Coronavirus in Massachusetts (Ayer: rail, park, small businesses)

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by wror

Time to stop the booze drinking and POT smoking,stop trying to escape reality, and be strong minded adults.

I moved 5 cases out of the wine cellar of my Vermont place on Friday. If we’re dining in every night, I want to be able to pull a cork without risking sure death buying wine at the plague-infested liquor store.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by yesmaybe

You would think weed (well smoking anything) would be real bad for a respiratory illness.

Maybe there’s a rush on brownie mix?

[OutdoorLover]

Originally Posted by yesmaybe

You would think weed (well smoking anything) would be real bad for a respiratory illness.

I was thinking the same thing. If respiratory health needs to be supported, smoking isn't going to be your best bet.

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by mdovell

Kinda sorta. Reminds me of the anti charter arguments bug vocational schools often can't bend over for sped. Mass stare constitution has public education as a right but it does not say it has to be in a classroom.

It isn't that hard to buy and distribute chromebooks. So it is the same access.

Except if you have severe special needs and don't know how to use a chormebook then you still don't have access to education. A lot of SPED programs would be very difficult or near impossible to run online.

I stand by my statement that this about all students legally required to have access to the same education as their peers and not everyone can do that online whether it's because of a disability or because of poverty.

Originally Posted by Bridge781

Also what about the sat? All online with no proctor? Ha. I guess there is online proctoring now though. Verificient and software secure have been doing this a while.

SAT has been cancelled for now.

Originally Posted by GeoffD

The other issue is that virtually everyone in affluent towns has broadband and every child has access to a PC. You can do remote classrooms. In low income school districts, it's not like that. Broadband isn't as universal. People don't have PCs at home.



I also think that most white collar professional parents will be home schooling their children.

Someone recently remarked to me that they felt some school districts are not moving classes online because not all students have access to the internet at home.

Also, most of my white collar friends are still working. My friends who are doctors are working quite hard right now in fact. They definitely don't have the time or energy to also be home school teachers.

[chicagoliz]

I'm not so sure even a lot of SAHP have the skills, ability, and inclination to seriously homeschool the kids. (And, frankly, I doubt this with respect to many of the parents who actually are "officially" homeschooling their kids.) It's not something that's easy to do and isn't always easy to get kids to cooperate -- often they'll listen to a teacher but not to you.

For most high school classes, it would be very difficult for parents to homeschool most of the subjects, although it's possible you could find a good online program or utilize Kahn Academy or something like that.

I'm not really so worried about the specific curriculum items the kids will miss -- those can be learned at some other time. I'm more worried about all those other 'extras' and social aspects that are being missed. I have a 4th grader who particularly likes his teacher this year, and it's a really sad thing if the year just ends abruptly and he essentially never really sees the teacher again.

[Bridge781]

If someone is a dr, scientist, teacher then they’re probably going to be fine with homeschooling their kids. However a lot of home schooling is just keeping kids organized and making sure they’re working on the right assignments for their level. Teachers are helping with that.

High school is a different game. I don’t know what I’d do if my kids were in high school now as far as helping them with math.

It is sad though to think kids might not be going back to school. Proms are likely going to be cancelled

[OutdoorLover]

Originally Posted by chicagoliz

I'm not so sure even a lot of SAHP have the skills, ability, and inclination to seriously homeschool the kids. (And, frankly, I doubt this with respect to many of the parents who actually are "officially" homeschooling their kids.) It's not something that's easy to do and isn't always easy to get kids to cooperate -- often they'll listen to a teacher but not to you.
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I agree with that. Not all teachers are good teachers, but I believe for every teacher that shouldn't be teaching, there are 100 parents who shouldn't be teaching. I still recall the one time my Dad decided to help me with math. (A) He wasn't good at explaining things and (B) he quickly became frustrated and told me "You don't understand that? Well then you're stupid!" - not only did he stink as an explainer, he went right to the cardinal sin for a teacher. I learned nothing and was hurt. For what it's worth, I later went far beyond my father's very pedestrian achievements in math, doing applied math research in my postdoctoral fellowship. But I am sure glad I didn't need to rely on my father - if we had more sessions it would have really damaged me.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by Bridge781

High school is a different game. I don’t know what I’d do if my kids were in high school now as far as helping them with math.

I can't even help the elementary school kids with the crap they call math now days!

[bizcuit]

Originally Posted by Bridge781

Just saw as well. I wonder what the pre existing condition was.

Also saw a woman on the cape tested positive and now 60 others are in quarantine.

I do think people aren’t taking the stay at home stuff seriously. Just too many people out walking, in parks, at stores. This ain’t gonna work.

They have said very clearly, over & over, that being outside walking or hiking is fine. Just keep social distancing.

[brightdoglover]

Originally Posted by yesmaybe

You would think weed (well smoking anything) would be real bad for a respiratory illness.

The local guy I know who has severe COPD (with collapsed lungs, etc) smoked cigs and MJ every day since age 12 until illness in his 50s. Stopped smoking with his first collapsed lung around age 50, I believe now ingests his MJ. Says his lungs are "like glass."
Medically speaking, I am quite sure that MJ is at least as bad for lungs as cigarettes. Maybe the only plus is that people who smoke cigs are more likely to smoke more of them and more often.