https://www.yahoo.com/news/hybrid-school-wont-away-even-101016597.html From the end of the article; And while new technologies could enrich public education, experts fear districts will use virtual school to cut costs through bigger class sizes and fewer teachers. "The major problem is that online instruction will be used to cut down on the cost of human labor," Hale says. "It looks as though that’s how many districts are using it." So public schools are just another business looking to thin the herd now. Glorious. I've always had a big eye roll at "Teacher Appreciation" anyhow.
This is one where I feel like context is important. The Hale person quoted is from U of I. Illinois has been in a funding crisis for years. I remember things being bad before '08, then it went from bad to worse. It's not uncommon for schools near U of I to engage in questionable practices like RIFing after 3 years so to avoid tenure. Heck, even when I was in school, we had to stop doing sprints in gym because there wasn't enough space for the 50 kids to do them safely and we sent two kids to the ER in one week. They'd also lie about course enrollment numbers in order to cut teachers. I think it's a new shady practice for places that have long been in trouble, but I don't think this is going to be a widespread national tactic.
You really don't think so? I mean, even now that the idea is out there, you don't believe other schools might give that a sidelong glance and say "That's not such a bad idea...." I'm not trying to be rhetorical btw. I'm honestly asking you, because I appreciate your reply.
Yeah. I can see some mustache-twirling superintendent in AZ getting ideas, but otherwise I think public pressure would keep less-desperate districts from doing that. Once daycares open up fully again, the demand for 100% in-person will be high. Businesses want workers back in the office, which requires childcare one way or the other. Parents won't want to pay extra for 2-3 full days of daycare. The facts are on their side too, where for most kids in-person learning is best. No one will support raising taxes or bonds for schools that are doing big hybrid classes. The parents where I am were whining and whinging about hybrid all year. Given, these were affluent parents who mostly saw the pandemic as an inconvenience, but they had a few valid points. People kept getting exposed and bouncing between hybrid and having to isolate with no notice was awful. I can also see hybrid still being a go for the next year because of demand. If this had happened when I was a kid, that likely would have been my family's choice because of my immune-suppressed brother, if mom wouldn't have pulled us entirely to homeschool for a bit out of an abundance of caution. There are enough families in similar situations that I can see districts keeping the option until things calm down in a year or two. The only other long-term application I can see would be for very small rural districts as an alternative to merging and hauling the kids long distances to another school. I could see how hybrid might be preferable when the total class numbers would be 30 or under anyway. The teacher would alternate buildings and a parent or aide could supervise the other class.
My district only has a hybrid option available for students with a documented medical excuse. Not many qualify. We are business as usual, except that we are facing school starting with not enough teachers. We can’t find applicants. We have called universities, and they don’t have education graduates. We are at the point of looking for people with non teaching degrees who will do an MAT.
But more than you might think will keep work at home and save the office space. And, it turns out, productivity sometimes goes up with work at home. Still, that doesn't mean parents want the kids at home too.
Parents often have issues getting work done with kids at home. We had some parents who were trying to work from home and monitor multiple children doing online learning, and something had to give. I was teaching from home and caring for my terminally ill mother. I eventually had to take a medical leave. It was too much.
"Businesses want workers back in the office, which requires childcare one way or the other. Parents won't want to pay extra for 2-3 full days of daycare. The facts are on their side too, where for most kids in-person learning is best. No one will support raising taxes or bonds for schools that are doing big hybrid classes." Few things here I'm curious about. I've read a lot of places are getting more lax about in office vs at home work time. Turns out a lot of people kinda like it. Also, what makes you say people wouldn't support raising taxes or bonds? Seems like the kind of thing legislatures would go for. They're always trying to show how responsible they are on budgets (and we all know where they like to save first.)
