What do you think school will be like in the fall? UPDATE page 29 for Mass.

[Dole_whip_doll]

Curious if you have people around you threatening to switch to actual homeschooling if school stays online for Fall? There is a lot of talk about that here and I wonder if the threat of loss of funding has schools pushing harder to find a way to reopen?

I don’t have it in me to actually homeschool, but this online isn’t working, so I understand where these parents are coming from.

I’ve only heard of it more in a threatening way of if the school is distance learning and doesn’t: provide them with technology, provide them with internet, have more engaging yet easy to understand/do lessons, have more video calls, offer scheduled one-on-one time for each student, provide all meals and snacks, and dock teacher pay.

 

[godisney14]

Curious if you have people around you threatening to switch to actual homeschooling if school stays online for Fall? There is a lot of talk about that here and I wonder if the threat of loss of funding has schools pushing harder to find a way to reopen?

I don’t have it in me to actually homeschool, but this online isn’t working, so I understand where these parents are coming from.

Is there a difference between homeschooling and distance learning through one’s assigned school? Both ways, the parents will be spending considerable time with the kids’ school work (up through elementary school at least).

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

Is there a difference between homeschooling and distance learning through one’s assigned school? Both ways, the parents will be spending considerable time with the kids’ school work (up through elementary school at least).

Yes there is. I’ve been over it earlier in the thread, but it isn’t about money or the amount of the time the parent spends with their child. It is 100% the quality (or lack there of) of the curriculum the schools are providing via distance learning. I’m sure there are teachers out there who are absolutely rocking it, but for most students, this semester has been a waste and parents don’t want another semester or year of it. My own teacher friends struggle because they feel they are failing their students right now. If we’re doing this longer, many parents want the control over it and not what for most of us have ended up half baked plans.

As I’ve said, I am not cut out to homeschool, so my kids will get whatever the school has to offer and I’ll do my best to supplement where I can, but I am seeing more and more people in my city talking about homeschooling so they can guarantee their children are getting the correct amount of learning.

 

[barkley]

Nobody has said anything about it being more socialization. I'm talking strictly about academics. The academic needs of students are NOT being met right now. So if parents think a true homeschool curriculum can do that, they're doing it.

there have been numerous comments on threads and elsewhere on parental concerns that children are being disadvantaged by not learning in traditional classroom settings because of the interaction between both teachers and students as well as student to student. that is social interaction. if a parent believes their child's academic needs are not being met currently and that is strictly their concern then i would hope that they wouldn't be using homeschooling their child as a 'threat' to their district, but rather a well researched and determined alternative choice (original post below asked about this being used as a 'threat').


"Curious if you have people around you threatening to switch to actual homeschooling if school stays online for Fall? There is a lot of talk about that here and I wonder if the threat of loss of funding has schools pushing harder to find a way to reopen?"

But for parents, it is simply about getting through the next year in the manner that is least disruptive to the kids' educational trajectory, and I can't blame those who feel competent to homeschool for feeling like it is likely to better accomplish that right now.

if a parent feels competent to do it then that's fantastic, if however, as the original post indicated, it's a reactionary mechanism to threaten a school district to lose a student unless they reopen-that to my mind is not putting the students needs first.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

there have been numerous comments on threads and elsewhere on parental concerns that children are being disadvantaged by not learning in traditional classroom settings because of the interaction between both teachers and students as well as student to student. that is social interaction. if a parent believes their child's academic needs are not being met currently and that is strictly their concern then i would hope that they wouldn't be using homeschooling their child as a 'threat' to their district, but rather a well researched and determined alternative choice (original post below asked about this being used as a 'threat').


"Curious if you have people around you threatening to switch to actual homeschooling if school stays online for Fall? There is a lot of talk about that here and I wonder if the threat of loss of funding has schools pushing harder to find a way to reopen?"



if a parent feels competent to do it then that's fantastic, if however, as the original post indicated, it's a reactionary mechanism to threaten a school district to lose a student unless they reopen-that to my mind is not putting the students needs first.

That original question was mine and you are taking it out of context. Parents aren’t threatening to take their kids out of school as a way to make schools move faster. They are doing it because they believe it will give their children a better education than what it being offered now via distance learning.

The byproduct of students leaving the school is less funding because they lose the ADA. So the school feels it as a threat to their funding. And in that, will they push unions, superintendents, school boards, etc to open ahead of when maybe they would have liked.

In an education world where charter schools, online schools, private schools, etc are becoming more and more popular, public schools can’t afford to lose enrollment. And this entire situation is a threat to that.

 

[Colleen27]

Is there a difference between homeschooling and distance learning through one’s assigned school? Both ways, the parents will be spending considerable time with the kids’ school work (up through elementary school at least).

Absolutely. I'm spending a lot of time on my 11yo's education right now, but I'm not deciding the scope of what needs to be covered or what materials would be best for teaching those skills. I'm not picking the books for her literature class and developing the writing assignments that point to the important elements of those books as they relate to the state standards. And if she gets stuck on something that I don't have the skills to help her with (which, granted, isn't a major factor with a 6th grader but would be important if she were a few years older), there's a teacher available to answer questions. I'm just making sure the work gets done, like helping with homework but taken up a notch.

"Curious if you have people around you threatening to switch to actual homeschooling if school stays online for Fall? There is a lot of talk about that here and I wonder if the threat of loss of funding has schools pushing harder to find a way to reopen?"

if a parent feels competent to do it then that's fantastic, if however, as the original post indicated, it's a reactionary mechanism to threaten a school district to lose a student unless they reopen-that to my mind is not putting the students needs first.

I think the word "threat" is being used in two different senses here. I don't think most parents who are talking about homeschooling are directing their musings toward the school district except in the sense of trying to understand what school is likely to look like come September. At least the ones I know aren't. Their intent is not to threaten, but rather to gather information to be able to fully understand their options for the fall.

But schools nevertheless are threatened by that kind of thinking because it carries the consequence of lost funding, which could be potentially devastating at a time when their costs are almost certain to rise and state budget shortfalls may translate into cuts to per-pupil funding amounts. It isn't popular to say out loud, but childcare is one of the core social functions of schools - secondary to the educational function but nearly as important to many families - so the loss of that function is going to mean schools have to find other "selling points" to keep families from seeking out other schooling options that might be more able to adapt to current conditions, and that does pose a potentially existential threat to many schools.

 

[Colleen27]

In an education world where charter schools, online schools, private schools, etc are becoming more and more popular, public schools can’t afford to lose enrollment. And this entire situation is a threat to that.

And it is a threat to private schools too, as we try to compete with online charter schools (free) and homeschooling (which has a price tag but generally a smaller one than tuition) in the ability to provide effective online education and a safe and supportive place for kids to be while their parents are at work. Our diocese is telling schools to brace for a 20% enrollment drop, between families who choose to homeschool since our schools can no longer provide the physical/childcare function of traditional schooling and those who opt for online charters that have more experience in providing distance education and those who simply cannot afford to re-enroll because of virus-related income loss. This will undoubtedly accelerate the long-running trend of closures and consolidations among the remaining schools in our diocese.

 

[kymom99]

Absolutely. I'm spending a lot of time on my 11yo's education right now, but I'm not deciding the scope of what needs to be covered or what materials would be best for teaching those skills. I'm not picking the books for her literature class and developing the writing assignments that point to the important elements of those books as they relate to the state standards. And if she gets stuck on something that I don't have the skills to help her with (which, granted, isn't a major factor with a 6th grader but would be important if she were a few years older), there's a teacher available to answer questions. I'm just making sure the work gets done, like helping with homework but taken up a notch.



I think the word "threat" is being used in two different senses here. I don't think most parents who are talking about homeschooling are directing their musings toward the school district except in the sense of trying to understand what school is likely to look like come September. At least the ones I know aren't. Their intent is not to threaten, but rather to gather information to be able to fully understand their options for the fall.

But schools nevertheless are threatened by that kind of thinking because it carries the consequence of lost funding, which could be potentially devastating at a time when their costs are almost certain to rise and state budget shortfalls may translate into cuts to per-pupil funding amounts. It isn't popular to say out loud, but childcare is one of the core social functions of schools - secondary to the educational function but nearly as important to many families - so the loss of that function is going to mean schools have to find other "selling points" to keep families from seeking out other schooling options that might be more able to adapt to current conditions, and that does pose a potentially existential threat to many schools.

Another consequence of parents deciding on alternate education on the public schools to consider....
If enough parents decide to take their kids out of the public school system, districts will cut positions. Then what happens half way through the year when parents decide they made a mistake, or schools phase back into a traditional model, and they decide to send their kids back to school. Districts will have to scramble to hire teachers mid year or face overcrowded classrooms.
There is nothing guaranteeing that how schools start the year is how they will finish it.

 

[kymom99]

And it is a threat to private schools too, as we try to compete with online charter schools (free) and homeschooling (which has a price tag but generally a smaller one than tuition) in the ability to provide effective online education and a safe and supportive place for kids to be while their parents are at work. Our diocese is telling schools to brace for a 20% enrollment drop, between families who choose to homeschool since our schools can no longer provide the physical/childcare function of traditional schooling and those who opt for online charters that have more experience in providing distance education and those who simply cannot afford to re-enroll because of virus-related income loss. This will undoubtedly accelerate the long-running trend of closures and consolidations among the remaining schools in our diocese.

Very true, and how many will say they aren’t spending all that money for tuition when the kids get so little contact with an actual teacher. We have to weigh that out when deciding what to do with our grandson next fall. He currently goes to catholic school and his mom is struggling already to afford it.

 

[EveDallas]

That's all a lot of talk with no bite from most. It's just not feasible for many, especially if both parents are working. My wife has a Ph.D and she was already a stay-at-home before this mess since they youngest isn't in school yet. We could make it work. But a lot of the people we know are both working. I don't see them homeschooling for any length of days beyond 1.



Nobody wants to go to work right now. I'm still going to work and I don't like it anymore than any of my coworkers. But I'm not about ready to advocate that I'm essentially not needed. You either go to work or understand that you may be advocating for your own position to be eliminated. If the data at the time says it's unsafe then it's unsafe but it's too early to make any decisions. Choose your battles wisely. The squeaky wheel doesn't always get the grease and sometimes it just gets replaced.

If it's safe enough for for daycare workers to be exposed, it's safe enough for teachers. Period. If you don't want to go to work, then you should lose your job. It's annoying to hear how dangerous it is to expose teachers but apparently it's ok for other people.

 

[Makmak]

The place I teach in Virginia has already announced they will continue online only in the fall.

 

[Blueeyes101817]

I'm a first grade teacher and I am hoping we are back in September. Some of my students are really struggling with online learning and I am not doing my normal teaching as I would do at school. I do not have the supplies or materials to teach at home as I would be doing at school. And we are not allowed back in-and havent been since we were told to prep for 2 weeks out. No one saw this coming. But I really believe my kids need to be taught in person to do the best for them!

I am spending hours working with other teachers (virtually) to try to figure out the best way to reach as many students as I can. Im answering questions up past 10pm because I know parents are all working at different times. I am trying to make it work but it is so hard and I cant wait to go back.
I do not have any idea how I am going to keep first graders apart from each other though...it makes me very nervous to think about all of the potential options

 

[DopeyDame]

Is there a difference between homeschooling and distance learning through one’s assigned school? Both ways, the parents will be spending considerable time with the kids’ school work (up through elementary school at least).

We’re definitely considering homeschool because then the content will be different.

I’m acutely aware that we’re in a really fortunate position, but I’m able to work from home full time for basically as long as I need to, and both DH and I have stable jobs. So with that background, homeschooling next year is definitely something we’re considering for YDD. She was thriving in second grade at our local public school, but their DL plan is an identical curriculum across the county for each grade. So reading and math groups, research projects, and all the “special touches” that made school great are gone. Instead she gets some videos and activities and worksheets that she’s able to blow through in half an hour and she’s learning absolutely nothing from them. For now, we’re making her complete them because “this is your school work, and you have to do what’s assigned” but... I totally understand her annoyance.
So we’ll see what next fall brings. If we’re DL and it’s still like this, then we’ll probably just homeschool her to ensure she has a better learning experience.

It’s not a threat at all. I know for certain the district is doing what they can for the greatest number of kids. I have no desire to pressure them to open back up or even to change their learning plans if they feel it’s the best way to keep most kids on track.
But we have the flexibility to figure out a better option for our kid, and we’ll do it.

(DS is at a different school, and they’re nailing the DL, so he’ll keep that up next year either way)

 

[HeatherC]

If it's safe enough for for daycare workers to be exposed, it's safe enough for teachers. Period. If you don't want to go to work, then you should lose your job. It's annoying to hear how dangerous it is to expose teachers but apparently it's ok for other people.

Not necessarily true. It is the law that kids need to be educated. It is not the law that kids go to daycare. Parents have the choice whether or not to send their kids to daycare.

And who said it was ok for daycare workers to be exposed and not teachers? No one is saying that at all. You are comparing apples and oranges.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

Not necessarily true. It is the law that kids need to be educated. It is not the law that kids go to daycare. Parents have the choice whether or not to send their kids to daycare.

And who said it was ok for daycare workers to be exposed and not teachers? No one is saying that at all. You are comparing apples and oranges.

There was a thread about this a few weeks ago and where @EveDallas works opened up for children of anybody who needed it. So at the time it was her employer who believed that.

But I will say, my county is working its’ way through phase 2 and such, daycares were allowed to move being open for children of essential workers last week to children of anybody on Friday. And yet, we’re still not sure if kids will go back to school in any in person form 3 months from now. Both of those are phase 2 here (and our governor says we should definitely be phase 3 by then, possibly almost to 4). There is definitely a lot more that goes until reopening a school, starting with sheer volume of students compared to a daycare, but I can sort of see the disconnect.

 

[Dole_whip_doll]

If it's safe enough for for daycare workers to be exposed, it's safe enough for teachers. Period. If you don't want to go to work, then you should lose your job. It's annoying to hear how dangerous it is to expose teachers but apparently it's ok for other people.

And if you don’t like the way things are going, become a licensed, certified teacher. This seems to be ALL you want to harp on in any thread regarding education. How unfair it is that you think teachers are getting special treatment.

 

[choirfarm]

If it's safe enough for for daycare workers to be exposed, it's safe enough for teachers. Period. If you don't want to go to work, then you should lose your job. It's annoying to hear how dangerous it is to expose teachers but apparently it's ok for other people.

Actually, it is NOT safe for daycares, but people need childcare. Don't know what the solution is.

Also, daycares tend to have younger workers. Schools have A LOT of teachers and administrators over 55. Honestly, we may see a bunch retire. We already have a huge shortage in our town. It is going to be ugly.

 

[barkley]

That original question was mine and you are taking it out of context. Parents aren’t threatening to take their kids out of school as a way to make schools move faster. They are doing it because they believe it will give their children a better education than what it being offered now via distance learning.

The byproduct of students leaving the school is less funding because they lose the ADA. So the school feels it as a threat to their funding. And in that, will they push unions, superintendents, school boards, etc to open ahead of when maybe they would have liked.

In an education world where charter schools, online schools, private schools, etc are becoming more and more popular, public schools can’t afford to lose enrollment. And this entire situation is a threat to that.

thank you for clarifying. i think i assumed the threat as a 'threat' (bargaining tool) is b/c i heard the 'i will pull my kid out and home school if the distinct doesn't...' so many times from parents of my son's (then-when in k-12) special ed peers. i always thought it was a misguided battle cry b/c whatever service the parent was upset that their child wasn't getting/getting enough of generally was not something the parent could likely personally provide themselves in a home schooling environment (esp. highly skilled therapies and specialized teaching techniques).

It isn't popular to say out loud, but childcare is one of the core social functions of schools

absolutely, and that's where non traditional schooling is not going to make it possible for many parents to return to their jobs. i had staff that planned out their entire yearly leave as soon as their kid's school calendars were published-every vacation/floating holiday day off was used to cover teacher in service days, breaks, holidays....and they had summers plotted out a year in advance (the tension to make sure their kiddo got into one of the coveted summer daycare slots that did first come/first served enrollment once a year was so stressful for them).

And it is a threat to private schools too, as we try to compete with online charter schools (free) and homeschooling (which has a price tag but generally a smaller one than tuition) in the ability to provide effective online education and a safe and supportive place for kids to be while their parents are at work. Our diocese is telling schools to brace for a 20% enrollment drop, between families who choose to home school since our schools can no longer provide the physical/childcare function of traditional schooling and those who opt for online charters that have more experience in providing distance education and those who simply cannot afford to re-enroll because of virus-related income loss. This will undoubtedly accelerate the long-running trend of closures and consolidations among the remaining schools in our diocese.

it will be interesting to see what happens with the private schools. the bread and butter money for the one my kids attended when they were young was the associated daycare. that school was often opted into by parents b/c they had 6 am-6 pm available coverage so parents could be assured of before/after school care as well as care on the non academic days. if a private school that is struggling to stay open could establish or expand on these types of programs (if they are health wise do-able or even allowable come the fall) they could see an increase in enrollment. in our area the news station that is keeping tabs on businesses that have announced they will never reopen has reported that daycare providers are increasingly adding to these numbers.

i'm also interested to see what happens with a small private school in idaho near us. they were the first school to reopen and are trying half day only sessions with major social distancing (50% of each class attends in the morning/50% in the afternoon with siblings being assigned to the same time zone). it doesn't help with the lack of daycare but it could provide a model of what techniques do/do not work to slow the spread.

Another consequence of parents deciding on alternate education on the public schools to consider....
If enough parents decide to take their kids out of the public school system, districts will cut positions. Then what happens half way through the year when parents decide they made a mistake, or schools phase back into a traditional model, and they decide to send their kids back to school. Districts will have to scramble to hire teachers mid year or face overcrowded classrooms.

the biggest district near us has delayed it several times but will announce a financial state of emergency at some point in the near future. they've said they won't have to lay-off at this point but that's only b/c initial discussions with their unions have concessions in place to somewhat offset it. they have announced a hard hiring freeze so i wonder what will happen if they don't back fill those positions they will likely lose to retirement (have several friends in different states w/30 plus years in the game and eligible for retirement who are talking of leaving their districts b/c of the mass confusion and opting into working for the on-line schools b/c they can draw their pensions and work in what they perceive as a system already in place, up and effectively running). the schools here just finally were getting down in class size to what the state mandated years ago so how they would deal with social distancing requiring smaller class sizes/a shortage of teachers is mind boggling.

 

[anotherfakename]

Our daycare has been open in this community almost 50 years and it is looking like it will have to close. Our governor has ordered daycares closed through June 29th. I have had to take a lay-off due to lack of childcare, but that's okay because it is looking like my company might have to close, too. Hundreds of therapists, teachers, and support staff, all on the job market at once, all in the same county. If there is no school or daycare, I don't know how I will work.

My kids are doing terribly with the whole situation. My teen is terribly depressed. I don't know what we will do if there is no actual school this fall. I have told her that she doesn't have to do any online schooling. She is a straight A student normally. I feel terrible for the teachers and what they are being put through. I also have a special needs toddler who is spiraling out of control without the services he usually receives.......and I am an OT! So many of my former clients are calling me, and have no food for their kids, are having trouble with landlords, are desperate to work, are truly terrified for what will happen. Very few of them have the resources needed to do quarantine or home schooling effectively. It's a terrible mess, and so terribly heart-breaking and stressful for the families involved.

 

[Colleen27]

it will be interesting to see what happens with the private schools. the bread and butter money for the one my kids attended when they were young was the associated daycare. that school was often opted into by parents b/c they had 6 am-6 pm available coverage so parents could be assured of before/after school care as well as care on the non academic days. if a private school that is struggling to stay open could establish or expand on these types of programs (if they are health wise do-able or even allowable come the fall) they could see an increase in enrollment. in our area the news station that is keeping tabs on businesses that have announced they will never reopen has reported that daycare providers are increasingly adding to these numbers.

Our school is working on a plan for how to offer childcare to our families on off-session days. We don't ordinarily have daycare/after school care but we have the necessary licenses to offer both because our state handles preschool and daycare under the same umbrella, and we have empty classroom space in a building adjacent to our main school building. So we're brainstorming plans to repurpose that space into a study hall/supervised care facility that would be available for students whose families cannot accommodate whatever part-time attendance plan we settle on. That way, even though students would only be attending class every other day or on half-day sessions, parents would be able to go back to their ordinary drop off/pick up schedule as though we were operating on our regular schedule.