Covid and your kids

[Danno]

ISBD, that was really informative, thanks. I have a good enough attention span to have read it all.

[John_B]

To add to ISBD's very well written screed my local school also has issues with internet availability for all students. I cant remember the numbers I've heard but I believe ~20% of the district do not have available high quality internet at home. How do you go about making required homework assignments when this exists? The spring time solution was to make it so that students could only improve their grades post shutdown to avoid penalizing those without internet.

The area I live is a mountainous rural area so it's not as simple as riding a bike down to sit in front of the library to download lessons. Maybe something like prerecorded lessons that can be delivered weekly on a thumb drive? But then how does homework work?

[I've seen black diamonds!]

I want to add that I am in no way suggesting that ::: ::: should be satisfied with his kid's school. He shouldn't.

[muted]

I'm going to offer our babysitter to sit our 2 young kids full time during weekdays this fall in case our school is remote learning again. Gonna try to match what she earns at the school she works at in the fall (she babysits teachers kids at a school) to entice her away. But I have no idea what that number is.

[bodywhomper]

At the high school that one of my kids goes to, the school provided the opportunity for students to download assignment and upload assignments. These were for kids w/o access to reasonable quality internet.

Schools will likely need to develop multiple plans of they plan to have kids and teachers at school to cover circumstances of when kids or teachers are sick and out for over a month and when the schools shut down due to a spike of infection at the school or in the broader community.

[::: :::]

i totally get that school systems have to serve all, whatever that may mean in their specific district

also that private schooling is self-selecting for higher achievers (monoculture is easier to target)


no good solutions just yet as we are still struggling as communities to even understand our current status in the pandemic
hopefully, our solving vector will point ever more directly towards healing society & back towards normal

[AdironRider]

This is probably the biggest society upheaval from Covid. People currently seem fixated on masks but that is small potatoes to the realities of the school system changing and how that affects day to day American life. Online school from home 2-3 days a week is pretty much a non-starter for 80% of working families as a long term solution yet the school systems seem to be deadset on it from everyone I talk to. That is going to result in massive fundamental change about how everyone looks at work, school, family, social interaction, you name it.

I have a feeling public school is never going to be the same and as an expecting Dad I might as well just start saving for private school. I'm pretty pessimistic the concept of public school even exists in 5 years as few people are going to pay the current tax burdens if their kids don't go to school full time.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

This is probably the biggest society upheaval from Covid. People currently seem fixated on masks but that is small potatoes to the realities of the school system changing and how that affects day to day American life. Online school from home 2-3 days a week is pretty much a non-starter for 80% of working families as a long term solution yet the school systems seem to be deadset on it from everyone I talk to. That is going to result in massive fundamental change about how everyone looks at work, school, family, social interaction, you name it.

I have a feeling public school is never going to be the same and as an expecting Dad I might as well just start saving for private school. I'm pretty pessimistic the concept of public school even exists in 5 years as few people are going to pay the current tax burdens if their kids don't go to school full time.

Yes, less wealthy families will get screwed in all this. Even after school (most likely) goes back on a normal schedule some time in the spring. What I'm worried about beyond then is districts using "evidence" that remote learning can work to save money moving forward, and offering online alternatives that promise flexibility and customization, but really work to increase segregation and the already massive disparity in the quality of education along socioeconomic and racial lines. Wealthy communities are always working to get their children away from the poor kids. In recent years we've seen the use of charter schools, vouchers and town secession (did Malibu ditch those poor bastards in Santa Monica yet?) to achieve this. For prior generations if you were poor or not-white-enough you were sent to the vocational school. Remote learning will offer arrow in the quiver of the segregationist. Private companies will sell "evidence-based" (those are usually dirty words in education, unlike other fields) online curriculum that promise greatness and deliver turds. Towns running out of money will take desperate measures. Kids will get screwed over. Again.

[Danno]

Yes, less wealthy families will get screwed in all this. Even after school (most likely) goes back on a normal schedule some time in the spring. What I'm worried about beyond then is districts using "evidence" that remote learning can work to save money moving forward, and offering online alternatives that promise flexibility and customization, but really work to increase segregation and the already massive disparity in the quality of education along socioeconomic and racial lines. Wealthy communities are always working to get their children away from the poor kids. In recent years we've seen the use of charter schools, vouchers and town secession (did Malibu ditch those poor bastards in Santa Monica yet?) to achieve this. For prior generations if you were poor or not-white-enough you were sent to the vocational school. Remote learning will offer arrow in the quiver of the segregationist. Private companies will sell "evidence-based" (those are usually dirty words in education, unlike other fields) online curriculum that promise greatness and deliver turds. Towns running out of money will take desperate measures. Kids will get screwed over. Again.

yeah, the elementary school my kid goes to is considered the worst one in town. The reason is because it has lower test scores, but the reason it has lower test scores is it has more low income and/or ESL kids in it. In fact, it's district boundaries look freaking gerrymandered to keep the more expensive neighborhoods out (the school is south and west of my house, yet the more expensive neighborhood directly south and west of mine is in a different district).

I have discovered that it has great teachers, and my kid's classroom looks a lot more like America and less fully white (36% free and reduced lunch, 63% white from one stat I saw), whereas another nearby (charter) school is 14% free and reduced lunch and 81% white. My kid's school is great. But it's the worst one in this town, for reasons entirely unrelated to the instruction my kid gets. I hope you're wrong about the future, but it sure seems like there could be a downward spiral, a sort of "white flight".

[The SnowShow]

My kid doesn’t go to Denver Public Schools but they just announced they will be full time in person this fall. Pretty surprised to hear that. Pretty sure ours will be hybrid of some sort.

[funkendrenchman]

Dr. Ashish Jha, the director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, said he thinks schools in the US won't operate normally until May or June of 2021.

"I think people have pretty unrealistic expectations of how the fall and winter are going to go," he told CNN on Saturday.
"I'm hearing a lot of parents say, 'let's scrap the fall and we'll maybe start in the spring,'" Jha added. "January and February aren't going to be better. They're going to be the deep winter months and March will be pretty tough. I don't expect a widespread vaccine will be available, and widespread and readily available, by January or February."

Jha said he is concerned that if schools do open in the fall and send students back into classrooms, they will not be able to stay open.

This is a possible scenario for communities that have a high number of cases, he said, adding that he is worried schools across the country will be shut down for most of the fall, winter and spring.

"The single biggest determinant of whether a kid will be able to go to school or not is not the plan of the school, not how much deep cleaning they're doing, temperature checks. It is about how much virus there is in the community," Jha said.
"If we don't get our act together and get the virus under control we're going to have a whole year of online education for all of our children. It is going to have a lot of effects on kids and parents," he added.

[Danno]

"The single biggest determinant of whether a kid will be able to go to school or not is not the plan of the school, not how much deep cleaning they're doing, temperature checks. It is about how much virus there is in the community," Jha said.

I don't think people really understand this. I hear parents complaining about the school options, as if the school is the one who can decide this. The virus decides this, and how we all go about our lives.

[uglymoney]

Our dumb governor came out and said school will start as normal this fall and no masks will be required by the state. No testing of staff or students required. Leaving the decisions entirely to local school districts apparently. I live in a great school district and my daughter goes to one of the best elementary schools within that district. Hopefully common sense prevails.

In other news we'd pulled our daughter from her week long overnight summer camp at YMCA Camp near here that is 100 plus years old and steeped in history. I went there when I was a kid. The staff is normally sprinkled with overseas counselors who jump at the opportunity to work here. My stepson was a LIT and CIT. Anyway she was scheduled July 5th and with numbers shooting back up here they made the call today to cancel the summer. I'm relieved. So hard to pull your kids from stuff that other kids are going and doing, seemingly getting away with it, even though we all know it is the wrong thing to do. We try to do the right thing and so now I feel happy I am not the asshole causing my daughter to miss out on life experiences.

Having NO LEADERSHIP at the national or state level really, really sucks. What in the actual hell. Listen to our governor using a shitload of buzzwords trying to sound smart and to say nothing at all. Just a bunch of words thrown out to lick Trumps boots. Embarrassing and I just want out of here now.

2nd tweet down in the linky. Just unbelievable my life and well being lie in the hands of such idiots. I have to go to work and so does my wife. No choice. So their inaction is putting me and my family at risk.
https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1...569838594?s=20

[smmokan]

My kid doesn’t go to Denver Public Schools but they just announced they will be full time in person this fall. Pretty surprised to hear that. Pretty sure ours will be hybrid of some sort.

My wife is a teacher (not in DPS, up in Adams 12) and there are SO many holes in the DPS plan it's laughable. I like to think I'm an optimist with this whole situation, but I can't see any way there's in-person schooling this fall. It's a recipe for disaster on so many levels.

[AK47bp]

What does Betsy DeVoss have to say in all this?


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[The SnowShow]

My wife is a teacher (not in DPS, up in Adams 12) and there are SO many holes in the DPS plan it's laughable. I like to think I'm an optimist with this whole situation, but I can't see any way there's in-person schooling this fall. It's a recipe for disaster on so many levels.

I’m not even aware of the exact plan - what holes do you see?

What is Adams 12 looking to do?

Agree, I’d like to be optimistic but

[yeahman]

Anybody else's kid got a job? My 16 year old is a day-camp counselor at the YMCA. What a year to enter the workforce. Every morning she shows up at 7 a.m. to check kids in, puts on a mask, goes to each car, gives the kid a temperature check and asks health screening questions of the parent. Then she does activities with the kids till noon when the next shift of counselors show up and take over.

They follow all the guidelines for distancing so far, including masks, but inevitably that stuff slips and things get more relaxed. The whole thing makes me nervous, but those camp kids need a place to be and I can't really tell her she can't have a job, so I guess I'll just keep my fingers crossed. Fucking covid.

[uglymoney]

Anybody else's kid got a job? My 16 year old is a day-camp counselor at the YMCA. What a year to enter the workforce. Every morning she shows up at 7 a.m. to check kids in, puts on a mask, goes to each car, gives the kid a temperature check and asks health screening questions of the parent. Then she does activities with the kids till noon when the next shift of counselors show up and take over.

They follow all the guidelines for distancing so far, including masks, but inevitably that stuff slips and things get more relaxed. The whole thing makes me nervous, but those camp kids need a place to be and I can't really tell her she can't have a job, so I guess I'll just keep my fingers crossed. Fucking covid.

Good on you. My stepson is working for us this summer because I really have several hours of shit I am behind on for him to do every single day. He didn't want to do the counseling thing last year so he burned that bridge with YMCA to spend more time with a girlfriend he dumped this spring. What sucks is summer is going to end without covid being under control it seems. So eventually he is going to have to work. And his college soccer deal at a nearby community college seems to be falling through because nobody knows what is going on with fall programs. Just like with the Y camp a lot of their recruits come from Yurp and none of those kids can count on being able to come over here at this point. Some of his friends who were committed to other colleges for soccer have already announced they are going to attend the local CC instead so I think that is what is going to happen. Good thing is he is still 17, will be 18 this fall, so he can still play club soccer if that is a safe option and staying in town might not be a bad thing while he grows up a little more.

[BC.]

1 daughter (19) working at a Marina......besides the old guys talking race/politics....she says it’s tolerable cuz it’s good money. They wear masks when around customers....otherwise they are just helping with the boats/docks......locals wear masks...NY/NJ tourists do not.

other daughter (18) lifeguarding at lake beach...been there a few years..head lifeguard/good money.......locals wearing masks when around others.....NY/NJ tourists do not....they don’t care.

It’s what we have seen since March 13th.....the local residents do seem to follow somewhat of a protocol. Our visitors that come to the Lake/area could give a rat’s ass.

All of our big camps are not opening for the summer for kids in their traditional sense.....But, they have actually changed direction this summer by opening for family outings, reunions, etc....The camps here in Pike, Wayne County PA are goldmines...serving NY/NJ families looking fo get away....

[Core Shot]

State talking about spacing desks, masks all day, stay in same class all day. Fuck

Looks like video homeschooling again. That ain’t no way to live
Duck and cover in the fifties was a cake walk.

But oldest starts high school. Should be flirting with babes and hoping to get his finger stinky

What a fucked up world

[Mofro261]

Anybody else's kid got a job? My 16 year old is a day-camp counselor at the YMCA. What a year to enter the workforce. Every morning she shows up at 7 a.m. to check kids in, puts on a mask, goes to each car, gives the kid a temperature check and asks health screening questions of the parent. Then she does activities with the kids till noon when the next shift of counselors show up and take over.

They follow all the guidelines for distancing so far, including masks, but inevitably that stuff slips and things get more relaxed. The whole thing makes me nervous, but those camp kids need a place to be and I can't really tell her she can't have a job, so I guess I'll just keep my fingers crossed. Fucking covid.

My 21yro has been working at Safeway in Bozeman throughout the lockdown. My 19yro got a job in SLC working at drive up COVID-19 testing locations. At least it's outside. She wants to be a nurse but not keen on her volunteering at the hospital for a few more months.

Very fortunate that neither are graduating for a couple more years, I feel for all those kids really getting screwed by 2020.

Older one is registered for fall semester MSU but said he didn't want on line only and might defer if it was heading that way. Younger one at Utah is more motivated and both had some online classes in HS to allow them to ski full time, but no getting around it online only classes do not provide the optimum learning environment.

[riser4]

Anybody else's kid got a job? My 16 year old is a day-camp counselor at the YMCA. What a year to enter the workforce. Every morning she shows up at 7 a.m. to check kids in, puts on a mask, goes to each car, gives the kid a temperature check and asks health screening questions of the parent. Then she does activities with the kids till noon when the next shift of counselors show up and take over.

They follow all the guidelines for distancing so far, including masks, but inevitably that stuff slips and things get more relaxed. The whole thing makes me nervous, but those camp kids need a place to be and I can't really tell her she can't have a job, so I guess I'll just keep my fingers crossed. Fucking covid.

My 17 yo is working at the local ACE hardware. My 21 yo is doing a CRM gig for the summer, shovel bum. The 15 yo is whining about getting a job, but clearly isn't ready because he won't figure out how to get one. He keeps missing the hiring sprees at ACE.

[bodywhomper]

Heard yesterday that university of AK will be all remote learning next year. Equitability and issues with social distancing in light of current information about aerosol viral transmission were large factors in making the decision.

[BS720]

As an ER nurse, I sent my family to Nicaragua to keep from getting them sick from me. Unfortunately, my wife didn't isolate, and they hung out with my sister in law who had a fever. Now, my daughter is sick. What was the option? Keep them here and get them sick from me? Hoping this all plays out. Uncle passed in February as a member of Vail Mountain Club.

[BC13]

Upstate NY schools are still unsure what they are doing, due to changing guidance, which is understandable under the fluctuating circumstances. They are planning for the hybrid A/B schedule in case it is neccesary.

I have twins that just finished 6th grade and had the same teachers but were in different sections. Most of the teachers did a good job. Lessons generally integrated well with their curriculum. Math was very good and I became a huge fan of Khan academy.

My son is very athletic, laid back and disciplined and thrived in the online setting. His homework was done by 9:30 every morning and he turned everything in early so he could be free to shoot hoops. My daughter is very emotionally intuitive and artsy but does not fit into a peer group as readily. She struggled mightily in the remote learning environment. She really isolated herself socially and disengaged from the online process. Social distancing has increased her social anxiety as social media has become an even greater mode of communication, which was horrific for middle school girls pre-covid.

I am hopeful for at least a hybrid schedule with masks. However, this will be a major challenge for the schools and teacher unions to work through.

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