Are you sending your kids to school next month?

[mjkacmom]

My district is 90% free and reduced lunch. We went remote March 13. Since March 13, they have served over 800,000 meals to the community. We started by just feeding the kids but parents and guardians started asking if they could get food as well.

Our kids can't learn if they don't have food. They don't learn if they're worried about where they are going to sleep that night, if they're going to be evicted, or if their parents are going to come home safe. Until COVID hit, we opened the locker rooms in the morning for kids to shower because some don't have running water because their parents can't pay the bills. Some kids were embarrassed to come to school because they didn't have clean clothes so we added more washer and dryers.

Surviving day to day often takes precedence over learning. We have to do the social emotional because our kids need it. Having a safe person to talk to, realizing you're not the only one who is homeless, has no electricity, or water, or that other students have lost a parent allows for a child to feel safer and not like they're on their own little island.

Our students have an 8 hour school day. The first 30 minutes of each day is breakfast and social emotional in the academic enrichment class. We've been doing this for about 5 years now and our test scores have steadily increased each year and we are now a performance school.

Social emotional education works.

In contrast, our district is 10% free or reduced lunch. We have a 94% graduation rate and 95% intend on attending some sort of college or school after graduation. I can and do nurture my high school seniors daily, but I can’t help them on the AP exams. Hopefully the teachers know their audience.

 

[quandrea]

In contrast, our district is 10% free or reduced lunch. We have a 94% graduation rate and 95% intend on attending some sort of college or school after graduation. I can and do nurture my high school seniors daily, but I can’t help them on the AP exams. Hopefully the teachers know their audience.

Nail on head.

 

[monsterkitty]

In contrast, our district is 10% free or reduced lunch. We have a 94% graduation rate and 95% intend on attending some sort of college or school after graduation. I can and do nurture my high school seniors daily, but I can’t help them on the AP exams. Hopefully the teachers know their audience.

Nail on head.

You do realize that we can still have high standards while doing social emotional lessons, right? Or because we did those S/E lessons, my former student who was accepted to Harvard this fall doesn't count because he attended a low income school? Or our other students who have attended Stanford, MIT, Cornell, Colo School of Mines, or other top universities?

You guys do realize that we still need people to go into the trades, right? Even more shocking is that some of the students with the highest SAT scores actually go into a trade instead of going to a four year college.

The past few years, not counting last school year, our high school actually had just as many students graduating with their IB diploma than non-poverty schools.

These posts have insulted every teacher and more importantly every student who is low income and is in need of S/E lessons.

Oh, btw, the student who are not low income also have issues that S/E education would help. They're just different issues.

 

[quandrea]

You do realize that we can still have high standards while doing social emotional lessons, right? Or because we did those S/E lessons, my former student who was accepted to Harvard this fall doesn't count because he attended a low income school? Or our other students who have attended Stanford, MIT, Cornell, Colo School of Mines, or other top universities?

You guys do realize that we still need people to go into the trades, right? Even more shocking is that some of the students with the highest SAT scores actually go into a trade instead of going to a four year college.

The past few years, not counting last school year, our high school actually had just as many students graduating with their IB diploma than non-poverty schools.

These posts have insulted every teacher and more importantly every student who is low income and is in need of S/E lessons.

Oh, btw, the student who are not low income also have issues that S/E education would help. They're just different issues.

I’m not looking to insult anyone. I am a teacher myself. All I know is the system here in Canada. What I see is a curriculum so over burdened with social emotional education that we have forgotten reading, math and writing along the way. Our students’ math scores fall every year. The standard at which these kids graduate is not what it was twenty years ago. It seems we’ve lost our way. First and foremost, I want academic rigour. It’s not happening here. Perhaps where you are it is, but not here.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the trades. In fact, I think high schools push university education too much. Canada desperately needs young tradespeople and the jobs are lucrative.

We are probably not going to agree on this.

 

[mjkacmom]

You do realize that we can still have high standards while doing social emotional lessons, right? Or because we did those S/E lessons, my former student who was accepted to Harvard this fall doesn't count because he attended a low income school? Or our other students who have attended Stanford, MIT, Cornell, Colo School of Mines, or other top universities?

You guys do realize that we still need people to go into the trades, right? Even more shocking is that some of the students with the highest SAT scores actually go into a trade instead of going to a four year college.

The past few years, not counting last school year, our high school actually had just as many students graduating with their IB diploma than non-poverty schools.

These posts have insulted every teacher and more importantly every student who is low income and is in need of S/E lessons.

Oh, btw, the student who are not low income also have issues that S/E education would help. They're just different issues.

I’m speaking about this year for my kids, who are getting 2 hours of instructional time a week in each class.

 

[crazylady]

We were originally given a choice of 100% online taught by a third party company or a hybrid plan of 100% in school, 50/50 school or 100% online through the school district. Then the school pulled the whole plan and the first quarter will be taught 100% on line by the school district. I think it is going well and is way better than last springs education.

Personally, I'm just happy having a plan we can stick to for the first quarter. I was not looking forward to the uncertainty of going to school one day and possibly quarantining the next or switching everyone to online because of the cases around us.

As a side note, we went to the football game last night. Watching the kids in the stands disregard social distancing rules to sit with their friends kind of makes you wonder why we are even going to the trouble of not sending the kids to school. Most of the kids I know are spending time with other people whether they are in school or not. At least at the football game they were masked.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

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[DLgal]

Do aids even get paid more than minimum? I wouldn’t be thrilled having to work in very close proximity to students with low pay.

Special education aides in my district start at $19.35/hr and it goes up to around $22.65 or something like that.

 

[mjkacmom]

Special education aides in my district start at $19.35/hr and it goes up to around $22.65 or something like that.

Apparently the average salary in my state is under $27,000 a year.

 

[DLgal]

Apparently the average salary in my state is under $27,000 a year.

Well, aides usually only work 30 hour weeks, for 10 months, or 180 days. That works out to $25/hr. Far above minimum wage.

 

[godisney14]

Well, aides usually only work 30 hour weeks, for 10 months, or 180 days. That works out to $25/hr. Far above minimum wage.

$27,000 annual / 10 months per year / 4.25 weeks per month / 30 hours per week ~ $21/hr?
Still above minimum.

 

[monsterkitty]

Here "aides" are called instructional assistants or paraprofessionals and must have at least an associates degree. In my district starting pay is $15.00/hour up to $22/hour. We are on a 42.5 hour work week and the paras work the same hours. The para's contract is for 190 days and their pay is prorated over 12 months because of how taxes are set up. Our contract is 200 days and also prorated.

That will not get you a one bedroom apartment here.

 

[DLgal]

Here "aides" are called instructional assistants or paraprofessionals and must have at least an associates degree. In my district starting pay is $15.00/hour up to $22/hour. We are on a 42.5 hour work week and the paras work the same hours. The para's contract is for 190 days and their pay is prorated over 12 months because of how taxes are set up. Our contract is 200 days and also prorated.

That will not get you a one bedroom apartment here.

My kids are 16 and 14 and have had aides since preschool. Every single one was a middle age or older woman who was basically doing the job to keep busy. It was not a sole source of income. The one younger male aide my son had 2 years ago was doing it while he attended his masters in education program.

 

[DisneyOma]

Do you know each person's individual medical history and reasons for not being able to work in-person? I would be careful about saying they're "playing the doctor's note game" without knowing their exact situations. I would tend to trust that they have an actual reason to stay away from groups of kids. This is a deadly virus with documented effects on people with certain underlying conditions. If a doctor says their patient is at higher risk of a bad outcome if they contract Covid, I would not judge them.

Yes, I do know. One has a valid reason, one is probably watching her grandkids (because we hear the kids in the background on every online meet) so she won't be giving her job 100% even online. Two more are definitely playing it, because they've been able to have parties, travel, etc. And they managed to be in the building, in a small room, with other people for more than 15 minutes in order to have all the input in the scheduling. So, for every honest one, three are playing the system. They can't come to work, but they can do side jobs? They will get caught, and then they will be out of a job.

 

[SamFaniam]

Here "aides" are called instructional assistants or paraprofessionals and must have at least an associates degree. In my district starting pay is $15.00/hour up to $22/hour. We are on a 42.5 hour work week and the paras work the same hours. The para's contract is for 190 days and their pay is prorated over 12 months because of how taxes are set up. Our contract is 200 days and also prorated.

That will not get you a one bedroom apartment here.

just another issue in our country today. How is it that someone can work full-time hours and not even be able to afford a one bedroom apartment. Things have to change! Now I am sure some people will come in and talk about how the paraprofessionals aren’t as educated or don’t have the same skill set or are just doing it for a little extra income. Bias against those who are less educated is still acceptable in our country.

 

[MrsPete]

My daughter just finished her first week of independent online high school. She’s as happy as a clam.

We're about a month into online learning, and my students seem to be divided pretty equally in thirds: About 1/3 love online learning, about 1/3 are pretty ambivalent and don't care as long as they can progress towards graduation, and about 1/3 are miserable because they're not seeing their friends.

Things the happy students like: We're starting an hour later, so everyone can sleep in a bit. Fast workers can finish /sign off /aren't stuck waiting for the slower students. Many mentioned comforts of home -- being near a refrigerator full of snacks, snuggling with their dog while working. Flexibility in scheduling; that is, if they can't attend "class" at 9:45, they can just watch the recording and do their work later in the afternoon -- they're still counted present as long as they do their work. And maybe 20% tell me they LIKE not seeing people on a regular basis; some say they've never been socially content in high school, others say they don't have a lot of friends at our school. But, yeah, a lot of our kids are quite pleased with the situation.

Things the unhappy students miss: Friends and getting out of the house. Our district is talking about whether we'll come back, and I had to go over potential rules with my students: masks, lunch in classrooms, one-way hallways, 1/3 of the students in the classroom at any given time, etc. The unhappy students were split on whether they'd want to return under those circumstances or not -- what they really want is for the problem to disappear, and (being kids) some just don't accept that's impossible.

But as a teacher I've also seen the consequences of students using someone else's medication.

Yup, every teacher has seen some of this.

Parents often wonder, "Why can't my kid carry this OTC med?" Yeah, it sounds reasonable. It's about your kid giving it (or another kid taking it) and then having a bad reaction; kids are kids -- they don't always do what they should.

Do aids even get paid more than minimum? I wouldn’t be thrilled having to work in very close proximity to students with low pay.

In our area, a teachers' aid must have a 2-year degree and earns more than a retail or fast food worker but less than a teacher. It's still a good job though because they earn a pension, whereas many other jobs in that salary range do not.

On another note, this is a super tough time to be a teacher. We are the point of delivery so we are judged for every decision, hiccup, or lack of planning.

So true.

Our kids can't learn if they don't have food.

Well, it's possible but not common. I was a poor kid and was frequently hungry -- but I was also a smart kid, and I saw clearly that education was the best way to improve my life.

I would be careful about saying they're "playing the doctor's note game" without knowing their exact situations.

Pre-Covid I've had plenty of high-school kids tell me flat out, "Yeah, I have X number of absences, so my mom is taking me to the doctor on Thursday. I'll just get a note saying I have migraines or something else, and all my absences will be excused."

People do this. In my area, one popular doc is known for it.

You guys do realize that we still need people to go into the trades, right? Even more shocking is that some of the students with the highest SAT scores actually go into a trade instead of going to a four year college.

My brother works in trades, and I'm sure he makes double my salary. Skilled trades are a great career choice.

Our students’ math scores fall every year. The standard at which these kids graduate is not what it was twenty years ago. It seems we’ve lost our way. First and foremost, I want academic rigour. It’s not happening here. Perhaps where you are it is, but not here.

As a teacher nearing retirement, I see this same thing. Much of it is done in the name of compassion -- this kid has a bad home situation, that kid has a learning disability, but instead of working with the problem, we've excused more and more. It's absolutely true that a high school diploma today isn't what it was when I started teaching.

Every single one was a middle age or older woman who was basically doing the job to keep busy. It was not a sole source of income.

This is not true at my high school -- most of our aids are in the special ed department. One is a grandmother who is sole support of two grandchildren. One is the mother of a special ed kid who was involved with her son's class /eventually took a job -- but I have the impression she needs the money. One is a 20-something just out of community college /saving money to complete her 4-year degree. One is an Army veteran (quite a few vets find their way into the school system, and without exception I've found them to be exceptional people).

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Yes, I do know. One has a valid reason, one is probably watching her grandkids (because we hear the kids in the background on every online meet) so she won't be giving her job 100% even online. Two more are definitely playing it, because they've been able to have parties, travel, etc. And they managed to be in the building, in a small room, with other people for more than 15 minutes in order to have all the input in the scheduling. So, for every honest one, three are playing the system. They can't come to work, but they can do side jobs? They will get caught, and then they will be out of a job.

That's interesting. In my district, someone who has a medical excuse not to work in-person is still expected to do remote work. We're going back in-person with some special ed classes in a week. The two aides in the room next door to mine both have doctor notes. They will be doing more to support the remote kids since not all parents are choosing to send their kids back. They will also be coming in after the students leave to do prep work, or pick it up to do at home. They could also be given other non-classroom related work to fill their paid hours.

I guess some doctors give notes out more freely than others. I had a video visit with my doctor last month. At the end, we started talking about schools and in-person vs. remote classes. She said several of her patients are teachers and some asked for notes to keep them from returning in-person. She said legally and morally, she can only write a note if the person has a valid reason that is documented in their chart. (I was not asking for a note. We got into the discussion because she knows I work in education and she has kids in school.) I suppose other doctors have no qualms about doing it.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

My kids are 16 and 14 and have had aides since preschool. Every single one was a middle age or older woman who was basically doing the job to keep busy. It was not a sole source of income. The one younger male aide my son had 2 years ago was doing it while he attended his masters in education program.

This is generally not the case in my district. Most aides stay in the position for years and commit to it as a career. I'm now in my 18th year as a special ed aide. I work 27 1/2 hours per week and provide medical benefits for my family. My DH is currently in a contract position that doesn't provide benefits, so luckily I was able to pick them up through my job. We are required to have an AA degree or higher. Most of us have BA degrees. We are required to take a certain amount of training and continuing education each year. We have to complete five hours of online modules during the first month of school. The rest are scheduled on professional development days throughout the school year. We have to maintain certification in first aid, CPR, verbal de-escalation and safe physical restraint techniques. We also make a decent hourly wage as part time employees. It can be fun and rewarding, but sometimes it's a tough job. It's definitely not for someone who is just looking for a way to fill time. Perhaps if we had aides in our general ed classrooms, that might be the case. Special ed is a much different experience.

 

[CarolAnn856]

A heads up to all parents with kids on IEPs: While it seems most teachers are staying the course, the paraprofessionals are playing the doctor's note game and there will be fewer paras in with the kids. Check to make sure your child has the coverage needed, with appropriate staff. I'm an academic tutor, and got pulled out of classes yesterday because 4 of our 9 paras are refusing to come in the building, but want to stay on the payroll. I will be with the substantially separate population (I love them, and am happy to be with them) with my bachelor's degree in multiple sciences (bio, chem, physics) and math. The kids in science and math who have support in their IEPs are now getting online paras who do not know the subject at all. Good luck to all those kids, and those paras better not come to me for help. They're the ones that refused to come in, but made it into the building to stick their noses into the scheduling. It's incredibly frustrating.

What an incredibly condescending post.

 

[godisney14]

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/s...estion-breaks-every-12-14-minutes/3457756001/

Recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says people who have been within 6 feet of someone who tests positive for COVID-19 for 15 consecutive minutes should stay at home for two weeks from the last known exposure.

Woodbury-Central Superintendent Douglas Glackin said his district has discussed but not implemented regular breaks that would shuffle students around their classroom every 12 minutes. The strategy would be aimed at preventing prolonged contact with the same students sitting next to each other, he said. The district is still evaluating whether the idea would work to reduce the spread of the coronavirus or be too disruptive to class settings, he said.

This kind of person has no qualifications for being a school superintendent, unless there really is no intellectual minimum requirement.

Completely wrong way to interpret and practice the CDC guidance being referred to.