What's your best guess as to when trainings will resume?

Private schools can do this. Public schools can't because of the union and the California Dept of Education hasn't challenged them on it. And in most counties, the union has taken the position teachers aren't required to teach live classes on zoom since they aren't certified for online instruction. Classes might be recorded if your class sizes are large and you are 50% in 50% out, the 50% out is likely to be passive learning (e.g. homework, recorded lectures). The other fight with the union is going to be the extra work teachers will have to handle...the unions are refusing to put it on teachers without more pay. Get out of Dodge if you can.

Funny how they did fine during the spring even though they weren't certified. What did the union say during this? Plus if you zoom your lecture at the same time you do your live lecture, I don't see any extra work. Think the Unions are going to be more worried about the 10% salary cuts and or layoffs. When you choose to close the state and lose 54 billion dollars, adjustments need to be made.
 
Funny how they did fine during the spring even though they weren't certified. What did the union say during this? Plus if you zoom your lecture at the same time you do your live lecture, I don't see any extra work. Think the Unions are going to be more worried about the 10% salary cuts and or layoffs. When you choose to close the state and lose 54 billion dollars, adjustments need to be made.

Don't know where you are but lots of public school kids aren't getting live in person zoom classes. It's worse in the poorer school districts than the richer ones, but even in our local public suburban elementary school there have been no live zoom classes this spring (only recorded classes and homework packets), With grade protection (even if you don't do the work), my son's bestie just said f it (since he's going private middle school next year) and abandoned the work. High schools doing more than the middle schools doing more than the elementary schools (which as you get down to K is pretty much zilch).
 
Don't know where you are but lots of public school kids aren't getting live in person zoom classes. It's worse in the poorer school districts than the richer ones, but even in our local public suburban elementary school there have been no live zoom classes this spring (only recorded classes and homework packets), With grade protection (even if you don't do the work), my son's bestie just said f it (since he's going private middle school next year) and abandoned the work. High schools doing more than the middle schools doing more than the elementary schools (which as you get down to K is pretty much zilch).

Our school district doesn't use zoom and lots of households don't have the bandwidth.

It took almost a month to come up a barebones online curriculum and to do that fully I would image many months. Teachers don't necessarily have the technology to support many things in there homes just yet.
 
You guys are over analyzing this. The only way to deal with this virus, short of a vaccine, is to get the antibodies for it by getting it. I don't think you can sugar code this. In the mean time, we obviously need to wear the mask and do social distancing but this virus needs to spread, hopefully slowly, in order to provide the immunity. Just like an earthquake, you deal with it as best as you can but you can't stop it.
Two months of lockdown didn't help much. Another 6 months won't help either.
Curious...why do you believe it didn't help much? What would the death toll be now had we not shut down? We shut down because we weren't ready for it from a PPE perspective nor a testing perspective and we didn't know what we didn't know or how much hospital capacity would be required. FEMA just started sending supplies to skilled nursing facilities 2 weeks ago.
 
Don't know where you are but lots of public school kids aren't getting live in person zoom classes. It's worse in the poorer school districts than the richer ones, but even in our local public suburban elementary school there have been no live zoom classes this spring (only recorded classes and homework packets), With grade protection (even if you don't do the work), my son's bestie just said f it (since he's going private middle school next year) and abandoned the work. High schools doing more than the middle schools doing more than the elementary schools (which as you get down to K is pretty much zilch).
Thanks for all of the info. My older daughter told me that her grade was locked and if she did nothing it wouldn't change. She had decided that she wasn't going to do anymore work. I insisted she complete her work regardless because it is the right thing to do. My middle school daughter has more to do than my high school daughter. I just see it as a big waste of time and decided I will consider putting her in private school or do online school if they don't do better next year.
 
Don't know where you are but lots of public school kids aren't getting live in person zoom classes. It's worse in the poorer school districts than the richer ones, but even in our local public suburban elementary school there have been no live zoom classes this spring (only recorded classes and homework packets), With grade protection (even if you don't do the work), my son's bestie just said f it (since he's going private middle school next year) and abandoned the work. High schools doing more than the middle schools doing more than the elementary schools (which as you get down to K is pretty much zilch).
I’m not getting the need for live zoom for middle school and above. Our kids teachers have recorded videos and used online resources and it’s been pretty good considering the short time they had to get up to speed. And I think a hybrid approach for middle school and above in the fall would be fine. I’m not that concerned about it. Might be something to consider for a school option moving forward. The current system needs updating badly as it’s very outdated and not aligned with modern society’s workforce. Perhaps this will be the catalyst for that overhaul.

At the Elementary level I could see that they need to do what they can to offer full in class school as it basically serves as daycare for a large portion of society.
 
Schools are not doing zoom lectures (synchronous learning) because we can not guarantee that all students will be able to be online at the same time. All of my lectures are recorded videos (and spotify podcasts) that can be accessed at any time. This frees up the kids who need to work to supplement income, have to teach their younger siblings or just can't get the bandwidth at a specific time to continue their learning.

It is almost, if not completely, impossible to provide a free and equatable education through distance learning. We have learned a lot in the last 3 months and if we have to come back to some form of distance learning we will come back better prepared and the education will only get better. It will never however replace in person learning.

Teachers can only ask for your patience and communication. Please make sure you are communicating every step of the way. Let us know what is working and what is not. It is the only way we can adapt. Normally we do this minute by minute in the classroom through interaction with your kid. We can't do that through the screen. You have to be our eyes.
 
I’m not getting the need for live zoom for middle school and above.

Really?

Granted, many public schools don't reach the ideal but: 1. (at least in middle school) students are still working on their vocabulary and reading skills and unless reading allowed (or their parents are hovering over them) are missing corrections, 2. history and literature classes (particularly as you move up) are about discussion and critical thought, 3. testing done in a way to prevent cheating (you can be sure that if there's a 50/50 part of the intime will be used to test, not learn), 4. art and music 5. in languages, the pronunciation is particularly important, 6. socialization, 7. math probably lends itself easiest to zoom (and as a result distance learning as well since you can stick everyone in pods) but even then there's corrections and interchange the students learn from, 8. in science lab work and 9. the chance to ask questions (sure, some teachers do zoom office hours, but this is one of the largest source of complaint from the unions).
 
Thanks for all of the info. My older daughter told me that her grade was locked and if she did nothing it wouldn't change. She had decided that she wasn't going to do anymore work. I insisted she complete her work regardless because it is the right thing to do. My middle school daughter has more to do than my high school daughter. I just see it as a big waste of time and decided I will consider putting her in private school or do online school if they don't do better next year.
Both daughters moved two of their grades up during the spring from B’s to A’s. We let them skip a couple classes they already had A’s in and wouldn’t be using that subject in the future.
 
Really?

Granted, many public schools don't reach the ideal but: 1. (at least in middle school) students are still working on their vocabulary and reading skills and unless reading allowed (or their parents are hovering over them) are missing corrections, 2. history and literature classes (particularly as you move up) are about discussion and critical thought, 3. testing done in a way to prevent cheating (you can be sure that if there's a 50/50 part of the intime will be used to test, not learn), 4. art and music 5. in languages, the pronunciation is particularly important, 6. socialization, 7. math probably lends itself easiest to zoom (and as a result distance learning as well since you can stick everyone in pods) but even then there's corrections and interchange the students learn from, 8. in science lab work and 9. the chance to ask questions (sure, some teachers do zoom office hours, but this is one of the largest source of complaint from the unions).
What about the kids that homeschool? They don’t live zoom with full classrooms. There’s not “one way” to learn and develop. In fact for many kids that system doesn’t work at all. That’s just the way our society has done it up to now.

To clarify, I was referring to this recent period where no one planned for this to happen and it’s been a rather short period in the big picture. In September the hybrid approach will balance the need for live zoom. And I’m fine with that.
 
Put the kids in school. Zoom and record the class as it occurs for kids that can’t go to school due to health reasons or parent objections or for what ever reason. The key is give parents choices without making teachers do extra work, or as little extra as possible.

Be prepared to be flexible as things change all the time. Considering how much safer being outdoors is compared to indoors when with groups I’d say take classes outside when you can.
 
6. socialization,
I would also argue this point in that the socialization that happens in schools can be more harmful than beneficial. Middle school and high school can be a very tough place for adolescents. You just have to look at the climbing suicide rates for young people to see that.
 
Covid is a very tricky and highly contagious SOB. That can't be disputed. From Kawasaki disease to wiping out your sense of taste/smell to not even having a sniffle -- the symptom spectrum is just confounding. And that is why there is so much debate, so many contradictions, and so many different policies around the World. We have some places just winging it and letting everyone do whatever they want and other places winging it with complete lockdowns. The only thing consistent among all is they're winging it. Even 3 months in, our doctors and scientists still don't have a grasp of what this thing is, how to reliably test for it and even how to treat it. Nobody does. It's not because everyone in the World is dumb or lazy, this disease is just a bich to predict.

As far as schools, I like the approach some private universities are taking---Notre Dame, USD, Creighton, PLNU etc.--bring the kids back to campus in August for live classes and send them home for winter break at Thanksgiving till February. This is reasonable yet cautious and is at least stepping up to the plate. Public universities could do the same, but there you have government involved so politics comes into play. The private v. public difference also plays out on the high school level as we all know. But all have to plan for multiple scenarios because Covid is very unpredictable.

While important to all of us here, we have to acknowledge that youth sports/entertainment is not as important and does not have the same societal value as education/school nor adult jobs nor public health. It is about as non-essential as non-essential can get, especially to those outside our bubble. Therefore, it will be the last in line of things to clear despite how much we prefer otherwise.
 
Really?

Granted, many public schools don't reach the ideal but: 1. (at least in middle school) students are still working on their vocabulary and reading skills and unless reading allowed (or their parents are hovering over them) are missing corrections, 2. history and literature classes (particularly as you move up) are about discussion and critical thought, 3. testing done in a way to prevent cheating (you can be sure that if there's a 50/50 part of the intime will be used to test, not learn), 4. art and music 5. in languages, the pronunciation is particularly important, 6. socialization, 7. math probably lends itself easiest to zoom (and as a result distance learning as well since you can stick everyone in pods) but even then there's corrections and interchange the students learn from, 8. in science lab work and 9. the chance to ask questions (sure, some teachers do zoom office hours, but this is one of the largest source of complaint from the unions).

"Necessity is the mother of invention". I'm hopeful some good will come out of this.



"But COVID is a chance for us to fundamentally rethink our system. Barr said it well: “COVID is presenting a unique opportunity in education. For the first time in 150 years, we get to blow up the industrial model of education. We are given the gift of learning because we want to learn—not because we have to learn.”

Once stay-at-home orders are lifted, students at more traditional schools might chafe at coming back to the less autonomous model of schools and fight for more academic freedom. In addition, teachers may not want to go back to the set curricula they had to follow before. Crisis breeds disruption and innovation—and often creates a future that was possible before but impractical pre-crisis. In other words, once people experience something different, it can often be hard to put the genie back in the bottle.

Because American school policy is so decentralized, there’s a high likelihood the response and possible transformations will vary widely. We’ll see different approaches state by state, district by district, school by school, and even principal to principal. Unfortunately, many schools—perhaps most—will more or less return to the old ways. At others, perhaps, we’ll see fundamental and far-sighted change, planting seeds that will take decades to grow.

My sincere hope is that looking back in twenty years, we can laugh with our kids and say “Yes, we did do that in school before… I know it did not make any sense, but it took COVID to help us make that change.” Maybe we will start designing school and learning experiences to set our students up for the future instead of holding them back to the past. If there was ever a catalyst to jumpstart change we are living in it right now."
 
What about the kids that homeschool? They don’t live zoom with full classrooms.
Homeschooling is different because the parent is there as the teacher, and also harder for that reason. I have the biggest admiration for parents who homeschool and do it well and who also supplement their kids with art, music and socialization. I know I'd kill my kids even if I could say goodbye to work. But nothing replaces the one on one interaction, like private training for a soccer player as opposed to just team practice. It's why I also gave my caveat...get out of Dodge unless you homeschool.
 
Covid is a very tricky and highly contagious SOB. That can't be disputed. From Kawasaki disease to wiping out your sense of taste/smell to not even having a sniffle -- the symptom spectrum is just confounding. And that is why there is so much debate, so many contradictions, and so many different policies around the World. We have some places just winging it and letting everyone do whatever they want and other places winging it with complete lockdowns. The only thing consistent among all is they're winging it. Even 3 months in, our doctors and scientists still don't have a grasp of what this thing is, how to reliably test for it and even how to treat it. Nobody does. It's not because everyone in the World is dumb or lazy, this disease is just a bich to predict.

As far as schools, I like the approach some private universities are taking---Notre Dame, USD, Creighton, PLNU etc.--bring the kids back to campus in August for live classes and send them home for winter break at Thanksgiving till February. This is reasonable yet cautious and is at least stepping up to the plate. Public universities could do the same, but there you have government involved so politics comes into play. The private v. public difference also plays out on the high school level as we all know. But all have to plan for multiple scenarios because Covid is very unpredictable.

While important to all of us here, we have to acknowledge that youth sports/entertainment is not as important and does not have the same societal value as education/school nor adult jobs nor public health. It is about as non-essential as non-essential can get, especially to those outside our bubble. Therefore, it will be the last in line of things to clear despite how much we prefer otherwise.
Daughter will be at PLNU as a freshman and we like what they are doing. Besides what you mentioned they are also limiting parental contact, added more outdoor meeting areas, videoing all classes, and doing some other things as well.

Disagree a bit about the importance of sports at schools. There is a reason they require PE as kids need the exercise for health and mental well being. My kid can’t sit still for too long and needs to burn a couple hours energy every day. Think about which people are getting hit hardest by Covid, the older less healthy people.
 
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