My kid can’t handle a virtual education, and neither can I • Hacker News Board

Re: My kid can’t handle a virtual education, and neither can I

#331

Post by xigency » Thu, Aug 20, 2020, 2:05 AM UTC

zelphirkalt wrote: post #176

actfrench wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is how my class is structured and the activities we do. https://www.modulo.app/manishamodule Feel free to share with other teachers if it could benefit them. I"d also be happy to talk to your teacher or anyone else's teacher if they need support on making zoom more engaging. Also, if other teachers have ideas of activities that worked well for them, I'd love to hear! I'll just add that one thing that's been help…

Zoom does not belong in any classroom, regardless of virtual or physical. It is proprietary software, which has a back track record on privacy and security. It is not free software respecting children's and teachers' rights and freedom. I find the this reliance on proprietary shitty software annoying and absurd. Often teachers barely know manage to cobble together virtual classrooms. They lack information about alter…

I don't disagree, but that’s a failure of the other offerings to exceed the value proposition of Zoom.

Re: My kid can’t handle a virtual education, and neither can I

#332

Post by s1artibartfast » Thu, Aug 20, 2020, 2:08 AM UTC

Aeolun wrote: post #305

war1025 wrote: post #277

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> putting your kids in school as early as 4 can result in life-long benefits. Giving a shit about your kids is mainly what results in life-long benefits. The sad truth is a lot of parents either don't care about their kids or care about them only as a proxy of how it reflects back on them.

I find that hard to understand. Isn’t having a kid something you do exactly so you have someone to care for and nurture?

About 1/3 of children in the US were unplanned, and I imagine another (but not coincident) 1/3 are unwanted.

Re: My kid can’t handle a virtual education, and neither can I

#333

Post by mkoubaa » Thu, Aug 20, 2020, 2:09 AM UTC

xigency wrote: post #329

actfrench wrote: post #31

In my opinion, the issue here isn't virtual learning (the what), the issue is how we are doing virtual learning (the how). We can't use zoom the way we use a physical classroom. It's a totally different medium. I teach a group of kindergarteners online every morning for 3 hours. The first thing we do is make sure their space is set up to allow for movement. They can jump up move, around, wiggle, whatever they want. I…

Kudos to you. My son’s Kindergarten is starting in one week and I hope he gets an experience like this.

seems like a problem in search of a solution. why shouldn't you be able to shop for the best online learning experience in this situation

Re: My kid can’t handle a virtual education, and neither can I

#334

Post by jnwatson » Thu, Aug 20, 2020, 2:16 AM UTC

actfrench wrote: post #196

ativzzz wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's great that you are a technology-savvy teacher who is capable of taking advantage of these tools. Unfortunately, a large number of teachers and school districts do not have the skills, resources, or leadership to support this kind of experience for their students and teachers. Most school districts would need 1. the desire to transform the way they teach 2. the leadership capable of driving this change 3. the tea…

A lot of teachers tend to have really high emotional intelligence which makes them great caregivers, but may not have great tech skills. I'd love to see school districts provide more professional development to teachers in effective strategies using online teaching. I don't think this is even taught in teacher's college. But hopefully now with the world changing, this will change as well. I'd be happy to provide trai…

This would have been a fine excuse in the spring, but the school district and teachers have had all summer to catch up the technology side. I know my school district pushed back the start date just to put teachers through 2 weeks of intensive tech training.

Re: My kid can’t handle a virtual education, and neither can I

#335

Post by jnwatson » Thu, Aug 20, 2020, 2:18 AM UTC

dorchadas wrote: post #314

wink wrote: post #255

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This honestly has me puzzled. German here, no kids, so not 100% sure how it is today, but to the best of my knowledge it's still 3-5 kindergarden (no idea why you would do this via screen) and then school from 6-7 (depends on birth month, etc). And the "this should be daycare" argument doesn't fly because how would you babysit a 5y old via a video conference? Maybe I'm just old, but I don't see anything wrong in not…

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I think you're misinterpreting what kindergarten is in the States. Kindergarten here is the first year of schooling, and is associated with primary schools. Generally, 5 is the minimum age to start, with a cutoff month. Thus, the kids are expected to be taught in the structural way of school.

It is sort of structural. Kindergarten is to help kids transition to the structural aspect of schooling. It is usually very much filled with physical activity and creativity.

Re: My kid can’t handle a virtual education, and neither can I

#336

Post by ashtonkem » Thu, Aug 20, 2020, 2:26 AM UTC

k_sze wrote: post #330

redshirtrob wrote: post #212

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had all day kindergarten in '83. First half was in English, and the second half was in French. And no, this was not a private school. This was Cincinnati Public.

French is actually a significant language in Cincinnati? I've never been there and it isn't exactly close to the Ontario or Quebec provinces of Canada.

No, it is not. Occasionally bilingual lower educational programs become very popular, and French is a common choice, especially in places far away from the American Southwest. A lot of cities I’ve lived in have had a Lycée Français in them, although I’m not sure if they’re related (I don’t have kids, so I never checked).

Re: My kid can’t handle a virtual education, and neither can I

#337

Post by megameter » Thu, Aug 20, 2020, 2:26 AM UTC

dageshi wrote: post #192

maps7 wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel I would thrive in a movement based work environment. I think and articulate much better when walking.

If I had infinite money, I'd build an office on an entire floor, with the desk in the middle and a kind of walking track around it that I could do circles on, sometimes I just really have to walk.

Try floor sitting. It's not perfect in the summer months since you get less airflow around the legs, but it lets you move a little and stretch as you think which is very healthy. Dozens of postures possible. It can be done cheaply, cheaper than a "normal" desk setup:

1. Folding floor desk(ideally taller and wider than a breakfast tray so there is leg room)

2. Lap desk for peripherals. This makes computer interactions ergonomic, no more hunching or reaching.

3. Floor chair/backrest so you can recline and get some back support in long sessions.

Plus all of it can fold compactly so it works well in a limited footprint.

Re: My kid can’t handle a virtual education, and neither can I

#338

Post by kazinator » Thu, Aug 20, 2020, 2:29 AM UTC

floren wrote: post #123

learc83 wrote: post #97

Kids can't learn all day long in a classroom. I don't know why we expect them to be able to do it remotely. School has always been 1/3 learning 2/3 baby sitting. When my parents were kids, they only went to kindergarten for half a day.

> When my parents were kids, they only went to kindergarten for half a day. Wait, hang on, is kindergarten all-day now? I was in kindergarten in... 1992, and it was half a day.

If you were in kindergarten in 1992, that makes you just about old enough to be the parent of some HackerNews kid who now posts that his or her parents went to kindergarten for half a day.

Re: My kid can’t handle a virtual education, and neither can I

#339

Post by annoyingnoob » Thu, Aug 20, 2020, 2:35 AM UTC

entitledParents wrote: post #327

I do love how entitled parents are. WAHHHHHH. I want a free babysitter for my children that I can't stand to be around. WAAHHHHH.

Its about educating the kids, not babysitting. I expect my kids to learn something at school and socialize. Little kids especially do better in groups where everyone does the same thing, distance learning is a real tragedy for these kids. The kids are just reacting to a situation that is out of their control and they can't fully understand. Its really hard for parents/caregivers. We have to tag-team it at my house where we have mom or grandma during the day and dad at night. My son will spend 5 hours fighting you over 5 minutes of simple work that he can easily do - when he decides not to do it there is nothing that will motivate him, no reward great enough, no consequence harsh enough. Its easy to judge others but you never know what your future might hold.

Re: My kid can’t handle a virtual education, and neither can I

#340

Post by protomyth » Thu, Aug 20, 2020, 2:35 AM UTC

function_seven wrote: post #26

I'm amazed how dismissive all the comments are here. I read the article and it seems totally normal for a little kid not to be able to do "school" on a laptop. Kindergarten is so much different than later years of schooling. It's not about lectures and subjects, or homework and tests. It's about much more fundamental lessons, interspersed with creativity, socialization, and learning to be separated from your parents.…

Heck, older kids have problems. My brother has a large screen for the computer and his son did his first Zoom class and freaked out. The 30+ faces staring at him was just too much. My brother had to switch to the view that just shows the speaker. It was still a pain for the whole day. It's just not physical so it becomes watching a TV show for the whole day. There is something about the physical presence of others that makes things better.