Posted on 02/06/2021 8:38:16 PM PST by MinorityRepublican
After nearly a year of online learning, parents in the Washington region were thrilled to hear announcements from public schools, some of them tumbling out rapid-fire in recent days, that in-person learning will resume next month for students who choose it.
But families quickly discovered that in-person learning will not necessarily mean sitting in a classroom and being taught by a teacher. Instead, school officials in Maryland and Virginia have been hiring “classroom monitors” who will fill out school staffing — in some cases supervising classrooms as students continue to do online lessons.
For some parents, it’s the latest disappointment in pandemic-era learning: more virtual learning, no teacher in the room.
“Kids are going to be doing the same thing that doesn’t work, only in a new location,” said Jenna Hamilton, a mother of two school-age children in Fairfax County Public Schools. “They’re being warehoused in a room to watch their teacher on a screen yet again, with effectively a babysitter sitting there.”
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Nope. It’s way more than that.
Union bargaining in many areas.
Wish our Union fought harder to stay remote...sucks wearing a mask and face shield while teaching all day. And, 6 feet apart, no eating except for outside, spraying down the room every period, making these kids adjust to this insanity.
Most kids are better off learning at home online, imo. Yeah, there are those who are suffering tremendously without in person school (mostly special ed students) especially those whose parents can’t help them.
I just hope parents/our society sees that in person/building education wasn’t all that great and this provides an opportunity.
Agreed.
I worked in my building all during our only remote school year. I liked working in the building rather than home. But, once the kids were back and the mask and shield requirement was enforced, I’m dying! I hate it.I rebelled one day and was sent home, lol.
One of my daughter’s is a nurse at Penn and even they don’t have to wear the shield on the top of the mask all day/12 hour shift. I have to wear the mask and shield on top of it all damn day and teach/speak with it. And the kids have to wear the mask all damn day. It’s ridiculous. Useless. Yet, required.
I hated teaching from home since March 2020 because so much is lost for the students,but hate teaching with the mask and shield in school, now. It’s awful.On top of that, the kids can’t socialize, can’t take off their masks, etc. It’s surreal we are allowing this to happen. These kids are going to be so much more fucked up than usual.
What about sports? Other extracurricular activities such as chess and band?
Public education is a dinosaur—but it will take a comet to kill it.
This may be a comet. Once teacher unions realize the threat on their livelihoods, they will return to their classrooms first thing Monday morning.
Totally get that. I went K-12 Catholic school and it was mostly nuns. My kids went K-8 Catholic and it was all teachers except for nuns as principal and guidance and music.
But we as a society should be taking advantage of the school shut down, hybrid,etc.
Well, in NJ, all school sports and school clubs aren’t allowed to operate during China Virus/remote/hybrid.
Football season was allowed somewhat and some other fall sports but it’s been shut down since before Christmas. Not sure what’s happening for Spring since I haven’t looked or received any emails.
I truly believe this is an opportunity for our society to restructure our education system, away from the communist model.
Wow! If you thought teachers sucked when they DID show up for work, you ain’t seen nothing yet!!
And they are increasing the cost of school by doubling the number of people teaching/monitoring each class.
I suspect the taxes on homes will be raised to pay for this and once enough stink is made the teachers will come back with an increase in salary and the taxes will be lowered a smidgen
Not in certain states. The union controls so much.
In NJ, the commie gov left it up to each county and district. He’s owned by the Unions. Many went back on Sept. 8. Mine didn’t go back until mid Nov and only for 6 days. Union has a lot of pull in the district where I work (where I live went back in Sept.). Union/DNC decided we were “safe” to go back January 19.
The Unions, especially the Teachers Union, controls our state and there’s no threat to their livelihood here.
“And they are increasing the cost of school by doubling the number of people teaching/monitoring each class.”
Yep! In our school, one of 19 in the district, we are allowed 4 subs per day even if no teachers are absent and we have them! They come and do nothing other than make copies or monitor the bathrooms since all bathrooms must be monitored at all times due to covid. Mostly they just sit in the library or staff lounge. That’s just 4 per day per school across 19 schools in the district, not including those subs specifically for absent staff.
The cost is going to be astronomical.
That’s how they wanted us to teach.
Be in the classroom with a mask, face shield and gloves and teach the class both online with zoom/discord and the LMS and to students coming to the actual building.
No microphones in the classrooms (helps a little with the face mask. Can’t enunciate and make your voice carry with a mask on). I normally have a booming voice that’s heard outside the classroom easily.
Classroom sizes limited to 5 students and a teacher. Everyone else learn from home.
(Students would still have follow the lesson on discord even while sitting in the classroom on their personal laptops)
Our classes are intense as it is: 8 hours per week per class over a 2 month period- reminded me of the old twice a week adult learning classes/ university class schedule that I used to teach at UMUC at Army Education Centers back in the 90’s and 00’s. And we normally are teaching a morning and afternoon class (6 hours a day).
A mask was bad enough, but a face shields and gloves and double teaching (we were to come in for accreditation/ appearances only)
I get what you are saying. I removed my soph daughter from public school this summer, but the pandemic closure was just the final straw. She’d been harassed for wearing her cross necklace a couple of times, and was getting some leftist propaganda, and had a very poor English teacher.
I moved her to a private Christian school mainly because it was open. But then found out how much better the curriculum was (pro-Patriot US History, much better books to read in English, like CS Lewis instead of leftist crap).
Now I’d rather have her in hybrid private instead of full time public. She is very happy too. (She wants to find a Christian boyfriend—better pickings at a Christian school!)
But I can afford the $1000/mo private tuition. Most parents can’t (or won’t). The private schools in my area are now totally full with wait lists. We need more private schools ASAP. We need school choice and vouchers, but that won’t happen under Biden. It didn’t even happen under Trump. K-12 is up to the states. It won’t happen in CA.
What is going on is tragic all around. I’m glad homeschooling is growing. But the majority of US parents are single moms, either working or on welfare, and they sure as hell can’t homeschool well. It’s not realistic to think they can or will.
Some kids, like those with ADHD, can’t learn with “remote learning.” Many kids who had been getting As and Bs now have Ds and Fs. Video instruction (or remote learning) may not be as fantastic as you think (for children/teens anyway). The data is looking bleak at this point.
I prefer live, human instruction over canned video “trainings” myself. (Although the latter is more convenient.)
First of all, why do you need to wear a mask AND a shield? That does sound awful. A mask plus being 6 feet away should suffice.
Many high school kids need and want to get out of the house. For a solid year now they’ve been in their dark bedrooms, staring at a screen, with black squares, losing engagement and all alone.
The data aren’t showing “most kids are better off learning at home online.” In my district, the middle school kids’ Ds and Fs rose 125% from last year. They are not learning. And the ones who are apparently “learning” are cheating. Cheating is rampant with remote learning.
Why wasn’t your own in-person education that you provided “all that great?” Isn’t that up to you?
My daughter withered away in remote learning, and is so happy and bubbly now in hybrid (Christian private HS), seeing other humans twice a week and being in school again. My son’s grades plummeted to the point that I think some of his college offers might be revoked. He’s homeschooling now, and got a part time job, and is thriving not being in “remote learning.”
“Remote learning” has been a failure for many students, K-12 and college too. And my kids are “privileged”—disadvantaged kids are faring even worse. Probably the biggest blunder and public health disaster in our history.
Marin county is actually AHEAD of reopening compared to many other districts and counties in CA.
Marin county is leftist but those parents care about school. LA is leftist but those parents (majority Hispanic) are more—helpless? Scared? Cowed by the unions? Resigned to it? The rural and/or Trump areas (same) in CA are also reopened—the unions must not be as strong there. Other factors.
Your average school district in CA is firmly closed. But now that the wealthier elementaries are STARTING to reopen a bit (finally, this week or next, after a YEAR of closure), other districts will follow.
The key is having a strong school board and a “weak” union. Hard to find in CA, as the school boards are in the pocket of the union. The union $$ funds the campaigns for school board members. And there you go.
The only answer is recalling school boards. My district is working on that, for our board.
In CA, neighbors (brownshirts) call the school and complain when they see cross country runners running without masks.
I’d like to see them run ten miles as fast as they can with a mask on! Or even without a mask on!
fire them and strip their pensions
General Campus Reminders – Please keep in mind the following:
- All students and employees need to complete the Health Screening form at the front desk upon arrival.
- All students and employees MUST have completed the COVID safety course prior to coming on campus. This will be enforced.
- Vending machines are not to be used.
- Water, coffee, other drinks and food not allowed on campus.
- Teachers and students lounge must not be used.
- One bathroom (unisex) is available for use. Only one person allowed in at a time, and it must be sanitized between uses.
- Wall hand sanitizer dispensers are in most common areas and classrooms. Table top pumps are also located in several spots on campus.
- Face masks, gloves and face shields are available at the front desk, or you can bring your own. They must be worn at all times.
- No more than 5 students (and 1 instructor) should be in a classroom at 1 time.
- If you notice wipes, hand sanitizer, etc. are needed in a certain location, please notify me so I can replace it as soon as possible.
- Please help remind students to keep masks, face shields and gloves on and observe proper social distancing during class and while on campus.
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