ITA with the bolded. The work I do requires it for entry level employees in this field and it’s needed. Srsly. I don’t want to have to explain organizational change models/processes in OJT (ain’t nobody got time for that) but smart, thoughtful people could start with us as admin. assistants and grow in subject matter expertise over time b/c we multitask. Kinda like the other thread? TIME/experience OR ED. Either works.

I see this too, mostly among those for whom college (read as post-secondary ed) would be hugely beneficial, affordable, and achievable. So much wasted talent. It ends up sounding like sour grapes even tho it’s rooted in the erosion of the social compact.

As a victim of that era and VERY limited guidance, I think students and families need more information, guidance and support. My parents graduated when it was still possible to work and pay your own way at the state flagship. They were thrilled when I made my choice but didn’t have two nickles to spare when I started. Post-secondary ed still pays off but folks aren’t being told to choose their schools/outlays wisely and not necessarily chase after/enroll in the best school you get into. I see parents on my black and brown college parents forum happily spending tens of thousands to attend schools with limited returns because they don’t know what they don’t know. When I tell people that my kiddo can get an undergrad engineering degree from GTech without any of the stress of freshman admissions they’re floored. Don’t know what they don’t know.

I also see a lot of people assuming that’s the price everywhere, based on what they’ve heard, without actually running the numbers for their specific family sitch. The reports, alone, are enough to prevent apps both admissions and FAFSA.

I don’t think ‘free college’ is a political worldview. I think it’s an attempt to restore the compact and ensure more public investment in higher education and youth in general. In reality, ‘free community college’ (read deeply subsidized) and sometimes four year university educations are available in large swaths of deeply conservative states at affordable rates for in-state students. Their legislators recognize, even if the gen pop doesn’t, that education is important for growth. Other states don’t have to make those same investments to achieve or attract an educated populace. To me: this is a matter of folks talking down about ed to voters while ensuring they have to spend as little of their own money as possible to give their kids a top shelf education. Vouchers are indicative of the same thing.

Agreed but I would ratchet that back by a decade. The 80s, when greed was good, were the beginning of the dismantling. I don’t fault people for making the calculus that college isn’t worth it and yet those of means haven’t stopped sending their kids to college and well-paying employers haven’t stopped asking for college degrees and/or classroom-based credentials.

Money or time. That’s the trade off. We pay now because we have more money than time. We DIYed when we had more time than money.

ALL DAY, EVERY DAY. I will back my kids when they are right. When they're wrong, I will say so to them and others and discipline appropriately. Thus far, I have only ever had to go to bat for them...and win. I don't excuse skipped classes or failed tests or blah, blah, blah. When it matters tho? Katie bar the door!

This isn't about exercise. It's about control, who has it, who can exercise it, and against whom. When I last went to CA (same area) to see my Dad, this was evident. People in the area have bought hook, line, and sinker into the 'teach my child to be obedient' and they'll be ok mantra. That's not true, at all. Kids, and adults, have to learn to exercise DISCERNMENT, to separate fact from fiction and truth/verifiable opinion and information, from fiction/opinion, and use historical precedent to find through lines. This kiddo was in MIDDLE SCHOOL. Playing by the rules and doing what the teacher said didn't save him from harm/death (which SURELY his parents believed). Being a contrarian ass would have. Obedience isn't the highest-order good. Discernment is. I am so, completely opposed to teaching obedience that I may be blind, but I'd rather die than to submit to this foolishness and I hope my kids take/have taken note. This wasn't a high school. It was a middle school with a young kid who believed doing what he was told would keep him safe. It didn't. Parents, THEY NEED YOU TO HELP PUT THESE DIRECTIVES IN PERSPECTIVE! ALSO-- Historians RAWK!

TBF - Most teachers in our district see these administrative edicts as so much hogwash. It's the true believers, the older TEACHERS (retirement age) that assaulted a student last year that result in these blanket, stupid, policies. This isn't our norm, and it's why I spoke my piece. In the absence of clear-eyed, moderate voices, districts have nothing else to work with. Every other (save one) voice at the meeting I attended was talking about the after school satan club (it was only launched in response to the 'Good News Club'. WTF!? This is how districts legislate, based on the whims of squeaky wheels who don't, and will never, have more kids in schools. The priority with our current school board is to deal with screens BEFORE making schools safe. Our society has chosen to focus on screens, not gun safety, to our eternal shame. I disagree. Maslow, people. MASLOW.

It's entirely too touchy-feely, too human, to acknowledge that faculty can't (and in some cases won't)...for legit reasons, no judgment, protect all kids. As a parent tho, it's also fully within my purview to say we will NOT abide by rules that prevent access to our child in an emergency. DS brought the school rules home today. DEVICES MUST BE POWERED OFF and be off the body to meet the rules. It's madness. DS said most kids at school were nodding and shrugging it off so he's not alone in following our family's guidance--no haptics, no looking at it in class, ALWAYS on your person and charged. I wrote on the paper my rules: LET ME KNOW IF HE ABUSES THE PRIVILEGE of keeping a device on his person, otherwise...NO.

In CA, when I was a student, band and PE were 0-period courses. Band was AM (EARLY!!) and PE was 7th period (late/last) so students could travel to meets/games/matches without sacrificing class time. Why isn't this a thing everywhere?

To your first point, about the needs of the kids, did you see the front page of UNCs student newspaper on Wed? https://www.npr.org/2023/09/01/1197145404/unc-daily-tar-heel-newspaper-front-page-shooting

It is classroom dependent. Ours is also a tech magnet high school so it’s not necessary in every class but many of them, yes. They bring them to every class and can reasonably expect to be allowed to use them in every class if even just to check their school email. They’ve even toyed with using digital/timed hall passes requested through their devices to limit the number of kids in the hall at any given time. When my DD was a student there, she also found it helpful to snap a pic of the homework on the board/schedule vs writing it down. She’d snap pics of a worked math problem, etc. When I told her about the change this week she expressed relief that she was out. Oldest used to use her oculus headset to do math homework tho. This was my super visual learner. She would stand in her room waiving her hands in the air as she worked problem sets she imported on a virtual whiteboard.🤷🏽‍♀️

We do have school issued Chromebooks. Teachers post assignments, videos, links, it even handles grading in some cases. Teachers also communicate schedule changes for sports, clubs and other activities through apps that send messages during the day. The apps DS uses most are the ones used to communicate band stuff, that and YouTube which isn’t blocked on their chromebooks either. So, yeah, it’s really hard to justify. Plus there’s this…a prof at UNC continuing to teach after an active shooter alert was issued on campus? It just speaks to the desensitization toward gun violence risks. No one thinks it will happen until it does. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/university-north-carolina-fatal-shooting-students-criticizing_n_64f49cace4b08f6e30e97a5b I don’t want DS using his phone for frivolous reasons in class and would expect him to be disciplined for it but I’ll be damned if I leave him unable to call or be called in an emergency.

Right at the heart of the matter, as always.

Oldest is prone to ear infections and felt one coming on just as we were leaving. We told her to go to the campus clinic for fresh Rx drops, which she…did?! Without any addl prompting! Currently she’s reporting her hearing is restored and has no pain. Honestly, this changeover feels too easy. We all felt ready. It’s early days yet so we’ll see what’s to come. I didn’t do the MPOA and DPA paperwork before she left and was quickly reminded why we need it. DDs roommate has already had a car accident so we called the lawyer and had them sent to DD to print and sign. I’m sure there’s a notary somewhere on campus. We asked her to keep it with her vital docs and send us a copy. Hope that’s good enough.

Same.

FTR, gang affiliated clothing is prohibited bc it’s s safety risk and creates fights, promoting illegal drugs…ILLEGAL? Ok. Comm. devices aren’t illegal.

Ha! Opposite schedule for my kiddo. She is so happy b/c she scheduled all of her classes after 11a. That’s her earliest day. Everything else is 12-4. She has no classes on Friday. Living the dream!! Lol.

If you're gonna issue it, and require its use, TEACH THEM HOW TO USE IT RESPONSIBLY!

This is the dare. The vast majority of kids aren't abusing the privilege altho one notable kid (caucasian girl FWIW) in DS's H. English class last year ended up being physically assaulted by their (also caucasian) English teacher (who was fired) over unauthorized cell use. That's not my kids'/my problem. I suspect 80%+ of the teachers in DSs school will only invoke the policy if kids abuse their trust.

This entire thread is about the ability to check on your kids in case of an emergency at school b/c schools are adopting policies that limit parental ability to do that. I *REFUSE* to be standing on the sidewalk, or a mile away, waiting for someone to tell me if my kid is alive or dead.

Bless you. I feel like the bigger issue...I WANT ACCESS TO MY KID IF SHIT HAPPENS AT SCHOOL is being glossed over. The most recent (sad I have to add that qualifier) Walmart shooting occurred 15 minutes from my house! VB's massacre...30 minutes away. This is not ok with me and will never be. You do you. I am not comfortable being unable to check on my kids.

No.