Support NeoGAF

[Dunedain_Ranger]

We just got the schedule for my youngest child starting kindergarten and they expect him to be online for
Almost four hours. My wife and I both work and my mother watches him how is this realistic at all to keep his attention ?

 

[Cunth]

that sounds bonkers

 

[Dunedain_Ranger]

that sounds bonkers

I need to add it's complete distant learning no on campus at all

 

[Cunth]

I need to add it's complete distant learning no on campus at all

when my kids did schooling at home they just gave them the days activities which they did and then uploaded. I cant imagine them sitting online though for 4 hours.

 

[Dunedain_Ranger]

when my kids did schooling at home they just gave them the days activities which they did and then uploaded. I cant imagine them sitting online though for 4 hours.

It's completely ludicrous this f$cking sucks

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

We're homeschooling this year. I am very blessed that my wife stays at home anyway and I can work from home. Our school was tentatively opening even though some other schools in Michigan are doing online-only at the beginning. Even so, we didn't see the point of sending them to school and expecting them to be in the building only for the mandates to change yet again (probably around election time, conveniently) and then we're back at home teaching them at home anyway.

Schools are not prepared to teach online. Students taught during this time period are going to be even dumber than the avg public school graduate. Our teachers did their best to adjust, but my wife and I had to supplement lessons a lot because everything was so thin, so bare-bones. The problem isn't necessarily just the teachers, but also the do-nothing parents who cannot be relied upon, so the teachers have to keep everything very simple and straightforward so that the parents aren't overwhelmed, either.

Yet you and I will still pay taxes so that the state can tell you that you cannot send your kids to the school building you pay for.

 

[Dunedain_Ranger]

We're homeschooling this year. I am very blessed that my wife stays at home anyway and I can work from home. Our school was tentatively opening even though some other schools in Michigan are doing online-only at the beginning. Even so, we didn't see the point of sending them to school and expecting them to be in the building only for the mandates to change yet again (probably around election time, conveniently) and then we're back at home teaching them at home anyway.

Schools are not prepared to teach online. Students taught during this time period are going to be even dumber than the avg public school graduate. Our teachers did their best to adjust, but my wife and I had to supplement lessons a lot because everything was so thin, so bare-bones. The problem isn't necessarily just the teachers, but also the do-nothing parents who cannot be relied upon, so the teachers have to keep everything very simple and straightforward so that the parents aren't overwhelmed, either.

Yet you and I will still pay taxes so that the state can tell you that you cannot send your kids to the school building you pay for.

Big damn truth on that

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

First week of homeschool is over. Curriculum is well organized and easy to facilitate as amateur teachers. The homework expectations are much higher than what they'd get at school. They complete more tasks, especially written ones, and have more math drills than they did at their old school. Yet, their schoolwork is completed in less time overall. Makes sense, because if a lesson only takes 30m or 45m then they can shift right to the next topic, while in a normal school they would have to occupy the remaining class time with something else. My wife and I have been slapping ourselves to make sure we're not doing something wrong or omitting some large, obvious component, but so far, so good.

 

[Dunedain_Ranger]

Well update it has slowly gotten easier still hard for my little one to sit still as he wants to play with his toys or games but he is getting the hang of it

 

[zeorhymer]

At least make sure you know what those teachers are teaching! Some teachers are activists.

 

[poppabk]

Yeah I would imagine it would be tough for a kindergartener but then most would likely struggle to stay focused during a regular school day to. My kids are 2nd and 3rd grade and they seem to be ok with it.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

I'm babysitting my brother's kids during this time. He is full time at work and recently divorced so he needs help. The youngest one is going in person and the other is pretty comfy with the Internet. She keeps herself entertained with YouTube videos

The shutdown is so tough on kids I think people overlook this. This will have long reaching impact on the socialization of the next generation.

 

[deafmedal]

Yet you and I will still pay taxes so that the state can tell you that you cannot send your kids to the school building you pay for.

Not to mention that not everyone has internet access they are looking at supplying hotspots and computers where needed which should raise taxes asswell. What a joke, some places already have ridiculous property taxes- we're lucky to live in an area with reasonable property taxes.

 

[GAMETA]

4 hours is a lot for a little kid.

My son is 10 yo, he has one or two 50 minute classes a day + daily assignments.

Being honest though, it's not good as well. I don't think there's a good solution for this, and I notice his learning has been compromised by a lot.

I honestly think it would be better to simply stop for a whole semester... it would be fairer to the kids as well. Schools and teachers need them money, though, right?

 

[bigsnack]

My son was one of the most attentive kids in his kindergarten class last year, before schools were closed. However, I could only keep him focused for about 20 minutes or so on a computer screen / Zoom meeting.

I'm seriously disappointed at where we are at regarding schools in my area. My only hope right now is that without our local hospitalization numbers falling so aggressively right now, there's a chance we can get the kids back into class after the first of the year.

 

[Mistake]

From my experience with online classes, kids can't focus that well until they are about 8 years old. After 8 they can study for prolonged periods of time using books or tablets. You'd be surprised how well online work can be done with tablets, as long as it is well presented. Kids like to fill in answers using different colors or connecting stuff together.

Under 8 (3-6, but as late as 7ish,) is considered their physical development phase. This is why kids are a giant pain, because they have so much pent up energy. You can still make them study of course, but only up to 20-30 minutes. Anything longer should be mixed with things that get them moving. To anyone here with young kids, I recommend looking into the Montessori method. It's pretty crazy witnessing a baby that just learned to walk put their own toys away

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

From my experience with online classes, kids can't focus that well until they are about 8 years old. After 8 they can study for prolonged periods of time using books or tablets. You'd be surprised how well online work can be done with tablets, as long as it is well presented. Kids like to fill in answers using different colors or connecting stuff together.

Under 8 (3-6, but as late as 7ish,) is considered their physical development phase. This is why kids are a giant pain, because they have so much pent up energy. You can still make them study of course, but only up to 20-30 minutes. Anything longer should be mixed with things that get them moving. To anyone here with young kids, I recommend looking into the Montessori method. It's pretty crazy witnessing a baby that just learned to walk put their own toys away

 

[Northeastmonk]

I was home schooled from 4th to 8th grade. I wasn't responsible. I remember the day my mother threw candles and broke wooden spoons in our kitchen. It was the day she realized I had copied over the answers from the teachers book I took downstairs while she was sleeping. It was like half a semesters worth of work. I did video tape home school. It was a religious institute and they sent us VHS tapes of classroom lectures and then we had to do these work books (10 for each subject). I wasn't disciplined enough to succeed on my own. My parents divorced right before I started high school.

You almost have to build a school-like environment for your kids. We have a bunch of stuff to keep my s-daughter focused. We also have to take away distractions if they don't do their work. Another thing is minimizing screen time. The Kindle has a tool to stop working after an hour. Otherwise the kid can become a mess by being on a screen all day. I've witnessed it, its like they can't get a grip on themselves because they've been stimulated for hours on end. My kid received an iPad from the school and all the apps are built in. So far we've had in-laws helping. She throws tantrums, but she straightens up when she realizes she'll get bad marks on her grades for not doing the work.

 

[Susurrus]

My son is starting Kindergarten on Monday. DC public schools are fully online through Nov 6 (of course, I'm sure they'll reassess at that point to extend or not, they're dating it by terms which there are 3). The school does seem to be trying to help us out as much as possible, and provided supplies (we paid for but at least we know we have what is needed). They've been keeping us in the loop so far. They're providing loaner tablets and mifi internet, but having my own 200MB internet and plenty of laptops sitting around I didn't take one, just /reformatted one and made my son's profile on there w/ just the basics. They're using Canvas, which is actually kind of convenient for me since my college also uses Canvas so I'm familiar with it, as well as Microsoft Teams. They made my son a Microsoft account w/ the school's address at the end which we use to log into Canvas and Teams, and also I've noticed it provides Office 365 and Onedrive access so I've set that up.

The school seems to be handling as well as possible, and we have a desk at home for him, but he's not even 5 yet (end of Sep, just missed cutoff before lower grade) so I don't know how it will work out. I telework and they're understanding of the situation fortunately, and my wife doesn't work, though we also have a 1 year old.

Will be interesting. Honestly just like most parents, I'm not looking forward to it, but understand why it needs to be done. We'll get through it.