Yesterday my son's school also sent out an e-mail with updates to the schedule. My son is a transfer student, so he just picked out all of his classes this past Monday and now they have all changed from face-to-face meetings to hybrid. The hybrid classes supposedly have occasional face-to-face classes although hybrid is not fully defined. The university is open this fall, but the kids are going away to college for classes that are mostly online! I'm thinking the university is trying to keep at least one meeting a week in person because otherwise, why bother to come to campus at all? Most people now have already signed housing contracts, and they can't back out, and the university has announced that they won't be giving any housing refunds even if the school closes down early. So students are stuck with the debt of paying to go away to college to take classes that will mostly be online.

My younger son is still scheduled to work at Boy Scout camp this summer in NC, although the camp start date was delayed for 2 weeks. He is supposed to start either June 21 or June 28. The camp was considering having all the counselors show up on the 21st to get coronavirus testing. Then they would have to stay at camp the rest of the summer, and can't leave on their days off. I still have my doubts that camp will happen. Not due to anything with the camp, but I'm worried that individual troops will cancel making it not worthwhile. Our own troop decided not to reschedule when the first two weeks of camp were eliminated. My son is going because he's working, not because he's going with his troop.

Precious!

I hope this continues to work for you. This is exciting news!

I was shopping at Target in Durham the other day where masks are required, and I noticed that almost everybody took off their masks as soon as they exited the building. It was hot and humid outside, and I think that especially makes people feel they can't breathe well with the mask. The first time I wore a mask, I felt lightheaded. I'm actually not sure how much was mental and how much was physical, but I have gotten better used to wearing them. However, like you, I just try to go out and shop as little as I can.

The Boy Scout camp my younger son works at is still planning sessions this summer, although they are shortening from 7 weeks of camp to 5. It is an overnight camp, so things will not be the same -- i.e., dining is going to be set up differently, there will be twice daily temperature checks and record keeping, some merit badge sessions like cooking won't be held at all, and if one kid in a troop gets sick, the whole troop has to go home. I'm not sure what the requirements are regarding masks, but my son as a counselor has been asked to bring two cloth masks. In reality, I'm not sure enough people will keep their camp reservations to make it viable. In our own troop, at least half the people have canceled because they don't want to deal with all the rules, and they know they will be difficult to enforce anyhow.. While my son does not love all the rules he will have to follow, he loves working at camp so he will be there as long as they are open.

Just wanted to update. First, my son ended up taking the exam at the campground. We had a small problem with wifi, but we got it working OK and he had no further problems. Four problems had graphs that didn't show up, and at first we were concerned that it was an issue on our end, but it wasn't, so he e-mailed the teacher that he had put down random answers for those 4 problems. She didn't respond for a couple of days, so we didn't know what would happen with that, but she eventually e-mailed the class confirming that there was an issue, and she was going to drop those problems. Furthermore, she curved the test 12 points which allowed my son to get a "B" in the class. His finally class grade was 79.88, and she rounded up to a "B". I was happy for that, because he was maintaining a "B" in the class until everything went online, and then he struggled. I was even worried for a while that he might fail the class. I did speak with his disability advisor when the test wasn't posting. He had tried to contact the teacher several times himself, and given the time issue, I thought it was time to escalate things. I had FERPA authorization, thank goodness. The disability advisor was very helpful, and she tried to speak with the teacher to no avail. However, she could not really do anything further. She could not give him more extra time on the test since WiFi issues would not be considered a disability issue. I do think her call to the teacher was what eventually got the teacher to post the exam, though, as the exam posted shortly after she called so maybe the advisor was able to leave a message. At any rate, by the time the test posted, it was too late for my son to take the exam and for us to get to the beach before dark, so we took our chance on the wifi and headed out on our planned vacation. I don't know what the rules are for how late a teacher can post exams, but the fact that the teacher kept changing things was highly problematic, IMO. What if my son had had a flight to take? What if he had planned on working? I do know that the official schedule said that last Thursday classes met on May 7, and for the community college this is the last day of any particular class -- there is not a separate exam week or anything. At any rate, all's well that ends well. Thank you all for your input!

I don't think a college teacher has the right to delay a final exam, do they? This is a schedule set by the college months in advance. The college made it clear that they are not extending the class schedule due to COVID. Thursday (yesterday) was supposed to be the very last session for this class. At the community college, exams are taken on the last scheduled day of class, not afterwards. There is no finals week or anything. The exam still hasn't posted. The students were supposed to be able to start the exam at 2 o'clock yesterday. Then she said the exam would post at midnight. She is not answering e-mails. Clearly something is wrong. FWIW, yesterday she told the class she had not completed writing the exam yet! I guess I will now have to get involved. My son has signed FERPA, so I am authorized to talk with his disability counselor. I will start there, and then if necessary, we'll take it up to the Dean.

He e-mailed the teacher again, and he copied his disability advisor, so that there is a record of what is going on. We did find the name of the dean and assistant dean, and I guess if we don't hear back, we'll take it up a notch. My son, however, is very much afraid to rock the boat in case the teacher takes it out on his grade. Thanks for your help, Regentrude.

We can leave a little later, but it's a long drive, and we want to get to our destination before dark. I guess we'll wait an hour from his e-mail to the teacher, and then see if we can contact disability. I can't even figure out which department the class is in or who the dean is. It's not clear -- I'm guessing micro-economics would be the business department? I'm seriously wondering if she never planned to give the exam at all. She's said some really strange things. Just last week, she told the students that when doing their class reviews, that they should not make any comments about her appearance because it hurts her feelings, and that they shouldn't think that their poor reviews of the class will affect her salary, because she's going to transfer to William and Mary anyhow. ???

My son's final in microeconomics was supposed to be yesterday (Thursday) at 2 o'clock. On Tuesday the teacher told the class that instead of starting the exam at two as planned, she would give another lecture at that time, and they could take the exam afterwards. However, in class yesterday she said that the exam wasn't ready and that she would post it at midnight instead. This morning, she still hasn't posted the exam. We had planned to leave town today because the exam was supposed to be yesterday! Yesterday was supposed to be the last day of class for all the classes that meet on Thursday. Now it is Friday, and still no exam. My son gets time and a half per accommodations, and I'm thinking he should try to get in touch with his disability coordinator and ask for double time since we will be at a campground and wifi might be spotty. The test will be open for 3 days, but it does have a time limit once started. Honestly, I'm not even sure the teacher is in her right to extend the exam beyond the last day for classes, which was yesterday for my son's class. We would never have planned a trip during exams! The college did NOT extend the spring schedule due to Covid, but everything has been online, of course. This teacher has been "off" all semester, but especially since the Covid lockdown. She says really strange things to the class. Does anybody have any advice on how we should handle this? My son has the lowest grade he's ever had in this class (a high C), and I am worried about how this is going to affect his grade. He *needs* to pass this class because he's supposed to graduate with his associates this spring and transfer to a 4-year in the fall.

I hope your husband relents. 🐕

Mine was a couple of weeks ago. We were supposed to go camping and maybe get a meal out going or coming. Oh well. Instead, to bring a little joy to my day, I asked my husband to invent a new cocktail in honor of my coronavirus birthday. We call it the Covid-19. (Whisky, Goldschlagger, a touch of Cherry Heering, a splash of lime, a dash of bitters, and a sprinkling of Vitamin C powder. 😀)

I saw some pretty and clean ones recently in an antique store, and I almost bought them just because they were so pretty. As a girl I had some that were simply printed upon with cute pictures, but also some that had needlework around the edge. I think I know in which container they are stored, but I don't know where that container is. Maybe I'll find it in my spare time during the quarantine. Although that spare time is still a lot more elusive than I thought it would be. And I was chuckling a bit at your old-T shirt use, because I'm saving a pile of them for use and wash toilet paper if worse comes to worse. I have major toilet paper angst! And this thread isn't helping that at all, lol.

I grew up using handkerchiefs. I'm sure I kept some because many were quite pretty, but I don't know where they are. And I'm kind of wondering now in my old age, why did people take the time to make handkerchiefs pretty, given their use and all?

Magnesium is a natural statin, and magnesium deficiency is linked to high cholesterol. If you choose to try this, buy magnesium citrate because it is the most absorbable. Also nicotinic acid (a form of niacin). Nicotinic acid used to be used to treat high cholesterol before statins became predominant.

1 can black beans with liquid, 1 can diced tomatoes with liquid, 1 cup instant rice. Put in pot and heat until rice is done. Add cumin or other seasonings as desired. I buy the seasoned diced tomatoes when I can. Double and triple the recipe as needed. I usually double it for two teen boys and two adults. We eat it as bowl food with hot sauce.

This is definitely something to think about. Thank you for posting. I've had a hard time convincing him to follow through with accommodations at all, but I think he is realizing how much they help him and he is now more willing to ask. His doctor note definitely gives him a distraction free place, and I believe he will get that for his statistics exams because his teacher doesn't want to stay extra so he will get a private testing room. For now he is comfortable in the chem room. Apparently there are a few other students who also come early and/or stay late, and I think that makes him feel more normal. 😀

Just wanting to add that my son had the note from the doctor to request accommodations his first semester at the community college, but he didn't follow up. He mostly did OK until last semester, when he felt that he didn't have enough time on a chemistry test to demonstrate his true knowledge of the subject. That is what finally got him to request the accommodations. His Chem 2 teacher this semester is working with him easily, allowing him to come in early or stay later to finish the exam. My son likes that better than having to go to a separate room. Anyhow, he used every minute of his time and a half for his first chem test this semester, and he eeked out an 82. Afterwards I asked him if he felt he would have done that well without the extra time, and he said, "no way." So I think that is what helped him push for the accommodations in his statistics class. It's always hard to get something going, but once you've done it once, I think it gets easier. He is going away to a 4-year school next year, so this has been good practice for him. Thanks for your encouragement!

Yes. I'm really excited for him. He has been so reluctant to advocate for himself. Today he got copied on an e-mail from the instructor to the disability advisor and the woman who will supervise his test on the local campus. I've noticed that this professor is very careful about detailing everything in a message, which is good. Even when the message detailed the instructor's lack of help for my son, it allowed my son to know what the situation was, and so he followed up. He copied that e-mail to the advisor in his response, and that got the ball rolling. I did suggest that he e-mail the instructor thanking him, to help make sure the instructor knows my son is not trying to be a pain.

Well, I am proud of my son because he pushed back a little, on his own. He forwarded the instructor's e-mail to his disability advisor, and asked how he could schedule a room on the local campus and who he needed to talk to. And that if he couldn't take the exam locally, he would skip the accommodations for this first test. Anyhow, he got a message back from the advisor requesting his exam dates, and she said she would try to find him a room. Previously she suggested it might be necessary for him to go to the main campus, too. I'm hoping she will truly follow through and help him.

I would check the policy at the community college. Our local community college allows one excused absence per semester, and it has to be requested 2 weeks in advance. There is a paper the students have to fill out and bring to the teacher, and the teacher signs it so there is documentation.. Between my two boys, they have requested a total of 3 excused absences with no problem from the teacher. Two times they had to take an exam in advance due to the excused absence, but that was documented beforehand. I think a lot of things are accepted as an excuse if the absence is requested in advance. I'm thinking of having my younger son request a day off so he can come along on a university visit with his brother this semester.

Thanks for your input. Unfortunately, my son's instructor for this course has his office on the main campus, not at the satellite campus. Complicating matters for us is that my younger son has to be at yet a different CC at the same time the instructor would like my older son to be taking his accommodated test at the main campus. My younger son once was allowed to take an early exam (no accommodations) in the library after signing an honesty agreement, so he wasn't directly supervised, but it seems like this professor won't go for that. I'm in the process right now of urging my son to contact the disabilities advisor, but he is balking right now and just doesn't want to mess with it because it's too much of a bother. Not atypical for ADHD, I guess, but there is only so much I can do, especially if requiring him to go to the main campus is allowed under the law.

My son, who is a second semester sophomore at a local satellite campus for a community college, has recently received accommodations for the first time. His accommodation is simply time and a half on tests. My son does not feel he needs a special quiet room to take a test, and he merely wants the time extension. One of his instructors is willing to let him stay after class and take his extra time in the same classroom as the other students. The other instructor wants him to take his tests through disability services. The problem with that is that it means he has to go to the main campus, which is in the downtown area of a large city. It is a minimum of a half hour drive one way from the campus where he takes all of his classes. My son does not drive. Which means, of course, that I or my husband would have to find a way to get him there. I don't understand why my son is not allowed to take the test on the same campus where he takes his classes. It seems to me that this penalizes students on the satellite campus. My son is thinking of just giving up the accommodation for that class because he doesn't want to deal with going to the other campus, and frankly, I really don't want to drive there, either. It's a horrid, nerve-wrecking drive. Which is why he attends classes at the local branch. Anyhow, I was wondering if anyone here knows if this is legal for them to require him to take his accommodated test on the other campus.

Agreeing with this.