@NJdad07090 That’s not how liability shields work.
@NJdad07090 According to whom? Source?
@knowstuff – thanks! We have lots of ideas, and resources. The challenge is doing it – I have to break each teaching day down and rebuild it – what is it I need/want to accomplish that day, how can I do it in multiple media, do I flip the class, with a recorded (but still interactive) video they watch before class, and then use zoom with breakout sessions for small group discussion? Or something else? For every teaching day for the semester, for different courses. And our semester resumes early, with no fall break (a time when I usually do a lot of detailed commenting on student work and they catch their breath) and then end at Thanksgiving.
I fully expect many, maybe most of the kids at D17’s college may get COVID, and will be assymptomatic, and never know they had it. She might have already, since She was travelling in Asia last January, but never had symptoms and wasnt tested. Quite possible that she passed it to the rest of the family-if the antibody tests were more accurate, I would get one for sheer curiousity. Some additional kids will get mild symptoms they likely will attribute to allergies or a cold or whatever, perhaps some of those will go in for testing. And a very small number will get quite ill and be isolated, with maybe 1 or 2, statistically, hospitalized. Actually, I think the same results would occur if she stayed home, since few in her age group seem to be isolating much, so I find the risk reasonable. YMMV
My son is scheduled to take a language class next term. There are currently only 10 kids enrolled. There should be no trouble finding a room big enough to allow them to spread out, but I am having trouble figuring out how that will work if some of the kids are remote or temporarily quarantined. It seems you could do all online with something like zoom, or all in person, but how do you accommodate both and still have the necessary interaction?
Either Bowdoin knows something most other schools do not, or they’re making a huge mistake. Whichever is true will define them going forward.
@ INJparent- Very few schools can make a decision independent of financial consideration, in fact I would say zero would and hand fill could afford to disregard the $$$$ involved, that is the real world. College is a business first and foremost.
@Knowsstuff S19 said the same - the teaching was generally okay, and with small classes it even included discussions. Tests were awkward. He has already heard from 2 profs he will have in the fall - they have had all summer (plus lessons learned from spring) and feel like distance-learning where needed will go better in the future.
“they lost EVERYTHING” - is this a joke? Otherwise it shows an astounding lack of perspective. I can think of some Syrian refugee orphans, unemployed parents, people struggling to breathe on ventilators - who would like to challenge that moving a Prom online is “losing EVERYTHING”.
It sure as heck is. Liability shields aren’t just for decisions that you personally think should occur. (This is why they’re generally partisan and IMO a dumb idea - let the professionals who assess legal claims in the course of the lawsuit, as well as juries/judges, be the ones who decide liability.)
ETA: somehow the same people who want to rely on individual “choice” about mask-wearing, risk-taking, opening - are the ones who want to remove individual opportunities to recover damages by protecting huge corporations.
Is it possible that Maine is opening movie theaters and bowling alleys as a way to “test” what will happen…and if those numbers look ok by August…then they might feel better opening Bowdoin sooner rather than later?
NJ malls are opening soon at reduced capacity. I almost feel as though this is some kind of “test” to see what might happen if schools open. The governors have already said that right now they can’t determine their plan for the fall.
For the record, NY did a wonderful job handling this virus. We had a shortage of medical personnel, a shortage of PPE, very limited testing, and planes coming in from Europe at 3 major international airports until mid March. We are one of the states that got it right…not wrong. We were in the city on Sunday, and 100% of the people wore a mask…even outside. And the kids under the age of 5? They all wore a mask. There is a reason why our numbers keep going down, not up.
We know the behaviors that are incompatible with this virus. Now it is time to adhere to these behaviors…that will help reduce hospitalizations.
My friend’s son will soon be a college freshman at a school in our state. She said they won’t know anything until August.
The state of Maine is not the entity making the decision to open Bowdoin. The Bowdoin administration is calling the shots. Other colleges in Maine are handling the situation differently than Bowdoin.
I’m sure all schools look at the financial impact of their actions. However, some schools, such as Bowdoin, decided, they’d take actions that will adversely affect them financially, at least in the short term: less money for room and board, more students taking gap year or leave of absence, some may even transfer away, etc.
If a college isn’t testing all kids all of the time then, you’re right, students will have the virus and only the ones with symptoms will be isolated. In the cases where kids are being tested on a regular basis, there will be a LOT of kids positive and asymptomatic and they will still be isolated. Beds will fill up fast at those schools.
As for Bowdoin and Maine opening up, I do think it’s just out of an abundance of caution. It’s true that they can watch what happens in Maine in the fall and use that info to inform spring semester.
And just because a state opens up more does not mean the virus is gone. Hello California. Opening up now and cases are really increasing. Texas too (well, they were never really shut down).
I think Bowdoin would say they want to learn more about the virus before having everyone back. . I don’t know what the other schools have said about spring that aren’t inviting many students back for fall, but Bowdoin really wants 3/4 of the students back in spring. Their fall plan is not for the whole year.
Just live stream the class. Not optimal but should work. Will be challenging at times. So yes something like zoom is always on incase your kid gets sick and wants to join class that way. I guess all would bring their computers to class (don’t most do that anyway??) and if your partner is the “computer kid… Lol” your kid would just go to that for interaction. This is my thinking at least. It’s like the teacher /professor is hosting a webinar everyday. Whomever wants to join virtually can. With this format that is usually an ability to raise your hand kinda thing to ask questions. At first it might be more formalized with groups to have discussions. But I have used this format before covid and once people get the hang of it on an education level you can have great discussions and not everyone taking at the same time. Especially with a group of like 10.
This same thing will be playing out at HSs across the US, as it’s looking like many students will be taking classes in person only part of the time, best case.
Science lab classes seem even more problematic than FL given this situation.
I feel for the international students who will be taking live classes in the middle of the night.
Good, I hope so. My son said the first discussion group they had no one said anything… Lol. Everything was too new for the teachers and students. Actually like the first 10 minutes the mics were all turned off. I can’t print the description of what my son called it. Something like a “Sxxx Show”. He wasn’t happy trust me… But the next class they figured it out and everything was better. They only gave the school like 3 days to go live where my daughters school they took a week off then went live.
Would you elaborate on why it could be a huge mistake? Unless a large number of freshmen drop out after this decision and leave Bowdoin with fewer students, they’ve done the math on this and they can handle it financially. They aren’t even furloughing any staff for fall. They can afford it. Bowdoin has an 8 percent acceptance rate and they can likely find students to fill any slots they feel they need filled.
I think, in their eyes, they can run with their plan for fall, and one of two things will happen. Either other LACs do well and Bowdoin can learn from that or the virus spreads on campuses and their decision doesn’t look so bad. We know that places like Middlebury are opening but we do not know what life will be like there. It’s one LAC that says they will have some in-person classes. I’m dying to know how that goes. If it goes well, then Bowdoin should be able to have some as well.
Absolutely! Not sure how that would work. Maybe just look at the prerecorded classes when your able to? I know someone in California that had to take a test at hours much earlier so international would be challenging.
I know at my son’s high school they had some “Google” certified teachers. Their presentations were really something. Very engaging (they gave us examples at a parent /teachers night). Wonder if they will have that kind of interaction.