General Discussion

Hamlette

(15,412 posts) Wed Jul 8, 2020, 03:42 PM Jul 2020

Plans to reopen schools from a teacher's perspective.

My DIL is an elementary school teacher in my red state and on the committee to come up with plans.

The current plan is: half the kids go to school on Monday and Tuesday, the other half of Thursday and Friday. Stagger recess times so very few classrooms are outside at a time. This means some classes will have recess way early and some way late.

When the schools closed in March, my DIL only had 11 students (way less than half) who were attending because so many parents were keeping kids home out of fear of the epidemic. It is anticipated that many parents will not send their kids to school when they reopen so, in addition to teaching 4 days a week, teachers are required to prepare lessons/videos/zoom for the kids who are not attending and supplement the lessons for the kids who are only attending 2 days a week. It is anticipated this will add 2 hours or more per day to the teacher's schedule (which is outside their contracts but that is another problem.)

An additional problem is that funding follows the child so the school only gets paid for the kids who attend. If a significant number of parents home school, there will be layoffs.

How does this really help working parents? Kids will only be in school a maximum of 2 days a week. I'm sure Trump only cares about reopening the schools so parents can go back to work and make money for his rich friends. Ok, keep the economy going if you like. 2 days a week? With all the risks involved?

3 replies

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Plans to reopen schools from a teacher's perspective. (Original Post) Hamlette Jul 2020 OP

This is the same plan he has had all along... world wide wally Jul 2020 #1

Here's an idea to add to your DIL's committee's idea PJMcK Jul 2020 #2

good ideas Hamlette Jul 2020 #3

world wide wally

(21,744 posts)

1. This is the same plan he has had all along...

Reply to Hamlette (Original post)

Wed Jul 8, 2020, 03:58 PM

Jul 2020

Make everything appear to be fine while people die during the pandemic. He just wants the illusion of a booming economy for his reelection.

PJMcK

(22,037 posts)

2. Here's an idea to add to your DIL's committee's idea

Reply to Hamlette (Original post)

Wed Jul 8, 2020, 04:41 PM

Jul 2020

Change the school week so each kid gets 3 days:

Group One: Monday, Wednesday & Friday

Group Two: Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday

As you wrote, all of this is outside of the union employment agreements so I'm not addressing those issues. (Perhaps teachers' schedules could be staggered so no one has to work more than 5 days a week, etc.; teachers' pay would be reconfigured to 150% of class hours, for example.)

In the absence of an effective and widely available vaccine, there is no scientific way to prevent the spread of this virus if we aren't going to take the drastic steps necessary.

Hamlette

(15,412 posts)

3. good ideas

Reply to PJMcK (Reply #2)

Wed Jul 8, 2020, 05:25 PM

Jul 2020

I'll ask about them. Big (Huge) problem is money. If half the kids stay home, a real possibility given what happened in March and I sure as hell wouldn't send my kids were they that young, they will have the money to spend, not double which they ned.

But it seems 3 days a week could work better. Still not sure how it helps working parents that much. What a mess.

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