Return to In Person Learning September 2021 - A Letter to Stephen Lecce

I have sent this letter to various contacts surrounding the school year next year. Please feel free to write your own, share on social, or reuse sections that apply to you, and send your own email as well. To date I have sent this to Mr. Lecce (Minister.EDU@ontario.ca) and CCed Premier@ontario.ca, Councillor_Perks@toronto.ca, Robin.Pilkey@tdsb.on.ca, and CCed our school principal.

Dear Mr. Lecce,

We are less than a month away from when parents need to decide whether or not their children will return to in person learning in the Toronto District School Board and are in the dark when it comes to making an informed decision.

With the Delta variant making headlines, and a fourth wave looming, to say I have concerns is an understatement.  Children 12 and under (such as my own) are now among the most vulnerable communities and virtually nothing is being done to help ensure their safety.

I have been told that online learning will not be an option for children as it was last year, and that they will be streamed to a classroom at their home school but not much more. This is disappointing because not only did my children excel at online learning with an excellent teacher, but they were also safe and didn't have to endure the disruption between shifting from in person to online learning as other students did.

Last year when parents, including my family, requested a reduction in classroom sizes, this request was ignored, and despite "safety measures" being placed in the school, in person students spent close to half of their academic learning remote anyway. 

I have heard nothing of enhancements to filtration systems or safety protocols that will make the 2021-2022 school year any different than the last. 

When I inquired with Ward 7 about waiting until my children are vaccinated to attend in person school I was told that I would likely be able to move them back into in person schooling in February after term one. This is the only information I have to make a monumental decision about my children and their safety.

My son has two learning disabilities. Disruption in routine, like from in person to online learning when fall numbers spike, will be detrimental to his learning. I am trying to do what is best for him and his twin sister, who is quite social, but also enjoyed and learned a lot during her online year.

My family is fortunate that we have been able to work from home and keep our children safe. Many offices are remaining remote until late fall or early to mid 2022, and working at reduced capacity, on shifts. These are businesses with fully vaccinated adults, yet it seems the safety of our children is being treated as an afterthought. 

I have many questions. Mr. Lecce, when will the government give school boards a plan and when do you expect them to operationalize? 

Before parents are asked to sign on the dotted line for the school year, I ask that you revisit the option of online learning with dedicated teachers, that you work towards better safety protocols in school, with smaller classrooms and more outdoor learning, and that you actively communicate with parents instead of asking them to make a decision with essentially no information or confidence in the safety of their children.

Thank you for your consideration,

Sara

Concerned Parent, Ward 7, Toronto 

The Summer of Scorekeeping & Minimizing Screen Time

 After a year and a half of online learning and limited affordable summer camp options, the hubs and I began to worry about exactly how much screen time Molly and Jack would be getting, particularly when we were working and they were lazing about this smmer.

While some days of camp,time outside with a vaccinated babysitter, family vacations within Ontario, and visits with Nana and Papa are all on the schedule there will also be a lot of downtime.

I am a big fan of kids having unstructured play time, on the other hand I have deadlines and Zoom meetings, and two kids fighting or complaining they're bored often leads to screen time to keep the peace, quiet, and deadlines met.

So, the night before the last day of school Chris and I sat out on our back porch to brainstorm some ideas on keeping screen time to an absolute minimum. Then, I had an idea.

Like most parents, I had seen the images of notes from parents to their kids doling out the Wifi password each day ONLY after they had completed a series of chores. This popular online parental trope gave me an idea.

Image Courtesy of Social News Daily

That night we decided during working hours the kids would need to earn their screen time. We came up with a list of activities that earned them screen time. Some earned at minute for minute other items, like a successful 45 minute session with their tutor would earn them double screen time. 

Essentially we gamified screen time. Within those parameters things like pre-approved online drawing, crafts, and educational tutorials do not count as screen time. A minimum of one hour of reading a day is on the list as required, but again completing the reading earns them screen time. So far the kids love the process and when they don't feel like doing the items on the list they'll draw, work on crafts, or play together quietly. 

Here's the list of items our kids can complete to earn screen time. Ironically some of it involves being on screen, but we're okay with that.

• Reading
• Writing letters or postcards
• Playing with the dog outside
• 15 minutes of typing tutor games
• Chores (what needs to be done is determined on a day by day basis)
• A productive, focused session with their tutor
• Tutoring homework
• Speech therapy sessions (this one is only for Molly)
• Walk the dog with mom

I'm happy to report a week in this is working! Another thing we did to get the kids excited was to join the TD Summer Reading Program. The kids can search for ideas on books to read, log what they have read, and write recommendations for other kids. The goal at this point is 20 books each for the summer. 

How are you keeping your kids off screens this summer?