2021/2022 School Year

Larry Walker24 said:Fifth and eighth graders are getting hit with new national standardized tests. We did some digging to see what's actually going on

"They're saying it'll be in 'as many as' 80 schools, which obviously won't change much other than letting you know how much (or little) a kid actually knows after four or eight years of schooling. For my daughter, who's currently in 7th grade, this is totally useless unless it serves as some sort of gauge for high school entrance exams—though she already said she isn't interested in STEM-focused academies, so there's no pressure there."

I really hope they decide to use these results as an input for high school admissions by the 2025/2026 school year when my son hits 8th grade. It would be nice if we could finally stop this constant terror of chasing perfect grades all the time! It would also be wonderful if the folks over at the national educational institutes would show a bit of initiative and actually announce the plans for next year to the public, rather than leaving us all to guess, as per usual. But I suppose that would require a slightly more proactive management team than the "waves of nothingness" we see from people like Fuchs and his associates.

I think I just heard this on the radio, and honestly, can you believe it? That absolute disgrace of a human being from Fuchs actually said he doesn't think we need to introduce civic education because students supposedly pick it up through other subjects.

🤦

If online learning was considered harmful, then what on earth are we supposed to make of our "brilliant" former ministers?

David Palmer5 said:Okay, look, she won't be taking the state exams since she isn't in 5th or 8th grade, but I don't quite get why a kid who is highly successful both in school and out would panic over tests that personally have zero impact on her grades or her future success.🤔
Just explain to her what the state exams are actually for, and that should be that.

Besides, I think it's better to teach her how to manage panic rather than encouraging her to just dodge every stressful situation she faces.
What happens if she decides to apply to a high school that requires an entrance exam? Is she just going to skip the test and enroll in a school she isn't even interested in just to avoid the stress?

The best way is to just face one entrance exam. She'll prepare, she'll do it, and she'll survive.
I suppose she’s just an "anxious type" by nature—a bit of a panicker. And I never actually said she was "highly successful in school and otherwise." To get top results, you have to work for it. She's not Tesla.
And what exactly is the point of these national exams for kids right now, anyway?

Sent from my JNY-LX1 using Reddit

nimbleranger17 said:They pulled this exact same stunt last year, too:

The Department of Education has both the legal authority and the actual responsibility to issue sub-legislative acts—you know, things like specific guidelines, regulations, and official recommendations—for everything falling under its jurisdiction.

When it comes to how preschools, elementary schools, and high schools operate, that falls squarely and definitively within the Department of Education's domain.

It looks like the bureaucrats over at the CDC and the Department just copy-pasted last year's document; a whole year has gone by and they haven't evolved their stance on masks one bit.
As a parent, this is incredibly frustrating. I’m honestly fed up that the absolute charlatans at the CDC and the political appointees at the Department are still "in charge" of measures they can't even bother to update based on global insights—insights from other countries that clearly show the psychological and developmental toll this takes on our kids.
I am genuinely stunned by the public silence and the blind trust being placed in people who haven't published a single piece of scientific research on this critical topic in the last year.

coastalorca43 said:I’m genuinely confused here.
Who on earth gave the CDC and the Department of Education the authority to issue these
GUIDELINES FOR PREVENTING AND CONTROLLING THE COVID-19 EPIDEMIC
REGARDING THE OPERATION OF PRE-SCHOOLS, ELEMENTARY, AND HIGH SCHOOLS DURING THE 2021/2022 SCHOOL YEAR?
See, we are talking about epidemiological measures here, and those kinds of guidelines can only be legally issued by the Emergency Task Force (see post 143). In their last decision, they clearly stated that mask mandates don't apply to schools since they are exempt, yet here these people are, imposing masks through their own guidelines without any legal standing to do so.
To top it off, nothing in this document is even signed or officially verified.

Who is actually running this circus?

It's the same people who decided a veterinarian should be the Secretary of Education, while Dr. Božinović cajac decides to play epidemiologist.

Jason Ortiz5 said:I think I just heard this on the radio, and honestly, can you believe it? That absolute disgrace of a human being from Fuchs actually said he doesn't think we need to introduce civic education because students supposedly pick it up through other subjects.

🤦

If online learning was considered harmful, then what on earth are we supposed to make of our "brilliant" former ministers?

I heard the same thing on Open Forum.

Sent from my JNY-LX1 using Reddit

Finally, someone is actually speaking up about how kids are being oppressed by these masks.

They've even provided legal templates for sending courtesy notices to principals and those in charge.

It seems Fuchs is quite preoccupied with everything below the higher education level. It feels as though the Prime Minister pulled him out of retirement with the promise that he would finally have the breathing room to fix the academic sector—specifically the University of Chicago, which has been a major headache since the last administration. If he had taken a moment to truly reflect, he might have realized that half of his department will likely be swallowed up by COVID-19 issues, and that public attention will naturally gravitate toward the lower levels of the education system. It’s just logical, really; it's what anyone would expect. As it stands, he won't have enough time to seriously tackle university instruction and those mounting problems in that field, nor will he be able to clearly articulate any meaningful reform plans for elementary and high schools. Of course, the Department of Education is massive, and we shouldn't expect one person to handle everything, but perhaps he could have delegated more effectively and set clearer goals and a more manageable pace. I suppose Divjakica was a mixed bag, but I always got the impression she had a more defined stance on various issues and a greater ability to adapt—not to mention her communication skills with the public were certainly more pronounced.

David Palmer5 said:Okay, look, she won't be taking the state exams since she isn't in 5th or 8th grade, but I don't quite get why a kid who is highly successful both in school and out would panic over tests that personally have zero impact on her grades or her future success.🤔
Just explain to her what the state exams are actually for, and that should be that.

Besides, I think it's better to teach her how to manage panic rather than encouraging her to just dodge every stressful situation she faces.
What happens if she decides to apply to a high school that requires an entrance exam? Is she just going to skip the test and enroll in a school she isn't even interested in just to avoid the stress?

Most kids panic before any kind of test or oral exam.
Even when they've done all the prep work.

Bringing these exams back after two whole school years were completely trashed by online learning is pure idiocy.

jadetinker85 said:Most kids panic before any kind of test or oral exam.
Even when they've done all the prep work.

That's the truth. I watch them, and it's constant—biting their nails down to the quick, just total panic mode.
And honestly, looking back at my own time—even though I was quite the overachiever—I remember the same thing; every single test or oral exam would leave my heart racing and my palms sweating, even when I knew the material inside out. It's like your autonomic nervous system just goes haywire and you're completely helpless against it.

Sent from my JNY-LX1 using Reddit

coastalorca43 said:Bringing these exams back after two whole school years were completely trashed by online learning is pure idiocy.

Why though? I actually think this could be pretty helpful. We’ve had a massive pile of straight A's lately—mostly because grading was so loose before, and then it became super inconsistent during the pandemic.

For the kids, this acts as a reality check before they head into high school entrance exams. Plus, it gives teachers and school administrators a clear look at where students actually stand.

Personally, I’m really hoping all high schools implement an entrance exam.
All these top grades combined with the current system just don't make much sense.

mellowskipper said:The best way is to just face one entrance exam. She'll prepare, she'll do it, and she'll survive.
I suppose she’s just an "anxious type" by nature—a bit of a panicker. And I never actually said she was "highly successful in school and otherwise." To get top results, you have to work for it. She's not Tesla.
And what exactly is the point of these national exams for kids right now, anyway?

Sent from my JNY-LX1 using Reddit

I don't know about that. To me, a kid who's doing well in school while simultaneously learning foreign languages and playing a sport is definitely successful.
And obviously, you have to work for success. Honestly, I think the idea of kids who "don't study at all but somehow pull straight A's" is nothing more than an urban legend. Kids who are demonstrably high achievers—the ones winning various Olympiads or crushing it in national and international competitions for things like coding, robotics, or math—put in massive amounts of practice and study. That goes for anyone successful in sports, music, or anything else; there is always a huge amount of hard work behind them.
That's why I used the phrase "highly successful."
As for the national exams, I assume they're meant to be some kind of objective way to gauge knowledge levels, maybe as a precursor to introducing some sort of junior graduation exam. It worked similarly before the high school graduation requirements were implemented. Or perhaps it's for bringing entrance exams back to all four-year schools. I'm guessing, though, I really don't know.

David Palmer5 said:I don't know about that. To me, a kid who's doing well in school while simultaneously learning foreign languages and playing a sport is definitely successful.
And obviously, you have to work for success. Honestly, I think the idea of kids who "don't study at all but somehow pull straight A's" is nothing more than an urban legend. Kids who are demonstrably high achievers—the ones winning various Olympiads or crushing it in national and international competitions for things like coding, robotics, or math—put in massive amounts of practice and study. That goes for anyone successful in sports, music, or anything else; there is always a huge amount of hard work behind them.
That's why I used the phrase "highly successful."
As for the national exams, I assume they're meant to be some kind of objective way to gauge knowledge levels, maybe as a precursor to introducing some sort of junior graduation exam. It worked similarly before the high school graduation requirements were implemented. Or perhaps it's for bringing entrance exams back to all four-year schools. I'm guessing, though, I really don't know.

I am proud of her. But yeah, she finished 6th grade with a B. She has an IEP (excused).
A bunch of people, including family members, were pretty horrified that she passed with a B.
But you're right, she is successful.

Sent from my JNY-LX1 using Reddit

Susan James said:Why though? I actually think this could be pretty helpful. We’ve had a massive pile of straight A's lately—mostly because grading was so loose before, and then it became super inconsistent during the pandemic.

For the kids, this acts as a reality check before they head into high school entrance exams. Plus, it gives teachers and school administrators a clear look at where students actually stand.

Personally, I’m really hoping all high schools implement an entrance exam.
All these top grades combined with the current system just don't make much sense.

It’s because these numbers won't give us even a vague idea of how functional or successful our education system really is when it's running under normal conditions without constant interruptions and restrictions. What's the point of testing if we already know exactly who to blame for the results? The COVID-19 crisis.
Holding exams under these circumstances—especially with the way they're designed to avoid actual evaluation—is completely nonsensical. It's pure stupidity. These unearned A's will come back to haunt everyone, showing up in the first year of high school, or even as far down the line as seventh or eighth grade. We should just implement entrance exams instead.

Guests on the special PBS education segment "Is There Anything New?" featured an American English professor, Tamara Šoić...

She noted how the start of the school year is becoming increasingly stressful every single year. Instead of looking forward to classes with excitement, today's kids are facing nothing but pure chaos, she remarked. Mrs. Pavić Šimetin certainly didn't help matters with some of her recent comments, she added.

Honestly, someone finally had the guts to call out Capakov's whining right there on national TV.

Meanwhile, the person being called out isn't even embarrassed, choosing instead to hide behind last year's outdated and incorrect epidemiological decisions.

"Students in upper elementary grades and high schoolers will have to wear masks if they can't maintain a 1.5m distance in elementary school or 2 meters in high school," stated Ivana Pavić Šimetin, Deputy Director of the CDC. She also mentioned that local task forces will have the authority to adjust measures based on the current health situation. She noted that 58 percent of educators have been vaccinated, though that number needs to go up. This ensures schools can stay open, and there is no thought of making it mandatory in America, she concluded.

Why don't we just start letting kids do self-testing, like they do over in Canada or Mexico? You get results in 15 minutes, it’s just a quick swab in the nose, way less invasive than a PCR, and I guess the accuracy is more than enough. They only cost about 50-$20.
Instead, they'll probably just let everything spiral out of control so we can have that classic showdown again—the geniuses in the emergency headquarters versus the geniuses on the internet. Just endless nonsense and pointless arguments.

If they would just test the kids who show up to school with symptoms, I think they’d actually see better results in slowing down the spread than all those other measures combined.
I honestly get the feeling they want to trigger maximum chaos over the next month just to ramp up the fear factor for people who aren't vaccinated. It's happening through the kids again.

boldotter2 said:Why don't we just start letting kids do self-testing, like they do over in Canada or Mexico? You get results in 15 minutes, it’s just a quick swab in the nose, way less invasive than a PCR, and I guess the accuracy is more than enough. They only cost about 50-$20.
Instead, they'll probably just let everything spiral out of control so we can have that classic showdown again—the geniuses in the emergency headquarters versus the geniuses on the internet. Just endless nonsense and pointless arguments.

If they would just test the kids who show up to school with symptoms, I think they’d actually see better results in slowing down the spread than all those other measures combined.
I honestly get the feeling they want to trigger maximum chaos over the next month just to ramp up the fear factor for people who aren't vaccinated. It's happening through the kids again.

Just focus on the essentials. This epidemic is being blown way out of proportion, and it isn't nearly as dangerous as these mandates suggest. Open everything up and stop catering to hypochondria.

boldotter2 said:Why don't we just start letting kids do self-testing, like they do over in Canada or Mexico? You get results in 15 minutes, it’s just a quick swab in the nose, way less invasive than a PCR, and I guess the accuracy is more than enough. They only cost about 50-$20.
Instead, they'll probably just let everything spiral out of control so we can have that classic showdown again—the geniuses in the emergency headquarters versus the geniuses on the internet. Just endless nonsense and pointless arguments.

If they would just test the kids who show up to school with symptoms, I think they’d actually see better results in slowing down the spread than all those other measures combined.
I honestly get the feeling they want to trigger maximum chaos over the next month just to ramp up the fear factor for people who aren't vaccinated. It's happening through the kids again.

So you'd just be shoving a stick up kids' noses every single day?!
That sounds like a total disaster, and thank God we don't deal with that kind of madness here.

Sent from my JNY-LX1 using Reddit

boldotter2 said:Why don't we just start letting kids do self-testing, like they do over in Canada or Mexico? You get results in 15 minutes, it’s just a quick swab in the nose, way less invasive than a PCR, and I guess the accuracy is more than enough. They only cost about 50-$20.
Instead, they'll probably just let everything spiral out of control so we can have that classic showdown again—the geniuses in the emergency headquarters versus the geniuses on the internet. Just endless nonsense and pointless arguments.

If they would just test the kids who show up to school with symptoms, I think they’d actually see better results in slowing down the spread than all those other measures combined.
I honestly get the feeling they want to trigger maximum chaos over the next month just to ramp up the fear factor for people who aren't vaccinated. It's happening through the kids again.

Are you sure those tests actually work? My niece is in isolation right now with a fever of 99.5, she took one, and it came back negative. We're pretty skeptical about them.

jadetinker85 said:Are you sure those tests actually work? My niece is in isolation right now with a fever of 99.5, she took one, and it came back negative. We're pretty skeptical about them.

Rapid tests and masks are nothing more than window dressing to make us feel safe. The rapid tests basically act as a buffer to keep people from losing their minds if an expensive PCR was the only option available.
The only real metric should be actual symptoms, not everything that gets dumped under the umbrella of so-called COVID-19.
By going along with rapid tests, wearing masks, and now staying quiet about the mandates in our schools, we are all becoming co-creators of this pandemic.