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Ask HN: Parents, what are you doing for school this fall?

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11–20 of 190 posts

Re: Ask HN: Parents, what are you doing for school this fall?

#11
I've been surprised at how well our 4 y.o daughter has adjusted to the online world, on the whole. Whilst not all of our friends' children have the same experience, I've noticed it's fairly common for children we know (at least of this age) to quickly adapt to making friends and socializing and learning through Zoom/Skype/etc.

Mornings are spent on "Kid's Club" via https://www.modulo.app , which is a fairly new startup that provides online spaces for kids to learn together, hang out together, etc. My daughter has made a number of new friends through that and she's able to do a lot of the same stuff she was doing before (art, learning apps, etc), but in a more social way. Sometimes she gets to help other kids when they get stuck with their learning apps, and visa versa, which is fun. We're likely to expand this to some of the afternoon too, since they're adding a Spanish program.

Overall, I've noticed that her development has thrived since she's moved to a more self-paced environment. There's been no sign that using screens a lot is causing any problems. We've set up an iPad on an adjustable goose-neck stand so she can (and does) run around a lot and her friends can still see her. We also make sure there's time outside for exercise.

We've found a lot of good online resources, generally free or very cheap, such as Cosmic Kids Yoga, Draw Every Day with JJK, Mo Willems Doodles, and Khan Academy Kids. We've also discovered kids coding apps, like CodeSpark and SpriteBox, that have been a big hit. The teacher at Modulo.app does a good job of helping us find resources for stuff our daughter takes an interest in, and we share stuff we find with them too.

We're both full-time parents, and certainly we're not as productive as we were before, but for me it's a totally acceptable compromise. I get to be more involved in my child's development and I get to see her much more than I did before. One key thing is to have carefully planned schedules for everyone in the house. Kids are generally much happier when they have a schedule, and it also means as parents we know when we can arrange meetings, do live coding, and so forth.

We're very lucky to have these options. I know a lot of parents just don't have the ability to work from home, or to reduce their working hours to spend more time with their children.

Re: Ask HN: Parents, what are you doing for school this fall?

#12
All kids are going to school, but only 4 days a week (I don't know why 1 less day reduces any risk). Masks are optional but recommended. Currently, all after school sports are still going forward as before. The district is offering an homeschooling option but limited on the number. It is already maxed out.

Re: Ask HN: Parents, what are you doing for school this fall?

#13

I have 2 in elementary and one in middle school. Our public schools will supposedly open physical classes with an online option as well. You need to pick and commit to one. I'm strongly in the physical camp for many reasons, most importantly the online school in the spring was garbage and a lack of socialization at this age is a very real and serious public health concern-for healthy young kids with no underlying hea…

> lack of socialization at this age is a very real and serious public health concern

(No offense intended) I keep hearing this and wonder what proof we have of this? I have two kids, one introvert, one extrovert and neither seem to have been impacted. Sure they'd like to hang out with friends, but they're basically the same personality/kids/temperament they had pre-pandemic.

Re: Ask HN: Parents, what are you doing for school this fall?

#14

I have 2 in elementary and one in middle school. Our public schools will supposedly open physical classes with an online option as well. You need to pick and commit to one. I'm strongly in the physical camp for many reasons, most importantly the online school in the spring was garbage and a lack of socialization at this age is a very real and serious public health concern-for healthy young kids with no underlying hea…

> lack of socialization at this age is a very real and serious public health concern-for healthy young kids with no underlying health issues maybe as important as COVID itself

Lack of socialization - for a few months - is as serious as a disease that's killing people by the hundreds of thousands?

Even if the kids themselves are at lower risk, they can transmit the disease to parents as well as teachers, who are much more vulnerable.

Re: Ask HN: Parents, what are you doing for school this fall?

#15
We also live in an apartment. During quarantine we divided our time with our four year old 50/50. Our main bedroom became an office the kid wasn't allowed to enter while either of us were working. No electronics with the exception of Skype time with grandparents, just a lot of playing, reading, physical exercises and the like. Since opening up, we still divide time 50/50 but take the kid for walks and cultural activities conducted in a safe manner that have been moved to the main city park and plazas to maintain distance. Our city has a lot of space for kids to roam carelessly and free. School are scheduled to open in September, so no change there.

Location: Oviedo, Spain

Re: Ask HN: Parents, what are you doing for school this fall?

#16
post #12

All kids are going to school, but only 4 days a week (I don't know why 1 less day reduces any risk). Masks are optional but recommended. Currently, all after school sports are still going forward as before. The district is offering an homeschooling option but limited on the number. It is already maxed out.

> All kids are going to school, but only 4 days a week (I don't know why 1 less day reduces any risk)

If the days are staggered, it would reduce the occupancy rate of the classrooms, which seems sensible.

Re: Ask HN: Parents, what are you doing for school this fall?

#17
My kids will be in 9th and 7th grade. My school district is starting 100% distance learning. I did opt for hybrid when it's available.

I'm setting up study areas in the house for the kids that are away from each other and me. I'm going to get comfortable headphones for their school-issued Chromebooks.

The plan is instructional blocks that include webinars, basically, along with some study time with the teacher available online. They can come up to my office if they have questions as well.

I built out my home office to mirror my work office this past spring, so I'm pretty well setup to be a remote employee and hopefully the quiet spaces I setup for the kids will be good for their remote learning.

Re: Ask HN: Parents, what are you doing for school this fall?

#18
15-year-old: I miss my friends. Want to do my concurrent-enrollment advanced study classes. She's starting school, we'll see how long in-person school lasts.

12-year-old: School over the internet is awesome! Takes me a quarter of the time and I'm not just waiting for the teacher and the class. Doing an online, tech-focused, home schooling program, with in-person advanced math class and drama class.

Re: Ask HN: Parents, what are you doing for school this fall?

#19
Massachusetts: our school district is offering a choice between full-remote and hybrid week-in/week-remote programs, but noting that at least the first 2 months will be all-remote for everyone. Since our kids are of reasonable age, we asked them and accepted their preferences for all-remote. They get to change their minds at the end of the first semester.

Re: Ask HN: Parents, what are you doing for school this fall?

#20
The whole thing is fubar. We're doing our public school's virtual school for our 3 elementary age children. I don't see how its sustainable. This age group cannot do school by themselves, so my wife and I are having to do school while also trying to keep our work going. My productivity is just going to be shot.

This is day one, but here's what I'm going to try this week: 1). Get up earlier. I'm going to try to be in front of my computer with coffee by 5:30am. I'm hoping I can log a couple solid hours of work before I have to punch in for school. 2). Long lunch for the kids. Their school schedule only gives them 50 minutes, but the school is going to have to deal with it. I'm going to do 90 minutes so I can try to focus on work while inhaling a sandwich or something. 3) Bourbon when the kids are sleep.

I really hope we can get a rhythm and my kids can pick up some study skills where we don't have to be so hands-on.

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