Trump to defund schools unless they reopen for on-person instruction

I have to admit I don't understand Trump's angle here. If he wants them to reopen, he could advocate for that without issuing any edicts. Schools, I think, WANT to reopen...they also don't want all their kids to get sick...and spread that elsewhere. I don't get it. It strikes me as a losing issue politically, too.

 

get ready for

 

Short term economic reasons before an election months away.

He has gotten himself into a tough spot not listening to the experts.... so now he is in a situation where he tries to force schools open to help the economy in the short run.... which can help him get re-elected.... but if he forces them open, and kids get sick the blame is on him.

He is also trying to force a return to normality which would help him politically.

 

When I used to hear teachers complain about their jobs and salary, and having an expectation of babysitting, I used to be like... get a different job, fam.

Now that I realize their babysitting jobs are basically propping up the entire economy, I see it differently. They need to protest and demand more.

 

How does having schools open help the economy? No net jobs, expenditures, etc. Well, maybe a small number of jobs, but the teachers, etc are the same regardless. It's not like having businesses reopen...there is a net revenue associated with that.

I do see the return to normality aspect. But as I said, if this is just for political reasons, I think its a net negative for him.

 

How does opening the schools help the economy? If the kids are being home schooled, that means a parent or adult has to be with them at home. In many cases that means one of two parents that normally works will not be able to do so...... which means less income in many households. Many households are designed and have bills that can only be covered with both parents working.

That is what most of all of this is about.

 

The opposite is true as well. If the kid gets COVID-19 a parent will have to be home as well. There are zero good options, but at least one option does not have exposure to the kids.

 

This is currently being tested. I know of schools that are currently putting their teachers through on campus training. They are usually alone in their classrooms, social distance in groups no bigger than 8 to a classroom, and wear masks. But the AC is on like King Kong. The experiment will continue into the school year as districts want their teachers to do distance teaching from their classrooms.

 

School districts should start by looking at the success of interactive learning applications like ABCmouse and use that as a guide to develop an elementary education plan around. My five-year-old daughter has plenty of similar age-appropriate learning apps on her Kindle Fire that she enjoys using. My wife and I are using one of those apps (ABC Phonics from PinkFong) to work on her recognition of the letters of the alphabet and their respective sounds from home.

 

I am not taking a position, just stating what I believe Trump’s motive is.

 

Eight to a classroom. . . . With "cohorts" that only go to school every third day or something?
Yeah the group activities and discussions will just be fantastic with eight students.
There'll be great continuity, talking to one set of 8 one day, then another set of 8 the next day, and another set of 8 the next.

 

The 8 to a class are teachers who are currently in on campus trainings. Most of the time, they are doing online trainings alone in their classes. The experiment is with the AC blasting will the social distancing and isolation even matter.

The maximum number of students in a class when they come back is unknown. It will depend on how many parents choose to keep their kids home.

 

This is what is so foolish about the "open" up for the economy. Opening up only goes so far, and it's short lived. Once the virus spread, people will just naturally retreat and lock themselves down. The root cause has been and is still the virus. You want an economic rebound - go to war against the virus and contain it until there is a vaccine or effective treatments.

Since that didn't happen, there is no good options left in many places in the US. More gambling is the choice we are left with. Dice up and hope all is well.

 

Since people of color is typically poorer, this indicate they prefer safety over economic reasons. I thought they might want to risk it anyway, relative to other groups. Bit of a surprise to me.

 

I'm scheduled to teach college in one windowless classroom in a few weeks, so I'm all over these details. Yeah, I'm getting official training in all this crap right now.

So, I have a windowless classroom to teach 4 classes in the same day. If we "King Kong" the air conditioning, do all the classes keep their doors open and listen to each other teaching or what?

I'll wear a face shield, not a mask, so students who are hard of hearing (and non-native students) can see my mouth moving, including the kids who are watching on camera in different time zones around the world. If the face shield fogs up. . . . No one has mentioned that problem yet.

There is fifteen minutes between classes. Will the desks of all classrooms be cleaned in those 15 minutes? No.

Will my face shield filter my breath in any way? No. One of my classes is two hours long. Enjoy my breath shower for two hours, guys!

Can the perimeter of a university campus be protected so that no one without a mask enters? No.
Can teachers deal with students who refuse to wear a mask in class? No.

I teach Monday Wednesday Friday, so I'll divide my class into 3 "cohorts." Everyday, there will be a maximum of six students in the class and the others will be watching online. BUT, there could be zero in the classroom--you never know on a given day--because . . . the students are allowed to choose online or face to face on any given day, but the teachers are not!

P.S. Notice the outdated, discredited model of education that underlies this: the students don't need to be present. This is that old-timey failed model of totally passive students getting education forcefully injected into their brains by the teacher. If there is only one student in the class, no matter! It's the same as 20 students, coz they are just expected to be totally passive sponges anyway. (This is different from all-online. My set-up is face-to-face plus online.)

 

Good for me, not for thee...

 

Has Scump the Chimp had a chance to spin this one at his daily political ral---er, press briefing?

"Your son's school won't re-open."
"Well, they don't get federal money---" (flop-sweat)
"But isn't that hypocritical of you?"
"Such a horrible question. You should be ashamed. (If reporter is female) You're such a nasty person...."

 

I'm seeing schools have plans in place for if teachers get sick. Isn't that hilarious?
"If sick, send home. If in ICU, find a teacher who is not in ICU. If dead, find a teacher who is not dead."