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Thomas: All Things Considered, Monday Was A Good First Day Of School In Escambia County
August 24, 2020
Monday was probably the most unique first day of school ever in Escambia County. But all things considered, Superintendent Malcolm Thomas said it was a good day, from masks and social distancing to distance learning from home.
“It was a pretty good day,” Thomas told NorthEscambia.com Monday afternoon. “The weather held off at the right points.”
And he said the district’s numbers on students choosing in-person, remote learning and virtual school were about on par with projections.
“Attendance in-person was about what we expected; most of those came back that said they were coming back,” he said. “There was some shifting, but that was expected.”
The new normal of face masks and social distancing went well on the first day students were back in an Escambia County classroom since before Spring Break.
“I visited nine schools Monday. Most of the students wore masks when they were getting off the bus or when they could not social distance,” he said. “I thought it went rather well and according to plans. There were no kids that showed up sick. Parents have to help us this year and not send their kids to school with they have a fever or a cough; with parents’ help we will do well.”
Some students that chose one of the at home options had a few internet connectivity problems on Monday, Thomas said, but those problems were outside the district’s control.
“If you have four kids all trying to learn online at the same time, that can become a little bit of problem with slower broadband speeds,” Thomas said, noting that the Florida Virtual School did have downtime Monday, but that’s not operated by the district.
Pictured above: The first day of school at Kingsfield Elementary School. Pictured below: The first day of school for a distance learner in Escambia County. Parent submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Comments
4 Responses to “Thomas: All Things Considered, Monday Was A Good First Day Of School In Escambia County”
My son was so excited to go back to school traditionally after the five month “break”. He has had to wear his mask all day every day except for lunch at his school. It’s so disheartening to hear that even with dividers in place between desks, these kids are still having to wear mask. Every afternoon he had a headache. He said “I don’t know what my new friends or teachers even look like.” He can only sit with one other student at lunch, they can’t talk with friends and can’t hug in the hallway. Every single choice and socialization opportunity is being ripped away from these kids and no one is batting an eye. We chose traditional school to get back to normal. We refuse to accept this as the “new normal”. Fear is controlling everyone and it’s pretty disgusting
Face to face learning is better under normal conditions, but teachers are not teaching normal face to face classrooms.
They’re teaching face to face and remote learners at the same time in “blended” classrooms.
Blended classrooms make instruction ineffective for those in school and at home and once the inevitable internet issues start, it will only get worse.
My children’s first day back at school.
Prepairing for school, it felt so good as a mom to get to experience the excitement on my kids face when i bought them new school clothes, shoes, and bookbags. These things seem like just a necessity to most, but to my kids its means another adventure. To my 8 year old Autistic son this means the world. He bonds well with the teachers and other students at school, and he needs the interaction with other people for his social skills to be able to grow.
First day back: All of my kids are ecstatic about their new teachers and classmates. They are actually excited about learning. I asked each of my boys “how was the first day of school?” and their answers just errupted all at once. Being “in” the school means more than just the fun of meeting new teachers, in my opinion it means that children who need the extra assistance will get it in the best way possible. I am so thankful for the return of inclass learning.
My first day went very well. I am teaching in a hybrid classroom, and most kids got the knack of logging in by the end of the day, and the in class students understood how to communicate with their online peers. The work was also completed!