Running thread of the disaster that is the new school year

[Horn_Spanker 524]

Anyone using the new far SW elementary?  Positive kid.  Kid and those who interacted, now quarantining.  Then tomorrow, more kids arrive.  

[South Austin 52521]

A friend whose kids are in Round Rock ISD said that Westwood looks to have a record number of kids failing classes for this first grading period.  Probably a combination of factors - missed assignments, students missing/having limited engagement with Zoom calls, decreased motivation, and the online format is that much more challenging to kids who would normally have difficulties with traditional school. 

[HornOnTheBayou 8939]

32 minutes ago, South Austin said:

A friend whose kids are in Round Rock ISD said that Westwood looks to have a record number of kids failing classes for this first grading period.  Probably a combination of factors - missed assignments, students missing/having limited engagement with Zoom calls, decreased motivation, and the online format is that much more challenging to kids who would normally have difficulties with traditional school. 

Every school is facing that right now. In my classes, the number of kids failing is higher than usual, but nothing extreme. What's alarming is how bad they are failing. I've got kids with averages below 20. I've got 2 or 3 in the single-digits right now, including one with a 0.

[GRHorn 105]

On 10/10/2020 at 7:05 AM, Hefeweizen said:

There are some people who are looking to inject politics into everything.  This isn’t a political issue.  I think there are kids that need to be in the classroom.  In one class at least I know my son would be better off in person but we’re not comfortable with the situation yet.

 

Push comes to shove, we’ve tried out both Tech and UT high school on line and they are serviceable.  So if the TEA mandates before we’re ready to send the kids back, I and others I know will just pull the kids out of school.  That will have some ugly financial impacts to school districts where they are financially skinny.

Looks like someone isn’t following the science. 

[GRHorn 105]

On 10/10/2020 at 8:44 AM, Willfully Horn said:

 

My motivation is keeping my family safe, and ensuring my children learn what they need to know. And calling out those who smear hard working teachers.
 

 

Can we smear teachers who fight going back to work?

[GRHorn 105]

On 10/10/2020 at 9:54 PM, atomheartbevo said:

AISD superintendent came out and said they are working to get the face-to-face teachers only dealing with in-person kids, and the online kids only working with online teachers.  I get why they weren't able to do it properly up front, since they weren't sure how many kids were coming back, and AISD hasn't even brought in the second and third waves (increasing capacity next week and I think bringing in more 3rd/4th graders).

But holy shit, it's putting teachers through the ringer.  I was surprised only 96 quit AISD last week.

I can imagine this hybrid system being hell. Fortunately our district went for it and has had kids in person from the beginning. So there’s in person teachers and remote teachers in each grade. 

[Willfully Horn 8038]

2 hours ago, GRHorn said:

Can we smear teachers who fight going back to  work

Knock yourself out. If berating the unemployed makes you feel better, what do I care what that makes you look like while you do so?
 
I’ll reserve my scorn for employers who changed employment agreements to include  working in conditions that might result in the death of employee’s family members.

Edited October 12, 2020 by Willfully Horn
Edit

[Guest Lobo]

2 hours ago, GRHorn said:

Can we smear teachers who fight going back to work?

I don't know you in real life and don't care to...but you taking this kind of action IRL would not surprise me in the least.  You realize how awkward you'll make it when you do return to campus for F2F conferences and events with those same educators?  Think about how awkward you'll make it for your kids down the road when things normalize?  

[Willfully Horn 8038]

2 hours ago, GRHorn said:

I can imagine this hybrid system being hell. Fortunately our district went for it and has had kids in person from the beginning. So there’s in person teachers and remote teachers in each grade. 

Is that a fact, or an assumption? Lake Travis is fairly well funded. They, too, have given families both options. At least some of LT teachers are tasked with both f2f and virtual.

[GRHorn 105]

24 minutes ago, Lobo said:

I don't know you in real life and don't care to...but you taking this kind of action IRL would not surprise me in the least.  You realize how awkward you'll make it when you do return to campus for F2F conferences and events with those same educators?  Think about how awkward you'll make it for your kids down the road when things normalize?  

It was some hyperbole, but I have lost some respect for the teachers that are actively campaigning against in person instruction. They’re derelict in their duties to their students. 
 

33 minutes ago, Willfully Horn said:

Knock yourself out. If berating the unemployed makes you feel better, what do I care what that makes you look like while you do so?
 
I’ll reserve my scorn for employers who changed employment agreements to include  working in conditions that might result in the death of employee’s family members.

Who is unemployed?

A little dramatic calling out possible death of family members. It looks like these teachers are more likely to get Corona at their grocery store or at an indoor restaurant than at schools. 
 

25 minutes ago, Willfully Horn said:

Is that a fact, or an assumption? Lake Travis is fairly well funded. They, too, have given families both options. At least some of LT teachers are tasked with both f2f and virtual.

I’m not sure what you’re asking here. 

[Willfully Horn 8038]

4 minutes ago, GRHorn said:

 

A little dramatic calling out possible death of family members. It looks like these teachers are more likely to get Corona at their grocery store or at an indoor restaurant than at schools. 
 

I’m not sure what you’re asking here. 
 

 
 

We have a high risk family member. My wife and I work from home. We buy curbside, and don’t dine at restaurants. It is a reasonable statement for me to make, as I imagine my situation is not uncommon.

Further, teaching in a classroom with six students is not the same risk as teaching in the same room with twenty students. And it is possible that the CV-19 risk in teaching might change with the season. Let’s hope that risk continues to go down, but we don’t yet know if it will. Some have predicted another spike as Winter arrives.
 

 

I’m asking if you know for a fact teachers in your district are tasked with either teaching f2f, or teaching virtual. A school district might offer either option to families but not to teachers.

[GRHorn 105]

30 minutes ago, Willfully Horn said:

We have a high risk family member. My wife and I work from home. We buy curbside, and don’t dine at restaurants. It is a reasonable statement for me to make, as I imagine my situation is not uncommon.

Further, teaching in a classroom with six students is not the same risk as teaching in the same room with twenty students. And it is possible that the CV-19 risk in teaching might change with the season. Let’s hope that risk continues to go down, but we don’t yet know if it will. Some have predicted another spike as Winter arrives.
 

 

I’m asking if you know for a fact teachers in your district are tasked with either teaching f2f, or teaching virtual. A school district might offer either option to families but not to teachers.

Yes. I have 3 kids, I have friends that are teachers and my sister in law is a teacher in my district. She got assigned as the remote learning teacher for her grade because she’s best with the tech. 

[Willfully Horn 8038]

4 minutes ago, GRHorn said:

Yes. I have 3 kids, I have friends that are teachers and my sister in law is a teacher in my district. She got assigned as the remote learning teacher for her grade because she’s best with the tech. 

Family is wealth. You are blessed.

[Guest Lobo]

25 minutes ago, GRHorn said:

She got assigned as the remote learning teacher for her grade because she’s best with the tech. 

I've been hearing stories like this from my wife's friends who work in every school district in Central Texas.  One of them gets "picked" to be the remote learner expert because they had the newest iPhone or some shit.  When in reality, hardly anybody was prepared for this remote learning platform.  One friend of hers got "selected" and she can barely keep up, she wishes her district had sprung for some additional training this summer.  But nope, says she feels like the guy in "Alive" who gets nominated to be the comms expert to fix a horribly damaged airplane radio because he once helped his cousins hook up their new stereo.  

[atomheartbevo 89742]

4 hours ago, GRHorn said:

Can we smear teachers who fight going back to work?

40 minutes ago, GRHorn said:

 and my sister in law is a teacher in my district. She got assigned as the remote learning teacher for her grade because she’s best with the tech. 

Do you think your sister-in-law has gone back to work?  Because there seemed to be an effort to smear those who were teaching virtual, or only wanting to teach virtual, and based on the first four weeks with my kids, virtual learning is a fucking nightmare for the teachers, requiring far more hours and effort to contact parents.  

Not saying you are doing this, but there were a bunch of asswipes who seem to think virtual teaching is easy on the teachers.  It's not.  I think part of the problem with so many kids failing, is that there are way too many parents who are unable, or unwilling, to help their kids stay on task, and help them complete and turn in their homework.

[Guest Lobo]

Educators in 2020:  "It's gonna be a challenge.  But good news is maybe this will give parents working with their kids at home during the day, more of an appreciation for what we as teachers go through everyday for decades on end."  

KidsFirst Parent Groups:  "Hold my beer and y'all watch this!"  

[Message Board User 12395]

2 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

Do you think your sister-in-law has gone back to work?  Because there seemed to be an effort to smear those who were teaching virtual, or only wanting to teach virtual, and based on the first four weeks with my kids, virtual learning is a fucking nightmare for the teachers, requiring far more hours and effort to contact parents.  

Not saying you are doing this, but there were a bunch of asswipes who seem to think virtual teaching is easy on the teachers.  It's not.  I think part of the problem with so many kids failing, is that there are way too many parents who are unable, or unwilling, to help their kids stay on task, and help them complete and turn in their homework.

Exactly.  Part of the reason I posted the blurb from the Denton newspaper is to show that these virtual and hybrid learning schemes are very, very difficult for the teachers.  

And it’s burning them out.  
 

And it’s gotta be discouraging for the teachers that, despite their efforts and increased workload, kids are failing at an alarming rate.

[GRHorn 105]

2 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

Do you think your sister-in-law has gone back to work?  Because there seemed to be an effort to smear those who were teaching virtual, or only wanting to teach virtual, and based on the first four weeks with my kids, virtual learning is a fucking nightmare for the teachers, requiring far more hours and effort to contact parents.  

Not saying you are doing this, but there were a bunch of asswipes who seem to think virtual teaching is easy on the teachers.  It's not.  I think part of the problem with so many kids failing, is that there are way too many parents who are unable, or unwilling, to help their kids stay on task, and help them complete and turn in their homework.

Yes. She is back at work, but wanted to be in person and is very open acknowledging that remote is not the best for the kids. 
 

I don’t deny that remote teaching is a pain in the ass.
 

My issue is with teachers that actively work against providing in person instruction, to the detriment of their students. You didn’t sign up for this and you’re scared? Talk to the grocery story or gas station clerk, or any other number of people doing their jobs under adverse conditions. 

[Deej 76852]

3 hours ago, GRHorn said:

Yes. She is back at work, but wanted to be in person and is very open acknowledging that remote is not the best for the kids. 
 

I don’t deny that remote teaching is a pain in the ass.
 

My issue is with teachers that actively work against providing in person instruction, to the detriment of their students. You didn’t sign up for this and you’re scared? Talk to the grocery story or gas station clerk, or any other number of people doing their jobs under adverse conditions. 

Kinda this. I bet they're good with curbside shoppers getting their groceries for them.

[rpspeed 1398]

This is from the Hooks school district I posted earlier. I didnt think high school would be where the problem is.

 

 

 

[Hawndoh 2386]

Of course the high school is where the problem is. Those are the most unsupervised kids. The parents go to work and leave them to do whatever.

Most elementary kids at least still have a parent around to make sure they're doing their work and attending their zoom calls, etc.

 

[Axle Hongsnort 208]

My issue is with teachers that actively work against providing in person instruction, to the detriment of their students. You didn’t sign up for this and you’re scared? Talk to the grocery story or gas station clerk, or any other number of people doing their jobs under adverse conditions. 

Yes, this is the uncomfortable elephant in the room. Doctors, nurses, pilots, grocers, mechanics, pharmacists, cops, gas stations, bus drivers, retail workers, restaurant staff, etc.

I am hugely sympathetic to teachers that are concerned about in class instruction, but struggle with the comparability given the absence of educational alternatives.

[Hefeweizen 5328]

23 hours ago, Willfully Horn said:

We have a high risk family member. My wife and I work from home. We buy curbside, and don’t dine at restaurants. It is a reasonable statement for me to make, as I imagine my situation is not uncommon.

Further, teaching in a classroom with six students is not the same risk as teaching in the same room with twenty students. And it is possible that the CV-19 risk in teaching might change with the season. Let’s hope that risk continues to go down, but we don’t yet know if it will. Some have predicted another spike as Winter arrives.
 

 

I’m asking if you know for a fact teachers in your district are tasked with either teaching f2f, or teaching virtual. A school district might offer either option to families but not to teachers.

Agree, despite the Russian troll fake doctor I’ll listen to the experts rather than fake science.  

[GRHorn 105]

1 hour ago, Hefeweizen said:

Agree, despite the Russian troll fake doctor I’ll listen to the experts rather than fake science.  

What fake science are you referencing?

[J.R. Juniors Junior Jr. 1084]

On 10/11/2020 at 10:58 PM, Horn_Spanker said:

Anyone using the new far SW elementary?  Positive kid.  Kid and those who interacted, now quarantining.  Then tomorrow, more kids arrive.  

Bear Creek?  That's the school we're not attending in person

[Fudge Nuggets 19208]

Neither of my kids' schools reported any cases until two weeks ago.  Since then the oldest kid's school has reported three cases and the young-un's school reported their first case yesterday.  This is going to be fine, I'm sure.

To add, our school district seems to be the complete opposite of some of the posts above when it comes to teachers doing a better job of in-person vs virtual learners.  Virtual learners are pretty much ignored or given very little guidance whereas in-person appear to get the full learning experience.

Edited October 15, 2020 by Fudge Nuggets

[Fudge Nuggets 19208]

On 10/6/2020 at 9:34 AM, GRHorn said:

I know this thread deals mostly with high school and below but these are wild numbers for colleges. 
 

 

Appalachian State in North Carolina had a COVID death.

[HornOnTheBayou 8939]

I clicked on the tweet just to get a closer look at her profile pic. She's a nutcase. Obviously still would.

 

[GRHorn 105]

1 hour ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

Appalachian State in North Carolina had a COVID death.

Thanks for sharing. 
N=1

[Fudge Nuggets 19208]

1 minute ago, GRHorn said:

Thanks for sharing. 
N=1

Maybe it's higher than N=1.  I mean we've already seen the table was wrong to start with so there could be other universities with deaths that they ignored.

[GRHorn 105]

Just now, Fudge Nuggets said:

Maybe it's higher than N=1.  I mean we've already seen the table was wrong to start with so there could be other universities with deaths that they ignored.

Perhaps. I still would argue if there was some widespread teen Covid deaths that the media would be all over that shit. 

[dingleberryswitzer 2724]

On 10/12/2020 at 8:29 PM, Axle Hongsnort said:

 

Yes, this is the uncomfortable elephant in the room. Doctors, nurses, pilots, grocers, mechanics, pharmacists, cops, gas stations, bus drivers, retail workers, restaurant staff, etc.

I am hugely sympathetic to teachers that are concerned about in class instruction, but struggle with the comparability given the absence of educational alternatives.

 

The big difference is that the schools are basically admitting that it's not safe for people to be in the schools by the fact that they are allowing any student to stay home, for any reason and can change their mind at any time, but then are saying it's safe enough for the older more susceptible teachers to come back.  It's hypocritical.  

[NeverMarryAStripper 21909]

I don't think that allowing students to remote school is admitting that it's not safe for people to be in the schools.  It's simply facing the reality that a certain number of people believe it to be true (for whatever reason, the primary one being that they believe everything they read on facebook and twitter) and so won't allow their kids to do in person school.

[Hawndoh 2386]

32 minutes ago, dingleberryswitzer said:

The big difference is that the schools are basically admitting that it's not safe for people to be in the schools by the fact that they are allowing any student to stay home, for any reason and can change their mind at any time, but then are saying it's safe enough for the older more susceptible teachers to come back.  It's hypocritical.  

That is not an admission school is unsafe, it is recognition that a lot of parents would pull their kid out and homeschool if told they are required to attend in person.

The schools would rather deal with the remote stuff than lose the population.

Edited October 15, 2020 by Hawndoh

[atomheartbevo 89742]

And for those bitching that 100% of kids should be back face-to-face, they should probably stop and think about the fact that a whole shitload of people have more than two generations in their households, including elderly relatives.  There is a justified concern among those folks, should their kids bring it into the household.   If we can get a vaccine by next summer, and get those older folks vaccinated, that will change things up for those households.

 

[AggieFactFinder 31]

got a letter from the Dallas diocese last night.  I believe there are 33 schools total.  19 of those schools have had a total of 59 positives (45 students, 14 employees).  The other 14 schools have not had any positives.    Best news is they have found no classroom transmission thus far.  Diocese has over 100 contact tracers.  

Edited October 15, 2020 by AggieFactFinder

[South Austin 52521]

My daughter found out today that starting next week McCallum basketball practices will be in person, indoors, but fully masked with temperature checks. I’m not quite as freaked out, my daughter isn’t thrilled but could go through with it, but my ex-wife is about to go rabid and storm the school.

[Js1 85445]

4 hours ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

I don't think that allowing students to remote school is admitting that it's not safe for people to be in the schools.  It's simply facing the reality that a certain number of people believe it to be true (for whatever reason, the primary one being that they believe everything they read on facebook and twitter) and so won't allow their kids to do in person school.

What a gross generalization. 

[Liquor and Poker 3659]

Man, I tend to be pretty pro-labor, especially for teachers, but this online school thing is just killing me with the total computer and internet illiteracy being displayed by my kids' teachers.  Assignments posted as past due when assigned, posted in the wrong places so kids can't find them, giving kids grades like a 5 out of 100 instead of a 5 out of 5 on a 5-question quiz, on and on.  Kids' grades go from 93 to 61 to 46 to 78 to 84 in one day, and no one knows what the correct number is. 

How do people in 2020 not know things like you can't just right-click and select "save" and save all the contents of an entire website and send them to an email list as a file? Or that you don't have to type "http://www." anymore?

I walked through the teacher's grading and assignment system that HISD uses with our son's academic dean and it just ain't that hard.

[dingleberryswitzer 2724]

4 hours ago, Hawndoh said:

That is not an admission school is unsafe, it is recognition that a lot of parents would pull their kid out and homeschool if told they are required to attend in person.

The schools would rather deal with the remote stuff than lose the population.

Yea obviously not a direct admission, but the implication is there.  But also it's just another example of schools/admin  bending over backwards for kids while the burden of their choices mostly is carried by the staff.   They'd rather push teachers to come back rather than shuffle the schedules to match virtual teachers with virtual kids.  Meanwhile teachers on campus still spend majority of their time at their desk in a zoom meeting with their virtual kids.  None of it makes sense.  

[dingleberryswitzer 2724]

7 minutes ago, Liquor and Poker said:

How do people in 2020 not know things like you can't just right-click and select "save" and save all the contents of an entire website and send them to an email list as a file? Or that you don't have to type "http://www." anymore?

I walked through the teacher's grading and assignment system that HISD uses with our son's academic dean and it just ain't that hard

You'd be surprised how many young people or people in general have lost or never gained their PC skills because everything can be done on mobile or tablets.  People think I'm a wizard because I use hotkeys. 

[atomheartbevo 89742]

1 hour ago, South Austin said:

My daughter found out today that starting next week McCallum basketball practices will be in person, indoors, but fully masked with temperature checks. I’m not quite as freaked out, my daughter isn’t thrilled but could go through with it, but my ex-wife is about to go rabid and storm the school.

So your ex is a Karen?

[South Austin 52521]

Just now, atomheartbevo said:

So your ex is a Karen?

Does being bipolar with a strong alcohol dependency qualify as a Karen?

[atomheartbevo 89742]

31 minutes ago, Liquor and Poker said:

but this online school thing is just killing me with the total computer and internet illiteracy being displayed by my kids' teachers. 

I'm taking a couple of college courses online, with profs who have been doing online classes for a few years, and they are still fucking up due dates and the like.

And having interacted with the other parents of my kids' classmates through email and Zoom, and having listened to friends who are teachers talk about the parents, holy shit I feel like a technological god.

All of these people could have used an intro to computers class at ACC, UT, whatever.   Basic shortcuts/hot keys, how to properly cut-and-paste between apps, how file systems work, etc.

[atomheartbevo 89742]

12 minutes ago, South Austin said:

Does being bipolar with a strong alcohol dependency qualify as a Karen?

Are there Karens who don't have a strong alcohol dependency and who don't seem to be bipolar?

[utee94 15835]

20 hours ago, South Austin said:

Does being bipolar with a strong alcohol dependency qualify as a Karen?

Uncertain, we'll need you to post pics to be sure.

 

[The University 851]

anyone have a kid with adhd? i can't imagine how difficult this must be for both the student and the parents.

[mdmost 43009]

23 minutes ago, The University said:

anyone have a kid with adhd? i can't imagine how difficult this must be for both the student and the parents.

Two here. One is combined type. The other is easily distracted. The combined type is doing horribly, which is odd because she's pretty adept at all things online. The problem is the free access to things that are distracting that she'd rather be doing like Discord. I asked the district to disable access via the Chromebooks but they seem incapable of doing that. I even investigated blocking Discord through our router but I couldn't get Open DNS to work on our Mac. She's in junior high now and was unprepared for how much work it would be. She also wasn't prepared for the jump to having multiple teachers. So she's really behind. We're about to bring the hammer down but want to let her try to claw her way out as the school is pretty forgiving about late assignments right now and she has a couple more weeks to catch up. She's about to have to sit next to my wife the entire time if she can't catch up this weekend  which she is going to hate. It's a bit of a mess. I told my wife that she really needs to go back. She needs the teacher there to ensure she's staying on task and will fight us at every turn if we give her strategies to stay focused. It's really quite amazing and disappointing at the same time. I told her how easy this should've been for her.

The other kid who is more easily distracted is doing great. She's 2 years younger so the work is easier. She has a supportive teacher who helps her when needed. She likes not having tons of kids around to distract her. She likes the quiet of where she works and being home at lunch time. I do think she's starting to feel more isolated as more of her friends are going back. She mentioned wanting to go back when the next opportunity arises. The wife isn't as on board but I think both need to go back. The school has only had 1 case so far that we know of. 

Edited October 16, 2020 by mdmost

[GRHorn 105]

22 hours ago, South Austin said:

Does being bipolar with a strong alcohol dependency qualify as a Karen?

I thought that was your mom?

[hayden_horn 11363]

1 hour ago, The University said:

anyone have a kid with adhd? i can't imagine how difficult this must be for both the student and the parents.

yep, my two middle school age boys, 7th and 8th graders.

it is so hard to motivate them to do good work. the other day i went in to check that they were on zoom, and they both were, in their separate rooms, and they were on the floor playing their phones. phones are now off limits during class.

but my oldest just fidgets endlessly. his workstation is a mess every day. the first grading period ended last friday, and we were playing super catch up to get them to passing. i need to be a better monitor of their grades and assignments, so that's on me, but jesus.

that said, i cannot foresee sending them to in-class instruction any time soon.