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Should K-12 and Higher Education Open? (Shannon Silver)

In a time when schools and universities are looking into reopening their doors, the health of the students as well as, the input of parents and teachers is seemingly going unnoticed. At the K-12 level the CDC had advised very strict guidelines that they believe all students and teachers should follow, such as smaller class sizes.¹ While, at the university level they are faced with whether or not to have on campus housing, to go online, or somewhere in between, as well as, how much tuition to charge students. Many universities have left the decision on whether or not to return up to the students, some students even going as far as taking gap years to avoid the stress of whether to return all together. California State University’s Chancellor Timothy White said in an interview with USA Today, “If you started in person and then had to flip back to virtual halfway through – that kind of yo-yo, you know – is that good for students and for the learning experience, or is it better to have a consistent space, the virtual space?”² A person in higher education saying that universities need to make definite decisions that positively impact the lives of students is very important in the conversation.

Now, going back to K-12, many teachers and parents are concerned that it is not safe to go back. Teachers are unable to get smaller class sizes, or new books and are now wondering how they are to cut class sizes and social distance in the classroom. One teacher, Kevin Kearns, said to the New York Times, “It puts me in a very difficult moral conundrum, to choose between supporting my community, students, colleagues and my own family’s safety.”³ Teachers are essentially deciding between hurting themselves by going back to school, or hurting their students and most teachers love their jobs, to teach young people and watch them grow. If what teachers are saying is they do not want to return, that at the very least should be brought into the conversation. In both K-12 and higher education, there needs to be bigger discussions occurring with input from not just professionals, but from the parents and students in order to determine if returning is even possible to do in a safe way.

 

¹ Initial Fall Reopening Guidance – Mass.gov. 2020, www.mass.gov/doc/initial-fall-reopening-guidance-presentation/download

²  Aspegren, Elinor, and Samuel Zwickel. “In Person, Online Classes or a Mix: Colleges’ Fall 2020 Coronavirus Reopening Plans, Detailed.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 22 June 2020, www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2020/06/22/coronavirus-reopening-college-fall-2020/3210719001/.

³  Goldstein, Dana, and Eliza Shapiro. “’I Don’t Want to Go Back’: Many Teachers Are Fearful and Angry Over Pressure to Return.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 11 July 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/07/11/us/virus-teachers-classrooms.html

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15 Comments

  1. This blog gives great insight into what’s been going on for a long time with most schools. In my opinion, COVID-19 has played a role in bringing the ongoing school politics to light. Personally, I have noticed that some schools and universities seldom take the opinions of parents and teachers into consideration. These school boards are also known to make decisions on the basis of their profits or image. One point to consider is the economic stability of the school as that can play a vital role in decision making. Another point to consider would be the relationship between the parents, teachers, and school, as each school or university is different. Lastly, the severity of the virus in the area. Are schools going to reopen if the rate of infection in the area is high?

  2. The question regarding the reopening of colleges and schools is very controversial. As the officials in the educational system are making the decision, they should also keep in mind that each student has different financial situations. For example, one of my friend’s college made a decision that the student will have to go in college in person from the beginning and till the Thanksgiving Day, then they will have to start an online till spring break and later they will have to go back to in person education as from the spring break till the end of the school year. Don’t take in mind the maybe the students of their University we not have the finances that are needed to travel there and back throughout the year. This is the main issue as I believe that will create chaos between the students and the teachers. What do you think of the freshman college students who will have to start their University or college online? It is really hard to be involved into the educational process and activities, and also start your communication and make friends as you’re taking classes online. What in your opinion are the main factors for the K-12 to be reopen for the following school year? Does the capacity of the school affect this decision? Also, the age of the student may have the influence over this decision, as for example, those who are aged 12 and below will create the problem with the online education especially of their parents are working. Who will stay at home and watch over them? These factors I believe should be taken in consideration as the schools and colleges are making this decision of reopening or keeping online classes. Moreover, with K-12 schools there is a problem with their differences between each other. By the county in which the schools are located, it is hard to make one decision for all of them at some schools maybe bigger others may be smaller. The same is with the colleges as some students I’m going out of state for their universities and other states maybe having a different pandemic situation is the one where they come from.

  3. I found your article very intriguing since I had my senior year fully online for the last quarter of school and I am an incoming freshman to a partially online university. For my local high school their plan is to give students some choice in their decision to come back or learn remotely. Another local high school is doing two or three days online and the rest in person. I think the biggest issue with these scattered plans is the lack of consistency. Students even from the same school may have completely different education experiences and some teachers may never fully adapt to online learning. These hurdles are adding stress to families and staff members of schools and a lack of guidance from the government has only added to that. I wonder what the long term effects of this temporary fix will be. Are there enough students taking a gap year to make a substantial difference? If so, what changes will we see in the years to come? I also wonder if younger students will be affected by virtual learning and if it will affect their foundational education and social skills.

  4. I think that one way a school system can better understand its students, teachers, and parents is experiencing what they will be required to go through once school starts again. In Massachusetts, Ashland public schools had their school committee and others sit down in classrooms and comply with the rules that they set to impose. In doing so, the school committee could feel how uncomfortable students would be as they themselves felt extreme discomfort in meeting in person. Whenever school committees meet with zoom it makes me wonder if they won’t understand the emotional toll going back has on students and parents.

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  10. Shannon Silver’s perspective on the reopening of K-12 and higher education institutions during the pandemic is both timely and thought-provoking. The balance between ensuring the health and safety of students, teachers, and staff while providing quality education is indeed a challenging one. As a student, the uncertainty surrounding the academic year has been stressful. However, one silver lining has been the resources available online to help with academic challenges. For instance, when I was overwhelmed with essay assignments, I found solace in this writemyessays site. Their professional writers provided invaluable assistance, allowing me to focus on other aspects of my studies. It’s essential for students to know that there are resources out there to support them during these trying times.

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