[Anonymous]

These are unprecedented times. Like many parents, I have to choose whether or not I intend to send my child to her school campus next month, or to keep her home for online learning. I have three points that I wish to make.

Point #1 — RESPECT & KINDNESS —- Every family is different. We all have our own perspective about how serious and contagious the virus is. We also have our own unique family circumstances including number of parents/adults in the household, job requirements, childcare availability, ability to serve as a surrogate educator, and personal health situations in our homes. We must respect every family’s personal decision to choose the option that works best for them. There is no single right answer for all 51,000 kids in the district. If your neighbor sends their child to school, and you don’t, please do not judge them. There may be circumstances that you are unaware of. Same if a family decides to keep a child at home. Don’t judge them either. There may be elderly family members living in their homes (like in my household), or family members with respiratory or other ailments. Be kind. Don’t judge.

Point #2 — EFFECTIVE VIRTUAL LEARNING TOOLS — When you combine the population of families that choose NOT to send their kids to a school campus plus the population of kids that are forced to stay at home due to school closures, we will inevitably have a SIGNIFICANT number of kids accessing our online learning tools. As such, we need to focus on providing an OUTSTANDING and robust set of online learning tools. Let’s make sure we appropriately challenge our students through effective, robust online learning. To compliment the required online learning, we also must provide ready online access to teachers and other kids, either individually or in small groups. Those social connections are the necessary Ying to the Yang of effective and robust online learning. This is especially true for younger students , where both great online learning tools AND a connection to teachers and other students (albeit virtually) are essential for academic and mental well being.

Point #3 — CONSIDERATION FOR TEACHERS & STAFF — Unless we see a dramatic reduction in virus activity, I intend to have my daughter study remotely for the fall semester. I’d encourage other families to consider the same. Why? Because I want us to give strong consideration to the safety of our teachers and staff. The more students studying remotely, the fewer teachers are needed on campus, allowing more teachers to perform their jobs remotely (and safely!). I understand that every family situation is different, and as I said in Point 1, I respect everyone’s own personal decision. No judgment from me. However, if you are having a hard time deciding, I strongly encourage you to consider the online learning platform while we continue to battle the virus.

We can do this ! Stay strong.

[Author]

Posts