Current Events > Can somebody explain to me the COVID schools issue?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Some people are like kids have to come back to school NOW! Muh education!! Were harming the kids!! Theyre falling behind!!

falling behind what? Covid is literally death. They can go to school, learn about arithmetics and algebra in the day and bring death to their older relatives in the evening because they now carry the virus.

do you trust a bunch of children to keep social distancing and obey adequate mask use at school? Heck, they cant even stop bullying each other.

why not give grade school kids a sabbatical year? Its one year, exactly how are they going to fall behind?

we, as a society, established the arbitrary deadline of when a kid should finish high school.

No one is going to have their life destroyed because some kids finished high school a year later because A DEADLY PANDEMIC THAT HAS KILLED 150K PEOPLE SINCE MARCH IN THE US IS GOING ON.

its a heck of a reason to have a sabbatical year.

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Because money.

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Because dummies

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we live in the supposed greatest nation on earth but are apparently too stupid to educate children without them sitting at a desk for 7 hours a day 5 days a week with 30 other children surrounding them

Runeboggle posted...

Because money.

SquantoZ posted...

Because dummies

seems that way, yes.

then that hag DeVos goes like they need education! And online is bad quality!. Im like b**** please you must have a mental disease!


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Its honestly because parents need a place for their children to be while theyre out at work. I dont mean to imply that teachers are babysitters (Ill mention here that Im a middle school teacher), but it seems like a pretty good deal for everyone (well take care of you kids, you do your work, your kid gets an education, and I have a job).

Its also really, really hard for young people to learn content online. I majored in math and I cant overestimate how much it helps to be in a collaborative, physical setting when tackling difficult problems and concepts

The whole situation really sucks, but youre right; Im glad I get to continue teaching online, but I do hope this all can end soon

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Good response from @parabola_master .

I'll add that much of the concern is about social skills more than academic skills. Academics can be made up, for the most part, but there is a window of opportunity for many social skills. If young people miss those milestones, it can be very difficult to recover fully.

That's why many districts are focusing on how to get elementary school students back as soon as possible. There is somewhat less concern for high schoolers. (Middle school is its own animal; they likely fall closer to the younger ones as far as their social needs.)

Also there is a huge amount of concern for certain subgroups of students, such as those receiving special education services, those who are language learners, and others with specialized supports provided through the schools.

And then there are the children whose lives are in danger by being stuck at home all the time. For far too many students, school is the only escape from an abusive or otherwise dangerous situation. These students are at extremely high risk right now, and it is nearly impossible for those who care about them (teachers, counselors, etc) to ensure their welfare.

It is a terrible situation all around, and there is no one simple "right" answer.

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Sariana21 posted...

Good response from @parabola_master .

I'll add that much of the concern is about social skills more than academic skills. Academics can be made up, for the most part, but there is a window of opportunity for many social skills. If young people miss those milestones, it can be very difficult to recover fully.

That's why many districts are focusing on how to get elementary school students back as soon as possible. There is somewhat less concern for high schoolers. (Middle school is its own animal; they likely fall closer to the younger ones as far as their social needs.)

Also there is a huge amount of concern for certain subgroups of students, such as those receiving special education services, those who are language learners, and others with specialized supports provided through the schools.

And then there are the children whose lives are in danger by being stuck at home all the time. For far too many students, school is the only escape from an abusive or otherwise dangerous situation. These students are at extremely high risk right now, and it is nearly impossible for those who care about them (teachers, counselors, etc) to ensure their welfare.

It is a terrible situation all around, and there is no one simple "right" answer.

would losing a single year of school be that terrible though?


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Companies want to open back up at full capacity, problem is that parents need somewhere to dump their kids for 8hrs, so now the govt is pressing to open schools despite the obvious dangers because profits over people

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Alaska is going Online

https://www.ktuu.com/2020/08/04/juneau-school-district-set-to-reopen-with-online-only-classes-on-aug-24/

https://www.ktuu.com/2020/07/30/anchorage-school-district-families-can-expect-virtual-learning-to-last-a-while/


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The_homelander posted...

why not give grade school kids a sabbatical year? Its one year, exactly how are they going to fall behind?

I'm not on the side of opening schools, but a sabbatical year, especially when your mind is a sponge @ absorbing info ages 5-(10?) is probably not a great idea either.

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Romulox28 posted...

Companies want to open back up at full capacity, problem is that parents need somewhere to dump their kids for 8hrs, so now the govt is pressing to open schools despite the obvious dangers because profits over people

this shit is so damned evil.


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Bestoffuture posted...

I'm not on the side of opening schools, but a sabbatical year, especially when your mind is a sponge @ absorbing info ages 5-(10?) is probably not a great idea either.

perhaps an online year? My only concern is online is harder and some kids may not have a good computer or net connection

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The_homelander posted...

would losing a single year of school be that terrible though?

I feel that its not as simple as you think. If my 7th graders (now 8th graders) had one full year off, I wouldnt expect them to return to school ready to begin 8th grade mathematics. Instead, Id imagine a bit of regression would have occurred.

Also, and this is where my bias comes in, I think its in our best interests to keep our youth occupied while at home. I can be very blunt here and say that my students are currently spending their summer watching TV at home (Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, etc.), playing Fortnite, and not necessarily reading books, learning an instrument, etc. I dont mean to blame our youth or their families (I grew up in a very poor home so I know what its like to not be able to have access to certain resources), but it seems that maintaining their education, albeit not as strong as before due to the nature of distance learning, provides some utility.

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Teachers once again regret teaching as the job is shit pay that they need to hurry back to work. They need to work for bills and realize they should have gone to college for more important things such as the medical field. Now teachers live with regret for choosing teaching as a "career" LMAO

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Also, @Sariana21 provided a great response to the inequity that we are now facing, particularly regarding students with IEPs (special needs), and students from low income families. The reality is, high income families will attain an education for their children no matter what (private tutors, specialized online programs, etc.). Any decision we make will mostly impact low income families.

I grew up in a Spanish speaking, low income home. I was at a disadvantage starting school by the mere fact that I grew up hearing fewer English words at home, compared to my peers. It really does suck, but I hope that all my students will log on to their online lessons (we are starting digitally in Los Angeles) as the academic setting (not even necessarily the content I will deliver) is so, so important for their growth and development.

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Republicans never gave a hot damn about the kids with special needs and the lower income kids before, now that are using them as an excuse to go back to school. This is a GA school.

https://twitter.com/stonecold2050/status/1290670194046558212

First there are too many people in that school anyway, but look at that.

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parabola_master posted...

I feel that its not as simple as you think. If my 7th graders (now 8th graders) had one full year off, I wouldnt expect them to return to school ready to begin 8th grade mathematics. Instead, Id imagine a bit of regression would have occurred.

Also, and this is where my bias comes in, I think its in our best interests to keep our youth occupied while at home. I can be very blunt here and say that my students are currently spending their summer watching TV at home (Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, etc.), playing Fortnite, and not necessarily reading books, learning an instrument, etc. I dont mean to blame our youth or their families (I grew up in a very poor home so I know what its like to not be able to have access to certain resources), but it seems that containing their education, albeit not as strong as before due to the nature of distance learning, provides some utility.

good point.

an online year seems to be the only option then: it keeps the teachers busy (and paid) and it keeps the students from regressing in their academic stuff.

perhaps the only year could be deemed a special year or something


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