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Status:
"I don't understand. But I don't care, so it works out."
(set 8 days ago)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zymer
I think that people should forget about going to schools for the next two or three years, unless a viable vaccine comes about sooner.
A considerable number of daycare facilities are being hit hard now, and youth does not guarantee a favorable outcome or a lack of permanent disability.
Like has been mentioned earlier in this thread, there are children falling horribly behind their peers, even after just a few months of distance learning.
Children who live in homes where parents are focused on their child's academic success; they have the time to supervise distance learning and the ability to help teach lessons when the children have questions. There are other children who were behind to begin with due to a disadvantageous family situation who never completed and turned in one single lesson from March 16 - June 1 when school ended.
We're going to lose those kids if this continues, and they will be unlikely to be able to graduate high school, IMHO.
In places like AISD, parents who are concerned about the virus or have children with compromised immune systems can opt to do 100% distance learning, so the choice is there.
Like has been mentioned earlier in this thread, there are children falling horribly behind their peers, even after just a few months of distance learning.
Children who live in homes where parents are focused on their child's academic success; they have the time to supervise distance learning and the ability to help teach lessons when the children have questions. There are other children who were behind to begin with due to a disadvantageous family situation who never completed and turned in one single lesson from March 16 - June 1 when school ended.
We're going to lose those kids if this continues, and they will be unlikely to be able to graduate high school, IMHO.
In places like AISD, parents who are concerned about the virus or have children with compromised immune systems can opt to do 100% distance learning, so the choice is there.
I worked in AISD (Math tutor) in schools such as Burnett Middle School and Webb Middle School.
Those kids will not do well with remote. They weren't doing well with in-class to begin with.
And neither of those schools have parents that can stay home. And many students in those 2 schools were way behind peers in other AISD schools.
I think that any face-to-face situations will result in repeated instances where people come down with the virus, staff or students, and the buildings will have to be repeatedly closed and re-sanitized. I see this going on long enough that the only real result will be distance learning for secondary schools. I have no idea what the elementary grades can come up with that will be infected.
Our superintendent said he was surprised at the high number of parents who were not comfortable with sending their kids to school. Our city has the highest number of cases in the state with an alarming death rate of over 4% of those who are diagnosed. One out of 25 is not good odds for a lot of people, even without underlying health issues.
I remain skeptical of all the plans that have been discussed so far. It's useless to note that if we had begun universal mask-wearing back in late January/early February, we probably wouldn't be having to have this discussion.
Anyone else worried about the upcoming school year? My oldest daughter has two kids, 3 and 6, and is concerned about the upcoming school year. Oldest grandson is gifted (goes to a private school for gifted kids) and is entering the second grade, but will be placed upward for math, reading, and writing (the school doesn't put them in "grades", just assigns them to the grades for their abilities). She isn't happy about the on line education he got during the quarantine. She thinks that in fall the "distancing, masks, etc." will deter from his progress. And another inevitable quarantine. The BLM demonstrations/riots also worries her immensely. as it is in a big city an hour away.
So she's found another on-line schooling program, and wants to start just home schooling him, because she's worried that he'll start school in the fall at his academy and the "S**T will hit the fan again in October", and he'll have to be remote schooled again. And get an inadequate education for what they're paying for. She thinks home schooling him from the getgo is the answer. To enroll in the new home schooling program, he'd have to be placed in third grade, to be at the same place he'd be going into entering second grade at his private school.
I don't know what to tell her. She wants what is best for her kids, and they can provide it. The youngest is 3 1/2 and can already read and do simple math. He was a shoe-in to be accepted at his big brother's school, to start early at age four. Now all their plans have been derailed due to the Covid.
We have a high schooler going into 10th grade. We're in a good district in a town near Boston, and they're developing a hybrid curriculum, part online, partly in class 2-3 days a week, masks required, deep cleaning of classrooms, etc. Seems pretty reasonable.
They threw up their hands and made everything Pass/Fail this spring. So, of course, the kid did 60% of the work. But we caught her and started insisting she up her grades, and then she put in more effort.
This fall I'm going to be scrutinizing her work every week, especially Chemistry, given that she very nearly flunked Physics this spring.
I feel sorry for parents stuck in those massive "integrated school districts" like Dallas and LA, where they have over a thousand kids per grade. Ridiculous. Small, neighborhood schools worked a lot better; everyone knew everyone, it was safer, etc. But that's a debate for another time.
We're staying enrolled at the charter school to hold our place and taking the distance option. I'm hoping we'll still get the free speech therapy. My eldest is gifted too and grade accelerated. Youngest is preschool age, and most likely similar.
There's a lot of reasons I'm not sending them, the virus being the main one.
Currently, I'm turning our playroom into a homeschooling room and working on developing a plan, schedule, etc.
It's not ideal. We had other plans for the year. I need several hundred hours of paid field experience for my online graduate degree and certification, which is on pause for now. It'll be okay temporarily though. I'm trying to be excited. They'll get more outside time, shorter school days, more science and social studies, more art, virtual music lessons. I'm making our school room very cheery and bright. We'll be doing a lot of nature field trips, too.
I'm more concerned about truly single parents and families who really can't afford to have someone to stay home. I know some families arrange schedules and do all sorts of things to make it work, but for some...IDK. Hard decisions will have to be made.
My biggest concern is they are going overboard on the mask thing. I don't know about other states but CA is requiring students to wear masks. In any case, you need a backup plan in case things go awry
I think that people should forget about going to schools for the next two or three years, unless a viable vaccine comes about sooner.
A considerable number of daycare facilities are being hit hard now, and youth does not guarantee a favorable outcome or a lack of permanent disability.
Sources? Evidence?
Studies from European schools that reopened shows children do not seem to have the ability to transmit the virus as readily as adults. YMCA child care facilities report similar anecdotes within the USA.
Fatalities and serious complications for those under 17 are clearly documented as being lower than with seasonal influenza. Of course, we vaccinate for seasonal influenza because it is a significant risk to their health. We can't vaccinate for COVID-19.
That said, I am not worried about the health of my children. I don't want them to contract the disease, but I think they will come through it just fine if they do.
With the mounting evidence that Children are not susceptible nor a significant disease vector, I am only nervous that our school will not be able to adequately protect teachers well enough to be fully staffed. Older teachers really shouldn't return to work until we've got fully peer-reviewed studies showing children absolutely do not transmit the virus.
In fact, I wouldn't be surprised (or object) if the teachers went on strike for health reasons.
We are considering relocating to a country where my spouse has family, for the fall semester. Schools are much better there, anyway, and completely open because they have eradicated COVID-19.
Studies from European schools that reopened shows children do not seem to have the ability to transmit the virus as readily as adults. YMCA child care facilities report similar anecdotes within the USA.
Fatalities and serious complications for those under 17 are clearly documented as being lower than with seasonal influenza. Of course, we vaccinate for seasonal influenza because it is a significant risk to their health. We can't vaccinate for COVID-19.
That said, I am not worried about the health of my children. I don't want them to contract the disease, but I think they will come through it just fine if they do.
With the mounting evidence that Children are not susceptible nor a significant disease vector, I am only nervous that our school will not be able to adequately protect teachers well enough to be fully staffed. Older teachers really shouldn't return to work until we've got fully peer-reviewed studies showing children absolutely do not transmit the virus.
In fact, I wouldn't be surprised (or object) if the teachers went on strike for health reasons.
We are considering relocating to a country where my spouse has family, for the fall semester. Schools are much better there, anyway, and completely open because they have eradicated COVID-19.
I hope your children don't get it and bring it home to you and your spouse. We've had several deaths from Covid in our area of people who are likely in your age range.
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