What Grade Would You Give Americans in Handling the COVID-19 Crisis?

Sorry, but no. Plenty of adults do need to be in their office to do their jobs, if only because they don't do them as well from home. Most children just aren't ready for it. They aren't mature enough to handle the distractions and focus. They learn the material better, but they also gain other skills by being in school. Most people have had that point driven home by seeing what it was like when they couldn't go to school.

It's about balance. Right now, in far too many places, it just isn't safe. The safety of children, their families and the school staff has to come first. But eventually, once this thing is more under control, they do need to return to school.

 

I couldn’t disagree more.

But, again, it’s why Trump has to lose, because of delusional lines of thinking like this. As long as he’s in charge, just about any idea, so long as it’s opposition to Trump, is acceptable.

If he had said “Kids can just stay at home for the fall” he would have no received no less fierce criticism - from many of the same people - as he did by saying they should go to school.

 

Or:
He is actively seeking the destruction of the country he swore to protect.

 

Bottom line? We don't know what is going to happen once schools open. Will it go smoothly? In places with low viral load, probably. In places where the virus is out of control, doubtful. The issue isn't whether or not "A lot of people know" kids should be back in school, it's how many are going to die? Because kids are going to die. So will teachers and administrators and people who clean schools. So, how big a number can you stomach? We're not going to be Germany or Norway because our viral load is too big and spreading too much. So, are we Israel, with another shutdown coming? I think so. I think, maybe, we get to Thanksgiving and then schools close for the rest of the year. My kid is going to lose her senior year through no fault of her own. That's devastating and it's because we haven't done the work. There is still a large percentage of Americans who don't think it's real, think the numbers are false and think any study that shows otherwise isn't just wrong, it's made up. We are fighting the worst virus in 100 years and part of the reason it's not going away is because we're willfully ignorant. It's a lot to fight.

 

Should be, but won’t. This link in OOP’s post immediately prior to yours neatly defenestrates your argument: Older Children Spread the Coronavirus Just as Much as Adults, Large Study Finds

 

“delusional lines of thinking?” Got news for you both: learning will be mostly virtual in the next 25 years anyways. Eventually school districts will see the cost savings of not having to maintain buildings, cook food and transport kids and it’s going to go in this direction whether we like it or not. Think of all the things we used to do in person that are no longer done: shopping at malls, car buying, purchasing insurance, booking vacations. If someone had told you in 1994 that all of these things would be available from the comfort of your home you’d have thought the person was insane. Yet, here we are. And that technology isn’t going backwards.

The delusional line of thinking is believing that an archaic structure that has only been in place because we needed brick and mortar facilities until now needs to remain in place just because. I think “kids need to be in school” is more about parents believing “these kids need to get the fuck out of my house.”

 

The socialization and learning to work in group situations are part of education, too. And especially in early education, the evidence is clear that face-to-face instruction is essential. Even in high school and college it's way preferable to distance learning. I will give you this. Of necessity and because of its forced increased use, distance learning should improve significantly as a technique. Still won't make it as good, but a better insufficient alternative.

 

People have been screaming "make the car-buying experience not a pain in the ass" for much of my life. Somebody tells me in 1994 that day is coming, I don't tell him he's insane. I only say, "It's about fucking time. Sooner the better."

 

of course now they offer “hassle free” shopping, which means “This is our price and this is what you’re gonna get on your trade. Go home if you don’t like it.”

 

BYM, that's great if you're a suburban family with money. There are a lot of poor families who don't have internet other than on phones. There are families who have three or four kids and one computer. There are kids for whom food at school is the one sure meal of the day.

I'm certain that online alternatives will continue to improve and will be more commonly used, but there are any number of reasons that kids need traditional classes.

 

That's the same deal grocery stores offer on a carton of milk or a loaf of bread. Works for them (and us).

 

Clearly, you need to speak to more teachers. Hell, you need to speak to more of the students who were not in school from March through June.

Such a change could happen, but it would be a mistake. Engagement is a huge part of learning and that is far more likely to happen in person. Students are also better able to collaborate in person. That is before we even get into things such as physical education and hands-on learning such as lab work in science classes. I'm not saying these things are so crucial that you endanger lives by insisting on school in person while the spread of COVID is out of control in much of this country, but you really are missing a lot of how and what children learn in school.