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 students have virtually no health issues with Covid. There is a concern on the part of some teachers that their personal health issues may put them at higher risk. Some parents are concerned that their child might get sick even if the risk is low. Let’s accommodate everyone!

Actions:

1.   All students will be scheduled to go back to school Monday – Friday
2.   Parents who are concerned file a request for remote learning in place of physical attendance
3.   Teachers unions survey their members and identify those who don’t want to return to the physical class room because they fear health issues
4.   Teachers who don’t want physical contact are assigned to teach the virtual (online) classes
5.   Teachers who are not concerned about personal health issues are assigned to physical classrooms
6.   No masks. Teach good hygiene.

Challenges:

• It would require shuffling teachers among grades and perhaps schools
  • Teaches and Unions would need to accommodate and be flexible. After all…most teachers say they are there for the students so this would show that.
• It would require some organization of physical vs virtual so that other support personnel could be allocated as needed

Benefits:

1.   Lives start returning to normal
2.   Parents get education + daycare back
3.   School districts likely get more students back which means more money from the state
4.   Health education gets a real world teaching opportunity

Everyone wins.

This would require changing some rules and flexibility. Are parents and teachers and school boards and administration really ready to do whats best for students?

What say you? If you like the idea reach out to your local school district and ask them to follow the plan. If you don’t say anything nothing will change.