One week almost down and one to go on school closures (fingers crossed). Just curious how parents are doing and what they have planned for the next week.
We also have a kid whose school (private) is doing online learning. I’m not totally loving that, and it sounds like schools have a lot of different ways of doing it.
Anyway… threaded started in the hopes of finding some commiseration, ideas for kids activities, etc., etc.
My kid’s e-learning has nearly completely consumed all of my time - and I’m knackered at night afterwards. First, we needed a few days to get used to the pace of his workload. Then, we tried to adjusting to try to minimize the time he needed to get stuff done. My wife is away traveling on business the whole week, so I got a little overwhelmed by the sudden and unexpectedly involving “work” – for me, I’m trying to watch, push back, and push him forward. He and I have to remember to go outside for breaks, even if it’s just to take a walk around the block.
I started sending feedback to his homeroom teacher about some of the challenges we faced using the e-learning platform - like how to tag work properly and how to record, take photos, draw, etc. His teacher replied that it has indeed been a steep learning curve for everyone - and I think has started easing off some of the load (like reminding us all to NOT submit certain activities after we complete them).
Meanwhile, the kid has been great - tackling each assignment without complaint. More important, he hasn’t minded that he’s been having essentially the same breakfast (bacon and egg sandwich) and lunch (dumplings) every day.
We signed my daughter (5yo in K3) up for a baking winter camp the whole of next week. She did one afternoon class there and loved it.
We’re also thinking of delaying her going back to school until after 228. There will be a lot of international students returning and just want to be sure everything is okay.
The e-learning is certainly a tough burden. I signed my kids up for a couple hours of soccer a day so they could get out and get exercise, and we have a hard time finishing all the school work before 5pm, which means I can barely get any work done at all from 7am-5pm. I have a lot of work to make up this weekend.
Why do they need so much help with the e-learning? Don’t you just log in and follow through the lessons and assignments?
My kid is in 2nd grade – old enough to do most of the math and grammar structures but still new to it all. So the main concern I’ve had is keeping him on track, i.e., on track or else the homework just builds up (I know because I have bad memories of my own primary school days)
Up until today, I was stressing out to get the Activity Responses in by 4pm. Videos, comments to posts, photos, audio recordings, and inking (a new term for me which apparently means drawing on the screen). Today, undoubtedly a result of a minirevolt along other fellow parents, the school announced that the goal is to complete activities within 24 hours.
Part of the challenge in these initial days is that the teachers need to also get experience in designing activities that don’t take up so much time and effort. And in these early days, we are learning how to strike a balance. For example, my kid is supposed to write for 20 minutes – if I am not watching him like a hawk, after 20 minutes he has done half a page when he is expected to do 3 to 5. Slacking off? Like his old man, no doubt – working from home means every distraction is in arms reach.
So I struggle not to chew him out. I did at the start of the week (I bet my neighbors have been thinking of calling CPS on me) and I’ve gotten just a bit more restrained yesterday and today. Obviously, I have a ton to learn about teaching, training, parenting – and at the end of the day, we are all exhausted. (btw I have learned what a stubborn and resilient little bastard my son can be in the face of my pressure tactics – and I couldn’t be more proud; and if I don’t shape up, he’s going to beat the shit out of me in vengeance once he’s physically strong enough)
I feel like with my oldest doing the online stuff it’s been a lot of mickey-mouse learning–lots of little videos and answer a question and fill out a form in an app and on and on. Multiply by six or eight subjects.
I kind of wish they could do simpler projects–read a lot and keep a reading diary, or work on one math concept over the week. I think they probably should have given up on programming for all of the non-core subjects (art, gym, music, etc.).
For our local school (younger), we’re doing some activity center camps and extra babysitting, but it is still just a lot of time together. It feels like have an extra summer thrown in, with no time to prep.
Do you all know if any international schools are back in session (in person) next week? I heard some of the international schools are still closed (Dominican), some are doing online (TAS), etc.
There are 4 different apps that I need to download, they work differently with different devices, you need to print out certain documents, you have to figure out how to upload assignments, and the lessons aren’t always explained well. You don’t need to be on hand 100% of the time, but you need to do a lot of problem solving and overseeing. The whole system is very patchwork, poorly explained, and hard to navigate.
from LINE Chat today
Parents, no need to panic. The school closure details will be announced soon.
Closure due to new government rules. But more importantly to emphasize, THERE IS NO COVID IN THE TAS COMMUNITY
From TAS Board
You know, knowing TAS, it wouldn’t surprise me if they got early notice and basically all schools will shut down. I think HK is still out of school and they only have around double the number of cases we have.
I honestly do not know what you mean by “knowing TAS”. Do you mean that the school administration is so well-connected with the local government / powers-that-be that they would be tipped off ahead of other Taiwan schools?
And when you say HK might still be “out of school”, I am unclear whether you mean the students are still in school despite HK having almost double the number of cases as all of Taiwan, or if you mean that HK has not let their students back in school because they only have double the cases of Taiwan. I think you mean the former (students still in school despite more coronavirus cases), so how does that reflect on TAS - that the school is very sensitive?
I am genuinely curious. As a parent, I would not think a school closing early out of an abundance of caution is a bad thing. Plus, the students can be expected to go back to e-learning mode.
Btw, at this time according to www.coronavirus.app Taiwan is 100 infected / 20 recovered / 1 dead / 79 sick and HK is 193i 95r 4d 94s
I’m not meaning to sound like a conspiracy theory, just that TAS may have realized that it would be strategic to quickly close. They may have been warned or realized that a lot of folk are coming back from abroad (older siblings, family working in Europe, etc) and that there’s a decent chance they’ll get shut down if anyone with a Corona connection has been to school. It also would not surprise me if schools end up shut down because of the recent spike, and TAS may no longer have an incentive to finish June 1 if no one will be leaving anyways.
Arrrggggghhhhh
No students would be admitted to school in Taiwan if they had travelled within at least the last fourteen days.
The problem with a place like TAS is the kids may get infected by their relatives.
The other problem is parents may not tell the school the kids were abroad.
Looking. For school closure updates.
So far Taipei American school, Taipei European school, hsinchu international School,
Any others to add?
These are already closed?
Starting next week
If the schools are closed, I would like to demand the government cancel all Qingming (Tomb Sweeping) festivities with strict enforcement and fines.
I second that. But I highly doubt it will happen 