Trump's railing about schools reopening, so might as well talk about it

[transplantbillsfan]

What the hell is going on?

 

First Trump claims at his July 3rd Mount Rushmore speech that kids are being "indoctrinated" these days by those damn evil liberals.

 

Now he's pushing about as hard as possible for schools to reopen fully. Not partially. Not 2 days or 3 days a week as his press secretary today questioned. But fully.

 

It's about as transparent as he can possibly be. And yet some will view "opening fully" as the only answer.

 

It's obviously not.

 

I'm a teacher and I actually very much prefer to be in the classroom. I am one of the lucky ones who knew what he wanted to do as a career at a pretty young age--9th grade--and never wavered, which was what helped me earn my undergraduate degree in Secondary English Education and Master's degree in English literature in 5 years.

 

(That's a statement about my dedication to both my Profession and my subject rather than whatever tomfoolery someone will dish out that I just said I was better than you... though I very likely am in Secondary English education and English Literature... can't wait for the grenades on that very true statement. )

 

Regardless of the fact that I prefer and am very willing to be fully back in the classroom in 3 1/2 weeks (because Hawai'i students are scheduled to go back August 4th), I also very much understand teacher, student and parent concerns otherwise.

 

I have coworkers who are elderly, or obese with heart disease, or with diabetes who have already said they won't go back into the classroom. These are, for the most part, very good teachers who care about their students.

 

But should they be expected to put their lives at risk in a 400 square foot box with 30 other kids who might look healthy but might be asymptomatic carriers of what would be a deadly disease for them?

 

It's understandable why Trump is pushing for a full go at schools. Hell, it's transparent. Our economy can't fully start without teachers being the glorified babysitters we're viewed as. You can't watch your kids while you work, so we better do it, along with giving them a damn good education and making sure they're learning social skills and keeping them safe and making sure they continue to learn things like discipline and time management and... etc.

 

That's fine. I love my job. Believe it or not I really want to get back into the classroom. Distance learning is going to be harder than in-class learning because I, like most teachers, care about my students and really want them to excel, despite the fact that distance learning is ultimately no substitute for the classroom.

 

But it's a choice at this point between safety and education at this point, honestly. 

 

Trump wants to throw the economy in as the 3rd choice, but how many kids' lives are actually worth the economy to you? And once students start to get sick, doesn't the inevitable become school closures?

 

No easy answer. And I'll repeat, I want to and am willing to get back into the classroom fully. I just think it's becoming less and less likely. It makes me sad. I also think it's an indication of the direction of our NFL season, unfortunately.

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

Agent Orange wants schools re opened so parents can get back to work and not stay at home babysitting which will stimulate the economy (in time for the election) 

 

[BuffaloHokie13]

If the stories about schools in European countries are true, and kids attending don't tend to spread it, then it seems to make sense to free up more of the workforce. The concern would absolutely be any at risk teachers. I think perhaps the option to teach remotely would be good. Not too different from current distance learning except the kids are in the classroom together. It certainly eliminates any issues of substandard internet and probably engages the kids a bit more than being home. If a teacher needed to be remote, the classroom would likely need a supervisor of some kind who is less at risk than the teacher. Whether that is able to be funded or a volunteer service is a separate and equally tricky conversation. 

[SoCal Deek]

Well at least we now know Transplant is a teacher. That explains so much. I wish him well. As we’ve done in my office for weeks now, if you don’t feel safe coming back to work....don’t! That was true before Covid 19 by the way. 

[Tiberius]

Just now, BuffaloHokie13 said:

If the stories about schools in European countries are true, and kids attending don't tend to spread it, then it seems to make sense to free up more of the workforce. The concern would absolutely be any at risk teachers. I think perhaps the option to teach remotely would be good. Not too different from current distance learning except the kids are in the classroom together. It certainly eliminates any issues of substandard internet and probably engages the kids a bit more than being home. If a teacher needed to be remote, the classroom would likely need a supervisor of some kind who is less at risk than the teacher. Whether that is able to be funded or a volunteer service is a separate and equally tricky conversation. 

They have spent money to get their schools ready. Where is the bill to increase school health standards here?  In Mitch’s graveyard. 

 

Just criminal 

[SoCal Deek]

1 minute ago, Tiberius said:

They have spent money to get their schools ready. Where is the bill to increase school health standards here?  In Mitch’s graveyard. 

 

Just criminal 

Education is not and should not be funded at the federal level!!! It’s provided by and paid for at the State and local level. Unless of course you want Mitch to send the Army into your schools. 

[BuffaloHokie13]

1 minute ago, Tiberius said:

They have spent money to get their schools ready. Where is the bill to increase school health standards here?  In Mitch’s graveyard. 

 

Just criminal 

I admittedly don't know much about the European schools other than the results that they didn't really impact the overall cases after going back. What prep did they do? Or was it more just policies and procedures? 

[Tiberius]

4 minutes ago, BuffaloHokie13 said:

I admittedly don't know much about the European schools other than the results that they didn't really impact the overall cases after going back. What prep did they do? Or was it more just policies and procedures? 

I actually just read about it myself. This is just a snip from a NYTimes article 

 

 

Quote

 

Two, some of those other countries have allocated new money for schools, as I heard after surveying some of my Times colleagues around the world.

Hong Kong is covering the cleaning costs for its schools, Bella Huang told me. South Korea is helping schools open day care centers from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or longer, Su-Hyun Lee, who’s based in Seoul, said. Germany is subsidizing laptop purchases for low-income students, to help them combine remote and in-person learning, according to Christopher Schuetze in Berlin. And Italy has sent money to schools to pay for more teachers, student desks, masks and other equipment, Elisabetta Povoledo, a reporter in Rome, told m

 

I watched something on CNN and in Germany they bought all these plexiglass separators between students. Crazy. I think NY should open in August so they can use tents, teach outside more, leave windows open etc, and then close in October before you have to use heat. 

 

 

 

[SoCal Deek]

Kids do not get nor do they spread Covid 19. We already know that! Welcome to July.

[BuffaloHokie13]

3 minutes ago, Tiberius said:

I actually just read about it myself. This is just a snip from a NYTimes article 

 

 

I watched something on CNN and in Germany they bought all these plexiglass separators between students. Crazy. I think NY should open in August so they can use tents, teach outside more, leave windows open etc, and then close in October before you have to use heat. 

As a hands on learner, I really like the outdoors idea. It wouldn't work for everything, of course, and wind can be a real jerk. I think ensuring proper distancing will definitely be key. Not too many kids per classroom. The idea of teachers being remote plays well with that, as the class could be broadcast to multiple rooms simultaneously. 

[transplantbillsfan]

15 hours ago, BuffaloHokie13 said:

If the stories about schools in European countries are true, and kids attending don't tend to spread it, then it seems to make sense to free up more of the workforce. The concern would absolutely be any at risk teachers. I think perhaps the option to teach remotely would be good. Not too different from current distance learning except the kids are in the classroom together. It certainly eliminates any issues of substandard internet and probably engages the kids a bit more than being home. If a teacher needed to be remote, the classroom would likely need a supervisor of some kind who is less at risk than the teacher. Whether that is able to be funded or a volunteer service is a separate and equally tricky conversation. 

 

I really can't remotely  see that working.

 

First of all, it requires more money. You need money for each position you have "supervising" the class.

 

And who are the supervisors? Substitute teachers? EAs? Security Guards?

 

That adds more money to those positions being taken away from their other jobs.

 

And we haven't even talked about the classroom management nightmare that would be having 20-30 students sitting in a room with their teacher not physically present. It could actually be a safety and liability issue, honestly

[Rob's House]

The schools need to be fully re-opened by the start of the new school year. This is borderline child abuse.

 

I realize the school year starts before November, but that's too damn bad.

 

Everything's about the children unless we can compromise their well-being for political gain.

[transplantbillsfan]

On 7/9/2020 at 2:30 AM, SoCal Deek said:

Well at least we now know Transplant is a teacher. That explains so much. I wish him well. As we’ve done in my office for weeks now, if you don’t feel safe coming back to work....don’t! That was true before Covid 19 by the way. 

 

I never hid being a teacher.

 

In fact I mention it all the time and many have already been critical of me and my profession.

 

And the last statement is silly. We're in the middle of a worldwide pandemic that in the US alone has infected nearly 1.5 million and killed over 135,000 people despite efforts to quarantine, wear masks, and not have large gatherings for months now.

 

Schools would be the canary in a coal mine.

 

And having all schools across the country go fully back into the classroom with 20-30 (and often more) students per classroom would likely wind up having pretty serious consequences.

 

And as I said in the OP and to be very clear: I want and am willing to go back into the classroom. I love and miss my job.

 

I just think the best anyone can clearly hope for is a mixture of in-class teaching and at home distance learning, often depending on school size.

Edited July 10, 2020 by transplantbillsfan

[Warcodered]

9 minutes ago, Rob's House said:

The schools need to be fully re-opened by the start of the new school year. This is borderline child abuse.

 

I realize the school year starts before November, but that's too damn bad.

 

Everything's about the children unless we can compromise their well-being for political gain.

alternatively it could be seen as abusive to have children gather in large numbers sitting next to each other in government buildings as a pandemic sweeps across our nation.

[transplantbillsfan]

15 hours ago, SoCal Deek said:

Kids do not get nor do they spread Covid 19. We already know that! Welcome to July.

 

We do?

 

 

 

[Warcodered]

3 minutes ago, transplantbillsfan said:

 

We do?

 

 

 

Some body should really tell the virus.

 

Missouri Summer Camp Closes After 82 Kids and Staff Infected with Coronavirus

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/missouri-summer-camp-closes-after-82-kids-and-staff-infected-with-coronavirus/ar-BB16uKqY?ocid=msedgntp

[transplantbillsfan]

15 hours ago, BuffaloHokie13 said:

As a hands on learner, I really like the outdoors idea. It wouldn't work for everything, of course, and wind can be a real jerk. I think ensuring proper distancing will definitely be key. Not too many kids per classroom. The idea of teachers being remote plays well with that, as the class could be broadcast to multiple rooms simultaneously. 

 

"Not too many kids per classroom"

 

That's the problem.

 

My school has classes that have had 40 students in a single classroom. I haven't seen that in my room, but 30+ multiple times. 

 

So how exactly does a public High School campus with 2,000+ students on campus limit students in classrooms AND not split the student body into staggered learning with a certain % on campus at a time and the rest doing distance learning?

[KD in CA]

I didn’t bother reading that endless diatribe at the start of this thread, but yeah, we need to open schools, period.

 

What’s amazing is all the people screaming about hardships for POC in other threads now want to completely sabotage their education.

 

I live in one of the richest towns in the country and our district has completely lost track of 10% of enrolled students.  What do you think that % is in towns where few of any of the kids have a stable home, plenty to eat, tablet/laptop, reliable broadband, parents with the ability and desire to be involved, etc?

[transplantbillsfan]

23 minutes ago, Rob's House said:

The schools need to be fully re-opened by the start of the new school year. This is borderline child abuse.

 

I realize the school year starts before November, but that's too damn bad.

 

Everything's about the children unless we can compromise their well-being for political gain.

 

This shouldn't even be a political issue but Trump made it one, unfortunately.

 

He's obviously desperate.

 

And you're obviously one of his blind followers.

 

The reality is that most schools across the country will follow the fluid path of starting the year partially in person and partial distance learning to see how it goes and adjust from there.

 

Frankly, that's almost inevitably the right call.

[transplantbillsfan]

4 minutes ago, KD in CA said:

I didn’t bother reading that endless diatribe at the start of this thread, but yeah, we need to open schools, period.

 

What’s amazing is all the people screaming about hardships for POC in other threads now want to completely sabotage their education.

 

I live in one of the richest towns in the country and our district has completely lost track of 10% of enrolled students.  What do you think that % is in towns where few of any of the kids have a stable home, plenty to eat, tablet/laptop, reliable broadband, parents with the ability and desire to be involved, etc?

 

Bolded ends up telling me a lot.

 

And no, opening schools fully as the test subjects for a complete reopening without thought of student, teacher or family health is flat out stupid.

 

Kids that are in school are going to suffer educationally. I view that as inevitable this year. Good distance learning isn't even a close substitute for good in-class learning. Period.

 

However, measuring education or social skills lost by students as somehow more more important than the lives that might be lost--of students, teachers, and/or family members--is just plain cold-hearted.

 

This is not an easy answer, but forcing all schools to go back fully at this moment is the wrong one.