I agree with your comments. After reading them, I thought perhaps I would share the experience of my own family. The following is from a letter I sent to a local candidate for office in our Texas House after she asked for my views on school reopening here in Texas.
_____________________________________________________________________
O…
I agree with your comments. After reading them, I thought perhaps I would share the experience of my own family. The following is from a letter I sent to a local candidate for office in our Texas House after she asked for my views on school reopening here in Texas.
One of my daughters is both head of the guidance department and an assistant director for a charter school in Orlando, FL. Her school is a K through 12 school for children with various learning and emotional challenges. She is also a class advisor for the high school students. When the virus first arose in China now almost a year ago, even before its spread to the U.S., her school began preparations for the potential eventuality of a need to go to remote learning. As you can imagine with many of the children in the school who are “one the spectrum” to one degree or another, remote learning can be particularly challenging for the students, teachers, and the parents as well. They developed and tested detailed plans, shared those early with the parents explaining carefully the procedures for the various contingencies, and getting buy-in from everyone well before the need to actually implement remote learning. Every child had access to broadband internet, even if it required scholarship funding to make certain it was available. Every child was provided an iPad and they practiced remote learning procedures in classrooms prior to actually needing to implement those procedures. They even provided evening classes to prepare the parents as well. Once it became obvious that they would need to switch from in-person classes to remote learning the transition was relatively smooth and successful. They actually became a case study for how to do remote learning for other schools and were featured on the local news for how they prepared and how parents, teachers, and students were doing with it all.
So, now with the approach of a new school year just starting and with Florida still in the throes of the Coronavirus and with significant outbreaks and hot spots, you would think her school would be well prepared. And they are. However, because Florida has the same type of weak Republican leadership and a Republican governor trying to please Trump, they now are mandated to return to in-person schooling with no ability to opt collectively as a school, or even individually for families preferring remote learning. Students, parents, and teachers are all very concerned and feel this is a failure on the part of the state's leaders. Most local school districts and schools were not given an option. A number of teachers have resigned or retired. Some families have opted for homeschooling out of fear. My daughter and the other administrators and teachers are doing their best for the kids and families. But no one, no one is happy or feels safe. They all feel as if they are walking through a live minefield. This did not have to happen. They were as well prepared for excellence in remote learning as they could possibly be in order to provide an excellent learning experience for the kids and safety for all. They were literally a case study in how to do remote learning well.
This is what Republican leadership brings to families in its efforts to please the narcissist in chief in the White House.
So, how do I feel about this issue? Yes, my family's most personal experience is with the same type of weak leadership but in our case, it is a Republican governor in a different state, Florida. But the story here is not much different. I do not have a close touch with how well prepared schools are here in Texas for remote learning or to provide a safe return experience. But, I sense they are not nearly well enough prepared. There simply has not been enough time or money available to do it well. It would appear from what I can see there has also not been enough thought and planning.
Our children’s education, health, and safety have to be among the most important responsibilities of the government and our leaders.
I agree with your comments. After reading them, I thought perhaps I would share the experience of my own family. The following is from a letter I sent to a local candidate for office in our Texas House after she asked for my views on school reopening here in Texas.
_____________________________________________________________________
One of my daughters is both head of the guidance department and an assistant director for a charter school in Orlando, FL. Her school is a K through 12 school for children with various learning and emotional challenges. She is also a class advisor for the high school students. When the virus first arose in China now almost a year ago, even before its spread to the U.S., her school began preparations for the potential eventuality of a need to go to remote learning. As you can imagine with many of the children in the school who are “one the spectrum” to one degree or another, remote learning can be particularly challenging for the students, teachers, and the parents as well. They developed and tested detailed plans, shared those early with the parents explaining carefully the procedures for the various contingencies, and getting buy-in from everyone well before the need to actually implement remote learning. Every child had access to broadband internet, even if it required scholarship funding to make certain it was available. Every child was provided an iPad and they practiced remote learning procedures in classrooms prior to actually needing to implement those procedures. They even provided evening classes to prepare the parents as well. Once it became obvious that they would need to switch from in-person classes to remote learning the transition was relatively smooth and successful. They actually became a case study for how to do remote learning for other schools and were featured on the local news for how they prepared and how parents, teachers, and students were doing with it all.
So, now with the approach of a new school year just starting and with Florida still in the throes of the Coronavirus and with significant outbreaks and hot spots, you would think her school would be well prepared. And they are. However, because Florida has the same type of weak Republican leadership and a Republican governor trying to please Trump, they now are mandated to return to in-person schooling with no ability to opt collectively as a school, or even individually for families preferring remote learning. Students, parents, and teachers are all very concerned and feel this is a failure on the part of the state's leaders. Most local school districts and schools were not given an option. A number of teachers have resigned or retired. Some families have opted for homeschooling out of fear. My daughter and the other administrators and teachers are doing their best for the kids and families. But no one, no one is happy or feels safe. They all feel as if they are walking through a live minefield. This did not have to happen. They were as well prepared for excellence in remote learning as they could possibly be in order to provide an excellent learning experience for the kids and safety for all. They were literally a case study in how to do remote learning well.
This is what Republican leadership brings to families in its efforts to please the narcissist in chief in the White House.
So, how do I feel about this issue? Yes, my family's most personal experience is with the same type of weak leadership but in our case, it is a Republican governor in a different state, Florida. But the story here is not much different. I do not have a close touch with how well prepared schools are here in Texas for remote learning or to provide a safe return experience. But, I sense they are not nearly well enough prepared. There simply has not been enough time or money available to do it well. It would appear from what I can see there has also not been enough thought and planning.
Our children’s education, health, and safety have to be among the most important responsibilities of the government and our leaders.