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

[Lumpy1106]

I hope they are not leaving for a while, as Australia is not yet open for regular tourism.

No idea - maybe not considered tourists since they have a job lined up and they can quarantine for a couple of weeks since they'll be there all summer? They are supposed to be on their way this week.

 

[Silvermist999]

I agree. My 8th grader says online learning is a joke. She’s a straight A student and her grades are even higher now but she says she’s not learning anything. It’s all busy work and she told me she’d rather just stop doing the works now and take her grades because she has no interest anymore. (We are done next week) She also doesn’t attend any of the zoom meetings.

I also think teenagers need human interaction. How to deal with their peers and teachers. They’ll be out in the real world very soon.

My 8th grader has had a total of 3 google hangout meetings with his teachers since school closed March break. Basically no interaction with any of his teachers for three months and “school” is still on for another month. His teachers basically just post some work online for them to do. And he gets it all done in less than a couple hours and that’s it for the week. Any learning videos that are posted are pulled off the internet and not created by the teachers. My 10th grader has very little interaction with the teachers online and not much work to do also. Luckily both of them are good students with excellent grades. This entire semester has been a joke.

If they do move to mainly online teaching in the fall, I seriously hope they figure out how to do it right over the summer break so the kids are actually learning. No excuses.

 

[mjkacmom]

No idea - maybe not considered tourists since they have a job lined up and they can quarantine for a couple of weeks since they'll be there all summer? They are supposed to be on their way this week.

It’s actually winter there. As far a I can tell, only residents and family members can fly to Australia. My daughter is supposed to do a study abroad in New Zealand in jan, who knows if it will happen.

 

[mjkacmom]

As for school, my juniors are taking grades over pass/fail since they have all honors/AP classes which help their GPA. They’ve had legitimate work, tests and papers.

 

[SamFaniam]

No idea - maybe not considered tourists since they have a job lined up and they can quarantine for a couple of weeks since they'll be there all summer? They are supposed to be on their way this week.

I certainly hope they make sure before they get on a plane.

 

[Colleen27]

I feel you. For my kids it was lacrosse rather than drama but the story is the same. GOOD LUCK!!! Don't ever give up; it is as important as you think it is.

We're among the fortunate ones - not only do we have the resources to send her to private school if the public schools are in crisis, we also have several community theatre groups in and around our community and I freelance so I can be available to chauffeur her around to rehearsals and shows as needed. I want her to have the experience of being part of the sort of consistent group that forms around high school activities, but if she can't have that, at least she has ways to be involved in the theatre no matter what. Not all kids are going to have that, especially not in our relatively low-income, rural school district. So I hate to see these programs on the chopping block and I hope our state or federal leaders come through with a way to offset the C

You can homeschool and still participate in school sports so I’m confused about the connection.

That varies from place to place. Here, you can't... unless you're enrolled in the public schools, you cannot take part in public school athletics.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

You can homeschool and still participate in school sports so I’m confused about the connection.

Like the PP mentioned it does vary.

I also think there should be a differentiation between homeschooling and online/virtual schooling.

Homeschooling in my state is considered a private school situation (which can be either accredited or not) and per law they are not allowed to participate in public school sports. In 2015 that was attempted to change but it did not pass.

However, online schooling if the one selected is considered public (like K12 online program for example) then it is treated differently in my state.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I also feel like homeschooling is handled by an authority figure. Mom, dad, a tutor, etc.

Online learning for a big portion of kids will be done solo. Especially for kids who have working parents.

 

[monsterkitty]

Music, if any, seemed to be the logical one for cutting or suspending for now. All those kids singing in close quarters, or blowing and spitting into the wind/brass instruments.
Seems like some athletics would be another area of suspension or cancellation as well.

First, I am an instrumental music teacher and this concern has been put to rest by many studies. The Vienna Philharmonic did one such study. String instruments obviously had no more great risk of spreading COVID. Brass and woodwind instruments, other than the flute, showed " clouds of air were observed in the area of the mouth, regardless of the breathing technique; no significant amount of mist could be detected around the area of the instruments’ openings. The only exception to this was the flute, where droplets were observed up to 80cm from the musician - still within the minimum distance required for social distancing."

Choirs, on the other hand, are a bit different. The particles are smaller and will travel farther so they will need to be spaced a bit more than 6 feet.

Around me, it doesn't appear to be as much about virus risk as about budgets. Schools subsidize their art and music programs, have dedicated teachers for those subjects, and bear most of the costs for equipment and supplies. Pay-for-play fees and gate receipts cover almost all of the expenses of the athletic program, so aside from swimming (because the school does bear most of the costs of pool upkeep), those programs are self-supporting and therefore safe for the time being.

Not exactly. Yes, the arts all have dedicated teachers, but we also have larger class sizes. My class size is anywhere from 45-60 students. If you no longer offer my classes, you will have to hire 1.5-2 teachers to cover one of my classes. As for equipment, it's already been purchased in previous years. I have not purchased any instruments in the past 2 years, yet I can still provide a school instrument for the 95% of my kids who need them. Repair can be a big expense, but parents sign a contract that states they are responsible for lost or damaged instruments. When a repair is needed because of carelessness, 99% of the parents pay for the repair. Repairs that are needed for normal wear and tear are covered by the school but usually don't cost that much as most schools receive discounts from local music repair shops. Most teachers can also do simple repairs.

I took my son over to the school to return his lacrosse gear last week. When he showed up there were 4 other players there too. none of them were wearing masks, all handshakes and high-fives. What can I say? I was SO HAPPY to see them acting like the high-schoolers that they are that there was no way I was going to "correct" them. Nobody got sick, and two of them (graduating seniors) are headed to Australia for the summer to work on a ranch and surf all summer - then to college in some fashion in the Fall. My son asked me what he thought - I told him I wished he could go with them - that sounds freakin' awesome!

According to COVID travel to Australia, "Australia’s borders are closed. Only Australian citizens, residents and immediate family members can travel to Australia."

 

[Darcy03231]

The way our Governor keeps skirting the question when asked leads me to believe that we'll still be having remote learning in the fall. There is supposed to be a decision by the end of the month.

 

[Lumpy1106]

We're among the fortunate ones - not only do we have the resources to send her to private school if the public schools are in crisis, we also have several community theatre groups in and around our community and I freelance so I can be available to chauffeur her around to rehearsals and shows as needed. I want her to have the experience of being part of the sort of consistent group that forms around high school activities, but if she can't have that, at least she has ways to be involved in the theatre no matter what. Not all kids are going to have that, especially not in our relatively low-income, rural school district. So I hate to see these programs on the chopping block and I hope our state or federal leaders come through with a way to offset the C



That varies from place to place. Here, you can't... unless you're enrolled in the public schools, you cannot take part in public school athletics.

Anyone that doesn't think that drama and arts programs aren't important should really sit down and watch an episode or two of ENCORE! on Disney+. in a nutshell, it's a reunion where they bring back about a half-dozen alumni of different high school productions and they re-create the performance, 20-30 years later. It has almost nothing to do with the actual performance - the focus is on the lifelong friendships. It is hard to get through an episode without tearing up a bit - it's a beautiful thing. imagine if those High School moments never happened - that is what is happening now. It's good that your daughter has some options, but it really isn't anything like being able to do it with her peers. Really rooting for you...

 

[Lumpy1106]

That varies from place to place. Here, you can't... unless you're enrolled in the public schools, you cannot take part in public school athletics.

That's a no-go in CA too - CIF rules. If you go to a High School that doesn't have a particular sports program you can participate on club teams unrestricted. You can't go play on a high school team if you don't go to that school.

 

[okeydokey]

Universities in Florida plan to go to remote only learning after Thanksgiving break. They will encourage any students who are on campus in the Fall not to return after traveling home or wherever for Thanksgiving. Finals would be online again. Not sure what that does to graduation ceremonies.

 

[lifesavacation]

Like the PP mentioned it does vary.

I also think there should be a differentiation between homeschooling and online/virtual schooling.

Homeschooling in my state is considered a private school situation (which can be either accredited or not) and per law they are not allowed to participate in public school sports. In 2015 that was attempted to change but it did not pass.

However, online schooling if the one selected is considered public (like K12 online program for example) then it is treated differently in my state.

My response to the PP was based on WA state since that is what he/she was referencing. In WA, students who are homeschooled are most definitely allowed to participate in high school sports.

After looking it up, 31 states allow homeschoolers to participate. https://homeschoolsuperfreak.com/tim-tebow-law-can-homeschoolers-play-sports/

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

My response to the PP was based on WA state since that is what he/she was referencing. In WA, students who are homeschooled are most definitely allowed to participate in high school sports.

After looking it up, 31 states allow homeschoolers to participate. https://homeschoolsuperfreak.com/tim-tebow-law-can-homeschoolers-play-sports/

Understandable We're (at least me and likely the PP as well though I won't speak for them) just responding to your comment as it pertains to this larger thread. Within the article you wrote they state: "some of those states have rigorous requirements and legislation that must be met in order to for homeschoolers to play sports, which makes playing for those public schools extremely difficult." so even with the states that allow it it's not a gimmie (but I learned something new today regarding the name for the law that allows for it, I didn't know the name before!)

If your child has an interest in activities (because it's not just sports that may be affected for schools this upcoming year) that are through the public schools (as opposed to separate clubs) that would probably be important to know if you can even do that depending on where you live. And, at least IMO, it would important to know how home schooling vs public school online/virtual education is handled and considered within one's own state. It, along with many other considerations, are probably more at the forefront of parents and guardians minds with the uncertainty regarding how education had been for a while and what it will be now.

 

[McKelly]

In our community there are now pitching, as ONE of the many options, that middle schoolers and high schoolers stay at home for online learning as they are better equipped maturity wise to handle it. The elementary kids will then socially distance through ALL of the schools elementary, middle, and high. As a father of a rising 1st grader Im excited to hear my kid may be in school a normal 5 days a week, she needs it. But Im guessing that doesn't sit as well with parents of high and middle schoolers.

I'm hearing this as a model too. With on-line learning, a lot of parents still had to work, so older kids were left to babysit the younger siblings. I think the thought is, the older kids would have more time for their studies if younger kids were at school. But I think they will also bring the older kids into school using a M/W, T/TH, to help with social distancing. But the only way this will work is if the elementary schools have enough spaces (rooms) to make the classes smaller to properly social distance the kids.

I have two kids in college. My DD did great with it, my DS.....not so much. But it makes sense looking at their personalities. My DD is very self-disciplined and my DS is not as disciplined - he admitted to getting distracted easily. He said when he is in class, he pays attention and learns a lot from classroom discussions. At home, he's checking his phone, listening to what's happening in the house, etc. College is too expensive to have it NOT work out.

 

[godisney14]

The way our Governor keeps skirting the question when asked leads me to believe that we'll still be having remote learning in the fall. There is supposed to be a decision by the end of the month.

At least in CA, it doesn’t really matter what the governor says anymore besides setting a minimum restriction standard. The individual counties and school districts can be more restrictive and have the final say.

 

[godisney14]

This thread seems to have a lot of complaining about what they don’t want to see happening rather than actual discussion of what might happen.

 

[barkley]

You can homeschool and still participate in school sports so I’m confused about the connection.

in my state 'homeschooling' is strictly defined and doesn't allow for participation in any public high school sports, extracurricular...if a student wanted a hybrid with academics at home and access to school based sports they would enter into either an arrangement with a private school or do one of the alternate education programs with the public schools. i know it's not the same in other states but for people around here that want to do traditional/choose your own curriculum homeschooling vs. the more regulated alternative programs it often comes down to if they want their kids to be able to do sports/music/extracurriculars at the public school. with sports being eliminated in at least one district it could be the tipping point for some.

 

[godisney14]

My 8th grader has had a total of 3 google hangout meetings with his teachers since school closed March break. Basically no interaction with any of his teachers for three months and “school” is still on for another month. His teachers basically just post some work online for them to do. And he gets it all done in less than a couple hours and that’s it for the week. Any learning videos that are posted are pulled off the internet and not created by the teachers. My 10th grader has very little interaction with the teachers online and not much work to do also. Luckily both of them are good students with excellent grades. This entire semester has been a joke.

If they do move to mainly online teaching in the fall, I seriously hope they figure out how to do it right over the summer break so the kids are actually learning. No excuses.

I have come to the conclusion that, at least in my area, the responsibility for quality of distance learning falls partly on the school district and partly on the teacher. The school or district sets a required minimum standard, and the teachers can do more if they want. I have a neighbor who’s in public school and their kids (one in elementary and one in middle) had completely different experiences. The elementary child had as much daily Zoom time as my child did in private school (~3/4 of a normal school day). Also, one of my coworker’s mother is a teacher in another district. From what he tells me, the school set no minimum standard for how to do distance learning, and so he said that his mother basically only did a handful of Zoom sessions during the whole time as they were not trained/prepared.