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I used to work in the schools. Not anymore for a while & I don't have little kids, thank God! I'm really nervous & worried for everyone out there too since school's about to start up again.
I honestly think everyone staying at home doing remote learning is the best. There are TONS of concerns if they had everyone commuting to school again...way too many to list here, from before the day starts to the end of the day & the younger the kids are, the harder it is to keep up w/ doing all the precautions. For example, starting w/... when kids get on the school bus, you can't do 6 ft social distancing on there unless there are just maybe 3-4 kids on each bus.
Now we've read about the staggering of lunches/recesses, but whatever solutions there are will make for a much harder, grueling day than ever before. Kids, especially the little little ones, especially in pre-school to 3rd especially aren't going to remember to wash their hands all the time, keep their fingers out of mouths, keep masks on all day & wear them properly. The masks will fall on the ground, etc. & this & that. Just a whole lot of worries. I can picture all the extra hassles teachers will have to go through all day to keep everyone as well as themselves safe.
I'm a bit more worried about my 7 year old grandson that will be in 2nd then the 3 year old in head start because head start is all about using the bathroom, washing hands, brushing teeth. They even have a sink in class where the kids have to wash their hands when they come in in the morning.
What I worry about is what the parents of these other head start kids are doing that could infect my granddaughter.
My grandson will probably play with his mask, who knows what else. He usually doesn't use the school bathroom unless he really has to.
If school opens here, he will need hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes. He needed the wipes last year. I'll be shocked if NJ opens schools.
My 11 year old granddaughter will be going into 6th grade. She has asthma and it has caused two long hospitalizations over the years. Her first serious attack nearly caused her to die. So yes, I'm very worried about her going back to school. Most kids aren't cognizant of hygiene especially hand washing.
It's hard for adults to wear masks consistently and properly for just a 1-2 hour stretch in order to go to the grocery store. They get hot. You can't breathe well. Your ears start to hurt from the elastic. In parts of Texas (where cases are skyrocketing), they are saying there are only two options: 100% in person school or 100% online learning.
Does anyone really think a teacher can manage to get a classroom of five-year-olds to keep those masks on properly for 8 hours straight? When their ears hurt and they're hot and it's hard to breathe? To keep their hands washed and out of their eyes? To keep surfaces clean? Schools are saying "we'll provide PPE." Oh, okay. Except that we have to beg the parents to send in kleenex, dry erase markers, paper towels every year, because if we don't? The school doesn't provide them. By flu season in February, inevitably I had to stick a pile of scratchy paper towels from the bathroom at the front of the room as our only remaining source of "kleenex." So forgive me if I have little confidence in this "there will be plenty of masks and hand sanitizer for all" promise.
Then there are the disparities this is going to cause between disadvantaged populations, who are already being hit harder by the virus as it is. Many parents are frustrated by having to do online schooling and want to send their kids back. Many kids are experiencing anxiety and depression and want to get back to school. In single parent families, families with children with disabilities, and families where both parents have to work and there are no options for child care, the stress is a thousand times worse. With a 100% in school or 100% online scenario, will schools in lower SES parts of town see the percentage of kids in the in school option rise so high that social distancing is impossible? Will the school districts force those kids to come back to school physically if they do not sign in to online learning so that they don't lose attendance financing from the state? Will we see a scenario where parents in the wealthy parts of town drop off donations of Lysol wipes, masks, hand sanitizer and anything else the school requests, while schools on the other side of town go without?
I get that 50/50 online and in person would be trickier to facilitate, particularly if they also had to allow the option for kids who wanted to do 100% online. But I just don't see how they're going to effectively social distance or keep kids/teachers/staff/families from getting sick under the plan proposed.
It's hard for adults to wear masks consistently and properly for just a 1-2 hour stretch in order to go to the grocery store. They get hot. You can't breathe well. Your ears start to hurt from the elastic. In parts of Texas (where cases are skyrocketing), they are saying there are only two options: 100% in person school or 100% online learning.
Does anyone really think a teacher can manage to get a classroom of five-year-olds to keep those masks on properly for 8 hours straight? When their ears hurt and they're hot and it's hard to breathe? To keep their hands washed and out of their eyes? To keep surfaces clean? Schools are saying "we'll provide PPE." Oh, okay. Except that we have to beg the parents to send in kleenex, dry erase markers, paper towels every year, because if we don't? The school doesn't provide them. By flu season in February, inevitably I had to stick a pile of scratchy paper towels from the bathroom at the front of the room as our only remaining source of "kleenex." So forgive me if I have little confidence in this "there will be plenty of masks and hand sanitizer for all" promise.
Then there are the disparities this is going to cause between disadvantaged populations, who are already being hit harder by the virus as it is. Many parents are frustrated by having to do online schooling and want to send their kids back. Many kids are experiencing anxiety and depression and want to get back to school. In single parent families, families with children with disabilities, and families where both parents have to work and there are no options for child care, the stress is a thousand times worse. With a 100% in school or 100% online scenario, will schools in lower SES parts of town see the percentage of kids in the in school option rise so high that social distancing is impossible? Will the school districts force those kids to come back to school physically if they do not sign in to online learning so that they don't lose attendance financing from the state? Will we see a scenario where parents in the wealthy parts of town drop off donations of Lysol wipes, masks, hand sanitizer and anything else the school requests, while schools on the other side of town go without?
I get that 50/50 online and in person would be trickier to facilitate, particularly if they also had to allow the option for kids who wanted to do 100% online. But I just don't see how they're going to effectively social distance or keep kids/teachers/staff/families from getting sick under the plan proposed.
Answer to your question bolded above:
Yes, the individual State Boards of Education who sit at desks all day long think the teachers can do that and that the kids will behave perfectly with the new rules and guidelines.
These would be people who haven't seen the inside of a classroom in over 40 years.
I used to work in the schools. Not anymore for a while & I don't have little kids, thank God! I'm really nervous & worried for everyone out there too since school's about to start up again.
I honestly think everyone staying at home doing remote learning is the best. .
Ok nervous/health concerns yes.
Remote learning the best........no
Even if your student is focused and likes school it still is a tough way to learn. Too many kids are goofballs and will not apply themselves seriously. My sister is a teacher in the midwest and their district basically told the teachers the kids could NOT get a lower grade than they got the previous semester but if their grades improved then of course they earned it. Is that really learning?
I'm a numbers person, accounting student in middle-age. Was real estate appraiser prior.
All I can say is that here in Michigan, about 8.3% of the people that contract the virus die.
Worldwide, an estimated 4.5% die that have contracted the virus - but we suspect it is an underestimate, as many died not being tested for the virus prior to death.
So if the virus spreads throughout an entire school, then who dies?
Not counting the asymtomatic spread from kids, to family, to community, then those at highest risk are the school teachers, the administrators, kitchen cooks, janitors who are less likely to survive due to their older age and any other pre-existing conditions.
So, be prepared to explain to your child why exactly their math teacher had to die, or their history teacher.
My husband and I are not in agreement on this one. He says he would prefer hybrid system of learning with some clustering on occasion. I say no clustering, and all Zoom, on-line learning, and independent study until there is a vaccine.
This is still a very dangerous virus, highly contagious, and ICU's are at capacity. I just had a major surgery (cancer patient), and my poor roommate at hospital needed ICU care and all the ICU beds full in Ann Arbor, MI. Horrible to see the nurses trying to help, and making calls & no where to send the patient. They had to find a spot in main hospital and move equipment and resources around at a moments notice.
But wearing masks is helping greatly. Everyone should keep wearing masks to help spread the virus, and keep a life style of only essential outings to confined spaces. While I was in hospital, except for my surgery where I had breathing tube in, I had a mask whenever seeing a doctor. Nurses always had on masks too whenever within proximity of patients. Only one came of my doctors contracted the virus, and had to home quarantine for a few months. My nurses - many said not allowed to see their own families for now. What a sacrifice to make.
So I say take all learning on-line until the vaccine is here. 8.3% odds of dying here in Michigan if catch this highly contagious virus is just too high. Stop and think - 1000 kids and faculty at local high school. Everyone catches the virus due to confined space. Kids are tough, only 1% die, and most have no symptoms, but carry virus home to extended family or out into community. But a high percentage of the faculty and staff die - up to 8.3% or more. All in the name of needing babysitters, kids out of the house, in-person education, and capitalism. Think we need to readjust and redesign the system for now - one that works but allows for physical distancing, not social distancing. Zoom and newly designed fun interactive on-line platforms is great for this, and will likely grow in popularity even after this virus is behind us.
Last edited by PacificaViews; 07-10-2020 at 11:01 AM..
I'm a numbers person, accounting student in middle-age. Was real estate appraiser prior.
All I can say is that here in Michigan, about 9% of the people that contract the virus die.
In the USA, an estimated 4% die that have contracted the virus.
So if the virus spreads throughout an entire school, then who dies?
Not counting the spread from kids, to family, to community, then those at highest risks are the school teachers, the administrators, kitchen cooks, janitors who are less likely to survive due to their older age and any other pre-existing conditions.
So, be prepared to explain to your child why exactly their math teacher had to die, or their history teacher.
My husband and I are not in agreement on this one. He says he would prefer hybrid system of learning with some clustering on occasion. I say no clustering, and all Zoom, on-line learning, and independent study until there is a vaccine.
This is still a very dangerous virus, highly contagious, and ICU's are at capacity. I just had a major surgery (cancer patient), and my poor roommate at hospital needed ICU care and all the ICU beds full in Ann Arbor, MI. Horrible to see the nurses trying to help, and making calls & no where to send the patient. They had to find a spot in main hospital and move equipment and resources around at a moments notice.
I say take all learning on-line until the vaccine is here. 9% odds of dying here in Michigan if catch this highly contagious virus is just too high. Stop and think - 1000 kids and faculty at local high school. Everyone catches the virus due to confined space. Kids are tough, only 1% die, and most have no symptoms, but carry virus home to extended family or out into community. But a high percentage of the faculty and staff die - up to 9% or more. All in the name of needing babysitters, kids out of the house, in-person education, and capitalism. Think we need to readjust the system for now - one that works but allows for physical distancing, not social distancing. Zoom is great for this.
But wearing masks is helping greatly. Everyone should keep wearing masks to help spread the virus, and keep a life style of only essential outings to confined spaces. While I was in hospital, except for my surgery where I had breathing tube in, I had a mask whenever seeing a doctor. Nurses always had on masks too whenever within proximity of patients. Only one came of my doctors contracted the virus, and had to home quarantine for a few months. My nurses - many said not allowed to see their own families for now. What a sacrifice to make.
Great points. (although, those death rate numbers seem pretty high).
Yes. I work in education as a paraprofessional. I work at a district summer day care camp. One of the three sites for camp had a Covid case and the household will open. There might be another case at another camp now. I'm in Arizona and cases are going up. The only reason tests aren't as many positive (as a total, the percentage is much higher) is fewer tests and longer waits processing them. I fear because of my parents. Both have comorbidities. Myself, I only don't want it to spread it since I live with and help out my parents.
I work with kids that need a schedule and consistency. I really feel bad for them. However I want it safe for them.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mainebrokerman
If I were superintendent to schools
I would institute a “ mentoring “ program
Of top kids in 11&12 grades who could substitute
A classroom if necessary in elementary and
Middle schools
Give the kidS xtra credit -
This way the system has a back up plan - for subs and teachers
Who may get the virus
It may not be perfect but at least it’s a plan B
Or
Try to solicit college students in the teacher/ educational degrees
For the same purpose this could be there hands on “ clinical”
good idea!
and....
There are MANY very effective ways to learn besides traditional USA school...
We 'unschooled'... our kids were involved in our daily lives and finances and travel planning (Lived overseas).
We had family businesses (for the kids). They designed and built their own homes (jr high).
Not tough, (except for parent's career and income,) but that's trivial compared to educating your kids in LIFE.
Ours graduated magna from college before age 20, so missing out on K-12 didn't seem to cripple their learning or application of knowledge.
Lots of very viable options.
From an income / learning perspective... LOCK down / quarantine is a great time to build a new house with your kids and capture the $500k tax free gain ((MFJ) or $250k for single filers) when you build and sell every 24 months. Repeat as necessary.
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