.

[honyock]

The school seems to be going rogue as no other public district in area is starting this early from what I can tell.

They did have limited in person instruction this week that was only for 1st responders.

I just don't like the spike that occurred when the state reopened and people were doing stupid things in large groups.

Maybe I am being over anxious.

[slowhand84]

The school seems to be going rogue as no other public district in area is starting this early from what I can tell.

They did have limited in person instruction this week that was only for 1st responders.

I just don't like the spike that occurred when the state reopened and people were doing stupid things in large groups.

Maybe I am being over anxious.

You have every right to be anxious, especially when it's something that comes to your children and their health and safety. I'm not liking what I'm seeing with schools reopening...Georgia being a textbook example of what can happen when this isn't done properly and intelligently. I don't have kids so this won't affect me directly, but I am definitely concerned for my friends with children and my friends who are teachers. It is flat out too soon to do this in most states safely, and while I totally get that kids need to get back to school and people need to get back to work, I think the price of doing this too early and failing to take proper precautions will far outweigh any possible benefits.

Furthermore, this kind of action tends to undo the progress made so far...so I think it's likely that in many states where the reopening of schools, indoor dining, etc. is being done pretty brazenly you will see a backtrack in progress. This has already been the case and unfortunately I think will likely continue until people understand that a pandemic doesn't end just because you're sick of it.

[Floridian FX]

We are virtual down here starting next Friday, until at minimum 2nd quarter. I think they are going to review the plan October 1st and go from there. Our friends have kids that go to a charter school, and while they are virtual for now, I can see that changing quickly. Charter schools have their own set of rules and seem to be very proud of it down here. They are making the kids wear uniforms even during virtual learning, and they are selling charter school masks that the kids will be required to wear once virtual school is over.

Hopefully all the kids will be able to return to in person soon, once it is safe. Kids need the social side of it, and they need other authority figures in their life other than their parents.

[mickey]

Hopefully all the kids will be able to return to in person soon, once it is safe. Kids need the social side of it, and they need other authority figures in their life other than their parents.

AMEN!! That is the thing that has always bugged me about "home schooling" (lack of social interaction with people their own age & lack of authority figures who are from outside the family.)

[JimyTheAssassin]

Many of Our schools in upstate NY are returning on a hybrid model, with few exceptions returning fully.

My sons schools is opening to a hybrid model but we will be opting for full virtual plan. We will be prepared to jump ship if this is a cluster Fubar, and pursue an established homeschool curriculum. We are committed to making this a successful year of learning no matter the effort required.

Honestly homeschool is not as isolating as people view it to be, especially today (and even more so with covid and more people jumping on). More over, the social aspect will barely exist under CDC guidelines while in school. We are looking at all the positive opportunities with at home learning instead.


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[uwmcscott]

Honestly homeschool is not as isolating as people view it to be, especially today (and even more so with covid and more people jumping on). More over, the social aspect will barely exist under CDC guidelines while in school. We are looking at all the positive opportunities with at home learning instead.

Having worked in the education field myself, specifically in Distance Education, for almost 20 years I would very much agree that home/virtual learning can be done very effectively. Just as in-person instruction can be done poorly, even back when there was no such thing as COVID 19 or lockdowns.

As with anything these days, most of the arguments strongly for or against the return to school lack common sense approaches. There is definitely middle ground. And I'm not sure what it's like in other parts of the country, but around here kids have been playing with their friends and having sleepovers/small group parties for quite some time now - so it's not like they are locked in their rooms with no interaction with the outside world. Sports are still happening, scouting events, outdoor activties, church, shopping, etc.

[rrobbone]

Our district has been pretty decisive about the plan for this year. They are doing full day, half/hybrid day, and full virtual as choices. My kids are 13 and 14, and our family has done both full time on campus and full time homeschooling in the past. My wife and I gave them the choice and they both chose to go back to campus full time.

Of course I'm worried. Our kids are pretty good about doing what's smart (though they do slack and make mistakes sometimes), but I'm more concerned about the kids from familes who are seriously thinking this is all some silly hoax or overreaction. Those are the kids who will be complacent or outright defiant about being careful or courteous.

They start Monday.

AMEN!! That is the thing that has always bugged me about "home schooling" (lack of social interaction with people their own age & lack of authority figures who are from outside the family.)

Like anything, there are advisable ways to homeschool a kid - and inadvisable ones.

I homeschooled our kiddos for a few years before we left Texas. The schools where we were weren't very effective anymore, and they both needed some special attention in their own ways. I didn't want my kids educated to some arbitrary standard simply so they could pass a test to collectively achieve a number for budgetary purposes.

There were groups we participated in that provided further education, rather like an elective program at public schools. These were taught by other homeschooling parents among other homeschooled kids. I even taught a class or three. The kids had plenty of interaction with others close in age as well as adults.

For our needs at the time, homeschooling was a really good choice for us. It was a lot of work, but I'm glad we did it.

[nomadh]

Yea. This is a new virus. Its even in the name novel corona virus. There are no experts but there are lots of people who want to pretend they know things and a lot of scared people who want to pretend there is somebody who knows something. Then add in virtue signaling and politics and tribal affiliations and its a mess. Its good that not everyone is just jumping back in but each area needs to read its numbers and its people and try to get back to living life. Otherwise how far do we go. We could guarantee no spread by locking each person in a separate room so the answer is somewhere between the 2 stupid answers. Thats where the argument is. Like always.

[nomadh]

Honestly homeschool is not as isolating as people view it to be, especially today (and even more so with covid and more people jumping on). More over, the social aspect will barely exist under CDC guidelines while in school. We are looking at all the positive opportunities with at home learning instead.

Having worked in the education field myself, specifically in Distance Education, for almost 20 years I would very much agree that home/virtual learning can be done very effectively. Just as in-person instruction can be done poorly, even back when there was no such thing as COVID 19 or lockdowns.

As with anything these days, most of the arguments strongly for or against the return to school lack common sense approaches. There is definitely middle ground. And I'm not sure what it's like in other parts of the country, but around here kids have been playing with their friends and having sleepovers/small group parties for quite some time now - so it's not like they are locked in their rooms with no interaction with the outside world. Sports are still happening, scouting events, outdoor activties, church, shopping, etc.

So far, at least in CA, virtual learning has been terrible for the kids. Its estimated that kids are getting about 30% of typical learning. The most horrible part of that is families that push education and or have a stay at home parent can do alot better than that. The poor and minorities or with checked out parents can be getting near 0% education. Also pretty horrible for younger kids. The rule seems to be whatever is the worst possible answer, CA is all in on that.

[JimyTheAssassin]

Honestly homeschool is not as isolating as people view it to be, especially today (and even more so with covid and more people jumping on). More over, the social aspect will barely exist under CDC guidelines while in school. We are looking at all the positive opportunities with at home learning instead.

Having worked in the education field myself, specifically in Distance Education, for almost 20 years I would very much agree that home/virtual learning can be done very effectively. Just as in-person instruction can be done poorly, even back when there was no such thing as COVID 19 or lockdowns.

As with anything these days, most of the arguments strongly for or against the return to school lack common sense approaches. There is definitely middle ground. And I'm not sure what it's like in other parts of the country, but around here kids have been playing with their friends and having sleepovers/small group parties for quite some time now - so it's not like they are locked in their rooms with no interaction with the outside world. Sports are still happening, scouting events, outdoor activties, church, shopping, etc.

So far, at least in CA, virtual learning has been terrible for the kids. Its estimated that kids are getting about 30% of typical learning. The most horrible part of that is families that push education and or have a stay at home parent can do alot better than that. The poor and minorities or with checked out parents can be getting near 0% education. Also pretty horrible for younger kids. The rule seems to be whatever is the worst possible answer, CA is all in on that.

I’ve never seen a number applied to how affective online learning was here in NY. I think our educators did their best to pull together several weeks of learning despite the major challenges they faced. Still, I know some kids and parents lagged way behind and this was due to a number of situations that should be more well addressed this fall. Grading, attendance, and accountability were all missing for us last spring. This combined with some in person learning will hopefully keep everyone on a more even footing.


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[bleys21]

Based on what you're saying, I'd guess they're banking on getting a whole bunch of kids from parents who want their kids physically in school, no matter what. We are seeing that out here, with a few charter schools scooping up the kids in similar situations. I suspect it will put a dent in our enrollment numbers, and the exodus may be enough to cause some severe budget issues in the Spring of next year...

The school seems to be going rogue as no other public district in area is starting this early from what I can tell.

They did have limited in person instruction this week that was only for 1st responders.

I just don't like the spike that occurred when the state reopened and people were doing stupid things in large groups.

Maybe I am being over anxious.

[Tsukiyomi]

My daughter starts Virtual next Monday. It's run by the local school system and it's looking more than a little half-arsed to me. She could stay fully at her Middle School who are doing virtual schooling for 9 weeks then reassessing (though it's likely a hybrid of some days in school, some virtual) or go with this new Virtual Academy for the next school year with the option to go back to her regular school whenever she wants. The problem is that this Virtual Academy only has three teachers in total (covering Elementary to HS), will be doing 1 hour per day face to face online with the other 6 hours with me taking the role of 'Guidance Coach' and that feels like a massive cop-out. I might as well be homeschoolinlg. Besides, we still haven't had a lesson plan, nor do we know what lessons she's going to be taking.

I don't think it's going to be any safer in 9 weeks' time, and if the locals I'm seeing out and about when I shop for essentials are anything to go by, I can't see it being any safer in 9 months. My daughter's really missing her friends but is being pretty sensible. I've had a mild form of Covid, as has my brother. I've lost one friend to it and had a couple of others hospitalised, so I'm in no doubt as to how serious things can be. Teachers have absolutely got my sympathy and I don't know that there's an easy answer, but honestly I don't think hybrid learning is it. How do you differentiate and say "You're doing in-class learning for the first three weeks, virtual for the next two then back in class again and repeat"? On top of that, the plan here if the kids do go back after 9 weeks is that they stay at one desk for the entire school day, eating lunch there, wearing their masks and maintaining 6' distance from everyone at all times. That seems harder for kids than homeschooling or virtual learning. Besides, exposure is exposure and is going to happen at any time if you're not taking adequate measures. What's to stop a kid being taken to Covid Central (read 'Wal Mart') one night during the school week and being exposed to something there before going back into class the next morning? Just because you're on a rota, I can't see how that means "There will be no Covid-19 at school for the weeks that you are physically present".

[tlarson58]

I've been reading about "pods" where a teacher works with four or five students. There are pros and cons (egalitarian teachers who will fight for those most in need vs those who vs. those who accept/recruit kiddos from the highest bidders).

Heck, I may even start one. Recess and P.E. (remember that term?) would be held outside and involve character-building activities like lawn mowing and tree limbing. Perhaps I can incorporate a fun obstacle course involving water buckets and my crawlspace.

Seriously, the pod idea has merit. Kids have been playing together all summer but that's not the same as putting 200 of them back in a building - especially when the fall sniffles come calling.

BTW, the more kids I see on electric bikes and skateboards the more I am concerned about the increasing obesity issue and the underlying "just plain lazy" factor. It is official: I have turned into my dad.

[honyock]

https://www.kgun9.com/news/state/superi ... en-schools

So our school is straight up defying recommendations along with a few other school districts in state.

[nomadh]

Maybe there would be a little more forgiveness about what a miserable failure last school year was if there was even a bit of talk in the media about it. But when most parents know how bad it was but no one even talks about it they say " that's it! put them back in school". I also am incredulous that so many teachers refuse to teach but still get their full pay and pension. I got friends that work at walmart and its been 3 months of black fridays for them. Guess what happens when they refuse to go to work? No pay and there never was any pension. If teachers aren't essential then take them at their word and start the layoffs. I'm in it and never stopped working for a single day. During the height I was the guy at every desk touching every kb getting everyone else remote computing. I could do it or quit. Life has risks. Make your choice.
I'm willing to make compromises but if I had school age kids and saw last years results I would be a 1 man riot if they tried to pull this off and expect me to keep paying for it. You don't want to teach my kids? Fine. I'll take my $125 a day and find someone who will. In ca that another thing. They outlawed private schools who want to teach so the public schools don't look so entitled. And we have a new law that if you try to hire someone privately to just teach a group of kids or just a tutor they become a full employee where you need your own hr dept. And I'm this pissed just watching this being done to other peoples kids. I don't like to think about what I'd do if it was my family.

[RockYoWorld]

Hopefully all the kids will be able to return to in person soon, once it is safe. Kids need the social side of it, and they need other authority figures in their life other than their parents.

AMEN!! That is the thing that has always bugged me about "home schooling" (lack of social interaction with people their own age & lack of authority figures who are from outside the family.)

Yes. The social side of school is very important, especially in the younger years, in my opinion. "Home-schooling" in normal times (before COVID) is kind of a misnomer. I'm sure it varies, but my aunt home schooled my cousins up until high school and they had regular learning sessions, classes, and other activities with other "home-schooled" kids. I think that's especially common with science classes as kids get older.

I, personally, wouldn't do home schooling in normal times, but I have nothing against others doing it (not that I'm accusing you of having that stance based on your post).

These are very interesting times and I don't think a generic mandate of sending all students back full time is the right answer. I do think it's something that needs to be handled community to community. I think having the option is great, with heavily recommending older students to do virtual learning to start with if their situation allows it. My heart goes out to poor communities that don't have the resources more wealthy ones do, and that includes the parents' situations. Virtual learning may not even be an option for them.

[nomadh]

Hopefully all the kids will be able to return to in person soon, once it is safe. Kids need the social side of it, and they need other authority figures in their life other than their parents.

AMEN!! That is the thing that has always bugged me about "home schooling" (lack of social interaction with people their own age & lack of authority figures who are from outside the family.)

Yes. The social side of school is very important, especially in the younger years, in my opinion. "Home-schooling" in normal times (before COVID) is kind of a misnomer. I'm sure it varies, but my aunt home schooled my cousins up until high school and they had regular learning sessions, classes, and other activities with other "home-schooled" kids. I think that's especially common with science classes as kids get older.

I, personally, wouldn't do home schooling in normal times, but I have nothing against others doing it (not that I'm accusing you of having that stance based on your post).

These are very interesting times and I don't think a generic mandate of sending all students back full time is the right answer. I do think it's something that needs to be handled community to community. I think having the option is great, with heavily recommending older students to do virtual learning to start with if their situation allows it. My heart goes out to poor communities that don't have the resources more wealthy ones do, and that includes the parents' situations. Virtual learning may not even be an option for them.

Yea. Homeschooling isn't really very accurate a term. Should really be called parent directed teaching. Maybe the kid goes to school for band or pe or science. Some remote. Some self directed and some more with parents of a small group of 8 or 10 getting together. Lots of low income have no possibility of pulling something like this off. Maybe if they could get some part of their student butt in a seat tax back some could do it. Last time I checked education was critical to lifting children out of poverty but the teachers unions aren't so hot on that narrative now.

[Forecaster]

these guys are probably right of center biased, but this data are not much disputed:

https://www.acsh.org/news/2020/06/23/co ... race-14863
https://www.acsh.org/news/2020/07/14/co ... ools-14909

The take away for me is <1% of deaths are persons below 34 YOA. Keep old teachers at home and let the kids go to school.