Are you sending your kids to school next month?

[sk!mom]

Many parents are basing their options on needing childcare.

Absolutely true for many. If schools open, their decision is made due to needing childcare.

I disagree. We want what is best for our children socially and academically. I don't need a babysitter. If virtual learning was successful I wouldn't have been so opposed to it. Teachers state they want to teach not die. What makes it more dangerous for them versus other essential workers? Education is essential not a luxury.

In theory, yes, we all want what is best for our children. If you do not have to weigh childcare needs in your decision making process, then consider yourself part of a privileged class. Many many people lack that privilege. Many have to work and the months of no school have been a definite hardship.

 

[motherof5]

Absolutely true for many. If schools open, their decision is made due to needing childcare.




In theory, yes, we all want what is best for our children. If you do not have to weigh childcare needs in your decision making process, then consider yourself part of a privileged class. Many many people lack that privilege. Many have to work and the months of no school have been a definite hardship.

I do have to work but that is not why I want them in school. Teachers are saying parents are treating school like a babysitting service. This is what I disagree with. I want school to provide my children with the proper education.

 

[MillauFr]

I agree, no masks, they cannot be allowed into school.

Do you mean the kids cannot be allowed into school unless they are wearing masks? Or do you mean the masks cannot be allowed into school?

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

I also think many parents are projecting their feelings about this. I know I was doing that until I realized that my kid could not care less whether she goes in person or not.

This year will be a blip on the radar for most kids. I went to 4 different high schools in 4 different states, sometimes moving in January. Then I was out of my senior year for 4 months due to knee surgery. It didn't scar me for life emotionally.

Kids missed entire academic years after hurricane Katrina.

It's going to be ok in the long run. Everyone will get through this.

Yes, exactly! I know back when our numbers were decent, I really wanted my kids back in a hybrid model (knowing full time in person wasn’t an option). But when I sat down and talked with my kids about it, they all individually and overwhelmingly said they wanted to do remote learning if they had to go back with social distancing and masks. That it wasn’t the school experience they wanted either way. Now that answer may change by the time hybrid is allowed, but I realized I need to listen to them and their wants/needs, instead of assuming I know.

It sucks that our kids are losing a year of the childhood, but I agree, it is a blip. And they aren’t alone, everybody is in the same boat. Whether they’re doing distance learning or in person, nothing about this year will be normal or give them the education they should be getting.

We as parents need to step up and help them make the best of this and remind them that this isn’t forever.

 

[RF536]

Yes, he will be attending face to face school, if it is available. For several reasons, the main one being our internet data is limited so virtual learning is not productive. What data we have, I have to have to use for work as I am not allowed to return to my office. If he has to do virtual, chances are he will end up at a friends house. He has also worked almost everyday during the quarantine, so I don't really see a reason to keep him home. He also attends a career center half of the day. The program he is in, is hands on, so he has to attend unless the governor moves us back to phase 3, then all school will be virtual.

 

[TJA]

We just had an "official" survey to fill out that is due in 2 days because every district in New York State needs to submit opening plans to our governor by July 30 or 31. We had to put down our child's name, grade, parent name, if our child needs to take a bus, and then 2 options to choose from:

1) my child will either be homeschooled OR my child will participate in a virtual-only program if it is provided by our school.

2) my child will participate in in-school schooling.

The paragraph at the top of the survey said we must follow NYS mandates including daily health screenings, face coverings, and social distancing or physical barriers. Due to these NYS mandates, it is likely we may have to START with a hybrid model to reduce density in buildings.

These forms are due by July 24, which will give the school one week to finalize "paper" plans to submit to our governor. I will say, our school has actively been working on classrooms and plans for well over a month now because they want to be prepared to open. So if the governor approves the plans, then the school shouldn't have to "hurry up" and comply.

 

[godisney14]

I do have to work but that is not why I want them in school. Teachers are saying parents are treating school like a babysitting service. This is what I disagree with. I want school to provide my children with the proper education.

If you don’t think some parents view schools as daycare, then you have a very rosy view.

Remote learning can be just as “proper” if executed well. Fortunately, some districts and schools did it well, but some did not.

Same with the idea that somehow only going to school in person will provide children with emotional well-being. There are introverts and extroverts among homeschooled kids, and similarly, there are introverts and extroverts in public schools.


ETA: I think it would be prudent for all schools to continue to develop and hone their remote learning processes, even if a school can open doors to in-person teaching to begin the year. I say this because you never know how the virus situation will play out in the Fall and Winter.

 

[anniemae]

I do have to work but that is not why I want them in school. Teachers are saying parents are treating school like a babysitting service. This is what I disagree with. I want school to provide my children with the proper education.

School will always be free childcare to many. It's just the way it is. It will also be a safe haven for many kids, a place to get a free meal when they would go hungry at home, and a place to get services and health screenings etc. School has become more than just a place to get an education.

On our community fb page, there are many many parents wanting school to open because they have to work. It's just reality, if you have young school age children, and are from a two parent working household with no work from home option, school is your child care. Parent are in a pickle. They have to work but will also have to stay home if their districts go remote. You can't be in two places at the same time and don't have the option to quit because you need money. What's a parent to do? It's an awful situation.

Some communities are forming co-ops so groups of kids can work together at someones house. It could work if you can get one day off a week from work and rotate the kids to a different house each day.

 

[GreatLakes]

We will make the decision based on the safety for our child. He is scheduled to be in 2-day a week preschool as of now but we will see. If we don't feel it is safe we will delay sending him. While it would be easier for us to concentrate on work if he was not here every day we manage and will continue to do so if necessary.

I am surprised at how poorly some districts did with remote teaching. I have been doing some of my MBA remote and find the medium great when implemented properly. Most industries had to implement new remote work functionality on the fly and did it quickly and successfully. Listening to educators online would make you think they were the only industry that had to make on the fly changes to how they deliver their services as opposed to being one of many industries that had to do this in a short amount of time. Anecdotally educators seem very resistant to moving to electronic teaching while most of the other professionals I work with had no real resistance to delivering their service remotely and electronically.

ETA: Even if schools open it is likely many will have to close in cycles so being able to shift between in-person and online seamlessly in both directions is what they should all be striving towards.

 

[Kamy04]

I agree, no masks, they cannot be allowed into school.

What if you work with exempt populations?
It’s not as simple as that for all teachers. I teach young kids (under 4). Kids that age probably won’t keep masks on (though I think many would for at least a bit) and many of them have sensory issues. My school has said no masks for kids OR teachers citing the AAP recommendations (that have been walked back) and a bunch of articles from early in the pandemic when they said masks didn’t help and since they “don’t protect the wearer” (which I always say the benefit is less than 0, so I’m sure they help some). Also no distancing due to the age. I will be within a foot of kids for 8 hours a day and providing hand held assistance the majority of that.

We literally have to rely on parents to keep their kids home with symptoms (Ha! Preschoolers snot and cough ALL YEAR without Covid) and take temperatures (when they’ve had meds) and pray for the best. My kids put everything in their mouths still. We could literally station a teacher at the sink all day for the amount of hand washing that would be needed to truly be effective.

We aren’t doing shared supplies thankfully and we are “disinfecting more,” which we already did constantly. I don’t even know how to disinfect more when we are constantly with the kids who need 1:1 support.

Just about every other person I know working has more protections than I will have as a teacher. Masks (currently required here in stories and businesses), distancing, plexiglass, different schedules, less people around, etc. I am terrified. I can’t divulge too much about my job, but taking a year off is not financially or in other ways feasible.

I have already spent a ton of money getting individual bins for my students, extra supplies (play doh, crayons) because kids won’t have them sometimes, bins to sort activities/toys by groups to lessen the shared items. A new computer for if we go virtual when there are (inevitably) cases. A thermometer for my classroom. Extra hand sanitizer for if our pumps run out and extra hand soap for if we run out midday. Clorox wipes because parents can’t find them (I can’t anymore, but could for a few weeks). We have spray, but spraying every toy and waiting for it to dry is not realistic. These things are NOT provided by most schools. Spray disinfectant might be...IF you are allowed to have it in your room.

Teachers are in a tough position. We WANT to go back! I want nothing more. But it’s not safe the way schools work.

Cases rising here and the spread is getting bad. Most districts are moving to start the year virtual now and pushing back start dates. My sons district has a great plan (and masks required at preschool). But not all places do, and those teachers are at risk and at the mercy of others.

And there aren’t enough tests for kids here! Schools won’t do anything unless it is confirmed and there is almost no way to get it “confirmed.” We need a lot better testing to do this safely.

I don’t see how this is going to work.

(BTW, I am masking despite all this...bought clear masks and we will see what happens)

 

[barkley]

Many parents are basing their options on needing childcare.

I disagree. We want what is best for our children socially and academically. I don't need a babysitter. If virtual learning was successful I wouldn't have been so opposed to it. Teachers state they want to teach not die. What makes it more dangerous for them versus other essential workers? Education is essential not a luxury.

you might not need a babysitter but the reality is-close to 65% of 2 parent intact households are comprised of 2 employed parents. in single parent households the numbers range from 75-85% of those single parents being employed. this means that for allot of the u.s. population-childcare is a key factor in their decision making process for schooling options.

as for the danger for teachers vs other essential workers. i can only speak based on my own experiences/knowledge. during my life i worked at one point in a hospital and at another point as a teacher. at the hospital there were all kinds of protective gear/structuring of worksite (patient/provider and staff areas) to minimize negative health impact on staff. as a teacher? nothing in place. beyond there not being the pressing need as exists today, the act of in person effectively teaching kids entails close contact that just is not suited to what is called for/provided for in a traditional infectious environment. at the hospital i would have had to do a clean down before i moved from patient to patient (even some patient rooms to others) to protect not only myself but the patients. at a school? not practical.

the teachers i know that are concerned are not saying they are in more danger than other essential workers-just that they can't be afforded the same protection if they are to provide the quality/benefits of face to face instruction people expect. at our local businesses, essential and non-staff have protective barriers around their work stations and customers must maintain a 5' distance for 'personal interactions'. i've not heard of any onsite schooling proposal that provides teachers with protective barriers from their students and i've yet to figure out how a teacher could move through their classroom and manage to maintain a constant 5' distance from every person (they would need a 10' foot perimeter around them which means less than a dozen kids could fit in a traditional classroom w/their desks set up for the 5' rule).


good luck parents (and teachers)-i don't envy the choices that have to be made.

 

[KittyKitty]

I am surprised at how poorly some districts did with remote teaching.

Please don't judge how last spring was to the coming up school year.

Last spring was horrible for everyone. 2 day notice to close schools at my district. Teachers did have 2 weeks to come up with lesson plans, some worked, some didn't. My district has their 21K students use Chrome Books, 1 to 1, from 2nd grade up. So that helped. Students who didn't have the internet at home were given "Hot Spots" for them to use. Not always the best.
My district has been working on the new school year all summer. As probably every other business out there.

Fingers crossed!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

School is definitely “childcare.” People utilize daycare until school starts. Then if needed they use morning and afternoon programs. There’s obviously no need for childcare once school starts. If there were a need you’d see daycare centers year round (not just summer) for all ages. Kids are getting an education and being watched by adults. I know plenty of people that went back to work when their kids started school because they now had childcare.

I hear everyone saying have a plan b. Who the heck plans for a pandemic plan b?! When my kids were younger we had a plan b for school closures due to weather or the kids getting sick but no way are people planning for months of school closures. And on top of that doing online learning plus working a full time job.

And for those saying one parent can quit their job and make it work....money aside, do you really want that huge of a percentage of the workforce just quitting? All of those essential employees. If that’s the case my hospital system of 8000 employees will be screwed. All those nurses and other essential employees quitting. Jobs that require specialized training so you can’t hire any joe blow off the street.

 

[barkley]

I am surprised at how poorly some districts did with remote teaching.

what i don't understand (at least in my state) is why the existing on-line teaching system couldn't have been/isn't being utilized. one of the options for free public schooling here (available long before the pandemic) is entirely on-line. the program has the same curriculum as the public schools, is held to the same learning goals (so month to month what is covered in a classroom lines up with what is covered on-line), has the same learning outcomes. so why are the districts going nuts trying to figure out how to reinvent the wheel for on-line teaching? they could take what is already in place, proven to work, meets state standards and train their staff to be able to use it. that way if face to face isn't possible they are up and ready, if a hybrid is required then teachers/students could seamlessly move from one instructional mode to another. it doesn't address the issues with poor/no internet in some areas but it addresses the mechanics of how to provide for areas that do have internet.

 

[jlnten17]

My children will be attending in person school in Illinois (fingers crossed it is not cancelled).

 

[Searc]

I was hoping the surveys would help determine who wanted to go back to school so they could see how to make accomodations. Doesn't seem like they are listening to parents.

Parents want kids to go back to school so they don't have to pay for childcare.

 

[Searc]

I also think many parents are projecting their feelings about this. I know I was doing that until I realized that my kid could not care less whether she goes in person or not.

This year will be a blip on the radar for most kids. I went to 4 different high schools in 4 different states, sometimes moving in January. Then I was out of my senior year for 4 months due to knee surgery. It didn't scar me for life emotionally.

Kids missed entire academic years after hurricane Katrina.

It's going to be ok in the long run. Everyone will get through this.

If these past months of doing nothing but playing video games online with friends, texting their friends all day and staying home scar kids for life, they have far deeper problems than not going to school.

 

[Renarr]

I am surprised at how poorly some districts did with remote teaching. I have been doing some of my MBA remote and find the medium great when implemented properly. Most industries had to implement new remote work functionality on the fly and did it quickly and successfully. Listening to educators online would make you think they were the only industry that had to make on the fly changes to how they deliver their services as opposed to being one of many industries that had to do this in a short amount of time. Anecdotally educators seem very resistant to moving to electronic teaching while most of the other professionals I work with had no real resistance to delivering their service remotely and electronically.

I did my Master's degree completely online, and found that worked well for me, my schedule, and my wallet. I also admittedly tend to be a pretty good self-starter and not much of a procrastinator (well, except perhaps for with the laundry).

But one difference between post-secondary work and K-12 work is upon whom the primary responsibility lies if students don't learn. If you were to stop your MBA right now, your program isn't held liable for that choice. In K-12 education, so much of that primary responsibility is placed on the educator and the schools. The number of times in my work that I've been asked, "What more could you do to make sure that [Johnny] is successful?" is countless.

Now I absolutely believe that this is mostly how it should be, but that challenge grows immensely when trying to execute that task remotely. In a classroom, there are tools at my disposal that I can use to help make sure students are on-task as well as visual signals that I can read from student reactions, but our district has taken the view that student laptop cameras need to remain off, so I literally can't see what they're doing. In some respects, I've felt like a less funny version of a late-night host having more trouble seeing if his material is landing. And if families don't respond to e-mails, phone calls, or other media for communication, how can I assess why it is that students aren't engaging?

From that point of view, I do think remote teaching is more challenging because there's a significant paradigm shift regarding the roles that the parties (teachers, parents, students) play in the education of the student. Necessarily, there are deeper limitations to what the teacher can do, and some of those tasks are those that teachers have been expected to do previously.

Also, I'll admit it, there are almost certainly teachers who mailed it in during the spring. For any areas where remote teaching occurs, that cannot be permitted this fall.

 

[mjkacmom]

what i don't understand (at least in my state) is why the existing on-line teaching system couldn't have been/isn't being utilized. one of the options for free public schooling here (available long before the pandemic) is entirely on-line. the program has the same curriculum as the public schools, is held to the same learning goals (so month to month what is covered in a classroom lines up with what is covered on-line), has the same learning outcomes. so why are the districts going nuts trying to figure out how to reinvent the wheel for on-line teaching? they could take what is already in place, proven to work, meets state standards and train their staff to be able to use it. that way if face to face isn't possible they are up and ready, if a hybrid is required then teachers/students could seamlessly move from one instructional mode to another. it doesn't address the issues with poor/no internet in some areas but it addresses the mechanics of how to provide for areas that do have internet.

I don’t think that exists in my state, I looked for public online schooling, the only option is private.

 

[jlnten17]

Parents want kids to go back to school so they don't have to pay for childcare.

This may be a valid concern for many parents who are in "essential" positions and are now paying daycare costs exceeding what they may even be making while working. However, there are many other reasons as daycare costs are not the reason we hope our kids can return to in person learning. My largest concern is that I am incapable of providing the support my children need to complete new material in an e-learning setting as are many parents that work full time. I am also very strict in limiting my children's use of electronic devices and the Internet but when they are required to attend Zoom classroom meetings and complete coursework online much of that has to be done under the supervision of the daycare provider and I am already noticing an increased "addiction" to electronics in my 2 elementary age children. When kids are going to be in a daycare setting anyway due to the essential employment of parents there is still going to be a risks. I feel our school district has done an outstanding job in a very difficult situation to make the classroom as safe as possible. Masks, social distancing, shorter days, more sanitizing, etc.