COVID19-thread (Title change, Thread for serious info only).

[SWeAT hOg]

Philadelphia just announced a 180 degree change - Virtual Remote Learning will now replace "back to classrooms" when school resumes in September.

I believe this will be the story for most jurisdictions. The kids who are sent back will be the guinea pigs, and any compromised adult in their lives will be at risk.

 

[CB91710]

It may be the best pre-university training the kids will ever get(daughter heading into grade 12> then onward).Had to finish this year thinking on her feet,and lift herself up to be motivated enough to do research,on her own,to finish grade 11.

ps: hey northern guy,remember what i said way back in,march>have you got your online teaching proto in shape?.The absolute best teachers going forward will have a stellar online course,that challenges,teaches,and does not let the laggards through.pass or fail.

It could be great for students heading to university, but awful for those who chose skills courses.

I have my Math and English programs ready to go. Math hasn’t changed all that much, but it was challenging to help individual students over a webcam. My English program will start with the Animal Farm study I put together in the spring.

However, I doubt I’m done. I assume that every teacher will be covering all subjects, much like a grade school teacher. I’m still waiting to hear how it will roll out.

And it may not be a bad thing for older students who are close to heading to a university, but it simply doesn't work for primary school aged children.
They need the social interaction with the teacher and students, and it needs to be physical.
We spend years teaching them that what they see on cartoons and other TV shows is not real... then we immediately thrust them into a situation where not only is the screen supposed to be real, it is supposed to teach them.
That's not going to be easy for them to process.... and it is a very bad thing that they come away thinking that the screen *should* tell them what to think.

 

[HardCore Troubadour]

Here is our back to school plan...we got the word yesterday......I have been an educator for 25 years and I have no real clue how I am going to make this happen.....but don’t be fooled, I will...and so will the rest of the teachers to the best of our ability......

@northernguitarguy you are having to teach multiple subjects, out of field?

http://xserve.lcsd.k12.sc.us/LCSD/Web/ReopeningPlan/FINALGeneralInfoandFlowchart.pdf

http://xserve.lcsd.k12.sc.us/LCSD/Web/ReopeningPlan/FINALLCSDREOPENING.pdf

 

[SWeAT hOg]

Here is our back to school plan...we got the word yesterday......I have been an educator for 25 years and I have no real clue how I am going to make this happen.....but don’t be fooled, I will...and so will the rest of the teachers to the best of our ability......

@northernguitarguy you are having to teach multiple subjects, out of field?

http://xserve.lcsd.k12.sc.us/LCSD/Web/ReopeningPlan/FINALGeneralInfoandFlowchart.pdf

http://xserve.lcsd.k12.sc.us/LCSD/Web/ReopeningPlan/FINALLCSDREOPENING.pdf

It’s looking that way for our middle schools. Primary won’t be much different, but the plan is that all rotary will be suspended and middle school will feel like primary. Students will stay in one room, all day and their movements will be highly curtailed.
I assume that many subjects will be ‘shelved’. The Toronto board has suggested dropping their French program. Music classes at best will be appreciation and theory. Art classes will be lame. Science will be all ‘virtual’ experiments as kids learn things like displacement by zeroes and ones, not with water and beakers.
What that leaves me and other classroom teachers to cover? Like I said up thread, it’ll be the ‘three Rs’. Mostly Math and Language Arts, which I have adaptable programming to work with. Gym, Music, Art, Library teachers will be scrambling a lot more than me. However, I’m sure we will all come together to come up with a plan for them. I personally wouldn’t care if someone rides on my coattails to get started.

 

[SWeAT hOg]

And it may not be a bad thing for older students who are close to heading to a university, but it simply doesn't work for primary school aged children.
They need the social interaction with the teacher and students, and it needs to be physical.
We spend years teaching them that what they see on cartoons and other TV shows is not real... then we immediately thrust them into a situation where not only is the screen supposed to be real, it is supposed to teach them.
That's not going to be easy for them to process.... and it is a very bad thing that they come away thinking that the screen *should* tell them what to think.

Even then, the plan put forward for primary (and middle school) grades will look nothing like what they’ve been used to. The interaction will not be the same, and kids will need a period of adjustment. And some, whose special needs have been catered to for most of their education, I believe are really going to struggle. And then we get to the kids on the autism spectrum....I have no clue how we accommodate some of them.

 

[electric head]

One thing that never seems to be brought up is the fact that many kids live in complete hell holes and school is a respite from that.
Certainly in many homes the kids will be fine and have parents that are capable of helping out and ensuring their kids participate in the on-line activities.
I am sure there are many kids who have parents that could care less or are too busy.
My wife's best friend has 2 daughters who are both teachers and they are in no rush to go back to school.
Her friend also works at the school as an aid and during the school closure her job has been to sit at home and spend a chunk of her day calling parents of kids who are not participating in any school activities.
Some of the stories she hears from parents if they even answer are hilarious but sad..

Its going to be as mess no matter what..

IMO they should go back to school half days.

 

[SWeAT hOg]

One thing that never seems to be brought up is the fact that many kids live in complete hell holes and school is a respite from that.
Certainly in many homes the kids will be fine and have parents that are capable of helping out and ensuring their kids participate in the on-line activities.
I am sure there are many kids who have parents that could care less or are too busy.
My wife's best friend has 2 daughters who are both teachers and they are in no rush to go back to school.
Her friend also works at the school as an aid and during the school closure her job has been to sit at home and spend a chunk of her day calling parents of kids who are not participating in any school activities.
Some of the stories she hears from parents if they even answer are hilarious but sad..

Its going to be as mess no matter what..

IMO they should go back to school half days.

I’m not sure who would be in a rush to be a part of an experiment that could have serious medical consequences.

 

[Pop1655]

I don’t say this in jest or mean to make light of it. The only way I see school working is if Covid gets treated like the flu. You get it, you go home until you’re well. Take my herd. There’s 4 of em. If you do contact tracing and continue to quarantine all exposed, what do figure the chances are of one of my 4 being quarantined everyday all year? I put it at 100%.

What options are there?

 

[HardCore Troubadour]

if you see the links I posted, we are going to check/screen absolutely everyone (students and staff) everyday....students do not get out of a car etc. before their temp is taken....you do not pass all screening, you are immediately isolated and sent home.

that will take some time (we are a school of about 1400, normally).



half days are essentially what we are doing....if you did not read the link, in a nutshell:

we are going to do a hybrid schedule with A-B-C days....or the student can opt for 100% online (they have to stay all semester, no jumping back and forth).

Hybrid for high school: (elementary will be a little different.)


Mon.-Tues. will be A days, with half the population (minus 100% online students)

Thus.-Fri. will be B days with the other half of the population.

Weds. will be a C day, no students in the building except for for remediation, help, meetings etc. etc. and this does include 100% online students, any student can make an appointment and come get help.


so, basically students will be in school 2 days per week and at home 3 days per week working remotely.

 

[Roxy13]

Calling parents can be depressing.

Your son/daughter doesn't bring any supplies to my class. No writing utensil or paper or calculator. Oh, I bought him/her all those things but still sitting in the plastic bags from the store in our hall closet. He/she refuses to use them.

Your son/daughter has stopped doing his/her work for me. Oh, s/he hates school and everything else and there is nothing I can do about it.

 

[SWeAT hOg]

if you see the links I posted, we are going to check/screen absolutely everyone (students and staff) everyday....students do not get out of a car etc. before their temp is taken....you do not pass all screening, you are immediately isolated and sent home.

that will take some time (we are a school of about 1400, normally).



half days are essentially what we are doing....if you did not read the link, in a nutshell:

we are going to do a hybrid schedule with A-B-C days....or the student can opt for 100% online (they have to stay all semester, no jumping back and forth).

Hybrid for high school: (elementary will be a little different.)


Mon.-Tues. will be A days, with half the population (minus 100% online students)

Thus.-Fri. will be B days with the other half of the population.

Weds. will be a C day, no students in the building except for for remediation, help, meetings etc. etc. and this does include 100% online students, any student can make an appointment and come get help.


so, basically students will be in school 2 days per week and at home 3 days per week working remotely.

This plan seems universal; I’ve heard the same proposal for our board.

 

[SteveC]

And it may not be a bad thing for older students who are close to heading to a university, but it simply doesn't work for primary school aged children.
They need the social interaction with the teacher and students, and it needs to be physical.
We spend years teaching them that what they see on cartoons and other TV shows is not real... then we immediately thrust them into a situation where not only is the screen supposed to be real, it is supposed to teach them.
That's not going to be easy for them to process.... and it is a very bad thing that they come away thinking that the screen *should* tell them what to think.

Ya missed a generation+ there... maybe our generation was taught that. Some of us taught our childen that. But, our children's children... they are future Wall-E's. Every day as I look at out current generations of children - from the time they can operate a "device" through high school - our children, with very few exceptions, every single one of them, is holding a phone, tablet, or some other form of "a screen". They have zero attention for the real world. Most of their life comes from the glow in front of their faces.

Distance learning is right in their wheelhouse. Parents, OTOH, not so much.

Our kids need social interaction DESPERATELY! But, few will get it.

I don’t say this in jest or mean to make light of it. The only way I see school working is if Covid gets treated like the flu. You get it, you go home until you’re well. Take my herd. There’s 4 of em. If you do contact tracing and continue to quarantine all exposed, what do figure the chances are of one of my 4 being quarantined everyday all year? I put it at 100%.

What options are there?

It keeps me a awake at night, man. Really. It does.

I used to be more focused on the economic impacts, businesses (like yours) hurting, closing, workers unemployed... all of it. And, yes. It's still very valid and a HUGE problem. And, not going to end for a long, long time. I think we are in the top of the 3rd inning of a very long game in that regard.

But, I really struggle with the potential damage to our kids, though. There is NO good answer for this problem. Or, at least I am not smart enough to find one.

 

[Howard2k]

One thing that never seems to be brought up is the fact that many kids live in complete hell holes and school is a respite from that.

Yep - sadly that’s true. Lots of kids will be happy to be at home playing games or whatever, but for lots of kids school is a much needed escape.

 

[SteveC]

Yep - sadly that’s true. Lots of kids will be happy to be at home playing games or whatever, but for lots of kids school is a much needed escape.

See my previous post... school, specifically inside the classroom, may be one of the very few times when many kids interact with anything other than a pane of glass.

 

[SWeAT hOg]

This seems the likely guidance our province will follow.

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5667023

 

[WaywerdSon]

It could be great for students heading to university, but awful for those who chose skills courses.

I have my Math and English programs ready to go. Math hasn’t changed all that much, but it was challenging to help individual students over a webcam. My English program will start with the Animal Farm study I put together in the spring.

However, I doubt I’m done. I assume that every teacher will be covering all subjects, much like a grade school teacher. I’m still waiting to hear how it will roll out.

Can you get away with teaching Animal Farm? That book kinda goes against the current trends......

 

[SWeAT hOg]

Can you get away with teaching Animal Farm? Thjat book kinda goes against the current trends......

Get away with? I don’t understand. I got some compliments from parents and colleagues for my chapter readings. Some families (so they say) listened to them together. I certainly didn’t receive criticism for teaching it. The only criticism I’ve ever had for teaching AF came from a high school teacher who didn’t like that his students had already read it with me when they were mine.

 

[WaywerdSon]

Get away with? I don’t understand.

Animal Farm is such an anti-communist novel that I would think there are those amongst the administration that would be against it being taught

 

[SWeAT hOg]

Animal Farm is such an anti-communist novel that I would think there are those amongst the administration that would be against it being taught

See above. There are no administrations I know of who are stopping the teaching of it. I’ve never been told to not use it.

 

[WaywerdSon]

See above. There are no administrations I know of who are stopping the teaching of it.

Cool, i think its really important to have a counter to what they see and hear about how wonderful communism is