Cry with me(please JAWM)

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

My two younger kids have been in school exactly 9 days. They started last Wednesday, so really only 7. And we just picked them up because a kid on their bus tested positive.

I kind of have some insider knowledge that the dad tested positive yesterday and had refused to be vaccinated. Kid woke up symptomatic today and now my kids are on a ten day quarantine. With no educational anything other than a once a day Zoom meeting with the teacher. I said (insert swear word) that.  But I hate homeschooling; I really do.  And we are so busy at work that sleeping when my kids are in school is the only rest I get. But I can’t leave them in school anyway and NY forbid virtual options this year. 

I literally have no PTO left and I don’t even know how I can afford to take ten days off and I expect this will keep happening.  Like how can anyone take 10 days off repeatedly and afford it?

I just needed to vent.  I’m so over it.

[frogger]

I am so sorry. What a frustration! It is hard for me to understand why they wouldn't have a testing option after a few days so they can go back. ☹️

[itsheresomewhere]

7 minutes ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle said:

My two younger kids have been in school exactly 9 days. They started last Wednesday, so really only 7. And we just picked them up because a kid on their bus tested positive.

I kind of have some insider knowledge that the dad tested positive yesterday and had refused to be vaccinated. Kid woke up symptomatic today and now my kids are on a ten day quarantine. With no educational anything other than a once a day Zoom meeting with the teacher. I said (insert swear word) that.  But I hate homeschooling; I really do.  And we are so busy at work that sleeping when my kids are in school is the only rest I get. But I can’t leave them in school anyway and NY forbid virtual options this year. 

I literally have no PTO left and I don’t even know how I can afford to take ten days off and I expect this will keep happening.  Like how can anyone take 10 days off repeatedly and afford it?

I just needed to vent.  I’m so over it.

I just wanted to give you a hug.  It sucks right now. 

Edited September 17, 2021 by itsheresomewhere

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

I think what really disturbs me is that they’re offering no education to quarantined kids beyond worksheets and a 10 minute zoom meeting with their teacher.

[Insertcreativenamehere]

Just now, Mrs Tiggywinkle said:

I think what really disturbs me is that they’re offering no education to quarantined kids beyond worksheets and a 10 minute zoom meeting with their teacher.

Our district is doing the same. It's not right. 

[Carrie12345]

It is 100% awful that families are put in this position.

[itsheresomewhere]

Just now, Mrs Tiggywinkle said:

I think what really disturbs me is that they’re offering no education to quarantined kids beyond worksheets and a 10 minute zoom meeting with their teacher.

It is wrong.  Here they are using truancy laws in some districts for kids who are missing school due to covid.  

[Katy]

I'm sorry.  That sounds awful.

[fairfarmhand]

Same thing is happening at my nieces school. It’s dreadful. 

[theelfqueen]

This is total Bulls%*t. I would be so pissed.

If they have a plan that includes quarantine for the exposed, they need to have a plan for educating the quarantined. 

Edited September 17, 2021 by theelfqueen

[MooCow]

14 minutes ago, itsheresomewhere said:

It is wrong.  Here they are using truancy laws in some districts for kids who are missing school due to covid.  

The attendance clerk at youngest school told me they don't count covid absences at all. 😔 Luckily he's a lot older and his college classes through the school are online anyways. Really makes me worry for the younger kids.

[ktgrok]

20 minutes ago, frogger said:

I am so sorry. What a frustration! It is hard for me to understand why they wouldn't have a testing option after a few days so they can go back. ☹️

Because it would miss a lot of positive kids, if you tested too early. 

But that doesn't excuse the total lack of planning for this on the part of the school district and the state!

Not having virtual options is inexcusable. 

[prairiewindmomma]

Our district is doing the same—they are loading homework into Google classrooms, that is it. 
 

If you are vaccinated, no quarantine required unless you are personally symptomatic. Ped vaccine can’t come quickly enough!!

[kbutton]

Around here, if you are masked or vaccinated, it's not an exposure. Masks are required on the bus, so someone exposed on the bus would not be quarantined.

[desertflower]

I'm so sorry.  That does suck.  I hope there is a better way soon. 

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

13 minutes ago, kbutton said:

Around here, if you are masked or vaccinated, it's not an exposure. Masks are required on the bus, so someone exposed on the bus would not be quarantined.

Everyone is masked on the bus and in school. They’re very strict here with masking, but it’s still an exposure.

[Carrie12345]

10 minutes ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle said:

Everyone is masked on the bus and in school. They’re very strict here with masking, but it’s still an exposure.

Well look at you, knowing the difference between reality and inconsistent, random, made up policies! 😉   
I can’t even anymore.

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

4 minutes ago, Carrie12345 said:

Well look at you, knowing the difference between reality and inconsistent, random, made up policies! 😉   
I can’t even anymore.

The CDC is on my list of annoying things lol.

I’m on immunosuppressants. We know that the vaccine is likely not very effective for me and that I don’t have the antibodies that they test for. However, it’s perfectly okay for me to spend yesterday in a surgical mask in a tiny ambulance with 4 different Covid patients, one of whom had dementia and would not keep a mask on, for a total time of about 5.5 hours and I don’t need to quarantine because I’m vaccinated.

but my daughter, who rode masked on a bus for 15 minutes with an asymptomatic child two days ago who developed symptoms this morning and was also masked, and who does have known Covid antibodies, has to quarantine.

Like I can’t even. (And I get it, and I support vaccinations and quarantined, but really.)

Edited September 17, 2021 by Mrs Tiggywinkle

[lynn]

I hear you.  Why mask if you still get quarantined even if distant and minimum exposure???  Does NY not have state virtual school like connections academy?

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

16 minutes ago, lynn said:

I hear you.  Why mask if you still get quarantined even if distant and minimum exposure???  Does NY not have state virtual school like connections academy?

No virtual options at all.  Other states are way ahead of us.

[PeterPan]

They plan to shut down education every time someone tertiary tests positive??????? Unbelievable. What a stunt. 

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

So this is the CDC guidelines. Apparently if my kids were in the classroom with this child at the same distance and time, it would be fine?  I don’t know why—ventilation maybe? Though the bus windows are all open right now with the weather nice.

I don’t understand either why the teachers and support staff aren’t held to the same guidelines as students.

I foresee a long year of kids quarantining.

Edited September 17, 2021 by Mrs Tiggywinkle

[HS Mom in NC]

Since public education in every state gets federal dollars, it's time the feds mandate online options in every state in order to receive those tax dollars.

Am I the only one who thinks in person ps and online ps in each state should be aligned by week now that we've been through a  year and a half of a pandemic?  If they're aligned, then couldn't they switch the quarantined kids over to online (those kids with internet access) and then switch them right back into in person when quarantine in over? Maybe not in every class offered in person, but the core subjects like math, reading, English, foreign language, history, and some science. I'm betting science is trickier, but a lectures and demonstrations can be online.

It just seems to me that recording each class as it's taught and providing online access to those videos to students who can't be in class for whatever reason (the flu, broken bone recovery, pandemic quarantine, family vacation that overlaps a bit with school days, etc.) is something that should've happened a long time ago. We have the technology. Is it the same as being in person and interacting with a teacher?  No, but it's better than absolutely nothing. And it could be a homework help.  Maybe the kid is a little fuzzy on the new concept the teacher covered in class.  Being able to review the video before diving into homework could really help kids who need more repetition to get it into their heads, and parents wouldn't have to take on as much homework help themselves.  Most parents send their kids to institutional schools because they don't want to do teaching/explaining.

[gardenmom5]

Hugs.

Some days - we just need hugs and it's ok to need hugs.

[Syllieann]

I'm sorry you're going through this.  The whole thing is unfair.  There are just so many selfish people who don't care how their actions or inaction affect others.  My rage toward these people just keeps growing.  I don't know how they can sit there and smugly insist it's their right to inflict this on others.  I hope the situation improves for you.

[TexasProud]

53 minutes ago, Homeschool Mom in AZ said:

Since public education in every state gets federal dollars, it's time the feds mandate online options in every state in order to receive those tax dollars.

Am I the only one who thinks in person ps and online ps in each state should be aligned by week now that we've been through a  year and a half of a pandemic?  If they're aligned, then couldn't they switch the quarantined kids over to online (those kids with internet access) and then switch them right back into in person when quarantine in over? Maybe not in every class offered in person, but the core subjects like math, reading, English, foreign language, history, and some science. I'm betting science is trickier, but a lectures and demonstrations can be online.

It just seems to me that recording each class as it's taught and providing online access to those videos to students who can't be in class for whatever reason (the flu, broken bone recovery, pandemic quarantine, family vacation that overlaps a bit with school days, etc.) is something that should've happened a long time ago. We have the technology. Is it the same as being in person and interacting with a teacher?  No, but it's better than absolutely nothing. And it could be a homework help.  Maybe the kid is a little fuzzy on the new concept the teacher covered in class.  Being able to review the video before diving into homework could really help kids who need more repetition to get it into their heads, and parents wouldn't have to take on as much homework help themselves.  Most parents send their kids to institutional schools because they don't want to do teaching/explaining.

Yeah sounds easy but it really isn’t. Getting a good recording is actually harder than  you think. So she steps out of the frame to help Johnny.  Forgets about the camera and is out of the frame. Plus, districts do not have money to have cameras in every room.  And not every teacher teaches the same thing even tho they are supposed to.  So if you have one virtual class per grade that they go to for 10?days it may not cover what each student actually missed in their class. 

I know colleges are pretty much doing it, but they have adults that sit quietly for 1-3 hours max at a time. For elementary you would have to hire a camera man to turn it off and on and follow them around. 

[prairiewindmomma]

There's no winning with this.

In my district, they decided that since the state gave them a 3' spacing guideline (because they can't accommodate everyone with a 6' spacing requirement), even if the person sitting 3 feet away from them was covid positive and symptomatic, NO NOTIFICATION will be given. As long as they were 3' away at all times, they could sit there for hours and hours in the same space....no problem!

The bus guidelines here are based on the same 3' principal. It means that children of the same household can sit on the same bench, but no other children can.  The windows are down in all weather, which should be awesome because rainy season returns tonight.  We've got rain covers for backpacks and full rain gear for clothing, but I am currently searching for small microfiber towels so they can wipe their seats down before they sit.

I just told the kids it was outdoor school this year.

Currently: the bus mechanic is driving my daughter's bus because there is such tremendous bus driver shortages.  The district has purchased a refrigerator tent because there is a shortage of food deliveries from sysco, so they are buying from other sources and storing it in a refrigerator tent in a parking lot so they can stock up to feed people three weeks from now.  Several teachers are out, and not enough subs, so my daughter reports that the principal was watching 3 classes in the gym and gym got pushed outside to free up space.  They have already abandoned the designated seating for lunch. One of her teachers took off her mask in class 3x(!)--(that one is going to end with an email from me today).

It's just SHTF because they are so dang desperate to have everyone in buildings this year...

If you were close by, I'd take you out for drinks and we could go sit outside on a patio somewhere.... I've pretty much had it already and we're only in our second week of school.

[Murphy101]

I am so sorry. I agree this is all nuts and awful and by this century humans should be able to have a better and more civil society.

You should go on the news or radio and say exactly that. Scream it.  People need to see and hear that this is affecting real people.  And it’s real people that we all need. It’s not like any sane person wants  any HCW to be in this situation and so many have been in this situation for over a year now.

 

[ktgrok]

3 hours ago, Homeschool Mom in AZ said:

Since public education in every state gets federal dollars, it's time the feds mandate online options in every state in order to receive those tax dollars.

Am I the only one who thinks in person ps and online ps in each state should be aligned by week now that we've been through a  year and a half of a pandemic? 

What would work more easily than filming classes is to have in person classes follow the same curriculum as an established online provider like Florida's Virtual School, or K12, or whatever. So in classroom you have a teacher to explain the concepts if you are confused, guide, etc..but if you go virtual you have the full curriculum. The government could have worked this out - yes, it would be hard, but it wasn't impossible. They've had 18 months to figure it out. 

[Jann in TX]

3 hours ago, Homeschool Mom in AZ said:

...

It just seems to me that recording each class as it's taught and providing online access to those videos to students who can't be in class for whatever reason (the flu, broken bone recovery, pandemic quarantine, family vacation that overlaps a bit with school days, etc.) is something that should've happened a long time ago. We have the technology. Is it the same as being in person and interacting with a teacher?  No, but it's better than absolutely nothing. And it could be a homework help.  Maybe the kid is a little fuzzy on the new concept the teacher covered in class.  Being able to review the video before diving into homework could really help kids who need more repetition to get it into their heads, and parents wouldn't have to take on as much homework help themselves.  Most parents send their kids to institutional schools because they don't want to do teaching/explaining.

There are privacy issues as well as logistics (time) issues in recording PS classes.  If a student misbehaves in class and the class is recorded the student's actions AND the teachers response are recorded and ANYONE who views the recording can take note...

Angry parent to principal: " I watched my precious little Johnny's math class and there is a misbehaving student that needs to be removed or I will insist that Johnny is moved to a different class-- HERE is my proof-- (and the parent produces and edited recording with sequences of said student misbehaving...-- what if some of these instances were edited out of context?  what of privacy laws?

--

I agree with the poster who said perhaps a short edited recording of the main parts of the lesson could be made.  I would not expect an individual teacher to do this for each lesson (not paid enough!!)-- but then down side is that EVERY 6th grade math class in the school/district would have to teach EXACTLY the same lesson EXACTLY the same way for it to be a 'FAIR' representation of the lesson...  Teachers are not robots.

I teach online class (and have for 19 years!!).  My classes are recorded for enrolled student/parent playback only)--if I have to verbally correct a student for improper conduct (major issues only --has only happened a few times) then I will edit the recording or make a substitute recording for privacy sake.  There have also been times when I've needed to miss a class (emergency Dr appointment...)-- in those cases I have made a brief lesson recording-- usually takes 10-15 minutes instead of the full hour because there are not as many questions and bunny trails (but these are also 'boring' compared to the live class with student interaction!).  The short recordings still keep students learning and on track...

 

 

[HS Mom in NC]

46 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

What would work more easily than filming classes is to have in person classes follow the same curriculum as an established online provider like Florida's Virtual School, or K12, or whatever. So in classroom you have a teacher to explain the concepts if you are confused, guide, etc..but if you go virtual you have the full curriculum. The government could have worked this out - yes, it would be hard, but it wasn't impossible. They've had 18 months to figure it out. 

Yep, that works too.

[HS Mom in NC]

38 minutes ago, Jann in TX said:

There are privacy issues as well as logistics (time) issues in recording PS classes.  If a student misbehaves in class and the class is recorded the student's actions AND the teachers response are recorded and ANYONE who views the recording can take note...

Well, my husband and son-in-law have written security code for international banks, nuclear weapons systems, POTUS' nuclear launch "button," online payment systems, Apache gunships, airplane autopilot system software, and such with a reasonable expectation of security against bad actors with all the resources of other enemy countries, I'm pretty sure it could be managed for students in a class to get the latest lesson.   

Angry parent to principal: " I watched my precious little Johnny's math class and there is a misbehaving student that needs to be removed or I will insist that Johnny is moved to a different class-- HERE is my proof-- (and the parent produces and edited recording with sequences of said student misbehaving...-- what if some of these instances were edited out of context?  what of privacy laws?

And administrations can explain to drama mamas that they're not moving a student just because another misbehaved-no kid would ever stay in any class and there would never be a pristine class of perfect little angels to send her precious pookie to. Thanks, for coming in drama mama, bye now.

I agree with the poster who said perhaps a short edited recording of the main parts of the lesson could be made.  I would not expect an individual teacher to do this for each lesson (not paid enough!!)-- but then down side is that EVERY 6th grade math class in the school/district would have to teach EXACTLY the same lesson EXACTLY the same way for it to be a 'FAIR' representation of the lesson...  Teachers are not robots.

Don't teachers all already cover the same content in their own way so the kids can pass the same standardized tests?  I don't see how this would be different.  And teachers don't have to be the ones handling the editing and uploading or whatever, they can hire someone with technical skills to do that or put in a camera that focuses just on the teacher.  Give the teacher the ability to mute the mic if that's what's needed. 

I don't think there's a reasonable expectation of privacy for a kid acting up in class.  The other kids witness it and can tell their parents about it, so playing the "privacy" card is silly.  If the obnoxious kid's parent gets in a dither about it, administrations should be able to back the teacher up and point out to the misbehaving kids' parents that the same groups of people (students and their parents) already know all about it, so stop whining.

I teach online class (and have for 19 years!!).  My classes are recorded for enrolled student/parent playback only)--

So we already are able to make sure it's not just anyone watching.  Doesn't that contradict your first paragraph?

if I have to verbally correct a student for improper conduct (major issues only --has only happened a few times) then I will edit the recording or make a substitute recording for privacy sake. 
I assume there's technology already available to mute a mic with the touch of a button on the mic itself.  Wouldn't that solve the drama mama problem of being upset everyone heard their little pookie being corrected in class?

There have also been times when I've needed to miss a class (emergency Dr appointment...)-- in those cases I have made a brief lesson recording-- usually takes 10-15 minutes instead of the full hour because there are not as many questions and bunny trails (but these are also 'boring' compared to the live class with student interaction!).  The short recordings still keep students learning and on track...

During a pandemic or medical situation where a kid needs to be at home without falling behind, edutainment shouldn't be a concern.  Plenty of homeschoolers and others manage well with recorded lessons that don't have interaction. We're talking about stop gap measures here, so being bored just isn't a big deal. Every class will be inherently boring to some kids. That's not the teacher's problem to solve. That's life.

I'm very disgusted that as a culture Americans are too willing to tolerate drama mamas and disruptive pookies over the teachers and administrators doing the hard work of teaching.  I think teachers and what works best for them and the cooperative students should get priority.  The teacher does their job well and everyone else can take it or leave it, but they shouldn't complain about it-they should be thankful. If they don't like it that a teacher corrects the kid in front of the class and the class's parents, they can homeschool and deal with all of it themselves. You can't put your kid in a group environment and expect individual privacy-that's nuts.

 

 

[lauraw4321]

I absolutely hear you. My school district just dropped their mask mandate. For no reason whatsoever. I have also had a 14 day quarantine with one kid already and that was with the mandate. The system is breaking. And breaking us. I have no idea what I’ll do. I work full time. How do I homeschool on top of that?  Such a nightmare. 

[HS Mom in NC]

4 hours ago, TexasProud said:

Yeah sounds easy but it really isn’t. Getting a good recording is actually harder than  you think. So she steps out of the frame to help Johnny.  Forgets about the camera and is out of the frame. Plus, districts do not have money to have cameras in every room.  And not every teacher teaches the same thing even tho they are supposed to.  So if you have one virtual class per grade that they go to for 10?days it may not cover what each student actually missed in their class. 

I know colleges are pretty much doing it, but they have adults that sit quietly for 1-3 hours max at a time. For elementary you would have to hire a camera man to turn it off and on and follow them around. 

There's technology for wearing a mic.  My pastor uses it. Millions of Americans manage teleconfrences every day, so it's not a matter of knowing how to do it.  It's a matter of providing the means and training teachers. Bubble headed influencers manage to crank out daily videos of the minutia of their lives, setting up a camera in each room and micing a teacher for a livestream that gets recorded seems like something a little can do American attitude and federal funding should be able to pull off.

[ScoutTN]

@Mrs Tiggywinkle So wrong! Not fair. Wish I could help or at least bring you all dinner!

[Jann in TX]

OK-- so apparently the USA government should now be in charge of all education (Isn't it still a State's Rights issue?)

ALL Algebra 1 (or Integrated Math 1) students will follow the SAME lesson each day from the SAME government mandated curriculum.  This means that ALL teacher teach the same exact lesson in that time frame-- HEY, why dont we just pluck ALL students down in front of the SAME video teacher- that way ALL students get the SAME exact lesson presented the same with with the same methods-- then they can go online if they miss class and get the same lesson with same explanations.  Who needs a 'teacher'.... just hire classroom monitors...

--

OP I feel your pain!  I had a DD in quarantine for most of 1 semester of college (plus she had a single room so no contact with other humans in person for WEEKS)... she would be out of quarantine for one day then get a notice to go back to quarantine... she was never ill.  She did have an online option but it was not the same as the benefit of in person classes...I just can't imagine how this works for parents of younger students who cannot be left alone-- and their parents who NEED to work and just do not have the ability to take those days off or work from home (even then younger students need supervision!-- DH and I both work from home--- today we had an issue where we both had calls and no one was available to watch the baby! (It worked out thanks to BLIPPI and the fact that my call was just a tech issue so more forgiving of background noise.)

I agree- school districts need a better plan-- it sucks that politics is getting in the way of common sense!

 

 

9 minutes ago, Homeschool Mom in AZ said:

 

 

[ktgrok]

19 minutes ago, Jann in TX said:

OK-- so apparently the USA government should now be in charge of all education (Isn't it still a State's Rights issue?)

ALL Algebra 1 (or Integrated Math 1) students will follow the SAME lesson each day from the SAME government mandated curriculum. 

 

 

 

Government already is involved if they are banning virtual education. if they can ban it, they can also mandate it be available. 

And I wasn't saying it would have to be the same classroom to class room. Just that the virtual for that class and the in class would be in sync. The way our virtual school works there are lessons set out and you can work at your own pace to an extent, as long as you complete a certain number of objectives each week. So have the in class teacher covering the same objectives as the virtual curriculum does, so the kids can switch back and forth. What is in that virtual curriculum may be different district to district or state to state, but it is not insane to have it so a kid can switch back and forth when you know kids will be in and out for 10-14 days at a time all year. 

[Starr]

It's happening up here too. A friend said two of five second grade classes are out in quarantine. Her kids were okay this round but she doesn't know how she'll cover child care when it's their turn. And the universities where the parents work are not allowing them to work from home. All state institutions but no cohesive plan.

[Halftime Hope]

11 hours ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle said:

My two younger kids have been in school exactly 9 days. They started last Wednesday, so really only 7. And we just picked them up because a kid on their bus tested positive.

I kind of have some insider knowledge that the dad tested positive yesterday and had refused to be vaccinated. Kid woke up symptomatic today and now my kids are on a ten day quarantine. With no educational anything other than a once a day Zoom meeting with the teacher. I said (insert swear word) that.  But I hate homeschooling; I really do.  And we are so busy at work that sleeping when my kids are in school is the only rest I get. But I can’t leave them in school anyway and NY forbid virtual options this year. 

I literally have no PTO left and I don’t even know how I can afford to take ten days off and I expect this will keep happening.  Like how can anyone take 10 days off repeatedly and afford it?

I just needed to vent.  I’m so over it.

i'm so sorry....that's awful.  

[Melissa in Australia]

So sorry

hugs

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

I am astonished by the lack of planning, I think.  I know that they’re constricted by NYS being so adamant about in person five day a week instruction, but Covid isn’t new now and it’s here to stay.  You’re going to have quarantined kids throughout the school year. If we leave my kids in school for the rest of the year this won’t be their only quarantine. It is so educationally disruptive.

Plus very few parents have enough time off to just take off 10 days several times a year to stay home with their kids. I don’t. My cousin has 9 hours of PTO left and is a single mom; she’s terrified of her kids getting exposed and having to quarantine.  She would literally not be able to buy food or pay her mortgage.

[TravelingChris]

18 hours ago, itsheresomewhere said:

It is wrong.  Here they are using truancy laws in some districts for kids who are missing school due to covid.  

This is outrageou!

[TravelingChris]

17 hours ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle said:

The CDC is on my list of annoying things lol.

I’m on immunosuppressants. We know that the vaccine is likely not very effective for me and that I don’t have the antibodies that they test for. However, it’s perfectly okay for me to spend yesterday in a surgical mask in a tiny ambulance with 4 different Covid patients, one of whom had dementia and would not keep a mask on, for a total time of about 5.5 hours and I don’t need to quarantine because I’m vaccinated.

but my daughter, who rode masked on a bus for 15 minutes with an asymptomatic child two days ago who developed symptoms this morning and was also masked, and who does have known Covid antibodies, has to quarantine.

Like I can’t even. (And I get it, and I support vaccinations and quarantined, but really.)

OMG.  I had the rant about the CDC at my doctor's this week.  In 2018, there was a study presented at the American College of Rheumatology conference that showed that people with RA on biologics or high doses of steroids, should get high dose flu vaccine.  My rheumatologist and primary and pharmacist all agree on that for me.  But I am not 65 and CDC says only 65 and older should get the vaccine.  And I am positive it isn't just RA people who should get high dose flu vaccine- organ transplant, all the others who are suppressing their immune system, people with AIDS, etc.  Then I went on to say that I know Lupus patients in their 20s and30s who have gotten repeated bouts of Shingles but again, CDC has age limits on that vaccine that doesn't cover them.  And now they came out with 3rd shot recommendations, again only with the magic age of 65--like when you are 64 and a half, you are fine and healthy but when the day you turn 65, you are completely vulnerable to everything.  

And of course, all the garbage the CDC has said about COVID- don't wear masks, do wear masks, wear 2 masks, don't wear masks, do wear masks-- and on and on.  And the mandatory 2 week quarantine garbage, especially for fully vaccinated just means people don't get tested, because if you are vaccinated, you are only likely to spread in days 1 and 2, not day 10 or 14. 

I am so sorry about this mess with educational needs,.  I know that my future ddil can't work because of this continued mess here too with the school district of her 2 children, (plus she is very pregnant too).   Yeah- worksheets for all the kids who need actual teachers or tutors or someone to help.  OTOH, the smart kids also suffer,  They may not need help but those worksheets may be totally useless to them and it would be better if they read a good book.

[Farrar]

Trying to teach in a way that covers both the classroom and the Zoom is extremely difficult. It's one thing to do a teleconference for a small group of professional and all trained adults who are observing a presentation or discussing a specific issue. It's totally another thing to try and rope in a group of 30+ elementary schoolers who all have slightly different levels, who all need to move, none of whom are trained professionals, all of whom are self-centered (as is appropriate, because they're young kids)... and now some of them are in one room and others are on a screen. It's just not feasible. It's even really difficult for college students.

You can give better video instruction, of course. But that's not going to cut it for elementary schools or most middle schoolers. We all know that a static video is not the same.

I think schools should be expanding virtual options dramatically, but hybrid models are NOT the way. And comparing it to adults teleconferencing implies that it's a technology problem. It's not a tech problem (at least, not primarily). It's a human problem. 

I think a better solution would be a virtual quarantining option where you'd hop on a virtual group with a teacher and your class and they'd do basically the same material as the other kids in your district with a help time for shorter specific assignments your teacher sent home and also uploaded to the virtual quarantine teacher. It's not perfect by a long shot. But at least it wouldn't add massive work and still be unworkable for the classroom teacher.

Mrs. Tiggywinkle, I'm sorry you're dealing with this. I wish there were better solutions.

Edited September 18, 2021 by Farrar

[Roadrunner]

15 hours ago, ktgrok said:

What would work more easily than filming classes is to have in person classes follow the same curriculum as an established online provider like Florida's Virtual School, or K12, or whatever. So in classroom you have a teacher to explain the concepts if you are confused, guide, etc..but if you go virtual you have the full curriculum. The government could have worked this out - yes, it would be hard, but it wasn't impossible. They've had 18 months to figure it out. 

Honestly I think there are easier ways of doing it for kids, especially older ones.

First of all CA mandated online option, but they don’t have a way to seamlessly take quarantined kids and put them online temporarily. At least in our district you get to decide if you are online or not, and those two modes operate as separate schools. So our in person kids end up in the similar predicament when quarantined - home with just couple of worksheets. 
 

Now I have seen this work well once. In my son’s class there was an exposure and some kids were home, so the teacher just turned the camera on and basically allowed kids at home to join the live classroom on zoom. Now that works for older grades where a big chunk of the class was a lecture and might be less optimal for younger grades, but when possible, I prefer this option. While it isn’t optimal to run a classroom like this all year, it was a great fix for a week or so.
 

OP - I hate to predict this nightmare will keep on repeating at schools, especially in places where vaccination rates are low and transmission is high. I can’t imagine what they expect working parents to do. 
We are in highly vaccinated, low transmission, and fully masked school, and yet kids (many fully vaccinated) are still getting infected left and right. 
 

Edited September 18, 2021 by Roadrunner

[Idalou]

Deleted because this is a JAWM thread about the insanity of her situation. I will take my anger at stupid people who have made light of this pandemic and then complain when it comes back to bite them to a more appropriate thread. I'm sorry, OP that your kids are being affected due to such widespread incompetence.

Edited September 18, 2021 by Idalou

[ktgrok]

2 hours ago, Farrar said:

Trying to teach in a way that covers both the classroom and the Zoom is extremely difficult. It's one thing to do a teleconference for a small group of professional and all trained adults who are observing a presentation or discussing a specific issue. It's totally another thing to try and rope in a group of 30+ elementary schoolers who all have slightly different levels, who all need to move, none of whom are trained professionals, all of whom are self-centered (as is appropriate, because they're young kids)... and now some of them are in one room and others are on a screen. It's just not feasible. It's even really difficult for college students.

You can give better video instruction, of course. But that's not going to cut it for elementary schools or most middle schoolers. We all know that a static video is not the same.

I think schools should be expanding virtual options dramatically, but hybrid models are NOT the way. And comparing it to adults teleconferencing implies that it's a technology problem. It's not a tech problem (at least, not primarily). It's a human problem. 

I think a better solution would be a virtual quarantining option where you'd hop on a virtual group with a teacher and your class and they'd do basically the same material as the other kids in your district with a help time for shorter specific assignments your teacher sent home and also uploaded to the virtual quarantine teacher. It's not perfect by a long shot. But at least it wouldn't add massive work and still be unworkable for the classroom teacher.

Mrs. Tiggywinkle, I'm sorry you're dealing with this. I wish there were better solutions.

I am not talking about a hybrid like that - with live video of the instructor. I'm talking about a fully virtual curriculum that the kids at home use, and the teachers in the classroom use that as their syllabus. So if the class is on week 6, or chapter 5, or whatever, if they switch virtual they pick up at that same spot in the virtual curriculum. 

Sort of like, if a live teacher used something in the style of  Teaching Textbooks curriculum in the class room - giving a live lecture of her own rather than showing the video lecture, and using printed books even if they wanted. Then, if I kid was switched to virtual they just pick up on the next lesson, but now use the included video lectures that come with teaching textbooks. 

Heck a teacher could use the progression found on Khan academy for math, and then the kid pick up at home watching the videos on Khan. Same idea. 

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

2 hours ago, Roadrunner said:

Honestly I think there are easier ways of doing it for kids, especially older ones.

First of all CA mandated online option, but they don’t have a way to seamlessly take quarantined kids and put them online temporarily. At least in our district you get to decide if you are online or not, and those two modes operate as separate schools. So our in person kids end up in the similar predicament when quarantined - home with just couple of worksheets. 
 

Now I have seen this work well once. In my son’s class there was an exposure and some kids were home, so the teacher just turned the camera on and basically allowed kids at home to join the live classroom on zoom. Now that works for older grades where a big chunk of the class was a lecture and might be less optimal for younger grades, but when possible, I prefer this option. While it isn’t optimal to run a classroom like this all year, it was a great fix for a week or so.
 

OP - I hate to predict this nightmare will keep on repeating at schools, especially in places where vaccination rates are low and transmission is high. I can’t imagine what they expect working parents to do. 
We are in highly vaccinated, low transmission, and fully masked school, and yet kids (many fully vaccinated) are still getting infected left and right. 
 

We are only at 3.9% positivity, with 46% eligible population vaxxed, fully masked school and there are so many kids out positive or quarantined contacts.  I’m irritated at the non vaccinated people.  I’m irritated at everyone, I guess, and I don’t know what to do.  I am an introvert who treasures my silence, and homeschooling my kids does not involve silence. But this is going to be a continual disruption for…who knows how long? This year? Next year? I don’t even know.  We’ve had a lot of symptomatic breakthrough cases and I expect that soon even vaccinated people will be quarantining again after exposure.

There is a hybrid homeschool option now, but the majority of parents are anti vaxx and the kids are not masked. I really truly don’t have any ideas.  I don’t want to homeschool but I also don’t want continual disruptions to my kid’s educations.

I’m tired anyway. Forgive me for my rants. An hour ago I took a patient into the ER who has Covid and is now septic with a really low SPO2.  I doubt he’s going to make it. His wife and daughter are RNs but anti -Covid-vax and convinced him not to get it.  I wish I could shake people anymore
 

[ktgrok]

6 minutes ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle said:

 

I’m tired anyway. Forgive me for my rants. An hour ago I took a patient into the ER who has Covid and is now septic with a really low SPO2.  I doubt he’s going to make it. His wife and daughter are RNs but anti -Covid-vax and convinced him not to get it.  I wish I could shake people anymore
 

ARGH!!!

This is why I don't trust nurses who are anti vax. Because if you don't get science, you are likely not a good nurse. And this case shows that - a decent nurse would have gotten that man to a hospital well before needing an ambulance, before crashing. They should be able to look for signs of low oxygenation, know to have an SpO2 monitor at home, etc. If this is how they take care of their relatives, how well do they take care of patients under their care?!?

 

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

1 minute ago, ktgrok said:

ARGH!!!

This is why I don't trust nurses who are anti vax. Because if you don't get science, you are likely not a good nurse. And this case shows that - a decent nurse would have gotten that man to a hospital well before needing an ambulance, before crashing. They should be able to look for signs of low oxygenation, know to have an SpO2 monitor at home, etc. If this is how they take care of their relatives, how well do they take care of patients under their care?!?

 

To be fair they brought him into the ER a few days ago, and he was borderline okay at that point and discharged. In another time, when there were beds open, he’d have been admitted.  But even though we really aren’t overrun with Covid, we’re losing so many nurses who refuse to get the vaccine that they’ve had to close hospital wings full of empty beds.