What I expect from Park City teachers in the Fall

Happy 4th of July. I hope everyone is doing as well as they can given the odd circumstances we find ourselves in. This is the time I start thinking about schools and the fall. This year, that is a particularly interesting exercise.

No one knows how Park City schools will function come late-August. The Governor has said classes will be in-person; however, that could be one day a week or five days a week. Things could get worse and in-person learning may no longer be possible. Certain types of education, like specialists or art, might be remote, while other classes are in person.

What I was taught from my high school Civics teacher, tennis coach, and later a good friend was simple. Hope for the best. Expect the worst.

One thing is certain. As we head into the fall, schools can’t function as they did in the spring. My kids had generally good experiences, interspersed with technical glitches. My kids, who were in kindergarten and second grade had good experiences. This was due to my wife being able to teach them and our teachers trying hard (and in some cases exceeding every expectation). Yet, as we gather with friends, talk turns to school. About half have had less than optimal experiences.

In some cases, the teachers disappeared. There was little communication from a teacher.

In many cases, the day-to-day work was pushed onto parents. The parents were doing the teaching with a little help from educators.

Many comments noted that a family could complete a day’s school work in far less than two hours. It made them wonder why their kids were in school for five to six hours a day under normal circumstances.