I think even if the schools somehow do manage to open in person they will have to shut down again on and off due to exposures and rising numbers this fall/winter.
I also think that IF we go back, we'll be in-and-out. That's why I've worked so hard this summer to get together ALL my lessons that'll work well online, and I'm going to send home a BIG FAT NOTEBOOK on the first day of school with EVERYTHING I might want my students to have.
If we're in school, my students will already have ALL their reading, and they won't have to use shared textbooks. And if we're out with little-or-no notice, I can say, "Check this worksheet in your notebook", and it'll be better than what I did in the spring.
Here's the thing: Maybe she could have held her ridiculous conversation until she was in private. She said other unfortunate things and was so busy ranting on her phone that she didn't even pay attention while her kid was walking through the parking lot behind her.
So she was right in concept but presented it poorly? Not uncommon.
When the kids are old enough they can help clean up. My daughter has been doing that since 2nd grade.
Thing is, in terms of sanitizing desks, they can't. Literally are not allowed because the chemicals are so harsh.
You are missing the point. It is too late for SR's. They will not complete a semester (or even a trimester) before college applications are due.
I guess I am missing the point because what you're saying is true every year. Seniors start school in August. College applications for the big state universities "open" online September 1st. Our on-the-ball students submit their applications in October and November.
IT WAS TERRIBLE in the Spring - there is no other word for it.
Oh, I think most teachers agree with you, but -- in everyone's defense -- a whole lot of things were bad in the spring that won't be bad in the fall:
- We left school on Friday, March 13 and were told that we'd start online instruction on Monday, March 16. Speaking only for myself, I had weeks of lessons and projects "laid out" for those upcoming weeks -- and they were designed for the classroom, not online. In the fall I'm going to start with the idea that we might "leave" any day, and I've had ample time to prepare.
- When we left in March, we weren't sure whether this would be a short 2-3 week thing or whether we'd be out the rest of the year. It took them weeks to decide whether we'd be taking state exams. It's really hard to plan when you don't know the full spectrum of expectations. I fear this will still be an issue in the fall, but teachers are much better prepared now.
- In the spring most of us
didn't know how to use Zoom, didn't know how to upload videos, etc. Now we've completed lots of trainings, and the county has thrown loads of resources at us. We know what we're doing.
- Not all our students had computers, and it took a couple weeks to do drive-through Chromebook pick-ups. Even after we gave out computers, some student didn't have home internet service.
In short, we were caught off-guard, but I don't think it's fair to assume that because spring was bad, fall will be too. Please try not to pass this idea on to your students. Give everyone the benefit of the doubt and send them to school with a positive attitude.
Besides, It is not the teachers who I am concerned about - it is the kids.
Oh, we're accustomed to no one caring, but we are an integral part of the situation.
As the people on the "front lines", we do have a good idea of what'll work/what won't -- but no one seems to be listening to us.
All of this social isolation is REALLY bad for them.
I don't disagree for a moment, but it's one of several problems with which we're dealing. Consider, too, that it was really bad for most of our students, but it was pretty good for a few -- they tend to be the invisible students who are left out or bullied. A few of my students really "shined" in online learning /greatly improved their work performance in those last weeks of school -- but they were the minority.
The bottom line is we are wasting time and these kids do not get a do-over.
Again, I don't disagree for a moment.