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Honored Contributor
Posts: 13,775
Registered: ‎07-09-2011

@bikerbabe wrote:
There is a very distressing article in Propublica on Native American students in bureau of Indian education-operated schools who still have no access to remote learning: no laptops and in some areas 95% of homes have no internet.

@bikerbabe 

 

Thank you.

"Animals are not my whole world, but they have made my world whole" ~ Roger Caras
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Registered: ‎07-09-2011

I@Abrowneyegirl wrote:


@bikerbabe wrote:
There is a very distressing article in Propublica on Native American students in bureau of Indian education-operated schools who still have no access to remote learning: no laptops and in some areas 95% of homes have no internet.


This is terrible.  They are really going to have to go old school, literally Little House on the Prairie small groups with textbooks and blackboards.

Many of us had to rely on books and our parents to learn.  I even went through college with no internet and computers were just coming out but you had to go to the computer lab.

Kids must think I am 100

 


@Abrowneyegirl 

 

It’s a bit different when the only option you have is distant learning, your schools are closed, there are no computer labs, and 95% of your community has no Internet.

"Animals are not my whole world, but they have made my world whole" ~ Roger Caras
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Posts: 466
Registered: ‎03-17-2018

@suzyQ3 wrote:

I agree that it's a good approach. If I had encountered such a scenario when my daughter was in school, I would have participated.

 

But we have to recognize that this is only for those of a certain status and income. This pandemic has further divided the halfs from the have-nots. I hope that other cities and states might do what we're doing here in California to address this right now.

 

We are at risk of losing a huge number of children when it comes to their education.


I agree that it is an elite priviledge to be able to participate in such alternative forms of schooling. I have three kids in a school district that is fully virtual and has no plans for an in-person return this school year. I am able to participate in a "pod", so that I can till work part time as a pre-K teacher (in person, private school) and then take on the pod duties when I'm not working. Many of my neighbors are homeschooling, participating in pods, or were lucky enough to switch to a private school before it was too late. Unfortunately, there are many students within our school district who are home alone all day and are not showing up for virtual classes. Even though they've been provided laptops and have wifi services, without an adult holding a child accountable, many just won't participate in their classes on a regular basis. Meanwhile, instead of forming a reopening plan, my school board spends their meetings patting themselves on the backs for having such a wonderful virtual learning program. It's sooooo sad. Smiley Sad 

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This pandemic sure has further filleted the socioeconomic status of the country now, making it even more evident of the division between the rich and the poor. The rich can afford tutors. The poor don't even have internet. 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 21,733
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Change in education

[ Edited ]

@PreKteacher wrote:

@suzyQ3 wrote:

I agree that it's a good approach. If I had encountered such a scenario when my daughter was in school, I would have participated.

 

But we have to recognize that this is only for those of a certain status and income. This pandemic has further divided the halfs from the have-nots. I hope that other cities and states might do what we're doing here in California to address this right now.

 

We are at risk of losing a huge number of children when it comes to their education.


I agree that it is an elite priviledge to be able to participate in such alternative forms of schooling. I have three kids in a school district that is fully virtual and has no plans for an in-person return this school year. I am able to participate in a "pod", so that I can till work part time as a pre-K teacher (in person, private school) and then take on the pod duties when I'm not working. Many of my neighbors are homeschooling, participating in pods, or were lucky enough to switch to a private school before it was too late. Unfortunately, there are many students within our school district who are home alone all day and are not showing up for virtual classes. Even though they've been provided laptops and have wifi services, without an adult holding a child accountable, many just won't participate in their classes on a regular basis. Meanwhile, instead of forming a reopening plan, my school board spends their meetings patting themselves on the backs for having such a wonderful virtual learning program. It's sooooo sad. Smiley Sad 


@PreKteacher, isn't that in their mission statement? Smiley Wink


~Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle~ Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
Honored Contributor
Posts: 18,222
Registered: ‎11-08-2014

I'd like to salute the post-secondary, state vocational school that my son attends, in his second year of automotive mechanics training.

 

Because our part of the state has had steadily declining hospitalizations and deaths, this state school opted to re-open fully this fall, after a spring of distance-learning.   In-person classes have resumed, with a number of safeguards in place.

 

One tiny example:  Now, everyone who enters the building, student, staff, visitors alike, has their temperature taken upon entry.

 

We learned recently how rigorous they are being.  My son developed worrisome symptoms--  cough, sore throat, slight fever.  When I called to let them know he would be absent, they explained their protocols.  Given the symptoms with which he was presenting, he would have to be Covid-tested before returning to school.

 

He was tested, and is negative for the virus, yay.  He just had a nasty bug.  So, back to school.

 

We have made a point of personally thanking the dedicated administrators and teachers who are shouldering the responsibility and taking pains to keep the school going.

 

I have confidence they will be flexible and keep structuring their educational offerings to reflect the conditions in the community, as schools have been doing around the world. 

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Posts: 459
Registered: ‎06-30-2020

I don't think so.

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Posts: 3,537
Registered: ‎03-15-2010

@Drythe wrote:

@Abrowneyegirl 

 

I attended grades 1 - 6 in classes like this, it was a wonderful 

Learning / Life experience.

 

@suzyQ3 

 

Students were selected for multiracial and socioeconomic representation.  ITA it was a rare opportunity.


It is a shame it did not continue..........it seemed like a fabulous program.!!!!

 

This whole scenario reminds me of years ago (15 years or so) a woman I used to work with quit her job to home school her children.  She was just out of college herself a few years!

 

Due to the charter, online programs being free and the internet and computers being provided for free it was an easy choice.

 

She told me of this entire network of local home-schoolers.  They did group programs and took field trips to farms and companies for onsite learning and hands-on projects.  This way the children had socialization etc.  Again parents shared in the program and guests were invited to teach specialized classes.  

 

I totally had forgotten about this.

 

She said they got a lot of negative feedback from teachers who felt this was not a good use of the school district funds.  It was quite the learning lesson for me as I am not well versed in how funding are distributed.

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Posts: 21,733
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

@Abrowneyegirl wrote:

@Drythe wrote:

@Abrowneyegirl 

 

I attended grades 1 - 6 in classes like this, it was a wonderful 

Learning / Life experience.

 

@suzyQ3 

 

Students were selected for multiracial and socioeconomic representation.  ITA it was a rare opportunity.


It is a shame it did not continue..........it seemed like a fabulous program.!!!!

 

This whole scenario reminds me of years ago (15 years or so) a woman I used to work with quit her job to home school her children.  She was just out of college herself a few years!

 

Due to the charter, online programs being free and the internet and computers being provided for free it was an easy choice.

 

She told me of this entire network of local home-schoolers.  They did group programs and took field trips to farms and companies for onsite learning and hands-on projects.  This way the children had socialization etc.  Again parents shared in the program and guests were invited to teach specialized classes.  

 

I totally had forgotten about this.

 

She said they got a lot of negative feedback from teachers who felt this was not a good use of the school district funds.  It was quite the learning lesson for me as I am not well versed in how funding are distributed.


@Abrowneyegirl, I side with the teachers on this issue.


~Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle~ Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
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Posts: 4,373
Registered: ‎04-04-2015

Re: Change in education

[ Edited ]

I just find it amazing that here in Fairfax County, I was told during the last school board election that it is the parents' responsibility to hire tutors and/or seek community help for their kids struggling with reading and/or math (who are not in ESL or Special Needs classes - where the schools pay for this help).  They told me that other than regular school instruction it was NOT the responsibility of the school to provide this additional assistance.

 

Then fast forward to Covid and their disastrous online failure last year and the School Board now condemns parents funding their kids education via pods and home schooling because it is UNFAIR to those parents who cannot afford to do that.

 

So clearly, the School Board recognizes there are parents who are unable to provide reading and math education for their kids - whether during Covid or a regular school year.  Yet during a normal school year, it is fine with them to just let these kids get passed on until they finally give up and quit.  No worries about "unfairness" then.