https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 13 Apr 2026 16:26:58 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-the-2020-2021-school-year/page/2#post-2918535 Mon, 24 Aug 2020 15:11:50 +0000 MrsSCB 2918535@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mama Bird: it is so hard to know the right thing to do based on the facts when everything has become so politicized! Which is ridiculous. And I heard on an episode of NY Times’ the daily podcast that some teachers unions are saying they don’t want to go back to in person until there have been no new cases in the community for two weeks...that may literally never happen again. It’s all such a mess and so frustrating!</p> <p>ETA: also, our district is fully remote. But they are offering the option of a limited number of spots in school, where kids will be watched by caregivers who help administer the virtual learning. And parents have to pay for that. It’s a sliding scale, but the highest end is more than we pay for daycare! And this is in public schools. I think that’s absurd—ideally the limited spaces would be free, for kids whose parents can’t afford childcare and have to work outside the home. Surely there must be some tax savings somewhere from schools being “closed” to help pay for that but IDK. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-the-2020-2021-school-year/page/2#post-2918528 Mon, 24 Aug 2020 08:58:07 +0000 graceandjoy 2918528@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mama Bird: It is just pure chaos. I'm in LI and so far our school is opening full time for elementary; BUT one district recently changed from that to hybrid and parents were/are outraged. I STILL have so much childcare issues even with schools opened fully; I seriously just consider quitting my job everyday (even though I really can't) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-the-2020-2021-school-year/page/2#post-2918512 Sat, 22 Aug 2020 16:44:50 +0000 Mama Bird 2918512@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It's not good here in NYC. Schools are supposedly reopening, but how... our school is only having kids come in person 1-2 days a week. DS transferred to another school for unrelated reasons, but it's the same thing over there. I know one school that's offering 2-3 days, and two that are trying (against DOE requirements) to go fully virtual. And this is all in theory, because there are rumors that schools won't be ready and/or that the teacher's union will strike unless some completely impossible demands are met. </p> <p>This would all make sense somewhere in the South where coronavirus is a real problem. But for the last three months, I've watched crowds of people do all kinds of unsafe things that would 100% have caused a second wave, if a second wave was at all possible. And in the last couple of weeks I've had to take public transit a lot, and hang out in quite a few indoor offices. There were even some people with no masks on the trains and buses and in the offices. The case numbers keep dropping anyway. I've got to believe my own eyes - reopening schools is most likely safe here. Keeping them semi closed, on the other hand... that's all kinds of unsafe. </p> <p>I don't understand how anyone with a job can handle 3-4 days a week of remote learning. I know kids that couldn't do it in the spring. I can't imagine they'll do better in the fall. Lots of people are having to choose between their job and warehousing their kids somewhere while they work (with a relative, home alone, in a day care with little kids if there's room...) Half of DS's class has either left the city, or left for private school. Incidentally, the public school refuses to give the remaining kids more days in class because "what if the others feel like coming back eventually?"</p> <p>I don't know what to do. I'd make exactly zero to put two kids in private school, and DH is a city worker and so may be laid off come October. Maybe I'll use up my retirement savings on private school, because if we have to do online learning + work again, I won't live to see next year, never mind retirement. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-the-2020-2021-school-year/page/2#post-2918511 Sat, 22 Aug 2020 16:44:06 +0000 JennyPenny 2918511@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrs.kiwi: wow, I’m laughing so hard at the naivety of myself 4 months ago. We definitely started out strong in the early weeks of lockdown and virtual school in the spring but it did not last... Were a week into a fully virtual school year and things are going well so far. Now I just have to cross everything that the burnout that happened last time doesn’t kick in again 😬 </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-the-2020-2021-school-year/page/2#post-2918507 Sat, 22 Aug 2020 13:16:34 +0000 bhbee 2918507@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrs.kiwi: just read my old posts and no I did not! Ugh ...</p> <p>Our district in TX started 100% virtual, supposedly the kids who opted for in-person night go after Labor Day but rumor is we’ll all be out until the end of the grading period in early October. The district has so many problems with making this work well, I feel awful for administrators. The state has made hybrid nearly impossible and all or nothing in a state where positivity is high just seems like a bad plan. My kids are both doing virtual since my son and I both have asthma. </p> <p>My K boy is doing ok with part virtual / part homeschool so far. My 2 year old is just home, thankful she’s not 3-4 where she’d need a bit of homeschool also. The Kinder teacher is doing an amazing job, virtual is still tricky for that age though. </p> <p>3rd for my oldest has been a wreck and she’s so disengaged (and she’s a kid who loves school). May still homeschool her. </p> <p>Religious schools are allowed to do whatever they want here so some of them started in person already. We’re going to have cases in schools because we don’t have a handle on community spread so ... no-win situation. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-the-2020-2021-school-year/page/2#post-2918500 Sat, 22 Aug 2020 01:48:26 +0000 mrs.kiwi 2918500@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Now that school has started or is starting soon for us I am reviving this thread from 4 months ago when the lockdowns started...</p> <p>We are in California and my local homeschool public charter has been inundated with enrollment requests to the point that they are not accepting any more applications. A handful of friends have gone from private/public school to homeschool.</p> <p>Did you imagine yourself here four months ago!?! Ugh </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-the-2020-2021-school-year/page/2#post-2914223 Mon, 20 Apr 2020 09:13:59 +0000 JennyPenny 2914223@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Becky: yea, our district is the same in what they’re asking students to do and that’s what has me concerned. We’ve got DS working on material beyond what school is asking because if I’m going to have us spend time on school I’d rather it be useful. I suspect there’s a good amount of families like us working ahead, then there’s families doing the review work, then there are families who aren’t even doing that. So I think there is going to be a huge disparity in experience when they all go back.</p> <p>@bhbee: that’s a really good point. I would prefer to keep him with his same age peers if he can still get instruction to challenge him. Hopefully the school understands and can help support us. I’m sure we’re not the only family that will be concerned </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-the-2020-2021-school-year/page/2#post-2914220 Mon, 20 Apr 2020 06:28:02 +0000 Becky 2914220@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JennyPenny: I know where we are the schoolwork provided is only review, and it is definitely not a reflection of what they’re doing in the classroom, and it is focused on math and ELA (probably because that’s easiest for parents and requires no extra materials—which I am grateful for). At home they are also missing out on things like STEM/STEAM, computer literacy, art (to the level they do at school), history, and more advanced application of math concepts. You could definitely talk to your school, but keep in mind that all the students will be returning having gone through similar experiences. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-the-2020-2021-school-year/page/2#post-2914218 Sun, 19 Apr 2020 20:32:34 +0000 bhbee 2914218@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JennyPenny: I agree it’s going to be a big issue. We’ve been doing the same working above grade level - I think it’s been a big plus of staying home. Our district is trying a clustering model next year so she’ll be with other kids who tested similarly this year and I hope that helps. Otherwise I would have emailed the principal and asked about teacher placement, because I think the real key to challenge is getting an experienced teacher who is good at classroom management and differentiating. I don’t know how many teachers you have per grade or when you find out placement but could be worth investigating. We aren’t told we can have input but the people I know who have asked (for specific teachers; or a teacher like xyz) have gotten what they asked for. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-the-2020-2021-school-year/page/2#post-2914211 Sun, 19 Apr 2020 15:55:24 +0000 JennyPenny 2914211@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I’m starting to wonder if I’ll need to look into DS skipping a grade next year and also wondering how many other parents feel similarly. We’ve been working on material beyond his grade level while he’s been out and I know there are a ton of kids who are not accessing the distance learning our district put in place and will basically be an extra quarter of a year behind when (if) they start back in the fall. It seems like the potential gaps in knowledge between kids is going to be even greater than is typical and I wonder how the district will handle this... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-the-2020-2021-school-year/page/2#post-2914209 Sun, 19 Apr 2020 12:42:43 +0000 Littlebit7 2914209@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I’ve already paid in full for Private kinder next year (one can imagine what that might cost given where I live). Sooooo....yeah. I’ve set my expectations really low for school starting up in September. But I also know I’m a crap homeschooler. So I’m just holding my breath and hoping things get better for everyone. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-the-2020-2021-school-year#post-2914208 Sun, 19 Apr 2020 12:21:08 +0000 LemonJack 2914208@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@2littlepumpkins: Have you emailed your child’s teacher to let him/her know it’s too much? I would reach out and let them know it’s too much right now, and then I’d ask if there are one or two things you could prioritize, and I’d leave it at that. My oldest is in kindergarten and her teacher has been phenomenal about balance, but if she weren’t I wouldn’t feel bad about simply saying my kid is only working on reading with me and phonics practice every day, for example.</p> <p>I’m a middle school teacher, so my students are older, but we’re still struggling to find that balance with them as well. They tend to be more independent, but some of them are also tasked with watching and/or teaching younger siblings every day, so their own schoolwork is put aside. That’s understandable.</p> <p>I will say that as a teacher, I am scheduling zooms three days a week with my kids, but that’s mostly so they have a set time they know they can see me face to face, ask questions, etc. They are not penalized if they’re unable to attend. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-the-2020-2021-school-year#post-2914207 Sun, 19 Apr 2020 11:06:31 +0000 lioneyes 2914207@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DS will be in K in the Fall. Before this all began, we were already having difficulty finding the right school for him for the Fall- he has a communication delay, and we want a small private school. Now, we are still in the application process at a few schools (but they won't be able to meet him in person, and we won't be able to take a tour) and I am wondering if that's even worth it for the Fall- if he is going to be going to K on Zoom, what's the point? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-the-2020-2021-school-year#post-2914090 Thu, 16 Apr 2020 06:06:13 +0000 Mrs. Carrot 2914090@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: Ugh, that is such a garbage response, I'm sorry you had to hear that. I'm in the DC area, which isn't really a hotspot (though who knows, it can easily become one), and for me I absolutely wouldn't send my daughter to school if I didn't feel comfortable commuting an hour on a train every day. I'm not even sure what would make me feel comfortable being around people again. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-the-2020-2021-school-year#post-2914089 Thu, 16 Apr 2020 05:41:25 +0000 Andrea 2914089@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm a SAHM so we can go with the flow. My biggest fear is that our school (private) will try to open up too early. We live in a hot spot so I hope this won't happen. Before they closed the school, I was so stressed out sending them and started keeping them home before they closed. But it's also stressful having your kids miss school/part of their education. </p> <p>If we're not back in the classroom by the fall, I'd like to have a lot more live online instruction than currently. It will need to feel more like school rather than just homework. Currently, it's not that inspiring for the kids to work in this way (Zoom calls then work). And I can't teach them anything because they go to an immersion school and I don't know their language of instruction! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-the-2020-2021-school-year#post-2914084 Wed, 15 Apr 2020 23:38:43 +0000 2littlepumpkins 2914084@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>No changes, but I feel like if they don’t go back in the fall I’m going to lose it. Yes I know teachers are also working from home, but they expect<br /> Us to check in at certain times when I am also on the clock with work. (Meaning I don’t have control over the times we can check in! We have stayed up late doing homework because there just wasn’t time between little kids and a hectic job.) I have at least as much work as I had a month ago except now I don’t have access to all the office resources at work. I have to turn in production reports every single day at the close of business detailing what I did with my day. Its not something that can be done at the table while entertaining kids. My coworkers are working on weekends and late nights because the system is slow. I have to be available on demand during my day. And I’m supposed to be doing school with my kids. It just seems crazy to think this is going to go beyond the end of this year. I know I’m not able to give anywhere near the level of attention this needs. My husband has taken some stuff from me before we works overnights right now, but we are both so so tired. This is NOT a time where anyone in our family has all this down time I keep hearing about. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-the-2020-2021-school-year#post-2914080 Wed, 15 Apr 2020 22:00:06 +0000 Shantuck 2914080@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Beth24: This is exactly my situation. I had baby #3 on March 11th and this is absolutely my last baby. My older guy is in 2nd grade and my middle goes to preschool/ daycare, which she loves. I was looking forward to the baby cuddles with my final baby while my bigger kids were preoccupied at school. I hired a night nurse for 3 nights a week to help ease our transition to a family of 5. I’m now 5 weeks into my 14 week leave and exhausted (no night nurse because of the shelter in place order in my state) and while I know I’m extremely fortunate that we are healthy, I’m super bummed that my days are far from what I’d envisioned for my final leave. I have really great memories of my other two leaves and this one is just utter chaos. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-the-2020-2021-school-year#post-2914079 Wed, 15 Apr 2020 21:51:00 +0000 periwinklebee 2914079@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>As a planner I am having a really hard time making peace with the enormous uncertainty of the situation, and I feel like so many people I know are struggling with this too. Like - we just want to know how it's going to end (even if it's really bad). But obviously life never works like that, even if normal times provide the fortunate amongst us with a false sense of control... I haven't had this much trouble relinquishing a desire to control things/know how they are going to turn out since TTC with our first child. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-the-2020-2021-school-year#post-2914078 Wed, 15 Apr 2020 21:14:23 +0000 Beth24 2914078@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I’m just bummed because selfishly I had everything planned so perfectly for this Fall. I’m due in August with baby #3, oldest would be starting kindergarten, middle going to 3 day/week preschool and I’d get to enjoy some baby snuggles. I’m also super bummed for my oldest because she’s SO excited to start school this fall. I’m trying not to predict what will happen because this whole thing has been changing so rapidly. My DH and I are working from home and it’s stressful even thinking about having to maintain that while also trying to get schoolwork done, but I also worry about the kids and teachers who would be exposed to so many germs and starting a new wave of cases. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-the-2020-2021-school-year#post-2914076 Wed, 15 Apr 2020 20:52:13 +0000 macintosh 2914076@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I’m still planing to send my son to public kinder in the fall, however I’m starting to doubt if they will even have traditional school by then. We’re in OH so not exactly a hotspot, but our daycare director had stated “expect group childcare to look a little different when we re-open”. What the heck could that possibly mean?</p> <p>I just can’t fathom going a whole summer not being able to have play dates or go to the playground or the pool. I was feeling very down yesterday and I think it’s grief for the loss of normalcy. My son is healthy and happy, I still have my job, but dammit I wanted a better life for him than this.</p> <p>I’m terrified that he won’t get the kindergarten experience that I want him to have. I hate waiting and having no answers. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-the-2020-2021-school-year#post-2914073 Wed, 15 Apr 2020 20:21:05 +0000 DesertDreams88 2914073@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wonder if there will be a hybrid model. Like, if the older teachers and teachers with immune issues for themselves or their family; if they could be offered jobs online with the district; and then families could sign up for either online or in person depending on their families needs. Crazy times we're living in. </p> <p>I've also heard talk in CA of running a morning schedule &amp; an afternoon schedule so that the buildings would only have half of their kids at a time, with half the kids per class. Teacher's schedules would need to go a little longer in the day to make this work, sadly; and we'd need to build in disinfecting time at the end of the morning half. Or maybe they could do something where half of the students attended Mon / Thurs, the other half on Tues / Fri, and teachers prescribe longer "homework" style assignments facilitated online by teachers who feel they can't teach in person. </p> <p>Ugh. What a clusterf*ck. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-the-2020-2021-school-year#post-2914067 Wed, 15 Apr 2020 19:04:46 +0000 Miss Ariel 2914067@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Dd is in pre-k at a private elementary school. Her teacher is pregnant, due next week, so I’m sure she’s glad she’s at home. They don’t have zoom classes, but her teacher has recorded a couple of videos to watch. But a lot is YouTube videos, along with worksheets sent hom when they started, and doing problems on ixl.</p> <p>To be honest, she’s not really doing much of anything but running around the house with her little brother. It’s just too much with both me and Dh working from the house full time.</p> <p>I’m really scared of what’s going to happen in the fall. Dh teaches college classes and similar to @periwinklebee: they’re already expecting to have online classes in the fall. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-the-2020-2021-school-year#post-2914065 Wed, 15 Apr 2020 18:28:26 +0000 jhd 2914065@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@muffinsmuffins: you bring up a really good point. it is important to remember that what we're doing now is not really homeschool or online learning at its best. </p> <p>@Anagram: super interesting to hear about your experience as a teacher and as a parent. thanks for sharing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-the-2020-2021-school-year#post-2914064 Wed, 15 Apr 2020 18:20:05 +0000 JCCovi 2914064@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our private school is delivering a full days worth of instruction via live zoom classes. 8:30-3 everyday with breaks. It’s actually pretty remarkable and we are thankful for it but...</p> <p>It’s just too much for 1st grade. And trying to work while also managing her breaks and printing her worksheets is a nightmare. We are so looking forward to going back to physical school in August. However, if for some reason physical school doesn’t happen and the next school year begins with zoom? In that scenario I will quit my job and homeschool. One big homeschool advantage (I was homeschooled through elementary school) is that you tear through your work and have most of the day to play. Taking 6.5 hours to get through school from home is a little crazy in my opinion. </p> <p>In the fall we’ll have a Kinder, a 2nd grader, and a newborn so I am really rooting for physical school! My big concern at this point is whether we’ll know what’s going to happen before tuition is due end of May... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-the-2020-2021-school-year#post-2914063 Wed, 15 Apr 2020 17:35:31 +0000 muffinsmuffins 2914063@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@gotkimchi: thanks for commiserating! Their class was making awesome progress with sight words and early reading and it’s all gone to crap. We are in Ontario Canada so both years of kinder are play based. Everyone keeps saying oh it’s fine just let them play and everyone will be behind anyway! But next year he starts ‘real school’ and we do plenty of playtime as it is. Their lead teacher also has 3 kids at home so I get it, I do not fault teachers one bit. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-the-2020-2021-school-year#post-2914061 Wed, 15 Apr 2020 16:12:36 +0000 gotkimchi 2914061@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@muffinsmuffins: as a fellow kindergarten mom I agree. My kindergartener is not really learning anything and I’m worried about her backsliding but also feeling at a loss for what to do because both of her parents work full time still. It’s really hard and I don’t think her teacher has it easy because she’s at home with FIVE GIRLS trying to take care of their shit and her job and yah it’s a mess for everyone </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-the-2020-2021-school-year#post-2914060 Wed, 15 Apr 2020 16:06:32 +0000 muffinsmuffins 2914060@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>As an aside, I would hope that if this truly goes on into September and beyond in a way that requires schools to remain closed and learning go online, the powers that be will create a much much MUCH better plan of how to administer online learning that benefits teachers, parents and kids. I think it’s not fair to say that online learning is crap because this current plan was so hastily cobbled together. It also doesn’t give a good idea of what homeschooling could be like. I take it that homeschools are really on top of outings and educational trips, interaction with others. There’s no frickin way I can have my son go into grade 1 into September and actually expect him to learn if the system doesn’t improve VASTLY, which makes me extremely nervous. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-the-2020-2021-school-year#post-2914051 Wed, 15 Apr 2020 13:36:57 +0000 Mama Bird 2914051@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If the virus situation drags out, I'm seriously considering homeschooling. Right now the kid is getting 10 times more screen time and ten times less useful learning than usual. I don't know if any elementary school kids learn well from online worksheets with no personal interaction... I doubt it. I'd rather teach him myself, if only I could figure out how to put in enough hours at work at the same time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-the-2020-2021-school-year#post-2914047 Wed, 15 Apr 2020 13:30:27 +0000 caitcat 2914047@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@catgirl: My daughter is starting Kindergarten in the fall too...I can't imagine what that would look like if it starts online either. Like you, I'm trying not to think too far ahead because there are so many open questions there. But when I start to go there...ugh.</p> <p>This has confirmed for me that homeschooling would be challenging for us. We've toyed around with the idea of homeschooling, since I have a pretty flexible work situation and our five year old has enough quirks that we worry about fitting in the traditional school mold. But I've seen that even with a flexible work setup, being available enough to do meaningful things (and balance her little sister) is a lot harder than I anticipated. Obviously, our options for "really" homeschooling in a more normal situation would be so different with outings, other resources and some co-op opportunities, but I still think it's more than I'm ready to bite off for my own parenting/work/family life balance at this stage. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/thoughts-on-the-2020-2021-school-year#post-2914046 Wed, 15 Apr 2020 13:19:14 +0000 Anagram 2914046@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@jhd: so NJ has a very odd school district/ town system where every 2 miles is a new town and separate school district and they are all their own little fiefdoms. They all have separate police forces, school districts, fire departments, etc. That’s why property taxes are so high. </p> <p>It also contributes to the de facto segregation. The town where I work, for example, has 0 apartment complex. Only single family homes in a far Suburb. As a result, we have 0% low income students. </p> <p>Our school announced we were closing March 13, but we saw the writing on the wall the week before, so we’d been preparing all week to put the next 6 weeks of lessons online. Our students already take their laptops home every night, but that week, we did a survey for Internet (everyone had access) and we let students get new chargers or trade out laptops if they were having any tech issues. My principal actually called a half day for students Friday, May 12, before our governor even closed schools, and we had to stay till 3 and post our lessons, plus we had to pack up all of our class curriculum and supplies to last us the test of the school year. Most of my stuff is online, but I was given a new course this semester for gifted students that I’ve never taught before and that curriculum is all in paper format in weekly binders, so I had to pack up 8 gigantic binders of lessons and handouts, that now I get to scan at home daily to put online for the kids. Our state required districts to submit a “digital learning plan” for state approval which we did, and got approved. Parents have to log in online and count their students as attending/not attending school each day and if they are not attending, the school secretary follows up and calls home just like when we are physically in school. Even our paid electives (like after school clubs of the teacher/sponsor is paid) is supposed to do some kind of digital meetings/learning since those sponsors are getting their stipend. So our student government had zoom meetings, etc. </p> <p>So we were super prepared. </p> <p>Now, the school district where I live is not 1:1, and I’m not sure everyone has internet because our student population is much more diverse, but I think the district and the city worked together to supply all the other students with a device and access to the internet for free. For the lower grades, they email out lesson plans or post to Class Dojo, but the work is not study completed online, it’s completed on paper (which I think is age appropriate). We are asked to take a picture of completed work and send it to my kiddos’ teachers and also view their videos online, and the view counts as our attendance. </p>