@abasket
My point as well! So many working parents who cannot be a teacher during the school day. I didn’t mean to come across shallow about the grading If it seemed that way. Of course I want my son to learn, but high school GPA is very important whether we want to admit it or not. I just don’t want him getting screwed over durIng this weird time. He has straight A’s right now which is a high accomplishment at his competitive Catholic HS.
^^^ @LTmomof2 , was not directed directly at you - just in general! And I’ll admit I’m talking more about elementary and middle school kids - high school kids should largely be able to be responsible for their work and structure. (not all will I understand, but they more often don’t need assistance to complete their work)
Got it! Thanks @abasket! 
It seems like schools should be connecting with schools like Connections Academy who already have curriculum in place for online learning. Maybe figure out a way to buy the lesson plans? My S spent 3 1/2 years as HS online student. To me it seems easier at the HS level than elem or ms, with little to no parent involvement needed unless they have a learning disability. The online school incorporated various styles of learning in the curriculum to accommodate how students learn…visually, hands-on, etc…there were videos incorporated into the lessons and readings, activities, checklists, live lessons. IMO the Connections Academy in our state was great and have a developed curriculum that works–I’m guessing no disruption in the learning for these kids this year! Insead of every school trying to create new online lessons, they could probably work with the online schools to figure out how to bring these lessons to all students in the state…but local teachers still needed to give the live lessons, grade and check in with students to answer questions. Based on what happened this year, maybe all schools should coordinate with online programming as a contingent plan in case of situations like this where distance learning is needed.
B/c otherwise he’d play video games from 7am to 10pm, barely stopping for food and potty breaks.
He read all of the articles for the day for scholastic, but did only one of the activities. He made a blueprint for his project but hasn’t started actually making it yet. Hoping Dh has time today or tomorrow to at least look at his blueprint to see if it’s feasible. I don’t think he’s done any reading or practice his violin. The Outschool was for fun. I wasn’t going to make him take an academic class, but just something he found interesting. Moot point though b/c the site crashed when I tried to look at it with him.
His school is already mostly paperless, with every 6-12 student receiving a chromebook. So I think this will be somewhat painless. Teachers are also available if anyone gets “stuck” and I believe they’ve set up a tutoring hotline as well. But yes, I think I will have to be heavily involved.
Teachers are also available<<<
Many teachers now have kids of their own at home, and parents, they are not going to be available in the way some are imagining. They will have just as much chance of being unwell as the rest of us, just as much need to get to the store, etc etc. Teachers will not be on call or answering emails IMO. They might be online for x period in some kind of way but any teachers that don’t set up very clear contact guidelines will live to regret that. My kids have had teachers that don’t allow kids emails at all, and parents can only email them via the schools online system.
@Sybylla My D is 3rd grade teacher. They are doing packet based. Teachers only are at school today and tomorrow to prep. She is going to have “office hours” where parents can contact by phone. They are using a system where the number parents call is not her actual personal number. She can always be contacted by her school email which is the main way parents contact her anyway. I’ll hear more when she finishes today but sounds like school will set clear expectations about when they have to be available to parents and that it will only be for a few hours.
This not to minimize how hard it is to do this from home if you have your own kids around. She is single.
A physician is doing a medical student lecture about 12 feet from my office right now! I can hear him lecturing and answering questions about herpes in neonates as I work…
Just got an email about this and I think it’s a good compromise. Teachers are setting up what amounts to office hours. They will be available for face-to-face webcam, if needed. Students are allowed to work ahead if they want, but teachers won’t necessarily be available before the designated office hours. Emails are always welcome. When the schools gave the students chromebooks, they also gave them email accts. That’s how my S does alot of his communicating w/ his teachers even when in class!
Class sizes are tiny in my S’s school. Even though it’s overcrowded at 700-something, Core classes are in the high singles to low teens. So hopefully (fingers crossed, rub a lucky rabbit’s foot) things will be ok.
S practiced his violin and read some more Scholastic articles on his own, as well as read for fun. He didn’t even touch his project though. Guess we know what he’s doing tomorrow!!
My 9th grader seems to have a ton of work. Day 2 and she had a test due this afternoon.
When she came into the kitchen to make herself some lunch, I asked how she was managing.
Her response was “I’m ready to drop out of online school.” ??
Uh oh, only on Day 2. Hopefully once all these students adjust and figure out how to manage their schedules, it will get a little better.
Day 1 here and we’re having the opposite issue. He’s ready to go to school online full-time! He didn’t start until 9:30-9:45ish and was done by 12:45. And that’s with going outside for 25 minutes and an at least 30 minute lunch!! AND I made him redo an assignment b/c it was pretty crappy work.
I told him I wanted to check everything before he submitted. Well, he brought each item to me as he completed… already submitted, mind you, so anything that had to be redone also had to be resubmitted. 
Tomorrow, I just want to check everything at the end b/c I don’t want to see him every 10-15 minutes!!
Teachers. Aren’t. Paid. Enough.