Debates are growing related to how to provide child care and education during a pandemic. Many experts are offering advice--the advice ranges depending on the expert's primary focus. If the focus is getting people back to work, then child care takes priority. If the focus is a quality education, then learning takes priority. If the focus is public appeal, then the public voice in your locale takes priority. How do we consider the many perspectives and create an educational model that keeps people safe, fosters rich learning/caring relationships, and educates too?
What can we do?
I think that every community has to start with individual and family needs and move from there. This is a situation where everyone has to do their part, and a positive solution won't look the same for everyone. We need to have a client-focused approach that puts safety first, then positive relationships next, and after that quality education.
Economic Survival and Realities
Every community has to assess the economic realities that exist in their community. If people have no money, lose their homes, and are unable to feed their families, that's an equal or worse crisis than the danger COVID-19 presents. We have to keep people healthy in all ways.
What can we do?
Choice
One solution is to provide a number of choices and see who chooses what, and then go from there. What might those choices be?
Traditional School
Children attend classes daily with safe numbers of children in each class and rules for social distancing and safe bathroom/lunch room use. Schools figure out how many classrooms they have available for safe distancing education. For example, the school that I teach in has about 22 rooms available. It is reasonable to think of 10 children per room for a maximum of 220 students. That's about half of our normal school population.
Camp School
School
Communities could rent local camps and use those for specific grade levels. It could be considered a year of nature-school. That would be a great fit for fifth grade. Of course camps are not always outfitted for bad weather and winter, so that would have to be considered. Another way to think of this is semester outdoors. Grade levels could plan to teach in that environment for one semester or quarter. We could shift our curriculum to make this work.
Library-School
Local libraries could serve as a school location for one grade-level or discipline.
Local Nature Preserves, Museums, and Empty Office Buildings
It's possible that these spaces could be donated for school settings.
Hybrid School
This could be a school program that includes at-home days and in-school days. For example if my school secured 100 full time spaces for children that have to attend school full time. Then they could use the remaining 120 spots for hybrid school with children coming to school two days a week and learning at home three days a week or some other in school-out of school pattern.
Hybrid High School
High schools could all become hybrid with days in school and days out of school, while extra space is used to make sure that all K-2 students are in school at safe social distances daily. Middle school and intermediate elementary could have a balance of camp school and hybrid school.
Virtual School
There could be a 100% virtual school offered for those interested.
Semester Abroad
Since many companies have extra space and small colleges are closing, school communities could create semester abroad at places away from the school community with social distancing rules in place.
This is a start at thinking about creative solutions for the fall. With good thought, assessment of community needs, and a review of the capacity the school system holds, I think win-win solutions can be created.
