Our family is not rethinking. Do you have better options?
It’s certainly not the drop-off or start of school that we dreamed of…
The kids and I will fly out early. I’ve already had COVID, so my job is to make sure the kids wash their hands, keep their fingers out of their noses, etc during the trip. Once we land, we’ll rent a car, stop at Walmart for some things, drive them to their dorm, drop them and their bags at the front door, say good-bye, and I then head straight back to the airport to return the car and fly out that night.
Weird that I’ve had so much time with them since March, but won’t see them again until November.
Not ideal, but way better than our local public and private schools (which are considered very good).
So to answer the question…We aren’t rethinking it, we’re just rolling with it.
@Golfgr8, Thacher is having students arrive on campus via a staggered start (in order: seniors, freshmen, sophomores, juniors) over the course of 14 days, but I don’t know if that schedule applies to instruction (will the late arrivals begin the academic year via distance learning?). As for doubting our decision, we sure aren’t excited about spending $66,000 for possible DL but do not feel as if we have any other viable options. Plus our son, who is a rising sophomore, loves the community and riding, so . . . we are plowing ahead. These are not easy decisions.
@cinnamon1212’s comment got me thinking. For those of us who clearly don’t feel we have better options the choice is made for us to a degree. I don’t envy those families who are torn between a $66,000 boarding school and a local day school or local public school that they are comfortable with.
We would strongly think about other options if we had to drop our daughter at the curb since she is a new student. Fortunately, we have been told parents may move their children into the dorms on a staggered schedule. We still don’t know what that means, or when move in days will start, but the first day of class has been pushed back over a week. As of now, we have been happy with the school’s communication and their re-entry plan. We have another zoom tonight and tomorrow, but will hold off until the very last minute possible to submit tuition, just in case they change things up on us again. I can see how this will be an incredibly difficult decision for many.
No second guessing here. I just hope things don’t continue going downhill so that schools can go ahead.
I feel so much better about my kid being at Cate than the LDS she attended here. There are parents at LDS that have tested positive, not told people and continued to have people’s and kids over. I would lose it!!!
Our biggest problem is getting the kid across the country. Flying is probably out because of chronic pervasive headaches but driving is 4-5 long days. Both options stink.
At Cate grades are dropped off on separate days but start learning at the same time. They don’t come home until second week of December. Mine has already stated that there is no need to fly her home for Christmas or spring break. She is more than happy to stay at Cate all year. Should I be offended???
I could understand having concerns and even second thoughts but not around drop off day (1 day, folks! Your kids will be fine) or staggered starts.
I don’t feel like the options are better locally - academically or safety-wise. So, no second thoughts.
If I were international, I would be thinking twice.
Cate had a zoom parent q&a last night, to cover the plans. To sum up: we have studied the situation, we think we got this, and the key is to be flexible since no one knows how this will play out. They didn’t give a lot of details, which is frustrating. For move in, they are planning on having everything in storage delivered to the rooms in advance and possibly limit how much people can bring from home. A parent can help move the kid in, but I have no idea how it will go down beyond that.
I feel like we are all being trained not to obsess about details, and not to ask questions too early. The decisions are being made as late as possible. The answer to almost every question is “we have been working through that, there a couple options we are considering, and it all depends.”?
I don’t think it is being obsessed about details to try to understand the basics of what boarding school life in a pandemic would actually look like. Boarding school and social distancing, much like college and social distancing, really do not go together at all. Unless we really get the outbreak under control in the next six weeks (pipe dream I am afraid) what exactly will our kids be able to do while at boarding school? Just about every activity my kid loves is under question for the fall, even hanging out with his close friends is a no go as they are not all in the same ‘family pod’.
Plus there is the can we bring and keep the students on campus safely, how much in person teaching will they actually end up having with need for quarantines etc.
So yes, like @Golfgr8 I have reservations, not about drop off but about actual BS life. We are waiting for more information, but also seeing what our local school does as well as seriously considering staying home and taking the remote option.
I think drop off is an incredibly significant thing for new students and their families. But drop off is just one step in the process that has been altered significantly. It’s not just about drop off, it’s about drop off and how the next few days and weeks proceed. Sure, it may go well for a majority of the students, especially returning students, but for a new student, who is anxious about starting a new school, and takes time to make friends in normal circumstances, being dropped off outside their dorm, and then having a quarantine like experience in their single room for 14 days, sounds like a pretty rough start. It would make me incredibly uncomfortable. I am still unclear what those first few days will look like at our school, but from what we have heard, it sounds manageable for our family. New families have to have much trust in these schools, and it’s definitely a bit unsettling. I am incredibly grateful to already have a relationship with our daughter’s school, because it makes this process a little bit easier, but I’m still going to need a lot of xanax on drop off day. 
No second thoughts here. Best alternative is deferring and doing a year abroad as a family. Problem is the places we’d want to go aren’t exactly welcoming of folks from the USA right now, and of course they’re in the throes of their own reopening pains so not exactly a grass is greener situation.
I can’t help but wonder how things are going to work in the classroom with some kids sitting in class, and others participating in the live class via zoom. Masks at school are likely to be a reality for everyone (PA governor already declared masks required for all K-12 schools, public and private). I’ve been wearing a mask to go out in public, and there are times I have a hard time communicating with someone else because the masks muffle speech. So professors will be wearing masks to teach to their in-person class, while also live streaming the course. I can’t help but think that it’s going to be a challenge for the online kids to clearly hear a professor who is wearing PPE. There may also be background noise from the classroom of students that may hinder those online students from hearing all the material.
And what about writing on the classroom board? For math and science courses, using the board to teach material is almost essential. When you have all online students there is a way to write on a “board” and have it show on the screen as you are writing. But if you have a mixed classroom, how do you present material on a board in a way that everyone can view it at the same time?
In any case, we’re not having second thoughts. The public schools will have significant challenges with their large number of students. I know my kids will get a better education, one way or another, from their private schools.
This situation is very difficult - for parents AND students. The drop off situation will be ok - there will be many kids around and many fun activities for your students. I can imagine that new parents with first year students do have concerns about this initial drop off, but can assure you that you will all be OK…if not, DM some of us and we will crack open a bottle of wine with you!
First off, the following is not an argument. So, please do not take this as mental fencing of anything you posted above. It is simply sharing what we are feeling right now. This is not even an opinion piece, just sharing our concerns…
While our kiddo is excited about going back to BS, our concerns are focused on health, the academic model, financial burden of BS, and the overall BS experience during a time of great uncertainty. The first concern is @ health & safety as our family is in another part of the country. Our student will fly to Boston then take a shuttle to school. The school is requiring all students be tested prior to arriving on campus. Yes, this situation is fluid and evolving. Right now, many states are experiencing an uptick in COVID cases. Bringing hundreds of kids on campus from around the world is a challenge and a risk situation. The second concern is financial. For many/most families, sending a child to BS is a financial burden - even with FA. Especially now with so many businesses impacted. So what some of us are discussing are questions @ each individual family’s ability to make this year happen. Another concern is the value of BS this year when so much is in doubt, when the overall BS experience will be different (depending on your school), when so many activities will be cancelled, and when the academic experience will be so different (for some schools).
Like some schools (please share if this is the case), our school will adopt a block system with students taking 2 courses (2 hours each) per term. This indicates to us that our student will have one term of their foreign language for the year - an intense term, but really only one 2-3 month class. How does this student practice the rest of the school year? When asked this question, the school’s response was that the student can seek out extra help and conversational opportunities with faculty and/or join Spanish club (our school doesn’t have a Spanish club). Same with AP Chem. How do you learn an entire year of AP Chem in one 2-3 month term? How will you prepare for the AP test in May if you complete AP Chem in November? Is it fair to ask the students to take/pay for extra tutorials in the Spring to prepare for the AP test this year when they completed the course 6 months earlier?
Will your student get the academic content in school this year that is commensurate with the financial burden? Some will say “It is what it is”…I think what many parents need right now is validation that this is a difficult decision and it’s a risky decision.
As parents, we are asked to make this decision based on a great deal of trust in the school and their faculty.
Agreed @Golfgr8 After hearing some nightmare scenarios across the country, we are feeling better and better about our decision to send our new sophomore to DA. While I’m not crazy about the 15 minute curb-side drop off in September, it’s purely selfish of me because I’ve never set foot on the campus. However the precautions the school is taking now give me great hope that students will actually be able to stay on campus for the fall term. I have no doubt my child will be welcomed with open arms and great personal fanfare. If anything, the 2 class per term model will make it easier for him to adjust to boarding life and not be scattered/stressed his first year. I’m sorry for the students across the country who likely won’t be able to play competitive fall sports, which weighs heavy in any school decision this year.
WELOME to DA @pendulum! In addition, you will find that many parents on this thread and related ones on CC will be there for you (virtually) to lend support should you need it. FWIW, I think there are one or two schools who have done the block system already as part of their normal curriculum. Agree with you that two intensive courses may actually be beneficial for some students in adjusting to BS life. We know several kids who are really looking forward to getting out of the city and getting back up to campus. For those of you with kids going to BS in a rural setting, the fresh air and freedom they experience hiking, kayaking, and enjoying the outdoors is another “plus”.
Well, 20 years ago green screens were used for this for mixed classrooms.
I suspect that SMART boards could be used to do this even more effectively.
However, the technology that is used at AMS/MAA Joint Mathematical Meetings for the past 10+ years should be sufficient.
Just when I was learning how to do Zoom classroom, it all gets changed to another platform. FWIW, a was just on a conference call with educators in a state college system and they are using virtual technology that resembles “Road Blox”…Everyone has an avatar and it’s a virtual lecture hall. I miss overhead projectors (that’s how old I am)!
@Golfgr8 - your posts are so wonderfully thoughtful. ?
FwIw, NMH has a block system that they are very successful with. It was semesters rather than trimesters and 3 classes instead of 2 (I may be wrong but I think I heard they are shifting to trimesters bc of covid). I really liked that system, actually. It was a reason why NMH was at the top of the list (one that got away).
Making it trimesters, though, that is pretty short for classes that require material to marinate. I would imagine that NMH parents out there could give you comfort that it works ok. Deerfield isn’t going to compromise its quality of education, so if they think they’ve got this, they’ve got this.
I read it @familyrock. Thanks for sharing. I am trying to figure out the class schedule - looks like a hybrid model. What are your thoughts on it?