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Member
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Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: Washington DC
Posts: 932
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Member
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: Washington DC
Posts: 932
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I have two viewpoints on this and they are from both sides of the spectrum.
I have two grandkids, 4th and 6th grade, that normally live in MD but stayed with me in VA for a few weeks.
MD had their act together. About a week after they closed the schools they were setting up the distance learning and both kids spent about two hours in class with another four hours of projects - some of which required them to spend time outdoors.
We had tons of computers and plenty of space, so each kid was in their own "home school", but the schools did hand out chromebooks to those students that didn't have them.
The kids are actually enjoying it. They've now moved to their new house in PA, but are still "going to school" in MD - allowing them to finish up the school year in their old school.
On the other side is my brother-in-law who is a 4th grade teacher in MD near the PA border in a pretty depressed neighborhood. He had some very valuable (I thought) observations:
His work day has gotten far harder and longer. His "office hours" are anytime he is not teaching class.
He has had to be creative. One of the assignments was to take pictures of "living things" in your back yard. Some of the students didn't have back yards or the ability to take pictures. He ended up telling the students to draw something that they imagined they'd see in their back yard.
One positive is that he had a student that was so disruptive that social services assigned him a handler. The kid would freak out when he was asked a question or asked to do an assignment. Now, the kid has turned completely around, does work on time and has become a good students. Some of the good students are blowing off class and don't care.
Grading is becoming a problem.
Being a teacher isn't easy in the best of times - one interesting point is no more bullying in school.
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When in trouble - obfuscate
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