my son's favorite word, and a modest proposal for Aspen school district

 my 17 year old son's favorite word is...............

LATER

yup that pretty much sums up life with a 17 year old boy:

walk dogs?      later

do dishes!!      later

do your laundry!!!!  later

college prep            much later

find a partner for sailing        later, maybe, I don't know, I don't want to look needy

and yet it mostly gets done.  not on my time frame.  not how I like.   But he is getting As, speaking at the school board meeting, keeping his room clean and sending emails to college coaches.  Is it getting done how I want, when I want?  No, but it is getting done.

Speaking of the Aspen School District.

A modest proposal to school during a pandemic:

 

ASD’s goal should be to provide the best education possible while ensuring the safety of our community.  To that end I would suggest k-7 go full time in person unless community spread becomes so great as to move the district to full online.  

 

8-12 would go full online with the online delivery platform that was designed over the summer, implemented at the start of the school year, and was working well for many students.  K-7 would then be able to use the additional space vacated by 8-12 to provide appropriate social distancing.

 

For the exceptions, the students in the 8-12 group who aren’t successful with online school without adult oversight could go to school, where they will be in the gyms with a proctor overseeing them as they work online.  This model has already proven successful with the special education kids.

 

ASD full in person schooling can resume once the population is vaccinated and/or COVID rates have dropped to New Zealand levels.

 

Why?  Teaching students online and remote at the same time is a much worse educational delivery mechanism than full remote.  Asking students to do four 85-minute class periods online, with 30 minutes for lunch is mind numbing. Try it. Believing that kids in masks sitting six feet apart from each other is going to solve the social emotional situation is wishful thinking. Thinking that AHS students aren’t already out and about with each other is ludicrous. And acting as if there will be no damage if we send @1,000 people to campus when Covid is on the rise is delusional. 

 

We all want the best safe education for our community possible.  ASD developed a strong online teaching platform over the summer, let’s leverage it.

I like the idea of you, and then you talk

 my daughter said that to me when I suggested.........well anything.

Its also kinda like that with everything.

1.  I like the idea of in person school, and then I realize its going to be a hybrid model with the students go in person every 4 days with 85 min classes and teachers teaching online and in person at the same time.

2.  I like the idea of opening the ski mountain, but not the town closing due to COVID

3.  I like the idea of not wearing masks, but hate community spread of COVID

4.  I like the idea of a free ski pass, but hate spending 3 hours getting the hard sell on a time share

5.  I like the idea of dogs, but hate the hair and their needy walks

ETC ya get the point.  My mom used to work for a guy named Barry Commoner---he was noted for saying 'there is no such thing as a free lunch'.  And he is right.  I love the idea of tax cuts and higher pay for teachers and a big infrastructure spend, but guess what.......

And to my daughter I say, do what you know you are supposed to and maybe what comes out of my mouth will be praise and not nagging.

And yea I nag too much and its not working---next up threats :) 

Aspen School District shits the bed with new 'hybrid' model

OMG what a beautiful example of trying to find something for everyone and instead creating something that won't work for anyone (or at least the majority of students).

Our high school plan is as follows:

1.  Divid the school into two groups--group A goes to school in person for the first week and group B goes the second week.  If kids in group A don't feel comfortable going in person they can go remote full time (but MUST decide before the week starts and stay committed to in person --why who knows).  Repeat.  

2.  Teachers will teach in person and remote cohorts synchronously (at the same time).

3.  Students will have 4- 85 minute classes a day (with 5 minute passing periods) and a 45 minute lunch--except most teachers are running over (yes running over with an 85 minute class--didn't see that coming)

4.  Some teachers will choose to teach remotely themselves.  What does that look like?  English class being taught in the gym with 8 kids in person in the gym looking at their computers while10 remote students are on their screens  and the  teacher teachers from their home on a computer.

5.  No school on Wednesday (so they can clean).

6.  Each class is only taught twice a week (so for example English Monday and Thursday, Math Tuesday and Friday).

7.  Kids that are in school will have their movements restricted (yes bowl movements too---if you want to go to the bathroom you have to get permission and if someone else is using the bathroom on your floor well ya better hold it till the end of the day).

OMG.  OMG.  OMG.  85 minute class periods!!!!!!  WTF.  No school on Wednesday.  Class only twice a week (forget reinforcement).  Did I mention that is 6 hours of screen time a day just for school.  Add in 2-5 hours for homework and ---well I would like to ask the pediatricians who all recommended the kids go to school what they think about 9 hours of screen time a day and 85 minute classes (and no opportunity to take a crap).

And ya don't need a PHD in education to know that trying to teach to students in person and online at the same time is nigh impossible.

Full remote was working---people just didn't like it.  This solution is a heaping pile of crap that our kids are being tossed into---our school administrators should be ashamed.

ARGGGGGGG.   

COVID pricing--it stinks

Aspen real estate up about 20% (along with rentals)

Take out has added a 15% service charge (not delivery mind you but to just pick up the food costs 15%)

Visit to the Doc--can't see them without a COVID test --cost $200 and they won't submit it to insurance

Ski pass--up about 20% and who knows what kind of product you are getting at that higher price point

paper towels and TP up between 200-300%

cost of gas at the pump up, price of oil down

and don't even begin to ask about the cost of higher education (up) product being delivered (way down)

I guess this is a weird rehash of the 80s stagflation

speaking of the 80s I suggest everyone put on a little VH and remember so fun rock and roll--Eddie Van Halen you will be missed

what the heck is up with those pants?

The truth about ski passes

 Ski Co has announced new ski passes.  They are about 20% higher than prior years.  

That is what we know for sure.

Next,  what SkiCo hopes:

1.  SkiCo hopes they can open the mountain and keep it open from November 26th, to April 15.

2.  They will try to limit the number of people on chair lifts and gondolas to groups of people in same vector---resulting in longer lift lines even if there are fewer skiers.

3.  They hope to have restaurants open, but are not sure how they are going to do that in a COVID safe way.

4.  They hope to have bathrooms open, but are not sure how to do that in a COVID safe way.

5.  They hope not to have to implement a reservation system but they might have to to stay COVID safe

6.  They will refund a prorated portion of your ski pass if the mountain closes due to COVID, less 10 days and insurance.  Let me put some numbers on this--assuming a ski season of nov 26-april 15, and the mountain closing for the season on Jan 10 ish due to lots of community spread over x-mas-new years winter break that would mean if you bought a $2,400 primer pass with $170 insurance, you would be refunded about $1,200 of your $2,570 cost of purchasing a pass and insurance.  Lets assume of those first 45 days the mountain is open you ski a day in November (lets say the snow sucks, and 10 days prior to x-mas break and then a reservation system goes in place and you only get 3 days in over 'winter break' and then you get in another 4 days before they shut the mountain ---that is a total of 18 days which cost you $76 bucks a day).  I will let you judge how good a deal that is.

Bottom line--the price of a pass has gone up 20% and pass buyers are being forced to assume all the risks of the quality of the product being provided and the ability to actually use the services the pass provides.  

Harvard Business School professors will tell you raising prices while cutting services and asking your customer to bear the risks is not a business strategy they recommend ---perhaps SkiCo's Covid response will become a case study some day.