The coronavirus

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  • cblock4life
    cblock4life Posts: 1,855
    The reality of in school/on-line education is that every child learns differently so neither is better or worse. 
    What matters is that you all are doing kiss ass jobs as are healthcare workers. Our stress multiplied by 25-30 students, I couldn’t do it. Congratulate each other and try to hang in there.  Things are looking up already....and thanks to all teachers. 
  • F Me In The Brain
    F Me In The Brain this knows everybody from other commets Posts: 31,835
    Bunch of kiss-asses!  
    :lol:
    cblock4life said:
    The reality of in school/on-line education is that every child learns differently so neither is better or worse. 
    What matters is that you all are doing kiss ass jobs as are healthcare workers. Our stress multiplied by 25-30 students, I couldn’t do it. Congratulate each other and try to hang in there.  Things are looking up already....and thanks to all teachers. 

    The love he receives is the love that is saved
  • DewieCox
    DewieCox Posts: 11,432
    School faculties have been the MVP of the pandemic. Lucky to live in a relatively unaffected area, especially with the ratio of asshats to people that give a shit, but they’ve kept us doing in person learning since day 1. Dams about to break but they’ve overcome some fairly significant challenges and stayed on top of things better than anyone should expect. My sister and brother in law are smack dab in the middle of their success and I couldn’t be prouder. 


    Meanwhile, my ignorant sister in law is fanning the flames of conspiracy with a moronic fb post about her pre surgery Covid test. First test came back positive so surgery was rescheduled. Her new surgery date is approaching so she had to take another and the nurse administering it told it would be positive so her single case of Covid now counts as two. Meanwhile, the general thinking and private(but not so secret) messaging has been avoid tests if at all possible. 
  • what dreams
    what dreams Posts: 1,761
    One message I have consistently communicated to my students from day one: Don't believe for one minute that your future is ruined because of this temporary setback. People are trying to make us all believe your life is destined for failure because you'relearning online. It is not. Now roll up your sleeves and get to work on your dreams. 

    What a horrible message to send our kids, this crap we're hearing about open vs online schools and how much who is learning vs the other. To hear other teachers saying it is mind boggling to me. Our kids are listening to every word we say. What are they hearing in your homes, in your neighborhoods, on their devices? Quit telling them, if you are, that they're permanently screwed. They are not. 

    Yes, I'm stressed out, but surprisingly it's not my actual teaching responsibilities causing it. I can't stand one more day of the doom and gloom coming from the naysayers, everywhere you turn. The positive words of encouragement I just heard here are the first since last April when everyone finally understood the challenge of getting their little cupcake to sit still for longer than 10 minutes. Most of that appreciation seems to have eroded, in general. But thanks to the above. It really, really helps 
  • HughFreakingDillon
    HughFreakingDillon Winnipeg Posts: 39,555
    the remote learning my kids did from march to june last year had its challenges, and their teachers were outstanding. however, i think what mcgruff is saying, and i agree with, you can't substitute in class learning for kids that age. yes, depending on region and needs, it's a necessity, but it's still his right to have the opinion that online learning is garbage, because honestly, it's not really comparable to in class. it wasn't an insult to those who are tasked with doing it. just the format. 

    i'm not sure where all this "doom and gloom" messaging is coming from, i haven't heard it where we are. 
    By The Time They Figure Out What Went Wrong, We'll Be Sitting On A Beach, Earning Twenty Percent.




  • what dreams
    what dreams Posts: 1,761
    No, it is not comparable. It is different. Being different doesn't mean one is garbage and the other is not. And sorry, no, I will not get behind your spin that the word garbage, when describing somone's work, isn't an insult.

    You may not hear the doom and gloom because you do not follow the same discussions I follow. Every argument I hear for opening up schools is laced with it.


  • HughFreakingDillon
    HughFreakingDillon Winnipeg Posts: 39,555
    what dreams said:
    No, it is not comparable. It is different. Being different doesn't mean one is garbage and the other is not. And sorry, no, I will not get behind your spin that the word garbage, when describing somone's work, isn't an insult.

    You may not hear the doom and gloom because you do not follow the same discussions I follow. Every argument I hear for opening up schools is laced with it.


    it probably isn't worth getting into it, but mcgruff is also a teacher, as you know. he was describing his own experience. he wasn't describing your work. 
    By The Time They Figure Out What Went Wrong, We'll Be Sitting On A Beach, Earning Twenty Percent.




  • mace1229
    mace1229 Posts: 9,837
    mcgruff10 said:
    dignin said:
    what dreams said:
    PJNB said:
    what dreams said:
    mcgruff10 said:
    oftenreading said:
    mcgruff10 said:
    Spiritual_Chaos said:
    mcgruff10 said:
    HughFreakingDillon said:
    OnWis97 said:
    mace1229 said:
    HughFreakingDillon said:
    lot of people making noise in my neck of the woods about "why can kids go to school but the restaurants and bars have to close?". because, geniuses, the kids actually fucking listen to protocols and take direction seriously, where the adults don't. there's a reason there's very few cases in our schools and kids getting infected. it's all the stupid fucking adults that can't stay home and have a zoom happy hour. 
    Middle school kids definitely don’t here. The second they’re out for recess the mask is off, they’re wrestling, hugging, whatever. In class t he y follow the rules, but not in hallways and recess.
    But I still think that’s a dumb argument, comparing schools to bars are 2 different animals.
    I don't have kids or truly understand how they're behaving but my gut reaction would be that kids might be worse than adults. Or, rather that kids would be better than petulant/obstinate adults but not as good as responsible adults.  In any case, I agree that "what about schools?" is a lame deflection. They can talk about whether or not in-person school is a good idea but it's neither here nor there for validating hanging out in bars.

    everything i've seen over the course of the last several months, now admittedly, this is limited to my daughters and their classmates/friends, the kids are doing amazingly well and are being way better about it than the adults i've encountered. 

    maybe it's a canadian thing. 
    My school is the same way.  Maybe it s a Winnipeg/New Jersey thing. 
    My sisters kids too. 

    Maybe it's a Winnipeg/New Jersey/Trollhättan thing
    Yes!  I love it.   
    In BC the schools are doing really well too. The kids have been back since September and there have been scattered, minimal cases and no outbreaks. The evidence that we have keeps showing that community spread is happening most in restaurants, bars and gyms. There are solid grounds to shut down those places and keep schools running.  
    Same in nj.  As a teacher and parent I hope and pray the governor does not shut down schools again.  I think we have had four cases in our school (1200 students plus around 85 faculty members).  
    Exponential spread. Four cases in your school (that you know of) turns into how many in the community? 
    I'm not disputing anyone's preference for schools being open or closed, or the reasons why. I'm just questioning why we would minimize the math when we know four cases doesn't stop at four cases.
    You really can't look at it that way though since you do not know where they got it from. Yes obviously if they got it from another kid in class and spread it to their family and then to others then that is not good. But if there has only been 4 cases in the last 3 months in his school I think it is pretty obvious that it is not being spread in the school and it is coming from outside sources and they would have spread that way anyways whether schools were open or not. 
    People keep talking as though there is this thing called school and a completely different thing called community.

    Schools are PART OF communities. Community spread and school spread are NOT SEPARATE from each other. 

    The virus doesn't give a shit where it spreads.
    I don't think you get it. My kids are in school right now and there have been a couple of kids test positive within the school. Any kid that was within the cohort with a positive test goes home for 2 weeks and gets tested. So far there has been no spread within school. These schools are doing a phenomenal job and so far their mitigation efforts are working.

    And to the other comments, the kids I've seen have been doing at much better job at wearing masks than the adults. The distancing, not so great, but kids are gonna be kids.
    The kids have been awesome.  They wear their masks from 7:15-11:30 without complaining.  The measures that we have put in place (no group work, no switching classes, no lunch) seem to be working.  (knock on wood)
    Any student with a symptom (headache, sore throat , etc) or has an immediate family member who tests positive is sent home for two weeks.  During that time the parent can either take the kid for a covid test or have the student go full virtual for that time.
    That’s completely different from my school. They’re there from 8:40-3:45.With lunch and passing periods. The kids are good about it during class. They had been good during passing period for a while, but that’s been slipping. We are expecting 11,12,13 year olds to wear a mask for 7 hours and social distance that whole time too. I just don’t think that’s realistic to maintain long term. And they haven’t been during lunch at all, large groups and no masks at lunch. 
    I would imagine if we had 3 hours and no passing periods and no lunch we’d have the same experience as you described. Just like I would imagine you’d have the same experience as me if your school expected kids to social distance and wear a mask for 7 hours, including a very limited supervised lunch and 7 passing periods.
  • mace1229
    mace1229 Posts: 9,837
    Due to increased cases in the community and school we switched to full remote this week. I didn’t know what to expect, he had basically zero training on a virtual classroom which was incredibly stupid. Other than some classroom bombs some teachers experienced the first day, I think I prefer this full remote model over the hybrid one.
  • what dreams
    what dreams Posts: 1,761
    HughFreakingDillon said:
    what dreams said:
    No, it is not comparable. It is different. Being different doesn't mean one is garbage and the other is not. And sorry, no, I will not get behind your spin that the word garbage, when describing somone's work, isn't an insult.

    You may not hear the doom and gloom because you do not follow the same discussions I follow. Every argument I hear for opening up schools is laced with it.


    it probably isn't worth getting into it, but mcgruff is also a teacher, as you know. he was describing his own experience. he wasn't describing your work. 
    Yes, I know McGruff is a teacher. He called Zoom learning, which he is not doing but I am, garbage. More than once. Even after I defended the successes so many of my students have experienced. Garbage
  • cincybearcat
    cincybearcat Posts: 16,851
    edited November 2020
    HughFreakingDillon said:
    i'm not really sure why one person's personal experience with zoom is considered a personal attack, but ok. 
    Cause some from a certain profession are overly sensitive and dramatic all the damn time 
    Post edited by cincybearcat on
    hippiemom = goodness
  • HughFreakingDillon
    HughFreakingDillon Winnipeg Posts: 39,555
    well, you can continue to take everything personally and overdramatize it, or you can see it for what it is. 

    good day. 
    By The Time They Figure Out What Went Wrong, We'll Be Sitting On A Beach, Earning Twenty Percent.




  • static111
    static111 Posts: 5,110
    HughFreakingDillon said:
    well, you can continue to take everything personally and overdramatize it, or you can see it for what it is. 

    good day. 
    Online learning is not garbage and to call it garbage is very closed-minded.  It is like What Dreams said, Different.  Better or worse? Nope different.  My nine-year-old is excelling with online.  Between every class the kids have time to socialize etc.  The teachers are all amazing and very engaging with the students.  For this age group online can work fine.  My wife and I both go over the lesson plans and homework, and find that if anything it is actually a level above where we think that our daughter should be and she is doing great, thanks to the fact that she has great teachers and a school that has set up a curriculum that is engaging to the students.  We've talked with other parents at the school and everyone shares this opinion.   I don't think it is better or worse, I think it is as What Dreams said, different.  It just so happens that our daughter is rocking with it.  My opinion is that if you think that online learning is garbage it is not the actual online learning you have a problem with, it is with something in the chain.  Perhaps a garbage teacher that can't create an engaging lesson plan, perhaps a garbage unwillingness to adapt to helping your kids adapt, perhaps an individual garbage institution, or an individual child that is not suited to online learning.  Every single child learns at a different rate and has various strengths and weaknesses.  In no way is online learning less than in person.
    Scio me nihil scire

    There are no kings inside the gates of eden
  • mcgruff10
    mcgruff10 New Jersey Posts: 29,131
    Oy vey.  Moving on. 
    Went to the mall today for the first time in forever; was definitely freaked out at first but after awhile I got used to it.  Everyone was masked up except when they were eating or drinking.  Overall a good experience.   
    I'll ride the wave where it takes me......
  • what dreams
    what dreams Posts: 1,761
    HughFreakingDillon said:
    well, you can continue to take everything personally and overdramatize it, or you can see it for what it is. 

    good day. 
    Whatever. I don't expect much understanding from most of you in this group on a regular basis, so no real surprise here.

    Now you're going to fall in line with another member by calling me (and members of a predominantly female profession) "overly sensitive and dramatic." Nice one.  I see clearly now how you think.

    I wish you and your super achiever daughter and all her friends the best of health in their schooling. I hope McGruff gets his wish to keep teaching at school so he doesn't have to work from home in a garbage pail. I hope communities that keep schools open during the surge much success in quarantining all the cohorts as they play whack-a-mole with their community transmission. I wish nothing but the best for every one out there. Good evening to you as well.
  • what dreams
    what dreams Posts: 1,761
    mace1229 said:
    Due to increased cases in the community and school we switched to full remote this week. I didn’t know what to expect, he had basically zero training on a virtual classroom which was incredibly stupid. Other than some classroom bombs some teachers experienced the first day, I think I prefer this full remote model over the hybrid one.
    My district trained us for the entire month of August before we started Aug 31. Once they made the decision in early July not to open, we all adapted 100%, knowing our community was counting on us to make it work. I know when I do return to a classroom, I am going to be a completely different teacher, a better teacher. The way I see my students has changed, how I approach my time with them has changed, how I assess them is totally changed. All of the shit I used to think was important in a classroom, I realize how totally unimportant much of it was. The only thing I really miss is the library. 

    Anyway, good luck. The best training I had on student engagement was with a woman named Katie Anderson with a group called Conscious Teaching. Look up her workshops. Game changing 
  • cincybearcat
    cincybearcat Posts: 16,851
    what dreams said:
    HughFreakingDillon said:
    well, you can continue to take everything personally and overdramatize it, or you can see it for what it is. 

    good day. 
    Whatever. I don't expect much understanding from most of you in this group on a regular basis, so no real surprise here.

    Now you're going to fall in line with another member by calling me (and members of a predominantly female profession) "overly sensitive and dramatic." Nice one.  I see clearly now how you think.

    I wish you and your super achiever daughter and all her friends the best of health in their schooling. I hope McGruff gets his wish to keep teaching at school so he doesn't have to work from home in a garbage pail. I hope communities that keep schools open during the surge much success in quarantining all the cohorts as they play whack-a-mole with their community transmission. I wish nothing but the best for every one out there. Good evening to you as well.
    See there you go again. Now you are trying to make it sexist.  

    And pretty nice of you to wish “success” for other schools.  There are ways to do this safely...it’s being proven.  If distance learning is so great, you should be worried about your profession and having a job a few years from now.  I’m surprised that any teacher would think distanced learning is equal to a classroom setting 
    hippiemom = goodness
  • mace1229
    mace1229 Posts: 9,837
    Every school and district is probably different. Here’s why so far I prefer our full remote model that we just went to this week. 
    My school was just under 1800 students last year, in a facility probably built for about 1200. Before covid even hit, back around January, we were told we were financially in trouble and to expect cuts and pay decreases and increased class sizes. We found out later we would lose $400/month in benefits and have 6 furlough days and still expect teacher cuts resulting in larger classes.
    As the new year approaches our district realized that wasn’t going to fly with covid. We expanded our full time online program to give students that option. The rest would be in a hybrid model, going to school 2 days a week in person allowing different groups each day. The schedule would only allow for 2 days a week to lower class sizes and not have packed rooms. About 20% chose full remote, reducing our daily students to about 550 with the hybrid model. That worked great for about 6 weeks. Then we started seeing more cases and playing wack-a-mole like WhatDreams said. 1 kid tests positive and a dozen students and usually some staff quarantine for 2 weeks. 

    The schedule was also a big problem. Only having school 2 days a week really messed with their routine. To them it was a 5-day weekend and then having to get up early 2 days a week threw them off.Most teachers didn’t find it as successful as we had hoped.
    But with our full remote schedule kids have class 5 days a week on a block schedule. 

    It’s still early, but for now and for our school I would pick 5 days a week via zoom classes over 2 days a week in person. 
  • mfc2006
    mfc2006 HTOWN Posts: 37,491
    Wear your mask & be safe, all.
    I LOVE MUSIC.
    www.cluthelee.com
    www.cluthe.com
  • what dreams
    what dreams Posts: 1,761
    cincybearcat said:
    what dreams said:
    HughFreakingDillon said:
    well, you can continue to take everything personally and overdramatize it, or you can see it for what it is. 

    good day. 
    Whatever. I don't expect much understanding from most of you in this group on a regular basis, so no real surprise here.

    Now you're going to fall in line with another member by calling me (and members of a predominantly female profession) "overly sensitive and dramatic." Nice one.  I see clearly now how you think.

    I wish you and your super achiever daughter and all her friends the best of health in their schooling. I hope McGruff gets his wish to keep teaching at school so he doesn't have to work from home in a garbage pail. I hope communities that keep schools open during the surge much success in quarantining all the cohorts as they play whack-a-mole with their community transmission. I wish nothing but the best for every one out there. Good evening to you as well.
    See there you go again. Now you are trying to make it sexist.  

    And pretty nice of you to wish “success” for other schools.  There are ways to do this safely...it’s being proven.  If distance learning is so great, you should be worried about your profession and having a job a few years from now.  I’m surprised that any teacher would think distanced learning is equal to a classroom setting 
    1. I'm not trying to make your comment sexist. It already was.

    2. If you think I believe "distance learning is equal to a classroom setting," you have completely missed my point. Since when does the word "different" -- the word I have consistently used to describe it -- mean "equal"?

    3. If there are ways to do this safely, why are cases exploding all over the country this fall in communities where schools are open? Remember when we used to say, "well, kids have been isolated, so we don't really know . . . " Now we know. Kids are no longer isolated and cases in the community are rising. Tell the doctors and nurses in the swamped hospital how safely all this is going. Please go back some posts and read the CDC article I posted about household spread. They are bringing it home from somewhere, probably school just like they bring home lice and everything else from school. 

    4. Thank you for looking out for my career. Education is changed forever by this experience. I have embraced the change and am confident my skills will continue to be rewarded.

    5. And yes, I truly wish everyone health and success. Why wouldn't I?
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