Since no miracle is on the horizon in the foreseeable future, would you prefer we just write these kids off as a lost generation that won’t get educated? That was the conclusion of the Toronto Sick Kids report-that not opening schools was far more detrimental to youth than any risk posed by COVID.
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I don’t know how a year of online classes equals a “lost generation” who will never be educated. My daughter is taking 11 credits of online summer courses through her college right now. Unlike the courses that had to pivot suddenly in the spring, these were planned as and always intended to be online courses. They’ve been great and she’s been learning everything she is supposed to know. Discussions are a little odd when they are a canvas discussion board vs. face to face, but everyone adapts. I think she’d be fine (not happy, but educationally fine) to continue online learning for this upcoming year.
It’s the other experiences she misses - marching band, friends, lab research. But eventually there will be a vaccine or at least better treatment. This is not going to last forever - even the 1918-1919 pandemic died out on its own without any scientific intervention and right now the world’s best scientists are throwing everything they have at this virus. Guaranteed we will be in a much better place next fall than we are this fall. And since my daughter is at higher risk than most kids her age due to a preexisting condition, I am inclined to side with the people who are being conservative.
I think roycroftmom is talking more about the k-12 set. It is true we have medical experts weighing in and recommending those kids go to school in-person. Some health professionals are also recommending the elementary age kids not wear masks in school.
You can access the toronto sick kids report here: http://www.sickkids.ca/AboutSickKids/Newsroom/Past-News/2020/covid19-recommendations-school-reopening.html
I know a handful of Cal students opted to go all on-line in the Fall since the school committed to offer online for ALL of their lectures and discussions even if the classes have in-person options. Many are thinking about doing the same.
From the Cal FB group, some said that they worried their kids are so used to on-line and enjoy the flexibility too much that when the school is all back to in person, they don’t want to sit through the in-person lectures any more. I can see the shift in tone since the initial March shutdown. I feel like we are going through the 5 stages of grief, some folks just jump from “denial/anger” to “acceptance”, but most are still in the “bargaining” stage.
Online can work well for those who chose it; for those upon whom it was forced, results are decidedly more mixed.
I think shutting down in the spring was the right thing for colleges and universities to do. Americans needed something BIG to get its attention, to signal that a nationwide response was required. The lockdown would not have happened without them kickstarting it. Some states benefitted greatly from the sense of crisis. Others never had the same motivation. Now, every state is sort of on its own. And, no one wants their young people at home for another six months.
Isn’t that the gist of it?
Many schools are working with infectious disease experts.
Obviously no one wants his or her student to be home in the fall.
But I said it before and I’ll say it again - IMO colleges are more likely to have to go to all online learning than not this fall. And I believe they know it.
I’d rather have my kid just stay at home this semester and save the cost of room and board. Unfortunately, it seems many colleges, my kid’s included, are wording their “plans” in such a way that I’m not sure this will be possible. Seems students are expected to return to campus unless they meet criteria not to return.
Also stating that online classes won’t be as comprehensive, which is really confusing considering the fact that all classes could easily go online at some point.
This is true without saying. To each their own.
Does anyone else see the irony in a community of people (us) using a discussion board to opine for 435 pages and arguing about (among other things) the value of online discussions and difficulty promoting engagement and community-building in online classes?
Some parents I know want their kids to stay home and take online courses. Our school makes it very clear, and often one of the first few sentences in their communication, that regardless they will have online option for all who want/need them. They have to accommodate international students and those who are fear of the virus, or those want to save $$, etc. any number of reasons.
As far as online classes not being as comprehensive, you can’t take this statement in a vacuum - Each school, each professor, and even each student are so different. You won’t know it until your kid taking the class. But I trust that most schools will put a lot of effort into improving their online materials, I at least expect that from the colleges.
So should we just self test our kids going back to college a few weeks before going then? Most schools want the kids to be quaritined for 14 days prior. This way they have a record of who’s been tested. Or just wait for the kids to be tested at school. Now thinking about it that could have some mental implications if you find out like day 1 of school that your going into quareteen… That would suck.
@Knowsstuff We definitely had plans to have S19 tested before he left for school (if he was going to be on campus). We wanted to know. Didn’t want him arriving, testing positive, and going right to quarantine. I want him to get an antibody test too (I’ve heard the one used here locally works well) since we think it’s possible he had the virus in Feb.
@Knowsstuff --that looks like a good resource and as a prof who will be teaching online, I’ll be looking at it (and as a Wolverine, I expect excellent info!). But i just want to say that virtually all schools are putting out information, trainings, meetings, best practices, etc. for their professors and institution-specific parameters.
Professors are all working hard this summer to learn how to make this work–I know I’ve been to as many classes, websites, trainings, webinars, zoom meetings, etc as I can, and will continue to do so in order to make my classes work (I don’t doubt you realize this, but this note is for others who might think we will just be winging it.)
I don’t think they make people passing through stay for quarantine? In Florida, it was 14 days or until you leave, whichever came first.
Are international students really going to be doing this in any significant numbers, though? I have not heard much about that situation other than from our Department chair who said a lot of international students would not be enrolling if they are unable to actually come here.
Totally get it. The person said something about “how to” and I was actually just reading it at the time. My son is employed as a student by them for their augmented reality initiative. Lots of teachers /professors I speak with (patients), tell me just what you said. Lots and lots of training. I applaud you and all educators. This must not be that easy to do. But great teachers are great teachers first and foremost.
Not sure, I think it will vary a lot. My D’s friends in UAE and China will still take classes at their US college.
Some of it will come down to each school’s policy as well…whether the school will allow international students to take X number of classes at a uni near home, and will then accept those transfer credits. Not every college is allowing that AFAIK, and of course, not every student has a uni near home.
I agree that what makes any LAC special is the community they build. I feel like Bowdoin decided they could not deliver that on campus with the restrictions they felt were needed right now to keep a spike from happening on campus. I don’t think any LACs have said how their community will be on campus but I assume it be way less than ideal. They can bring kids back to campus but can they let them do all of the things that makes a LAC different from a big university? Likely not.
So, if you cannot deliver on the community aspect, why risk having all kids back on campus? Just a month ago I thought kids could go back and still have club meetings and go to the gym and have friends in their rooms to hang out. Now it’s looking like that’s not a thing at any size school. Without that sort of interaction, LACs lose their sparkle. Why ask everyone to come back and pay room and board and not get any of the good extra stuff?
Of course we all hope for therapeutics or a vaccine or anything that can lead us to a place where kids can be together they way they expected at these small schools. I hope it’s as early as spring but I fear it will be fall 2021 at the earliest.
I don’t get the “that’s all they really cared about” argument. I don’t think any student goes to any LAC for a name on their transcript. Many kids at Bowdoin could have chosen elite universities and did not because they preferred the LAC model instead. Hope we can get back to it.