COVID-19 Talk

[NorthArlington101]

3 minutes ago, mappy said:

ha, was coming to post the same news. I imagine MD will follow suit, but may not announce right away. 

IMO: they just pass everyone and start next year fresh. Maybe do some review of what the kids should have been learning, but just move forward. Kids cant repeat years, you can't hold back seniors from graduating, etc. It won't be pretty but I dont know how else they do it.

Distance learning is a mess. As far as I can tell from my high-school-aged sister, the teachers are slowly giving up. Arlington County schools technically don't get out until the 21st or so of June... gonna be a long process.

It works fairly well for college, though I definitely feel cheated out of the end of this semester and the fun of being on my campus. I've still got a lot of work and a lot less of the fun ways to blow it off. Luckily for me I like my family, its really tough for those for whom college was an escape.

[showmethesnow]

6 minutes ago, mappy said:

ha, was coming to post the same news. I imagine MD will follow suit, but may not announce right away. 

IMO: they just pass everyone and start next year fresh. Maybe do some review of what the kids should have been learning, but just move forward. Kids cant repeat years, you can't hold back seniors from graduating, etc. It won't be pretty but I dont know how else they do it.

Sort of my thoughts as well. I would probably try to do a very condensed refresher on material covered this year as well as the material that was never covered and then move on. As you said, no matter how you look at it, it won't be pretty.

[mappy]

2 minutes ago, NorthArlington101 said:

Distance learning is a mess. As far as I can tell from my high-school-aged sister, the teachers are slowly giving up. Arlington County schools technically don't get out until the 21st or so of June... gonna be a long process.

It works fairly well for college, though I definitely feel cheated out of the end of this semester and the fun of being on my campus. I've still got a lot of work and a lot less of the fun ways to blow it off. Luckily for me I like my family, its really tough for those for whom college was an escape.

weve had okay success. virtual class with a bunch of first graders is hectic, but they only do that once a week. mini-map's teachers all put together packets upon packets of stuff to do, but its all electronic. we are still waiting for the actual papers to come home. there is only so much my kid can do online, she needs to sit and do stuff on paper. so, we've done what we can until that paperwork comes in the mail.

of course, every situation is different. my kid is in first grade, so i'm not terribly concerned she isn't learning enough. we have her do plenty. 

[mappy]

Just now, showmethesnow said:

Sort of my thoughts as well. I would probably try to do a very condensed refresher on material covered this year as well as the material that was never covered and then move on. As you said, no matter how you look at it, it won't be pretty.

you can't have students repeat a year that was almost 3 quarters done. in the end parents will complain no matter the decision, but if it was me, just pass them all and start next year fresh. 

[NorthArlington101]

3 minutes ago, mappy said:

weve had okay success. virtual class with a bunch of first graders is hectic, but they only do that once a week. mini-map's teachers all put together packets upon packets of stuff to do, but its all electronic. we are still waiting for the actual papers to come home. there is only so much my kid can do online, she needs to sit and do stuff on paper. so, we've done what we can until that paperwork comes in the mail.

of course, every situation is different. my kid is in first grade, so i'm not terribly concerned she isn't learning enough. we have her do plenty. 

yeah, I can see it working in colleges and elementary schools, where the teachers (pretty much) teach one or two classes and have a more controlled lesson plan. In high school and middle school where the teachers teach five+ periods with very different classes... I imagine its super challenging. 

[H2O]

11 minutes ago, mappy said:

you can't have students repeat a year that was almost 3 quarters done. in the end parents will complain no matter the decision, but if it was me, just pass them all and start next year fresh. 

I could see taking what wasn't covered the 4th quarter and integrating it into next years curriculum.  Spend the first month on last years stuff and then roll with the new grade material.  From what my kids tell me, the first week or so is refresher stuff.  An abridged 4th quarter to begin next year would work.

[MDphotog]

14 minutes ago, mappy said:

weve had okay success. virtual class with a bunch of first graders is hectic, but they only do that once a week. mini-map's teachers all put together packets upon packets of stuff to do, but its all electronic. we are still waiting for the actual papers to come home. there is only so much my kid can do online, she needs to sit and do stuff on paper. so, we've done what we can until that paperwork comes in the mail.

of course, every situation is different. my kid is in first grade, so i'm not terribly concerned she isn't learning enough. we have her do plenty. 

I have a young elementary school and a middle schooler.  The middle schooler is doing somewhat better with the distance learning.  The elementary school one....sigh.  I wish I had more time to help, but both the wife and I are working from home, so it is a challenge.  

[mappy]

4 minutes ago, H2O said:

I could see taking what wasn't covered the 4th quarter and integrating it into next years curriculum.  Spend the first month on last years stuff and then roll with the new grade material.  From what my kids tell me, the first week or so is refresher stuff.  An abridged 4th quarter to begin next year would work.

Yup, i could see that being a good way to tackle it too. 

1 minute ago, MDphotog said:

I have a young elementary school and a middle schooler.  The middle schooler is doing somewhat better with the distance learning.  The elementary school one....sigh.  I wish I had more time to help, but both the wife and I are working from home, so it is a challenge.  

 

I feel you! Its hard for us too, both my husband and I work all day too, and then give her attention, etc as much as we can. Its not easy! But don't give up hope, you guys will make it work however you can!

[MDphotog]

Just now, mappy said:

Yup, i could see that being a good way to tackle it too. 

I feel you! Its hard for us too, both my husband and I work all day too, and then give her attention, etc as much as we can. Its not easy! But don't give up hope, you guys will make it work however you can!

Thanks! Best wishes to your family as well.  I'm not terribly worried as she is only in 1st grade, so there will be time to get her back on track.  I'm actually a little bit happy with the situation for the middle school student as it is causing her to have to really up her personal responsibility outside of school (keeping up with assignment due dates, and such) which is an aspect she has always struggled with.

[mappy]

Just now, MDphotog said:

Thanks! Best wishes to your family as well.  I'm not terribly worried as she is only in 1st grade, so there will be time to get her back on track.  I'm actually a little bit happy with the situation for the middle school student as it is causing her to have to really up her personal responsibility outside of school (keeping up with assignment due dates, and such) which is an aspect she has always struggled with.

see there is a positive! mine is first grade too, so right there with you. there is only so much learning you can teach them at that age. 

[EastCoast NPZ]

48 minutes ago, C.A.P.E. said:

it wont be needed to get back to some semblance of normalcy, but the modified "behaviors" will need to continue. I think most people will abide by it because of some residual fear and simply being used to doing it. I will be ready to roll. I am concerned about how long the travel restrictions will be maintained though. June - August is my time to travel. Also have friends scheduled to come here from across the pond in a couple months.

Yeah, behaviors and culture will likely change a bit.  Mass travel and venues will be the most affected IMO.  Travel and entertainment may need to adapt.

[snowfan]

Only 97k people passed thru TSA yesterday. That's crazy.

[SomeguyfromTakomaPark]

48 minutes ago, mappy said:

ha, was coming to post the same news. I imagine MD will follow suit, but may not announce right away. 

IMO: they just pass everyone and start next year fresh. Maybe do some review of what the kids should have been learning, but just move forward. Kids cant repeat years, you can't hold back seniors from graduating, etc. It won't be pretty but I dont know how else they do it.

I agree with this.  Just keep everything moving.  

[psuhoffman]

56 minutes ago, showmethesnow said:

PA just closed schools for the remainder of the year. More then likely MD will be following shortly. Question I now have is, how do these students make up this work? I know we are talking remote/distant learning being thrown out in many cases but will that be enough? Especially for those students that come from a family with minimal means/money? Wife has told me that they have had serious issues in portions of MD especially in this regards. Guess it will be a learning process over the next few months to figure out the best method. Might involve some out of the box thinking to get this done.

 

53 minutes ago, mappy said:

ha, was coming to post the same news. I imagine MD will follow suit, but may not announce right away. 

IMO: they just pass everyone and start next year fresh. Maybe do some review of what the kids should have been learning, but just move forward. Kids cant repeat years, you can't hold back seniors from graduating, etc. It won't be pretty but I dont know how else they do it.

Every district has their own plan.  For Baltimore, we gave out pretty extensive work packets first at our school then at food distribution centers to cover the last few weeks.  Starting this week (for 4th Quarter) we are online using google classroom and we meet with students live several times a week using collaborate.  I am posting assignments pretty much the same as I would in class, adapting them when needed obviously.  I cut the work load down some and am being flexible as we get adjusted...but for me the loss (for students who are choosing to participate) won't be that extreme.  There are paper packets also still available for students who do not have access to tech, but we are also offering programs for free internet service, phones and tablets so technically all students could have access if they wanted.  Participation so far has been about 70% and honestly that is about what my participation rate was before all this.  

The biggest issue is the loss of socialization for students, especially younger ones.  I have been calling and messaging students frequently to check up on them and see how they are doing.  Encouraging them to participate in our live sessions.  Some teachers don't want to give out their phone numbers but I have always allowed my students to contact me and it's never been a real issue.  Hopefully this doesn't extend to next year but we are already taking steps to prepare in case it does.  

[mappy]

3 minutes ago, psuhoffman said:

 

Every district has their own plan.  For Baltimore, we gave out pretty extensive work packets first at our school then at food distribution centers to cover the last few weeks.  Starting this week (for 4th Quarter) we are online using google classroom and we meet with students live several times a week using collaborate.  I am posting assignments pretty much the same as I would in class, adapting them when needed obviously.  I cut the work load down some and am being flexible as we get adjusted...but for me the loss (for students who are choosing to participate) won't be that extreme.  There are paper packets also still available for students who do not have access to tech, but we are also offering programs for free internet service, phones and tablets so technically all students could have access if they wanted.  Participation so far has been about 70% and honestly that is about what my participation rate was before all this.  

The biggest issue is the loss of socialization for students, especially younger ones.  I have been calling and messaging students frequently to check up on them and see how they are doing.  Encouraging them to participate in our live sessions.  Some teachers don't want to give out their phone numbers but I have always allowed my students to contact me and it's never been a real issue.  Hopefully this doesn't extend to next year but we are already taking steps to prepare in case it does.  

you're a good teacher. my kid's teacher can barely stick to the schedule she set for virtual class times. she's changed the time 3x now and then cancelled one day 30 minutes before it was to start....  let alone actually reach out to them to check how they are doing. 

[Eskimo Joe]

This IS NOT how the Strategic National Stockpile or emergency management as a whole in this country is supposed to work.  It's beyond asinine that we have to bid on our own resources against the private sector and the Feds at the same time.  

 

[psuhoffman]

1 hour ago, Eskimo Joe said:

Expect most other jurisdictions to follow suit:

 

It's a shame even our leaders don't truly understand how the economy functions.  This will only hurt revenues more.  I know local jurisdictions are pressed more since they don't have the power to manipulate the money supply like the federal government does, but if we really understood economics, during times of crisis the federal government would release emergency funds even more liberally to local jurisdictions.  The negative effects/inflation from over saturating the market with currency will be offset by the downward market pressures right now so we don't have to worry as much about "balancing the budget" as we would during a normal economic period of growth.  But if you cut jobs you are cutting tax revenues also.  Estimates can vary based on how you calculate it and how far down the tree you go but about 40% of our revenues come from jobs that are at least somewhat dependent on government spending.  That's why the "just cut spending" to balance the budget mantra is bunk.  If we have a 1 trillion dollar deficit and you simply cut 1T in government spending...you would also cause a drastic cut in tax revenues and would still end up with a deficit.  The better way to balance would be to keep spending steady and grow your way out as revenues increase each year.  Otherwise you keep hurting people without any benefit to the deficit.  In times of crisis like this balancing isn't even as necessary as rapid inflation is less likely due to increased infusions of currency since its being offset by the negative impacts of the crisis.  

[psuhoffman]

7 minutes ago, mappy said:

you're a good teacher. my kid's teacher can barely stick to the schedule she set for virtual class times. she's changed the time 3x now and then cancelled one day 30 minutes before it was to start....  let alone actually reach out to them to check how they are doing. 

UGH...so sorry.  I don't want to assume what others situations are...but how hard should it be to simply make your way to your computer at a particular time each day?  I have had a few internet issues at times...got booted...but my students know I will log right back in if that happens.  I also offer some evening hours because a few of my students picked up delivery jobs to help out at home and I want them to be able to participate.  But with younger children that is obviously not a problem.  Obviously if this instructor continues to act "unprofessionally" don't hesitate to talk to them and contact the school if need be.   As a teacher I am frustrated when I hear things like that...it makes all of us look bad.  

[psuhoffman]

Also most locally spend funds circulate back in taxes every few years.  It's why i laugh when people freak out about something like spending too much on snow removal one year.  Yea but within 3 years all that money is back because every time it changes hands it gets taxed.  

[Eskimo Joe]

IMO, the virtual classroom this year may start to become more of a thing.  It would be a good prep for those who want to go to college because a lot of college courses are going virtual.  Heck, my master's degree was fully online and I had access to a far wider array of classmates and resources than I would in a brick and mortar environment.

[mappy]

3 minutes ago, psuhoffman said:

UGH...so sorry.  I don't want to assume what others situations are...but how hard should it be to simply make your way to your computer at a particular time each day?  I have had a few internet issues at times...got booted...but my students know I will log right back in if that happens.  I also offer some evening hours because a few of my students picked up delivery jobs to help out at home and I want them to be able to participate.  But with younger children that is obviously not a problem.  Obviously if this instructor continues to act "unprofessionally" don't hesitate to talk to them and contact the school if need be.   As a teacher I am frustrated when I hear things like that...it makes all of us look bad.  

shes not a good teacher. weve had our issues with her over the course of the year. she doesn't reply to emails, shes horrible at schedules. and apparently, she texts a lot during class. 

last week mini-map wanted to play school. so we did. she gave us some art assignments (so cute) but while we were working she was on her play phone the whole time. I jokingly asked and she said "my teacher is on her phone all the time in class, so just following what i've seen"

unreal

[psuhoffman]

3 minutes ago, mappy said:

shes not a good teacher. weve had our issues with her over the course of the year. she doesn't reply to emails, shes horrible at schedules. and apparently, she texts a lot during class. 

last week mini-map wanted to play school. so we did. she gave us some art assignments (so cute) but while we were working she was on her play phone the whole time. I jokingly asked and she said "my teacher is on her phone all the time in class, so just following what i've seen"

unreal

so sorry

[mappy]

2 minutes ago, psuhoffman said:

so sorry

its okay, with the way things are going we won't be dealing with her much longer. 

[nw baltimore wx]

I went to HD and got a 2” 4’ x 8’ insulation board and ordered contact whiteboard paper from amazon to make a whiteboard in my garage. I normally teach in a portable so this won’t be much different except I won’t have to keep telling the kids to put their phones away and stop chatting.

[showmethesnow]

27 minutes ago, psuhoffman said:

 

Every district has their own plan.  For Baltimore, we gave out pretty extensive work packets first at our school then at food distribution centers to cover the last few weeks.  Starting this week (for 4th Quarter) we are online using google classroom and we meet with students live several times a week using collaborate.  I am posting assignments pretty much the same as I would in class, adapting them when needed obviously.  I cut the work load down some and am being flexible as we get adjusted...but for me the loss (for students who are choosing to participate) won't be that extreme.  There are paper packets also still available for students who do not have access to tech, but we are also offering programs for free internet service, phones and tablets so technically all students could have access if they wanted.  Participation so far has been about 70% and honestly that is about what my participation rate was before all this.  

The biggest issue is the loss of socialization for students, especially younger ones.  I have been calling and messaging students frequently to check up on them and see how they are doing.  Encouraging them to participate in our live sessions.  Some teachers don't want to give out their phone numbers but I have always allowed my students to contact me and it's never been a real issue.  Hopefully this doesn't extend to next year but we are already taking steps to prepare in case it does.  

Think the biggest problem is that we are probably going to see even more separation between the haves (A students) and the have nots (F students). For whatever reason (lack of discipline, lack of money, lack of family structure, needing to work, etc...) these students had difficulty in an school atmosphere to begin with so to expect them to transition over to distant learning without any difficulties is probably a fantasy. In fact it will probably be worse. Potentially much worse.

[Vice-Regent]

1 minute ago, showmethesnow said:

Think the biggest problem is that we are probably going to see even more separation between the haves (A students) and the have nots (F students). For whatever reason (lack of discipline, lack of money, lack of family structure, needing to work, etc...) these students had difficulty in an school atmosphere to begin with so to expect them to transition over to distant learning without any difficulties is probably a fantasy. In fact it will probably be worse. Potentially much worse.

It's better to catch these things early before it's too late. Childhood nutrition should not be downplayed and as well some people have inclinations that make them poorly suited for modern education. We turned our back on this stuff in the 60s and it's coming back to wreck our prospects.

It's been a long slide into the abyss but maybe we've turned the corner but not in the way we wanted.

[SomeguyfromTakomaPark]

The biggest issue DCPS was/is having with this is not knowing when this is going to end.  At first they seemed to really believe the closure was only going to last 2 weeks and they haphazardly allowed teachers to do whatever in terms of schedule and didn't standardize anything in terms of learning platforms, amount of assignments, etc.  Teachers zoom sessions were conflicting and students were overwhelmed with the amount of work since no one was coordinating due dates or workloads or anything. DCPS also declared that anything that happened post-closure couldn't reduce a students grade, so any work during the quarantine is counted like extra credit.  I think now they are coming to terms with the fact that our year is likely over and we're adopting a district wide schedule which makes sense.  I'm not sure how the 4th quarter will look in terms of grading.  I don't think this experience will be anywhere near as good as actually physically going to school (obviously) but its the best we can do. 

[ErinInTheSky]

(This is one of the people working on a vaccine)

[SomeguyfromTakomaPark]

6 minutes ago, supernovasky said:

(This is one of the people working on a vaccine)

This will be an enormous challenge if the timeline is 4-5 years. 

[ErinInTheSky]

3 minutes ago, DCTeacherman said:

This will be an enormous challenge if the timeline is 4-5 years. 

It's not going to be "we will need to be locked down for 4-5 years"

 

But I've been reading a lot of public health experts, economists, etc... and it's likely the disease will be with us for a long time, and it's going to completely change how we interact as a society. I don't doubt we will find ways to engage on socialization and economic activity again in the relatively near future once we get it rather under control. But it's going to wreck anything requiring the gathering of a significant number of people in one place for a while.

 

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/03/how-will-coronavirus-end/608719/

 

This is the best article I've read on how this probably looks longterm issues. It's likely going to be multiple, repeated lockdowns. School closures will be a regular part of life and we should plan to get resources available for distance learning. Things like national availability of broadband internet and chromebooks for kids, for instance, could become very important. Mass gatherings may be able to happen in the periods where there are no reported cases, but cases will pop up repeatedly and threaten to reignite the blaze.

 

It's going to be a very tough next few years.