If you were in charge of the schools, what would YOU do?

[bisous]

This is completely hypothetical. Not only am I not qualified to be in charge of a school but I also feel like we don't have as much information as we will have in August!

Still, when I'm worried about something, my mind immediately jumps to solving it. I guess I'm looking for the wackiest ideas you've thrown around. You may know it has flaws, is hard to implement, etc. but throw it out here! (If it doesn't make you anxious!)

[bisous]

OK, here's two of my ideas.

First, let parents choose remote or in-person schooling. For those families capable of schooling at home, give the parents materials and instruction to help that be successful. For all the kids for whom that would not work (because the parents work out of the home, because the parents are essential workers, because the home environment isn't safe or ideal for home learning) let the parents choose to send their children. Hopefully that would cut down on the number of kids that the schools would have to accommodate in person. But if they are "learning" together, hopefully they would still get their ADA.

Second, for elementary kids, allow for a sort of "forest kindergarten" experience for them. Use the outdoor spaces around schools and the parks to allow kids to be outside together. Even if they don't quite maintain a distance of 6 feet, being in the outside air is better than inside air, right? Maybe a kind of curriculum based on gardening and large group (ampitheater) type reading instruction. Maybe all the learning doesn't happen outside, maybe augment it with remote learning. But spend several hours every day outside, with peers, engaging gross motor skills and keep them up through lunch. Then send them home with resources to fill in the academic gaps. Pupils who are struggling can stay behind for tutoring.

[rollycolly2007]

OK, here's two of my ideas.

First, let parents choose remote or in-person schooling. For those families capable of schooling at home, give the parents materials and instruction to help that be successful. For all the kids for whom that would not work (because the parents work out of the home, because the parents are essential workers, because the home environment isn't safe or ideal for home learning) let the parents choose to send their children. Hopefully that would cut down on the number of kids that the schools would have to accommodate in person. But if they are "learning" together, hopefully they would still get their ADA.

Second, for elementary kids, allow for a sort of "forest kindergarten" experience for them. Use the outdoor spaces around schools and the parks to allow kids to be outside together. Even if they don't quite maintain a distance of 6 feet, being in the outside air is better than inside air, right? Maybe a kind of curriculum based on gardening and large group (ampitheater) type reading instruction. Maybe all the learning doesn't happen outside, maybe augment it with remote learning. But spend several hours every day outside, with peers, engaging gross motor skills and keep them up through lunch. Then send them home with resources to fill in the academic gaps. Pupils who are struggling can stay behind for tutoring.

I like the Forest school idea. We were in 2 outdoor co-ops and nature school every week before covid. Hubby wanted our son in VPK, so we compromised. I got to homeschool in the morning (2 co-ops in Monday and Wednesday) and go on all of adventures, then I dropped him off for VPK from 1-4PM, and went to different places in the evening like Disney and Sea World for more homeschooling activities and fun. My son didn’t realize I was teaching him the whole time since we were still going on rides and seeing shows. We would pick an animal/plant/music type/country, etc for example, learn all about it through books, and go visit it in person at the parks.

They have a forest/outdoor school that you pay $185 for a week for 2 hours Monday through Friday. It’s a space in a forest that is set up with logs and such. They do a different theme every week. We have never done this though since we had a free nature school. We would have a weekly theme like moss, then focus on searching for moss, and built terrariums after the hike was done. This is just an example of one week. Every week was a different hike and different project.

My friend also teaches Tinkergarten, which is about $20 per child for one session. I never did this since it would cost me $40 for one session and we had a free nature school on Friday where we went on a hike with 20-30 kids. The kids and I also went on our own hikes too by ourselves every week.


Sent from my iPhone using Baby Bargains

[ang79]

If schools have enough extra space, they could divide classes in half (drop the specials classes for this year like gym, art, music, library and use those teachers for extras to monitor kids and their classrooms to help space kids out). Do classes groups of 10-15 kids vs. 20-30 in a room. The teacher teaches a main lesson to one room, then moves to a different room to teach that same lesson again. Aides (or the specialist teachers, so they don't lose their jobs/income), then rotate into the classroom that just had a teacher lesson, and monitor/assist as the students do independent work based on what the teacher just taught. It would be a similar model to what many classes do now with special ed. students. They get a main lesson with the classroom teacher, then practice what was taught at their own pace with an aide or other teacher. I think schools should focus mainly on math and reading, with some science or social studies tied in if possible (which is kind of what our elem. and intermediate schools were trying to do - tie the history into reading/writing. Do STEM projects to incorporate math/science/tech). For those students that choose to stay home, the live lesson could be streamed via Google Classroom (or recorded for them to watch later), then each kid could complete the independent work either online (our math curriculum I think has this capability and ELA may too), or from their own workbook and parents could drop pages completed off weekly at the school, or the classroom teacher could check over with the class in the next live lesson.

If specials were dropped and only core subjects were taught, this could cut down on the time required at school. Schools would need more buses and bus drivers to do more runs in order to space kids out on the buses. For families that kids can go home after a short day, buses could take them home and those students who needed extra teaching or whose parents work, a second run could take them home later in the day. The problem with out school district is they use the same buses for secondary runs, then an hour later for elementary runs. So they would definitely need more buses.

For lunches, students should either pack a meal from home and eat picnic style in the classroom, or the school can provide bagged lunches that are bought (or given for free/reduced lunches to those that qualify for that program), and the bagged lunches get delivered to the classroom. I think teachers should still get a lunch break if they choose, and aides or other staff monitor the in class lunches and wiggle breaks.

Whatever is decided, school is going to look and feel much different in order to cut down on the amount of people together in a room to hopefully decrease transmission of the virus.

[PZMommy]

I’m not sure what will happen. My district has a policy that schools are closed for 2 weeks anytime someone on campus tests positive. At my school, two office workers (who never worked the same days), have tested positive, so my school has been shut down twice now. It literally was only reopened for a few days before the second office person got sick. This is happen when less than 15 people are on campus. When kids come back and there are hundreds to thousands of people on campus, it’s going to be a nightmare to control. I don’t foresee my district reopening in the fall.

[carolinamama]

I’m not sure what will happen. My district has a policy that schools are closed for 2 weeks anytime someone on campus tests positive. At my school, two office workers (who never worked the same days), have tested positive, so my school has been shut down twice now. It literally was only reopened for a few days before the second office person got sick. This is happen when less than 15 people are on campus. When kids come back and there are hundreds to thousands of people on campus, it’s going to be a nightmare to control. I don’t foresee my district reopening in the fall.

I just posted in a different thread that I wondered if we would get to the point of staying open even when cases were discovered. As the case at your school, it sounds like the workers contracted the virus outside of work. Either we open with the expectation of spread in schools (maybe slower with changes) or stay closed. I want to be wrong here but people want the freedom to socialize, shop, and have some normalcy and this virus is sneaky.

[georgiegirl]

I think older kids should only go every other day. Main subjects only. Then the bussing is cut in half. Other days can be distance learning. I know DD does projects with friends for English and social studies (on face time or google meet).

Elementary kids are a challenge. Our school doesn’t have the space to divide classes in half. We have 6 sections of kindergarten and 5 sections of 1-5. There are specials rooms, but not 30 of them. And emphasis on outdoors is a great idea, but we just don’t have the space. As it is, each grade has recess alone and that takes up the whole day, and that would mean 125-150 kids would be outside at a time. I think there should be a hybrid option for those who are able to partially “homeschool.”


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[westwoodmom04]

I would just go with normal school, I don’t really think there is going to be a meaningful difference in transmission between 10 in a class and 20. Anyone with a medical note saying they are high risk or lives with someone high risk teaches/learns/works remotely. Older kids probably ok with a teacher that participates via video, for elementary, maybe those teachers that need to wfh teach distance learners.

[marymoo86]

I would just go with normal school, I don’t really think there is going to be a meaningful difference in transmission between 10 in a class and 20. Anyone with a medical note saying they are high risk or lives with someone high risk teaches/learns/works remotely. Older kids probably ok with a teacher that participates via video, for elementary, maybe those teachers that need to wfh teach distance learners.

It's how I feel as well. Either have school as normal as possible or just don't. We can't have people freaking out over touching, mask wearing, or whatever might happen. Those that are high risk would need to stay home and if there is faculty that fall into this category hopefully they can be in charge of remote learning.

[Melaine]

I would just go with normal school, I don’t really think there is going to be a meaningful difference in transmission between 10 in a class and 20. Anyone with a medical note saying they are high risk or lives with someone high risk teaches/learns/works remotely. Older kids probably ok with a teacher that participates via video, for elementary, maybe those teachers that need to wfh teach distance learners.

I really agree with this. Reduced class size is always a plus so if they can accomplish this, fabulous. Extra cleaning, ditto. But the rest just isn’t going to worth it health wise for the emotional harm it will do.

ETA I mean, I love the idea of outdoor classrooms if it was really feasible.