I'm in Virginia. I do think calling it this week was....a touch early. But I wonder if it was an effort to make people realize how serious things were? Like extending it on a week by week basis (or even two weeks at a time) makes it hard to plan.
As an example, knowing that we're out for the year, my teammates were able to divvy up how we were going to teach the materials until the end of the year. If we thought it was just for a week, we likely would have just done enrichment actiivities for the week.
Oklahoma just did! Honestly, I am surprised the unions are not up in arms. I hearing from several contacts that a number of woman are staying at home with the kids, and the man is going to work. I afraid that this is going to set women's paycheck back by decades.
We called two weeks and then two weeks of Spring Break. So that means four weeks out. I'm in California, and the governor is saying to be prepared to shut down the school year.
We have a video staff meeting tomorrow. I'm not sure what will happen, and that makes it impossible to do any planning. We have also been told to provide enrichment activities, but we can't require anything because of uneven tech access.
As of right now our date to go back is April 20th. I sincerely doubt that will happen and am planning to be doing online instruction for the rest of the year. If we go back, I'd be thrilled. I'd love to go back to normal! We would still only have one month of school left then. Restaurants and other businesses have already been closed through the 30th, so I don't see the governor saying those aren't safe but school is.
Maryland is closed through April 27th now, but enough hints were dropped that makes me think that may be extended.
We are supposed to more guidance on virtual learning next week.
I think if you say we aren’t going back, the kids are going to be unmotivated to do anything. They would know that they aren’t returning to their school or their teacher, so why do it. I hate to say it but it’s already hard enough to get my middle schooler to do the work as it is. I haven’t told her about the May 4 extension in California yet. If she heard that we weren’t going back at all, that would be it.
I'm in Ohio. We were off this week for spring break, and next week we are also closed. I believe we will be out for the rest of the year and have already made plans to adjust my instruction accordingly.
I teach ELA, so I am planning on having one grammar/spelling/vocabulary-type "bellringer" opening activity each day and one meaty reading or writing lesson. They're doing narratives, which is the most fun type of writing, so I think the kids are more likely to do it. I am planning it in pieces. For example, the first day, they're coming up with an idea. I am also doing each step along with them and probably giving them videos on Screencastify and/or screencastomatic.
For my spelling lessons, they're not doing spelling tests anymore because that's not practical, but we're doing work with roots and so forth.
I agree that if they're called off very soon, the kids are less likely to do the work. I would be fine with cycles of two weeks. I am speaking only to my own needs and desires as a teacher, not what parents might want or need.
We're on spring break as well this week but going back to work as usual next week. Of course, I'm a teacher for one of the online schools so the governor's orders of closing down the schools didn't affect me any. Our last day of school is May 29th which is my husband's birthday too.
Our school is more waiting on the official word that state testing is cancelled for the year as we don't start ours until April 6th. Most of the testing dates are for the elementary and middle school whereas high school doesn't have as many. Luckily, I'm a high school teacher so it's nice not being out as much throughout the next month.
I am worried though for my nephew and niece as they go to a regular school and wondering if Ohio will close down schools the rest of the year. I'm hoping everyone is able to go back only time will tell.
I'm with GreyhoundGirl. I get needing to let parents know in case they need to find day care, so a week or two out is fine...but the whole year just seems to extreme, as we really don't know. We can guess, but we really don't know.
Tennessee just extended to April 24th. I teach at a private school and our administration has said they are going to operate on a two-week schedule, so we won't know if we are extending until next week since our original end date was April 3. I personally don't want to do virtual learning for the rest of the year! A few weeks will be fine, but I am ready to be back in my classroom.
Oklahoma called it on Monday. I think it was way too early and like Greyhoundgirl mentioned adds to the panic and anxiety. I would have rather seen a week at a time, on the other hand, we only have four weeks left.
Schools closed for the rest of the year in AZ. My income was only subbing until the right job came in. I was scheduled for a long term for May. That is 13 days @ $125 I won't be getting. You can't get unemployment either. Most subs are employed by ESI and they wont let us cash in accumulated sick days.
That now means I will have too look for a job. The reality is you won't find anything that matches daily sub pay and it was only 7 hours of work. Who knows maybe there will be a blessing since I'm at the crossroads of not going back into public education. Maybe something will happen that settles it for me.
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03-25-2020, 12:45 PM
