Coronavirus, Covid 19 Discussion and How It Has Affected Your Daily Life Chat Thread

[cheepteach]

I’m glad she’s at home safe!

school starts Sept 7 here

 

[FortCluck]

school starts Sept 7 here

It’s starts the 8th here because the 7th is Labor Day

 

[FortCluck]

I get it. I told both grand daughters not to unpack their suitcases.

I read it wrong that they’re on hybrid... that’s a bit crazy, I don’t understand the point of hybrid for college. I mean go there get the virus and bring it back home... that’s scary.

Why did you tell them not to unpack?

 

[cheepteach]

It’s starts the 8th here because the 7th is Labor Day

duh!! meant the 8th

 

[FortCluck]

duh!! meant the 8th

Have some ️

I’m trying to encourage myself to get walking. I’ve been doing laps in my house listening to audiobooks. I’d go outside but it’s wet from storms. I can’t wait for fall when it’s not 90 and 80% humidity so I can enjoy walking outside.

 

[sourland]

I read it wrong that they’re on hybrid... that’s a bit crazy, I don’t understand the point of hybrid for college. I mean go there get the virus and bring it back home... that’s scary.

Why did you tell them not to unpack?

Because I predict they will be coming home. Both girls have chemistry/physics labs that apparently are difficult to conduct online.

 

[FortCluck]

Because I predict they will be coming home. Both girls have chemistry/physics labs that apparently are difficult to conduct online.

I hope they do and virus free. It’s sad that kids are being put at risk. My kids refuse to go to school at this point especially my sophomore... he’s read too much online.

I know the kids living right now will remember this forever.

 

[electrycmonk]

My kids have always done homework on their own and balanced it with sports practices. I'm a single working parent and I help them if they really need it, but early on they learned that I wouldn't be holding their hands and hovering over them. I'm lucky they have straight As or I'd need to intervene more. But it's the luck of the draw. Other kids just need more structure, especially if their teachers aren't showing them how to organize their time better.

Several years ago when one of my daughters was in fifth grade, a group of kids from China (who were traveling with two chaperones and no parents) laughed when they were in math class with one of my daughters. When she asked why they were laughing, they said because they had learned the same math years ago (they weren't mean kids--in face they were quite sweet--they just thought this was funny). So not only were these kids learning at least one other language besides Chinese, they were also more advanced in math and independent enough to travel overseas with their teachers. When we lived in Norway the year before that, the teachers there said my kids were a few grades behind in all their subjects.

California public schools are low-ranking, but I had no idea how bad things were until we lived overseas. Imho the education many kids receive in public schools in the U.S. amounts to intellectual child abuse. There's so much focus on learning about holidays and just managing unruly classrooms (my daughters also had many kids in their classrooms who should have had individual assistants because they were disruptive and/or violent towards other kids). I'm really all the schools in our county are online due to COVID, but wonder if the kids are going to be falling even more behind. Sigh.

Texas & Michigan from personal experience is parallel in frustrating awareness to the reduction in educational expectations. The "Teach for the test" mentality that has suffocated our public schools and stupified the last couple generations is appalling and it's not the teachers fault. I have known many who still(to this day) try to squeeze in the tools for kids to mentally grow and think critically but, it's nothing like what I or previous years had.
With having met folks in college from all over the earth and what their k-12+ system experience was like - I was quite envious and knowing what places like the Scandinavian countries are expanding over the last decade (thank you PBS/NPR/KERA) .... I know the goals our county, state & yes nation need to do. Retool, upgrade, & seriously do it soon.

 

[FortCluck]

Texas & Michigan from personal experience is parallel in frustrating awareness to the reduction in educational expectations. The "Teach for the test" mentality that has suffocated our public schools and stupified the last couple generations is appalling and it's not the teachers fault. I have known many who still(to this day) try to squeeze in the tools for kids to mentally grow and think critically but, it's nothing like what I or previous years had.
With having met folks in college from all over the earth and what their k-12+ system experience was like - I was quite envious and knowing what places like the Scandinavian countries are expanding over the last decade (thank you PBS/NPR/KERA) .... I know the goals our county, state & yes nation need to do. Retool, upgrade, & seriously do it soon.

I was supposedly at a top public school and I didn’t learn very much to be honest. I was being programmed for the test all my life. My scores and my classmates got the school funding and their good reputation. It’s truly sickening. My kids complain about learning stuff on the test only... my oldest got an above average score and he was moved to honor classes... he wasn’t happy I’m sure he won’t do so above average on the next test for the state. He said he hated honor classes because he has to think. In regular classes he can relax and ace every test.

 

[electrycmonk]

With everything so topsy-turvy we were given the choice homeschooling or a 'hybrid-like' in school option. Our district operations are on 9week cycles. So which ever path you choose, your committed to it for that 9 weeks, then if you want to switch, you have to wait till the ending the 9 weeks to flip. The Athletics programs are fully operational and it's a hodge-podge look at stuff because they have 6'feet on some classrooms and other the plexiglass partitions. However, when I went in to the admin bldg to swap out Chromebooks for 2 of our kiddos.... Of the 8+ folks I saw, 1! The TI guy I was there to see had his mask with him (even though he wasn't wearing it at the meeting in the board room when I walked in). The district is already a thorn under our saddle from the other stuff over the last 10 years..... (Not gonna dump that here, it's not relivant or proper, logically speaking). We as parents are doing the best we can given the environment and stuff. I am also doing my level best to also teach the kiddos all kinds of stuff along the way. MvGyvering, how tools are needed for proper maintenance and care for vehicles, tractor, mower. And with this summer they have been getting some basic electrical, plumbing, and other home repair experience with the house I've been doing repairs too over the last several months. Drywall work, spackle texture work, painting trim, how to tape prep. And they how to match paint for two tone "staining". As well as test and trouble shoot old paint colors. In a forensic thought pattern solving the mysteries. Plumbing stuff has been a part of it too. We have also been actively doing bike repair on their bicycles.
Trimming the dogs has been a sizable learning curve for them too.
And folks, I'm sure y'all will either complete agree or at least partially agree that: it never goes as planned or as smoothly as we wish. Sometimes it gets very messy. VERY MESSY. Like when the did a 1/4- 1/2 load of laundry (just their clothing) and ignored the rule at the Lakehouse to only do a full load and wait because of the septic system was almost full with all the rain...... Then the yard flooded(rain & the load of laundry same time) and caused the system to start to back up in the floor of the shower that day several months back.
Teach spacial awareness when loading the dishwasher. Took one of the kiddos about 3 months. To grasp, the youngest is not there yet at 4+ months and still making not smart choices and having to "hand re-wash" when the load is done..... (Sigh)

And this morning we have a serious gullywasher happening as I type this. We have had the power black out once and a few 'brown outs' over the last 90+ minutes. So dealing with delays and distractions is also fun when we realize the mental distractions each one has because of "____". (Smirks)

Life. It happens.