de Blasio’s Friday the 13th Problem
Wind the clock back eight months. Friday the 13th. Of March. Bill de Blasio, bluster and fury but no conviction, insists that schools are staying open. It was the wrong decision (soon to be reversed). And, because it was last minute, with a last minute reversal, disruptive. The time for planning was harried and disorganized, and our schools suffered all spring as a result.
Today. Friday the 13th. He’s really still mayor? Parents and teachers and schools should “be prepared” to go remote for a short period of time.
We just finished, by the way parent-teacher conferences. Which came after “Fall Fest” activities (mostly remote) for our students. That was today. November 13. Friday.
Thinking back, our last parent-teacher conferences came after our last “Spring Fest” activities (in person). That was March 13. Friday.
I’m not complaining about moving to fully remote. I think it is necessary. I am complaining about last-minute decisions. I am complaining about the mayor’s lack of planning, and the negative effect that lack of planning has on schools, students, teachers.
I’m also repeating – none of this was necessary. Many of us, probably most of us, knew that the “blended learning” models were a mess. We knew that safety would be an issue. Some of us knew that the quarantining and spread around the Thanksgiving Holiday would be insurmountable.
Blended learning is disruptive. Shifting between in person and remote is disruptive. We need less disruption. We need careful planning. We need a mayor who plans.
And we need to move to remote – Monday sounds good. And we need to stay there until things are actually safe.
JD2718 
I couldn’t agree more! There are no surprises here; the 2nd wave is arriving right on schedule. Time and money should have been spent on getting technology to kids. There are still tens of thousands of students still waiting for iPads. These last minute decisions reminds me of days when I arrived at school only to find out that the city declared a snow date at the last minute!
Kids have iPads and internet access and know how to use the internet.
The issue is that most choose not to do any work.
I can’t say I blame them. The doe is a joke.
I agree that the planning has not been great, but that’s the doe. It will never change.
You almost have to do what you can do and at 2:30, flip the switch in your brain and enjoy the rest of your day.
In a quarter of a century doing this job, it’s been chaotic on a good day.
Is what it is.
This planning was especially bad – mostly because it was necessary.
Most “planning” the DoE does, schools and teachers either ignore completely, or pretend to follow (and actually ignore completely). But this Blended Covid Lunch – we had no choice.