Who is Randi Weingarten? Rhonda “Randi” Weingarten (born December 18, 1957) is an American labor leader, attorney, and educator. She is president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and a member of the AFL–CIO. She is the former president of the United Federation of Teachers. Why is she important regarding K-12 education? In May 2021, it was revealed that Randi Weingarten, the leader of the nation's second-largest teachers union, significantly influenced Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines on reopening schools earlier that year. In the lead-up to the “highly anticipated” Feb. 12, 2021 guidelines, the union president and another top union official were … [Read more...]
‘Telepresence’ robots are making virtual school feel a little more like real school
Todays article comes from The Washington Post and Jennifer Davis. She explores technology and robots introduced during the pandemic and the impact on K-12 education. You'll either love it or it will scare the ........ out of you. It has been a year full of the unexpected for families who have had to quickly adjust to masks, quarantines and virtual and hybrid learning, all thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. For Eliza Engel and her son Thomas McKnight, one of the surprises 2020 has brought is that the sixth-grader at Burgundy Farm Country Day School in Alexandria, Va., now attends class with the help of a robot. “It’s really, truly amazing, because it looks like … [Read more...]
Covid – Teachers Unions – Returning children to school in Washington State
In March 2020 schools were closed in Washington State. Many thought it would be temporary. The impact on children was unknown but there was a large concern that they could be a "disease vector" and spread the virus. School districts scrambled madly to institute online learning programs...but it was a disaster. Going into June/July districts expected to be able to either restart school as normal in September or, at worst, move to a "hybrid model" where students were physically in class 2 or 3 days a week and "remote" 2 days. The districts planned for that and felt they were prepared. But, like all good plans, it was for naught. The governor decided there would be no "in person" school and … [Read more...]
Are kids (and adults) at risk going back to physical school?
Are kids susceptible to Covid at a lower, the same or higher rate? Can the children be a source to spread Covid even if they don't get sick or show obvious signs of infection? Lots of questions and yet few answers. We came across the following article titled: Coronavirus Testing In New York City Schools Yield Not-So-Surprising Results written by Jeff Charles that we would like to share. Click the title of the article to open a link to the original. Give it a read and what say you? New York City reopened its schools three weeks ago and found extremely low rates of coronavirus infections among students. This finding flies in the face of fearmongers trying to scare people into keeping … [Read more...]
What twelve nations/regions are doing to get students safely back to schools in times of COVID-19
Can K-12 school restart? Did it ever need to be shut down? Is the U.S. ahead or behind the curve? Take a look at this article. Published September 2nd (it's the newest we could find) which details what's happening in countries around the world. The article was published at First Post To open or not to open? Schools around the world have tried to make exactly this decision amid pressures from parents, school authorities and health authorities during the coronavirus lockdown. There are so many variables involved: The wellbeing of students and teachers, the education and social needs of school-going children, the freedom and sanity of working parents to attend to their jobs … [Read more...]
Getting kids back in school – a simple solution?
Sometimes we get stuck doing things the same way over and over and over. In K-12 education we have put students in school 5 days a week (Monday - Friday) for ~6 hours per day. We blend boys and girls by age group. We have teachers who principally teach one grade. The Teachers Union contract has all sorts of controls over what can be done, by who, when and how. Some teachers are younger and some older. More time teaching leads to more money and more control over choice. Many parents believe that students are better served bring physically in school. After all, schools have become daycare first and education second. So how do we get students back in school now? Answer: It appears that … [Read more...]
Rather Than Reopen, It’s Time to Rethink Government Education
During August of 2020 we are focusing on bringing information about potential changes/evolution of public schooling due to the switch by public schools from physical classrooms to virtual classrooms. The article below appeared at: https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/08/school-reopenings-rethink-public-education/ and written By CATHY RUSE & TONY PERKINS They share some interesting thoughts that will resonate with many parents (especially Christians). Give it a read. What’s that popping sound? Could it be a million figurative light bulbs clicking on above public-school parents’ heads? The vast majority of American families send their children to public schools. Only 11 … [Read more...]
Battle Ground School District – 2020/21 school restart plan workshop
On the evening of July 28th the Battle Ground School Board Directors held a virtual workshop to discuss school starting options for 2020/21. These are the notes I took from that meeting. If you don't want to read through the following notes and just want to cut to the chase, what was the direction of the discussion? Please note that it was a workshop and no votes or decisions were made. No input from the public was allowed. This was a discussion between the Superintendent (Mark Ross), the Asst. Superintendent (Denny Waters) and some of the support staff with the Board Directors. It appears that the recommendation to the Board is to start the year "online only". A transition to 2 days per … [Read more...]